Current students

“The problem is that math students get jobs,” said Larry Smith from the University of Waterloo’s Problem Lab. “They get good jobs and well-paid jobs, which means they often don’t think about their careers carefully enough.”

The fall semester's edition of the Concept $5K startup challenge is underway, with four entrepreneurial teams linked to the Faculty of Mathematics in the semi-finals.

Completing an undergraduate degree in the Faculty of Mathematics is a journey.
 
For Victoria Novakovskaya, the valedictorian for the fall 2021 cohort, it was a journey with highs and lows, and one that led to a deeper appreciation for the beauty of math.

“I don’t know how to phrase it,” she said. “It’s a field I’ve been studying for years, but I feel like it’s something I keep discovering all over again. It’s such a beautiful science.”

The Faculty of Mathematics’ health and well-being committees are building on the success of their September events with new ways to get involved in October.

September saw the launch of the Living Wellness Campaign, which had some 200 participants attend the planned physical wellness activities. Faculty members, staff and students took part in yoga, Zumba, wall climbing and an eat-well workshop.

The K.D. Fryer Gold Medal is conferred at fall convocation to one graduating student each academic year. This year’s award goes to Jordan Long (BMath, ‘21).

Long graduated in June with an honours degree, having completed a major in pure mathematics and a minor in computer science. In every semester throughout his program, he kept up an excellent academic standing and graduated on the dean’s honours list.

Applied mathematics master's student Brian Mao is part of a team set to compete with rivals from around the world for a US $1-million top prize at the Indy Autonomous Challenge on Saturday.