Campus fit for a king and queen
Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima (pictured above) of the Netherlands visited the University of Waterloo on May 28 during a state visit to Canada. The visit, which marked the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands by Canadian Forces, included the signing of new agreements between Waterloo and Delft University of Technology, as well as the awarding of six Liberation Scholarships for Canadian students. (Photo credit: Light Imaging)
See highlights from the day's events
In the RoboHub
Student experience is set to reach new heights in RoboHub, the two-storey indoor flight centre for humanoid, aerial, ground and maglev robot technologies. It’s one of the innovative features of Engineering 7 (E7), the 230,000-square-foot, seven-storey building to be funded by the $70-million Educating the Engineer of the Future campaign.
E7 will house some of the best research facilities in the world, with much-needed teaching space for the Faculty of Engineering’s biomedical and mechatronics programs.
New study and social space for Arts students
The University has doubled down on its Hagey Hall expansion to create a hub for the Faculty of Arts that will enhance the student experience. The faculty had identified the lack of student study and social space as a key challenge to attracting and retaining outstanding undergraduate and graduate students.
The $8.35-million project will add a 13,825-square-foot infill addition to the footprint currently occupied by a courtyard, balconies and exterior stairways.
Innovation Summit explores ‘mythical’ Waterloo
The Waterloo Innovation Summit, held September 16 to 18, challenged 250 innovators and academics to imagine great things for a knowledge-based economy — and to keep striving to ensure Waterloo takes a leading role.
Speakers ranging from venture capitalist Ajay Royan and BlackBerry CEO John Chen to Silicon Valley entrepreneur Steve Banks positioned Waterloo as a “mythical place” producing world-class products and ripe for all kinds of entrepreneurial success. Summit host David Fransen closed the Summit with a promise to continue the innovation conversation.
The Entrepreneurs’ Perspective panel, included (from left) Jennifer Smith of Christie Digital Systems, Joseph Fung of Netsuite, Katherine Barr of Mohr Davidow Ventures, and Jennifer Moss of Plasticity Labs. The panel was moderated by Steve Currie of Communitech. (Photo credit: Ian Stewart)
Trudeau Scholarship recipient has a passion for the Arctic
Tahnee Prior’s passion for the Arctic is as vast as the land itself — and the conversation the world has about it, she says, should be larger than minerals and oil.
“It’s a big goal of mine to shift that narrative more towards the people and the environment,” says Prior, a University of Waterloo PhD student who earned a Trudeau Scholarship this year. Few researchers, she says, are examining social change in the Arctic as an international policy priority. But she wants to help those most affected by climate change and resource opportunities in ways that respect the traditions of the region’s indigenous peoples.
Read our Q&A with Prior about how climate change magnifies gender inequality
Photo credit: Emily Avelar
What the LRT means for campus
Construction for the light rail transit project (known as ION) is affecting travel around the University of Waterloo. Road closures can happen and construction schedules can change without notice. You can find updates on ION-related closures and disruptions to local roadways and pedestrian routes through the Daily Bulletin. The first phase of ION construction is expected to continue until the service begins operation in 2017.
St. Jerome’s turns 150
This fall, St. Jerome’s University (SJU) commemorates its 150-year commitment to Catholic education by celebrating excellence in teaching, research and student experience through a variety of events that include donors, alumni, faculty, students and others in the St. Jerome’s community.
Celebrations run until June 2016, as collaboration with the University of Waterloo’s affiliated colleges and other community partners brings new and innovative programming to SJU.
Community Impact Report
“Our University and our community are inextricably linked, and we are stronger and more successful together,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo as he proudly shared the University’s first ever Community Impact Report on Friday, September 11, 2015 at his President’s Community Breakfast.
Building our Community highlights:
- Driving economic success
- Part of our community
- Connecting students in their community
- Ensuring a sustainable future
- Inspiring the next generation
- Sharing our expertise
- Celebrating culture and diversity.
Awards and honours
Recent recognition for University of Waterloo researchers includes:
- Raouf Boutaba (Mathematics) — Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering
- Pu Chen (Engineering, Water Institute) — Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering
- William Coleman (Arts) — University Professor
- Karen E. Collins (Arts) — Member of the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists
- David Cory (Science, Institute for Quantum Computing) — Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
- Andrea Edginton (Science) — Excellence in Science Teaching Award
- David Hammond (Applied Health Sciences) — Member of the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists
- Carolyn Hansson (Engineering) — Member of the Order of Canada
- Eric Helleiner (Arts) — Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
- Lila Kari (Mathematics) — Rozenberg Tulip Award for the DNA Computer Scientist of the Year
- Amir Khajepour (Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy) — Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada
- Bessma Momani (Arts, Balsillie School of International Affairs) — Trudeau Fellowship
- Linda Nazar (Science, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology) — Officer of the Order of Canada
- Tamer Özsu, Lei Chen and Vincent Oria (Mathematics) — 2015 SIGMOD Test-of-Time Award
- Paul Parker (Environment) — Green Communities Award
- Bill Power (Science) — Excellence in Science Teaching Award
- Garry Rempel (Engineering) — Member of the Order of Canada
- David Rose (Science) — Fellow of the American Crystallographic Association
- Manoj Sachdev (Engineering) — Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada
- Xuemin Shen (Engineering) — Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
- Heidi Swanson (Science) — University Research Chair
- Philippe Van Cappellen (Science, Water Institute) — Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada; Fellow of the Geochemical Society and European Association of Geochemistry
- Nancy Waite (Science) — Journal Award, Canadian Association for University Continuing Education
- Zhou Wang (Engineering) — Engineering Emmy Award; Member of the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists
- Henry Wolkowicz (Mathematics) — Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
- Chris Yakymchuk (Science) — Young Author of the Year, Geological Society of London
- John Yeow (Engineering) — Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada
- Grace Yi (Mathematics) — Fellow of the American Statistical Association
- Ming You (Engineering) — Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering
