As the Faculty of Mathematics begins its 50th anniversary celebration, alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends were invited to a kick-off lunch and discussion panel on January 18, 2017.
On January 1, 1967, the University of Waterloo became the first university in North America to have a stand-alone Faculty of Mathematics, as what was once a department in the Faculty of Arts grew in size and reputation. Since that time, Mathematics has welcomed more than 80,000 students from 80 different countries.
The kick-off event held at Federation Hall, offered walk down memory lane as past alumni discuss their stories of the Faculty's early years.
The panel, chaired by Steve Brown, included Donald Cowan, Bev Marshman, Paul Schellenberg, Ron Dunkley, Ian McGee and Jerry Lawless, all who were present during the early years of the Faculty as staff or students.
Stories ranged from early scholarships and textbook prices to singing the Waterloo recruitment song at high schools, and from how Waterloo once had the largest computer in Canada to the creation of Canada's first portable computer, WatCOW (Waterloo Computer on Wheels).
Along with the panel, attendees had the opportunity to view the University's earliest technology and computers, presented by the Computer Museum.
Check out the "First Decade Panel" recording from the event and event photos. Share your University of Waterloo memories and predictions with #UWaterloo60.