Dean's letter: Celebrations, milestones, progress
Welcome to the Spring/Summer issue of E‑Ties! The past few months have been exceptionally busy, full of special events and meaningful achievements that reflect both who we are as a Faculty and what we are building towards. I’m excited to share a few highlights with you.
Your support on Giving Day
On May 21, the University of Waterloo celebrated Giving Day, a special event during which alumni, friends, faculty, staff, retirees, parents and students came together to empower students and researchers and shape the future of our institution.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who supported the Faculty of Mathematics. Together, you helped raise more than $34,000 for a range of initiatives including the Mathematics 4 (M4) building, the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC), Women in Mathematics (WiM) and Women in Computer Science (WiCS).
Your generosity enables us to create enhanced learning spaces, expand scholarships and awards, spark a love of mathematics in students around the world and foster a more inclusive and supportive community.
In this video, our students say thank you and talk about why your support matters:
Mathematics 4 Coin Ceremony
On June 3, we took part in a coin ceremony for the M4 building alongside our partners from Gillam, who are overseeing the construction of M4, and M4 donors Sherry Shannon-Vanstone and Kevin Fong (BMath ’88).
The placement of a coin into the concrete of a new building is one of Gillam’s long-standing traditions. This coin becomes part of the building’s foundation, symbolizing their commitment to safety, quality, care and innovation.
To complement the Gillam coin, the Faculty of Mathematics added our own powerful symbol, an einstein tile. The einstein tile is the solution to a 60-year-old tiling problem: a single shape that can tile a surface infinitely without repeating. A member of our own community, computer science professor Craig Kaplan, was part of the team that discovered the tile and provided its mathematical proof in 2022.
The tile signifies the Faculty’s ability to solve complex problems in ways that advance our knowledge and change the world. M4 will be a space where this kind of creative problem-solving thrives, so it was only fitting that we integrate it into the building’s foundation.
The tile is also an expression of our deep gratitude to all our donors who have made this exciting project possible. Please see this issue’s M4 update to learn more about why Sherry Shannon-Vanstone and Kevin Fong chose to support Math 4 so generously.
Celebrating our graduates
On June 17, we celebrated our newest class of graduates. I had the privilege of addressing these students at convocation—a moment that is always both joyful and bittersweet.
These students have spent years immersed in our singular educational environment. They took the pink tie pledge, embraced rigorous coursework, celebrated Pi Day, attended AMAs with successful alumni, embarked on co-op terms at top companies, launched startups and built lifelong friendships.
Now, they begin the next chapter of their lives. Their future success will be entirely their own, a product of the intelligence, determination and resilience they brought with them to Waterloo. But I hope that their Waterloo experience—the blend of foundational mathematics, collaborative spirit and entrepreneurial thinking—has helped them build their talent, sharpen their focus and unlock their full potential.
Please join me in congratulating the Class of 2026 as they join our alumni community and head out into the world to do great things!
In this issue
In addition to the stories and videos already mentioned, this spring/summer issue features:
- An interview with Doris Simcich (BMath ’96), Vice President of Information Technology at MDA Space, in which she talks about her success leading AI adoption at major companies;
- Exciting new research on how we can more accurately diagnose and monitor blood cancer with just a drop of blood;
- An account of the Google–UWaterloo Symposium on the Future of Learning, where students showcased AI-powered prototypes that are transforming how we learn and prepare for an AI-driven world;
- A story about this year’s CS 383 ‘Computational Digital Art Studio’ exhibit, which showcased our students’ creative and innovative artwork, including a playable “floor” ocarina and a growing tree with people’s memories as leaves; and
I hope you are as inspired by the stories in this issue as I am!
As always, thank you for your connection and support. You can see the impact of our extended family of alumni, donors and community partners on every page of this issue. Whether it’s donors helping bring M4 to life, alumni embodying the spirit of Waterloo Mathematics in their work and communities, or partners making possible new initiatives like the Future of Work Institute, our progress depends on a community that extends well beyond our campus, and that gives meaning to the milestones and symbols we celebrate.
Warmest regards,
Jochen Koenemann
Dean, Faculty of Mathematics