We’ve had an exciting start to the Fall semester. A few weeks ago, we hosted the 2024 Cheriton Research Symposium. This annual event showcases groundbreaking research happening at the Cheriton School of Computer Science and celebrates the incredible legacy of David Cheriton. As I often do, I came away from the event in awe of the brilliant and original research and innovation on display.
And the big events continue. In just a few weeks, we celebrate the groundbreaking for a new math building, M4. This event marks the beginning of a bold new chapter in the history of the Faculty of Mathematics and I encourage you to attend to learn more.
The M4 project is about so much more than just bricks and mortar. For me, it’s about empowering our people to solve the world’s biggest problems.
M4 will povide our students with dynamic classrooms, lounges and event spaces that will allow them to explore, create and collaborate on a whole new level. It will equip researchers and students with powerful computational tools and state-of-the-art lab spaces that will accelerate their world-changing research–particularly in fields like data science and AI. And it will unite our whole math community, forging new connections at the intersection of disciplines and bridging academia, industry and government to achieve global impact.
We know that creating the right spaces can be transformative.
When the Mathematics and Computing building was built in 1968, it featured the Red Room, a computing centre containing the IBM 360 model 75, one of the most powerful computers in Canada at the time. The unique space proved crucial to generations of students and researchers who drove breakthroughs in computer science. Among other things, it led to WATFOR, a compiling language that became wildly popular at schools around the world. Millions of students worldwide learned to program thanks to this Waterloo invention.
It's a simple formula: when you equip talented, entrepreneurial people with the best tools, resources and spaces, magic happens. And we expect lots of magic in M4.
Let me give you just one exciting example. M4 will house the Green Room, an energy-efficient data center that will power incredible work by our students and researchers. It will help researchers such as:
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Mohammad Kohandel, who will use it to analyze genomes and develop personalized treatments for cancer;
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Marek Stastna, who will use it to develop more accurate models of Earth’s climate systems, informing efforts to predict extreme weather and protect our communities;
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Yuying Li, who will use it to analyze market data, optimize our financial decision-making and fuel prosperity;
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and so many more!
Additionally, the Green Room will be uniquely configured to enable students and researchers in our Systems and Networking Group to study energy efficiency in computing. We know that technologies like AI and data analytics have large ecological footprints. The Green Room will allow researchers to make crucial advances in sustainable computing.
This is what I see when I envision M4: not just a building but the catalyst for world-changing solutions in health, environment and business and a thriving Math community.
I hope you will join us at the groundbreaking in a few weeks. In the meantime, please enjoy this issue of E-Ties, which is full of inspiring stories about our remarkable students, researchers and alumni.
Warmest regards,
Mark Giesbrecht
Dean, Faculty of Mathematics
