Feature

A community of builders

Waterloo is building a transformational path to its 100th anniversary

Waterloo at 100 is an exercise to move us beyond five-year planning cycles toward a longer-term vision that will answer: What do we as an institution aspire to become by our 100th anniversary in 2057?

A role model for math — and life

Anita Layton is building math models to get lifesaving treatments to people faster

Layton, a leader in a field attracting the brightest mathematicians and clinicians in the world, is using math models — much like scientists have used microscopes for hundreds of years — to reveal otherwise invisible processes in the body.

Global connections, forged in honey

Nohemie Mawaka’s venture employs women in her father’s community in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Current student Amy Suresh (BSc in progress) chats with serial entrepreneur Nohemie Mawaka (BA ’13) about her most recent business venture, Lubembo, which brings Congolese forest honey to North American markets.  

How to build an anti-bullying robot

Theatre and role play with social robots will help children learn bullying intervention skills

Children who have been bullied or have witnessed a friend being bullied often suffer in silence, not knowing how to process their traumatic experiences or respond to bullying in the future. 

A Waterloo squash dynasty

The seven members of the Seth family are equal parts athletic and academic

An Indigenous sense of place

David Fortin and team to represent Canada at the prestigious Venice Biennale, where he hopes to share Indigenous design principles and raise awareness about Canada’s housing crisis

“Go Mommy”

Tracelyn Cornelius says equality for all is a fundamental component of sustainability

As a full-time employee, mature part-time student and mother of three, I often question whether my decision to embark on PhD studies was a wise one.

Cybersecurity builders

A cluster of cybersecurity companies grows from talent emerging at the University of Waterloo

She may not have been aware of that when she took a co-op job at the cybersecurity company Arctic Wolf in Waterloo, but she is part of a new generation helping build the region’s cybersecurity cluster today.

Building a portable brain scanner

Dr. Atefeh Zarabadi co-founded AiimSense to help first responders and doctors diagnose strokes more quickly

Fast identification and early treatment of a stroke can mean the difference between a speedy recovery and a lasting brain injury or even death. 

Doing the right thing

Guided by faith, entrepreneur Majid Mirza helps investors and private companies create sustainable impact together 

During his 10-year career in impact investing, Majid Mirza (BA ’08, MBET ’09, PhD in progress) saw the difference that socially conscious investors can make — generating not only wealth but greener, healthier and more equitable communities. 

Starting a new chapter

Making new friends as an adult can be hard. Alumni groups around the world provide new and unexpected opportunities

Meighan Bell (BA ’06, BSW ’07) was keenly aware of how difficult establishing new connections is as an adult when she moved back to the Toronto area after eight years in London, England.

Building a bridge between two cultures through a beloved game

Jennifer Guo and her husband reimagine the centuries-old game of mahjong as a tribute to their grandmothers 

When Jennifer Guo (BA ’10) and her husband Adam Szakacs were expecting their first daughter, they thought of ways their child could connect with her Chinese and Jewish heritage in a personal way.   

Waterloop: Building the future of transportation

A student-run team is using hyperloop technology to build a pod expected to travel faster than a Boeing 747 aircraft

The University of Waterloo campus is not only home to a new flock of geese every year, but also to a diverse group of student volunteers working together to turn the vision of hyperloop into a reality.  

Representing your authentic self in digital spaces 

Waterloo alum who co-founded Bitmoji hopes personalizing your avatar will bring you closer to the people you communicate with online 

Among the great liberating qualities of the digital world is that it allows many people to express themselves, free from the constraints of the physical world.

Keeping tech talent in the region

200+ Waterloo co-op work terms have been based at Google in Kitchener

Through its reputation and ability to provide impactful work, Google remains a local staple employer for University of Waterloo co-op students and an essential part of a booming downtown tech core. 

Star quarterback shows why it takes more than talent to succeed

The systemic racism that has historically kept Black athletes from the quarterback position denies opportunity off the field in business, academia and other sectors in society

Relentless and beautiful: Serving those left out of the economy

40 years after they established the Working Centre, Joe and Stephanie Mancini are serving a new generation of people unhoused and unemployed in the wake of a pandemic

How does Waterloo produce so many founders?

Investing in universities and the talent that is derived from them will have to be a central pillar of Canada’s innovation strategy.

From building robots in the basement to putting algorithms on the moon

Four Waterloo Engineering students started building robots in a basement. Today, the company they founded is a global enterprise with a team working on Canada’s first lunar rover.

Gen Z: Changing the world one co-op term at a time

Waterloo co-op students are a force for good, advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in organizations and workplaces around the world.

How do we support talent when life happens?

Employers are losing talent as women carrying the physical, emotional and financial burden of fertility treatments take a step back — or leave the workforce entirely

Investing in a 'uniquely human' future of work

Brigette Lau wants nothing less than better opportunities for all. Her venture fund, Firework Ventures, is betting on tech companies that ignite human potential

Brigette Lau wants nothing less than better opportunities for all. Her venture fund, Firework Ventures, is betting on tech companies that ignite human potential

Seeing the quantum light

Researchers from vastly different disciplines — quantum physics and vision science — collaborate on new device that may one day prevent vision loss

This is how you make a dent in the universe

Janelle Resch changed career plans and launched a biotech company with her husband Eric Ocelewski after he was diagnosed with cancer.

When co-op comes full circle

Alumni share how their own co-op experiences shape how they mentor the next generation of talent

Remembrance Day: Uncovering my grandfather’s story of war

The long night in a lifeboat on the Atlantic Ocean

My grad studies in history helped lead me to details of the night in 1941 that my grandfather narrowly escaped death after a Nazi sub attack

78,000+ vaccine doses

Tears of joy and smiles behind the masks of clinic volunteers

During a critical moment in our history, Waterloo alumni found connection and purpose at the University’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic

The connection that saved her life

From battling depression on her own to a circle of support

Caitlin Brydges was a varsity hockey player secretly living with depression. Then one day she opened up to her coach.

Beyond Ring Road: Where will Waterloo's self-driving shuttle go next?

The WatonoBus has gained attention around the world

Technology driving the WATonoBus may find its way into hospitals and long-term care homes and mine sites

From farm to community

Snyder's Family Farm creates an experience of connection

A short documentary gives an insider look at Snyder's Family Farm

Connecting compassion to cancer care

Coaching the next generation

Dr. Edward Chow mentors and inspires co-op students to become cancer doctors and medical researchers

Connecting cryptocurrency to everyday banking

Matthew Reyes hopes his company’s work in blockchain technology will change your financial future

Matthew Reyes hopes his company’s work in blockchain technology will change your financial future

Connecting the bottom line to climate action

Waterloo tech startup helps businesses with sustainability reporting

Amr ElAlfy’s startup uses machine learning to help businesses connect financial performance to sustainability

Connections that help us answer: Who am I?

Meet the alumnus who illustrated this issue of the Waterloo Magazine

After years of global travel, Bianca Weeko Martin finds home in research about her father’s ancestral house in the Philippines.

Changing the world by investing in talent

Waterloo ranked first among the Schulich Leader Scholarship university partners for number of candidates

The prestigious Schulich Leaders Scholarships connect STEM students to their passions

Inking the bond: Memorial tattoos connect us to those who have died

Death doesn't end a relationship - it transforms it

Tattoos tell stories and express a connection that endures beyond death

Quarantine connections that endure

How a silver samovar found its way home

Waterloo alumnus writes book about two local families connected during a quarantine almost 100 years ago

Representing the future of entrepreneurs

Chekema Prince wants to see more Black women in the technology space

Chekema Prince is using her startup experience to mentor aspiring entrepreneurs

The power of Indigenous entrepreneurs

A new entrepreneurship program helps Indigenous students add value to Indigenous communities rather than extract resources

A new entrepreneurship program helps Indigenous students add value to Indigenous communities

This is what 5G means for you

Waterloo researchers are on the front lines of faster connectivity on one of Canada’s first 5G smart campuses

Cancer survivor builds startup for pelvic health and better sex

Rachel Bartholomew (MBET ’14) was shocked to learn that rehab involved a vaginal dilator invented in 1938

It takes a particular kind of resilience to pitch an idea for a startup—while you’re in hospital waiting for your cancer treatment.

Drag queen math teacher rises up from loss and shame

Kyne Santos (BMath '21) reflects on being eliminated from Canada's Drag Race and what her late father taught her about life

For LGBTQ+ youth: "I can be the flouncy, flamboyant professional that younger Kyne needed to see."

Looking to the land around us during lockdown

Illustrator Julia Nakanishi (BAS ’18, MArch ’20) reflects on her research in Japan and how the pandemic changed her experience of nature

Our resilience as humans is deeply tied to the non-human environment around us

Black women scientists need unreasonable levels of resilience

Physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein (PhD '11) combats racism and sexism in science and society

As a queer Black woman and a physicist Chanda-Prescod Weinstein understands resilience

A president's legacy of student connection

David Tubbs (BA '08) reflects on his time working with President Hamdullahpur

One of the most memorable moments I had working with the University of Waterloo’s sixth president.

The beloved pets supporting us through the pandemic

Waterloo alumnus publishes book about the connections between pets and people during isolation and loss

Award-winning author releases book about our relationships with pets

How to outrun a bully: Build a startup for math learning

Travis Ratnam (BASc '06) co-founded Knowledgehook, which raised $20 million during the pandemic, to improve math learning

Travis Ratnam (BASc 06) remembers the first time he felt self-conscious about his grades

Writer finds resilience in stories of Black women and girls

Nadia L. Hohn (BA ’01) is an award-winning author of books for children who took a leap of faith during the pandemic

Nadia L. Hohn (BA ’01) is the award-winning author of books for children including A Likkle Miss Lou and the Malaika series. Her most recent title, Malaika's Surprise, was released in March.

First Indigenous leader of Canadian Bar Association

Brad Regehr (BA ’93) is working to ensure all lawyers address systemic racism in Canada

Brad Regehr’s journey began while working a shift at the Turnkey Desk on campus

What research, depression and a pandemic taught me about resilience

Recipient of prestigious academic award opens up about her mental health struggles

During the darkest days of the pandemic, I joined a Zoom call to speak with my PhD supervisor. With a face puffy and red from crying, I occasionally muted myself to blow my nose and tried to explain, through a tight throat and broken voice, why I wanted to quit my program.