News

A multi-university team featuring two graduate students from the University of Waterloo failed to qualify for the finals Friday of an autonomous racing event in Las Vegas.

But six weeks of preparation by Brian Mao and Ben Zhang still paid off when their million-dollar car recorded a top speed of 137 miles per hour (mph) during a run before the main competition at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

A startup company that was co-founded by an alumnus of Waterloo Engineering achieved unicorn status this week with the announcement of US $350 million in new funding.

The deal gives Assent Compliance, a software-as-a-service company based in Ottawa, a market valuation of more than $1 billion as it aims to grow to over 1,000 employees by the end of 2022.

Assent was co-founded by Andrew Waitman (BASc ’87, electrical engineering), who has served as chief executive officer since 2014.

A pair of University of Waterloo graduate students - one from engineering and the other from mathematics - have put a disappointing crash behind them as they prepare for the next historic step in autonomous racing this week.

With the start of 2022 it is very sad to share the news of the passing of devoted physics professor Firas Kamal Mansour on Wednesday, December 29th.  A lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Professor Mansour taught many first-year engineering students and was a recipient of the Excellence in Science Teaching Award in 2012.

Two University of Waterloo professors have been named to the Order of Canada, including Rick Haldenby, a professor in Waterloo’s School of Architecture.

A new study led by Waterloo Engineering researchers shows ultra-thin coatings of copper or copper compounds could enhance copper’s ability to inactivate or destroy the virus that causes COVID-19 on surfaces.

The research began soon after the pandemic hit and involved investigation of six thin metal and oxide coatings and how they interact with a coronavirus that is genetically similar to SARS-CoV-2.

Creative ideas for a proposed all-wood Waterloo Engineering building won a student team first prize in an international contest.

The Structural Timber and Applied Research Team (START) was recognized in the student submission category of the Build the (Im)possible challenge sponsored by Rothoblaas, a timber technology company located in Italy.

Waterloo Engineering professors, staff and students raided their kitchen pantries and opened their wallets and hearts to take first place in this year’s Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) Stock the Bank Challenge.

The challenge awarded non-perishable food items and monetary donations point values from one to five, with a number of most needed items such as canned vegetables, breakfast foods, fruit juices and toiletries receiving five. 

A medical startup company headed by a Waterloo Engineering alumnus has secured $20 million in new funding to fuel expansion and the development and commercialization of its flagship product.

Nicoya Lifesciences, co-founded in 2012 by Ryan Denomme (BASc’10, nanontechnology engineering, MASc ’12, mechanical engineering), is based in Kitchener and has over 100 employees.

A professor at Waterloo Engineering has received national recognition for his contributions to the Canadian nuclear industry.

Mahesh Pandey, a professor of civil and environmental engineering who earned both his doctorate and master’s degree at Waterloo, was honoured with the 2021 Harold A. Smith Outstanding Contribution Award at an event staged by the Canadian Nuclear Society and the Canadian Nuclear Association.