Future students

Congratulations to WIN member Jean Duhamel, Professor in the Department of Chemistry, who was awarded the 2021 Macromolecular Science and Engineering Award by the Chemical Institute of Canada. The award is presented to an individual who “has made a distinguished contribution to macromolecular science or engineering.

Seeing is believing when it comes to diversity in academia, according to the inaugural director of the new Indigenous and Black Engineering Technology (IBET) PhD Project. 

A startup company launched by researchers at Waterloo Engineering won $50,000 this week in a pitch competition for cancer innovations.

Air Microfluidic Systems was co-founded last year by Carolyn Ren, WIN member and a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering, and one of her graduate students, PhD candidate Run Ze Gao.

Single-use, medical-grade gloves could be safely reused up to 20 times when using certain disinfection methods – a welcome piece of news for frontline healthcare workers facing PPE shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a new study of six viral disinfection treatments on two commonly used types of disposable gloves worn for personal protection throughout the pandemic, researchers at the University of Waterloo found that alcohol, UV and heat treatment could be acceptable disinfection methods that allow the reuse of gloves up to 20 cycles.

A WIN member and electrical and computer engineering professor has been named a 2021 fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC), the country’s longest-standing engineering society.

When Yimin Wu set his sights on finding a solution that would impact both sustainable energy and climate change, he turned to nature for his inspiration.

“Green house gases and CO₂ are a big problem that lead to climate change,” says Wu. “I looked at how we could mimic plants and nature. Plants absorb CO₂ and water and use sunlight to convert them to glucose — fuel for the plant. I wanted to look at the possibility of using a catalyst with CO₂ and water to convert into a useful fuel for human use.

As the first doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine arrive and are administered in Ontario, researchers in Waterloo Region are trying to design a needle-free option.

The work is still in the pre-clinical stage and their efforts are highlighting the University of Waterloo's dedication to fighting the pandemic.