The Waterloo Nanotechnology Conference, or WNC (formerly WUNC - Waterloo Undergraduate Nanotechnology Conference) is a student-organized conference that connects students and academia, industry, and entrepreneurs in various fields enabled by nanotechnology. It will educate and inspire participants with exciting speakers, an informative industry panel discussion, and other interactive activities. In 2016, the event attracted over 200 attendees – ranging from high-school students to seasoned senior undergraduates to graduate students – who sought an exclusive opportunity to learn about different career paths and the opportunities and resources available to them.
In the past, the conference has hosted senior representatives from companies like Xerox and 3M; UW startups such as H2NanO, Voltera and Nicoya Lifesciences; and academic speakers from the University of British Columbia and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Vladimir Bulovic, Associate Dean for Innovation, and Professor at MIT's School of Engineering, gave a refreshing talk in 2016 outlining the advances nanotechnology enables today, the opportunities it offers for tomorrow, and how Waterloo and MIT have had a similar global impact inthe field.
The conference strives for student engagement - hosting a poster session which sees students' co-op research from Harvard, MIT, University of Cambridge, and more. This event also attracted university students from Calgary, McMaster, and Toronto - some of who also presented research. This offers an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to present research or student design teams to industry and fellow students, with the potential of winning cash prizes.
WNC is supported by the Faculty of Science, alongside the Faculty of Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN), Office of Research, and Nanotechnology Engineering and Materials and Nanosciences. The conference will be taking place on Saturday, November 18, 2016 at the Quantum Nano Center - so stay tuned for more updates.