News

Researchers at Waterloo Engineering have developed new technology to convert wasted food into a clean substitute for fossil fuels.

The system engineers natural fermentation to yield a chemical called carboxylate, which can be used to produce fuel and chemicals for products including drugs and plastic packaging instead of those derived from petroleum.

Three professors at Waterloo Engineering were among 10 campus-wide recipients this week of federal funding for researchers believed to be on the verge of breakthroughs.

Teams from Waterloo Engineering took the top two prizes in a recent international student design competition involving the use of 3D printing technology to manage the heat created during energy generation, conversion, transfer and storage.

Technical challenges and ethical issues are both on the agenda as Waterloo Engineering researcher Kerstin Dautenhahn continues her work on social and intelligent robots.

Michelle Liu carefully plans each hour of each day three weeks in advance to figure out where she needs to be and when.

Between volunteering up to 40 hours a month in several different roles on and off campus and keeping on top of her graduate studies, she constantly checks her changing calendar.

“I call it 80 productive hours a week, divided between volunteering and my studies,” Liu says with a laugh.

After spending hundreds of hours working on their steel bridge in the Sedra Student Design Centre, Waterloo civil engineering students are confident they have what will stand up to the competition in Quebec this week.

Waterloo Engineering alumnus Richard Yim was recently named to the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list of 300 young disruptors, innovators and entrepreneurs across Asia.

Yim, who graduated from Waterloo in 2016 with a degree in mechanical engineering and completed the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology the following year, was recognized in the Social Entrepreneurs category, one of 10 categories with 30 honorees each.

Researchers at Waterloo Engineering have dramatically improved the durability of fuel cells, paving the way for the clean technology to replace gasoline engines in vehicles.

Making fuel cells last at least 10 times longer means they could be simplified and produced at a far lower cost. If mass-produced, that would make them economically practical to power cars and trucks.

Two renowned researchers will be recognized with honorary engineering degrees during next month's University of Waterloo’s spring convocation.

Waterloo Engineering researchers have developed new radar technology to wirelessly monitor heart and breathing rates instead of hooking patients up to machines.

“We take the whole complex process and make it completely wireless,” said George Shaker, a cross-appointed professor of electrical and computer engineering, and mechanical and mechatronics engineering.