News

On Saturday, April 15, the world lost Distinguished Professor Emeritus Raymond L. Legge, a former chemical engineering professor and an irreplaceable member of the Waterloo Engineering community. He was 68 years old.

For over 35 years, Legge’s exemplary scholarship, teaching and service record helped elevate the University of Waterloo’s reputation as one of the world’s preeminent engineering schools.

Mikaela Lewis, a mechanical and mechatronics engineering doctoral candidate, is among four recipients across campus honoured with the Amit & Meena Chakma Awards for Exceptional Teaching by a Student.

A teaching assistant for a third-year fluid mechanics course, Lewis is described as passionate and adaptable, ensuring her students can best understand the material she’s teaching. Her office hours are so popular that she hosts additional ones to meet her students’ needs.

Kitchener-based Miovision Technologies has bought Global Traffic Technologies (GTT) from the Raleigh, U.S.-based Vontier Corporation to evolve its road traffic solutions and expand its market share.

The acquisition was financed with an investment of $260 million made by three large Canadian technology investors – Maverix, Telus and Export Development Canada (EDC). This will establish Miovision as one of North America’s leading smart city equipment vendors.

A professor at Waterloo Engineering has been awarded more than $1 million in federal funds to lead a research project to develop quantum-enhanced sensors.

Dr. Na Young Kim, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, is principal investigator of the project.

Waterloo Engineering hosted its second annual Faculty Commencement Day on April 14 to celebrate significant academic milestones in the careers of faculty members.

Hosted by Dean Mary Wells in Engineering 7, the event recognized faculty members who have received tenure, been promoted to associate professor and full professor, and advanced from lecturer to continuing lecturer.

A health technology startup launched by a Waterloo Engineering alumnus is in the running for a $50,000 prize from the Arthritis Society of Canada to grow its business.

Stefan Gertz, who graduated from the mechanical engineering program in 2015, is one of seven finalists from across Canada vying for four $50,000 awards in a pitch-style event to be staged in Toronto later this month.

Kanata-based firm Ranovus has received $36 million in federal funding to advance Canada’s semiconductor industry.

Described as a trailblazer in the semiconductor industry, Ranovus builds fibre-optic technology that makes computer chips faster and more energy-efficient.

A startup co-founded by a Waterloo Engineering alumnus to help make the construction industry greener has raised $2 million in investment in its first year of operation.

Adaptis, which developed artificial intelligence software to increase material recycling and reduce carbon emissions, grew out of research by Dr. Sheida Shahi (PhD ’21) while she was earning her doctorate in civil and environmental engineering.

Waterloo-based startup VueReal Inc. has received $10.5 million in federal and provincial funding to grow its business.

Described as a semiconductor and cleantech company, VueReal makes microscopic LEDs and sensors that range from two microns to 20 microns in size. For reference, a human hair is about 70 microns thick.

Ten senior student teams from the Faculty of Engineering competed in this year’s Norman Esch Entrepreneurship Awards for Capstone Design, pitching their startup ideas to a panel of judges tasked with awarding $60,000.   

All 10 pitches showcased innovative thinking and entrepreneurial skills. Six teams delivered winning pitches and walked away with $10,000 each to invest in their projects’ commercialization.