News

The recipients of Waterloo Engineering's 2023 teaching, research and staff excellence awards were announced today by Dean Mary Wells.

In a memo to engineering faculty and staff, Wells said she would like to "thank all our award recipients for their inspiring work and ongoing dedication to the faculty." The winners will be recognized officially at the Engineering Faculty & Staff Awards Dinner in January 2024.

An outreach program aiming to significantly increase enrollment and improve the experience of young women in engineering programs was named first runner-up by a global group of engineering deans for a prestigious diversity award.

The Hydro One Women in Engineering University Partnership (HOWEUP), led by a university group featuring the University of Waterloo, received second place out of three shortlisted projects for the Global Engineering Deans Council’s (GEDC) Diversity Award.

Kitchener-based startup Coastal Carbon has received $1.6 million in funding from Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC) to undertake the AI-Driven Sensors for Seaweed Measurement Project. 

Co-founded in 2022 by Waterloo Engineering alumni and PhD candidate Kelly Zheng (BASc '19, chemical engineering) and Thomas Storwick (BASc ‘19, nanotechnology engineering and MASc ‘21, chemical engineering), the company’s mission is to tap the ocean for valuable data.

Waterloo Engineering alum Jagdeep Singh Bachher (BASc ‘93, mechanical engineering, MASc '94, management sciences and PhD '00, management sciences) has been named the University of Waterloo’s 12th chancellor. 

In his new role as chancellor, the titular head of the University, he will be a key ambassador for the institution, building and nurturing relationships across the broader Waterloo community and advancing its mission provincially, nationally, and internationally in keeping with the Vision for Waterloo at 100. 

A team of University of Waterloo Engineering researchers has created smart, advanced materials that will be the building blocks for a future generation of soft medical microrobots.

Led by Dr. Hamed Shahsavan, a chemical engineering professor, the research team has developed tiny robots that have the potential to conduct medical procedures, such as biopsy, and cell and tissue transport, in a minimally invasive fashion.

Ten Key Labs, a Toronto-based software startup, has launched a new equity management platform called Mantle and secured $10.5 million in seed funding.  

Ten Key Labs was co-founded in 2022 by Waterloo Engineering alum Amar Varma (BASc ‘99, electrical and computer engineering), son of Nityanand Varma who helped establish the Varma Family Professorship in Robotics in the Faculty’s electrical and computer engineering department.

Hundreds of graduating engineering and architecture students recently celebrated the end of their current academic journey as they received their University of Waterloo degrees at convocation.

With family, friends and the Faculty of Engineering and School of Architecture community in attendance, 102 undergraduate, 224 Master's and 66 PhD students crossed the stage during their Saturday afternoon convocation ceremony on campus. 

Three recent Waterloo Engineering alumni have made it onto the James Dyson Award’s international Top 20 shortlist which recognizes innovation by current and recent design engineering students.  

Colin Bolt, Benjamin Beazley and Jake Chateauneuf (all BASc ‘23, mechanical and mechatronics engineering) have been shortlisted for their product WhaleSafe, a rope on-demand fishing device that stops whales from getting tangled up and dying in lobster and crab fishing trap ropes. 

Waterloo Engineering professor Dr. Alexander Wong was featured on a CBC News TV segment to discuss how AI could play a vital role in Canada’s rural healthcare system. 

Wong, who holds the Canada Research Chair for Artificial Intelligence, said that AI will improve healthcare efficiencies across the country, but that rural Canadians will see the greatest impact from AI-driven technologies.  

Waterloo Engineering’s outreach programs have won an award honouring their contributions to the Nigerian community.

Presented by the group Nigerians in the Region of Waterloo (NIROW) at their annual Independence Day celebration, Waterloo Engineering Outreach (WEO) received the 2023 Community Allyship award.