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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 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.

Researchers in the Cheriton School of Computer Science are developing what could be the next big breakthrough in wearable technology. 

The new innovation in display tech, which the researchers are calling PocketView, uses LED lights to show basic information. It can function as a stand-alone piece of tech or could be incorporated into existing or next-generation smart devices.

Maclean's has released its annual rankings of Canadian universities. The University of Waterloo continues to excel overall, and more specifically in ranking categories related to the Faculty of Mathematics.

The annual Small c Math Contest was held on September 27th. For the first time ever, the contest was administrated online, after taking a one-year pause in 2020 due to the pandemic.

The Undergraduate Mathematics Symposium at the University of Illinois at Chicago is set to take place on Saturday, November 13.

The annual one-day meeting focuses on undergraduate mathematical research. Organizers are calling for interested undergraduate students in mathematics to apply to participate in the symposium by November 1.

Part of being a PhD student is about confronting significant issues in a field of study. For Shenghao Yang, a second-year PhD student in the Cheriton School of Computer Science, it’s not just about confronting issues in his field, but also one of the biggest problems facing the world, COVID-19.

What is the length of Britain’s coastline? How does a frost crystal grow? How many questions are there in the problem set? Finding an answer to each of these requires some exploration of fractals.   

The university experience extends beyond the classroom. It’s not just about coursework and studying, but about the connections and friendships that can last a lifetime.

But for many students, and especially for first-year students, it can be challenging to get over the feeling of discomfort that can accompany trying to meet new people.