News

A Waterloo Engineering research team is using augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) to better understand — and maintain — the condition of Canada's critical infrastructure. 

Dr. Chul Min Yeum, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and his colleagues have developed a system called the Smart Infrastructure Metaverse that uses AR/VR to allow on-site and off-site inspectors to interact in real-time as they view the real structure and a 3D scanned replica model simultaneously.

This opinion piece by the University of Waterloo’s Dr. Mary Wells, dean of Engineering; Dr. Lai-Tze Fan, Canada Research Chair in Technology and Social Change; and Dr. Ashley Mehlenbacher, Canada Research Chair in Science, Health, and Technology Communication, appeared today in the Toronto Star.

 It’s been more than a month since U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris launched her bid for the presidency and already AI-generated disinformation is working to smear her name. She’s not alone.

Microplastics, tiny particles that result from the breakdown of larger plastic materials, pose significant threats to ecosystems and human health due to their resistance to decomposition. Until now, scientists have struggled to fully understand how these particles degrade, especially at the microscopic level.

In a groundbreaking study, Waterloo Engineering researchers Dr. William Anderson and Dr. Boxin Zhao, in collaboration with the National Research Council (NRC), have used 3D imaging technology to examine microplastics in unprecedented detail, a critical step toward improving plastic recycling methods.

An international research team’s data analysis model could help California’s strawberry farmers prepare their harvests for adverse conditions caused by warming temperatures. 

The team included postdoctoral fellow Dr. Poornima Unnikrishnan and professor Dr. Kumaraswamy Ponnambalam from the University of Waterloo's Department of Systems Design Engineering and Dr. Fakhri Karray from the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi. Their research presents implications for the availability and cost of produce imported from California to Canada.   

An interdisciplinary research team at the University of Waterloo is  working to improve treatment adherence for a children’s eye condition with the help of a social robot.  

Dr. Kerstin Dautenhahn, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Ali Yamini (MASc ‘22, electrical and computer engineering) joined colleagues with backgrounds in optometry and psychology to develop this novel treatment for ‘lazy eye’.   

Completing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo has been a long-held goal for Raven Sim. However, the journey to graduation has led to unexpected opportunities and experiences.

In April 2024, she was part of a team that took their capstone project to the finals of the Norman Esch Entrepreneurship Awards for Capstone Design, where Sim pitched a product that was inspired by her own experiences of volunteering.

This opinion piece by Dr. Mary Wells, dean of Waterloo Engineering, and Dr. Ashley Rose Mehlenbacher, an associate professor in the English Language and Literature department, appeared in the Hill Times, a popular news source for Canadian politics and government news.

From health care to manufacturing, clean technologies, finance, and many other industries, there is growing hype around artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential to revolutionize operations. 

A Waterloo Engineering research team has released new work that shows humans prefer interacting with social robots they perceive to have personalities that match their own.  

This finding was made by Dr. Moojan Ghafurian, a systems design engineering professor,  and Dr. Kerstin Dautenhahn, a professor of electrical and computer engineering.  

An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Waterloo is launching a new battery research centre that will play a crucial role in developing the electric vehicles of tomorrow.

The Ontario Battery and Electrochemistry Research Centre (OBEC), led by Dr. Linda Nazar from the Faculty of Science and Dr. Michael Pope from the Faculty of Engineering, will be Canada’s newest facility tasked with advancing next-generation electric vehicle battery development.