News

Two students have been recognized nationally for their leadership, service and character as recipients of one of Canada’s most prestigious undergraduate awards.

First-year students Edna Nortey and Aishwarya Tandon were named 2025 Loran Scholars, an honour granted annually to just 36 individuals from thousands of applicants across the country. 

Two professors at the Waterloo School of Architecture are helping lead a collaborative, Canada-wide effort to address several deep problems they describe as ‘housing alienation’ during the 2025-26 academic year.

Students at 14 architecture schools, including Waterloo, will take part in design studios with a common aim to tackle issues including housing unaffordability, disrepair, under-housing, precarity and homelessness.

An inexpensive device developed by Waterloo Engineering researchers can generate enough electricity to power a calculator using only walnut shells and drops of water.

“This technology could be a game-changer for powering small electronic devices, especially in remote or off-grid areas,” said Nazmul Hossain, a PhD student in mechanical and mechatronics engineering. “Imagine environmental sensors monitoring forests, IoT and wearable health devices, disaster-relief equipment – all running on tiny water droplets from the air.”

A Waterloo Engineering research team is investigating how to turn carbon dioxide (CO2) into green fuel that can power aircraft with net-zero carbon emissions. Making air travel eco-friendly remains a pressing global challenge due to the sector’s dependence on fossil fuels. 

Led by Dr. Eric Croiset, a professor of chemical engineering, the team studied an innovative approach to capturing CO2 directly from the air and converting it into sustainable fuel. The study aims to shift the perception of CO2 from a harmful greenhouse gas to a valuable feedstock for producing green fuels. 

The Faculty of Engineering has announced the appointment of Dr. Christopher Nielsen as its next associate dean, graduate studies and postdoctoral affairs. His three-year term begins on September 1, 2025.

A professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Nielsen brings extensive experience in graduate education, having most recently served as associate chair, graduate studies in ECE.

Ottawa-based semiconductor company Ranovus plans to invest $100 million to expand its local operations and create new jobs.  

Co-founded in 2012 by Waterloo Engineering alum Hamid Arabzadeh (BASc ’88, electrical engineering), the company develops chips that help AI run faster and more efficiently in data centres worldwide.

A Waterloo-based beauty-tech startup that connects clients with Afro-curly hair to specialized stylists has served more than 1,500 clients and partnered with 150 stylists across Canada. 

BeBlended was co-founded in 2019 by Waterloo Engineering alum Aileen Agada (BASc ’21, MBET ’24) during her undergraduate studies. Agada launched the fast-growing online marketplace after being turned away from 15 salons because stylists lacked the training to work with her hair. 

A few drops and a few minutes are all it takes to detect contaminated water with a palm-sized device developed by a research team led by Waterloo Engineering experts.

The researchers hope to save lives and reduce illness with technology to rapidly and inexpensively detect toxic E. coli bacteria right on site in homes and water treatment plants, and to regularly monitor bodies of water.

A company that began as a fourth-year design project by four students at Waterloo Engineering has gone on to become a significant player in the additive electronics industry.

Voltera was founded in 2013 after teammates Jesus Zozaya, Katarina Ilić, James Pickard and Alroy Almeida (all BASc '13, mechatronics engineering) spotted an opportunity to bring the rapid iteration of printed circuit boards to hardware development with a desktop device.