News

A lightweight material created by researchers at Waterloo Engineering could spare health-care workers from chronic pain by replacing the heavy lead now used in X-ray aprons to provide protection from radiation.

Made from a soft, silicone-based plastic mixed with nanoparticles of tungsten, the lead alternative reduces the weight of X-ray aprons by almost 90 per cent while still offering a similar level of protection.

The Insight to Creation Speaker Series brings Waterloo Engineering alumni back to campus for honest, unscripted conversations with students about career journeys, bold decisions and what it really takes to build something meaningful.  

In this session, Dean Mary Wells welcomed three graduates from the electrical and computer engineering class of 2001 —Thiru Sinnathamby, Vice President of Software Engineering at Nvidia, and Shao Xia and Terry Guo, co-founders of LotusFlare — whose shared starting point led to strikingly different destinations.

A new monitoring system developed at Waterloo Engineering could save lives and significantly reduce health-care costs by quickly detecting infections in brain-injury cases in intensive care units.

About 25,000 hospital patients in the United States alone each year require drains to remove excess brain fluid due to traumatic brain injuries and other conditions, including hydrocephalus and brain hemorrhage.

Computer modelling at Waterloo Engineering shows professional baseball pitchers could make mechanical changes to avoid a common, career-threatening elbow injury without necessarily sacrificing competitive velocity.

"Our simulation found solutions that suggest there's untapped efficiency out there,” said Cedric Attias, who led the study while earning a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. “Our goal isn't to tell pitchers to throw softer. It's to help them throw smarter."

A University of Waterloo leader and Civil Engineering alum has been recognized with a national award for his decades of service to the engineering profession and the Waterloo region community.

Murray Gamble (BASc '85), P.Eng., chair of the University's Board of Governors and president of The C3 Group of Companies, has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Engineers Canada Meritorious Service Award for Community Service.

An interdisciplinary team from the University of Waterloo premiered an interactive art exhibit that brings the story of the Athabasca Glacier to life, blending science, technology and art to spark deeper conversations about climate change. 

The Life and Legacy of the Athabasca Glacier was created by researchers and students from the Faculties of Engineering, Environment and Arts, in collaboration with multimedia artists and imagery provided by Guardians of the Ice.

A research team led by Waterloo Engineering students, including several undergraduates, has created a tissue-like hydrogel material for potential use for artificial muscles in robotics.

Hydrogels are soft, biocompatible materials with great promise for developing microrobots to perform non-invasive biomedical tasks within the human body, including the gastrointestinal and reproductive tracts.

Two Faculty of Engineering professors were among the winners at this year's Kitchener Waterloo Oktoberfest BMO Women of the Year Awards, which celebrate women advancing Waterloo Region through leadership, innovation and service.

Dr. Mary Robinson received the educator award, and Dr. Sirisha Rambhatla received the Vanguard award at the annual ceremony.

A professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering has been honoured by transportation authorities in the United States and Canada for his contributions to vehicle safety research.

Dr. Duane Cronin received a Safety Engineering Excellence Award from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at the 28^th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV) in Toronto on May 12, 2026. He was cited for his commitment to and advancements in road safety.

A graduate student at Waterloo Engineering is in the running in a national photography contest meant to showcase and generate interest in scientific research.

Matthew Krmpotic, who is studying the aerodynamics of vehicles as he pursues his doctorate in mechanical and mechatronics engineering, was named one of 20 finalists in the 2026 Science Exposed competition sponsored by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).