Feature
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Fall 2022
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?
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Fall 2022
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.
Category: FeatureTheme: Mathematics -
Fall 2022
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.
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Fall 2022
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.
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Fall 2022
A Waterloo squash dynasty
The seven members of the Seth family are equal parts athletic and academic
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Fall 2022
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
Category: FeatureTheme: Engineering -
Fall 2022
“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.
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Fall 2022
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.
Category: FeatureTheme: Mathematics -
Fall 2022
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.
Category: FeatureTheme: Science -
Fall 2022
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.
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Fall 2022
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.
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Fall 2022
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.
Category: FeatureTheme: Arts -
Fall 2022
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.
Category: FeatureTheme: Engineering -
Fall 2022
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.
Category: FeatureTheme: Mathematics -
Fall 2022
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.
Category: FeatureTheme: Science -
Spring 2022
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
Category: FeatureTheme: Applied Health Sciences -
Spring 2022
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
Category: FeatureTheme: Arts -
Spring 2022
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.
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Spring 2022
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.
Category: FeatureTheme: Engineering -
Spring 2022
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.
Category: FeatureTheme: Environment -
Spring 2022
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
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Spring 2022
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
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Spring 2022
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
Category: FeatureTheme: Science -
Spring 2022
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.
Category: FeatureTheme: Mathematics -
Spring 2022
When co-op comes full circle
Alumni share how their own co-op experiences shape how they mentor the next generation of talent
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Fall 2021
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
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Fall 2021
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
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Fall 2021
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.
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Fall 2021
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
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Fall 2021
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
Category: FeatureTheme: Applied Health Sciences -
Fall 2021
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
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Fall 2021
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
Category: FeatureTheme: Mathematics -
Fall 2021
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
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Fall 2021
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.
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Fall 2021
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
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Fall 2021
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
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Fall 2021
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
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Fall 2021
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
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Fall 2021
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
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Fall 2021
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
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Spring 2021
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.
Category: FeatureTheme: Engineering -
Spring 2021
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."
Category: FeatureTheme: Mathematics -
Spring 2021
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
Category: FeatureTheme: Engineering -
Spring 2021
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
Category: FeatureTheme: Science -
Spring 2021
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.
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Spring 2021
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
Category: FeatureTheme: Arts -
Spring 2021
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
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Spring 2021
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.
Category: FeatureTheme: Arts -
Spring 2021
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
Category: FeatureTheme: Arts -
Spring 2021
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.
Category: FeatureTheme: Environment