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A self-described “lifelong technology enthusiast,” Max Niebergall enrolled in the Master of Data Science & Artificial Intelligence (MDSAI) program to launch a impactful career in data science.

Maclean’s 2021 university rankings ranked mathematics and computer science at the University of Waterloo first in Canada.

“Two of my high school math teachers were alumni of Waterloo Math, and they constantly raved about the university,” remembered Gurtaj Dhaliwal. “Their classes were always the most challenging, and they would say things like ‘You have to buckle down if you want to go to Waterloo!’”

Like most entrepreneurs, Michael Egan (BMath’74) has experienced his fair share of twists and turns on the road to success. He has built and sold several international technology companies, one for more than $150 million, but he still remembers the time he sold his car to make payroll, or the time he had to hire eight new employees in a month to complete a contract. “You don’t love the rough patches when you’re in the middle of them, but it’s all part of the journey,” he reflects.

A new app for Android phones can warn users when they are about to forget their device.

Chaperone uses a sonar-type method known as “active acoustic sensing” to detect a smartphone owner’s movements and locks the phone while alerting the owner when detecting a situation that could lead to loss.

The Canadian team competing at the 2020 International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) earned two gold medals and two silver medals, putting them all in the top 25 per cent of all competitors.

Cheriton School of Computer Science Professor Jeffrey Shallit is one of five foreign members elected to the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters for 2020.

James Petrie places a high premium on intellectual freedom. After graduating with a degree in Engineering Physics from the University of British Columbia (UBC), he accepted a position as a firmware engineer for a leading multinational technology company. “A few months in, I realized I was missing the opportunity to view problems through a wider lens and pursue the things that interested me most,” he remembers.

“While working as an instructional support assistant (ISA), I remember the first time a professor asked for a volunteer to teach a lecture while he was at a conference,” remembers Josué Kurke. “My hand shot up. I donned a professorial kind of jacket with the elbow patches and went all out. Over time, I’ve realized that I feel most at home in front of a classroom. I want to spend my career talking to people about math.”