How a former Waterloo student is helping local retailers prepare and predict the impacts of COVID-19
With the sweeping arrival of COVID-19, Marcelo Cortes was quick to realize the devastating impact it could have on small, local businesses.
“The University fundamentally changed my core perspectives and ways of thinking. The seeded changes have had a lasting impact on how I navigate my career choices.”
“A Waterloo math degree is not like any other math degree. It is an elite institution.”
“I loved mathematics and in ’78, Waterloo was the place to go.”
“Building a company from the ground floor to an industry-leading firm is an incredibly rewarding experience.”
"I am looking at systems and manufacturing techniques and trying to analyze safety to ensure that it is safe to put this device into someone’s heart."
Program:
3A Honours Math/Teaching, Co-op
The sense of accomplishment you get when interacting with students is the most rewarding thing about teaching. Engaging students in some thought, getting them to think about a problem at hand and solving it, is very satisfying.
“You can’t work in hardware or software anywhere in the world and not respect the University of Waterloo."
Hometown: Markham, ON
Extra curricular activities: The AcaBellas, Students Offering Success, Intramural Dodgeball, Math Orientation Team, Cuban Salsa Club
“People are more important than things.” – Randy Pausch
Program:
3A Computer Science, Co-op
Past co-op position:
Web Content Coordinator, AGF Management Ltd., Toronto
Hometown:
Oakville, ON
Extracurriculars:
Program:
2A, Computer Science, Co-op
Hometown:
Kano, Nigeria
Extracurricular Activities:
Soccer, Math, Reading
I was attracted to Waterloo because it has a good and reputable Computer Science program, and I felt I would be at home and have a good time in its enthusiastic mathematical atmosphere.
Program:
2B Pure Math and Mathematical Economics, Co-op
Hometown:
Toronto
Extracurriculars:
Fall 2016 - 3B
Computer Science, Honours Co-op
United Kingdom - University of Birmingham, England
Jennifer (Zijing) Shen's Exchange Summary
Program:
3A Math/FARM, Co-op
Past internship position: Sun Life Financial
Hometown:
Shanghai, China
Extracurriculars:
I chose Waterloo because of the Co-op program.
For me, exchange to Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) was like giving myself a term off and having some rest.
Perhaps rightfully so, most people are cynical when they hear a CEO praising his or her own firm. As Dean of Mathematics at Waterloo (2010-2015), Ian Goulden was essentially the CEO of the Mathematics faculty, but his testimonial holds great credibility because he faithfully spent his entire academic career at this institution.
Perhaps the best indicators of the quality of an instructor’s teaching are testimonials from his pupils. According to one Rate My Professors website reviewer who has taken MATH 212 with Serge D'Alessio: “Words aren't enough to describe the amazingness [sic] of this prof. He's super clear, and super organized. Encourages students to ask questions and is genuinely interested about the material he teaches. You can see his excitement when he's talking about Maxwell's equations.” Others have attested to Serge’s dedication, saying that he is willing to “skip Thanksgiving to hold a review session for you before a midterm”.
Program:
Program:
4B Statistics, Co-op
Past co-op position:
Data analyst, Environment Canada's Ontario Storm Prediction Centre, Toronto
Hometown:
Mississauga, ON
Extracurriculars:
The University of Waterloo A Cappella Club
Program:
3A Actuarial Science, Co-op
Past co-op position:
Actuarial Analyst Intern, Assuris, Toronto ON
Hometown:
London, ON
Extracurriculars:
"Hackathons are the best networking you will ever find to meet new developers."
Living in Italy and France for a long period of time is an entirely different experience than visiting these countries as a tourist. This trip allowed for us to be immersed in the local culture and explore what the city had to offer.
Program:
3A Mathematics/Teaching, Co-op
Past Co-op Position:
Math learning assistant, Sheridan College, Oakville
Hometown:
Mississauga, ON
Extracurriculars:
Mathematics – Information Technology Management, Co-op (3B)
Hello! Or to be more appropriate 你好! My name is Melissa Lee and I decided to travel across the world to study in Hong Kong at the Chinese University of Hong Kong during my 3B term.
Program:
3A Math/FARM
Hometown:
Windsor
Extracurriculars:
"Computer Science was just blossoming in the late 70s and early 80s.”
Program:
3A Computer Science
Hometown:
Mississauga, ON
Extracurriculars:
UWHKSA, Waterloo Ski/Snowboard Club
Keep an open mind when you come to university. Just because you signed up for a program does not mean you’re trapped in it if you find it doesn’t suit your interests and abilities. There are always options and opportunities available. /*-->*/
Hometown: Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Extracurriculars: Orientation leader, Executive for the UW Cooking Club, Singapore Malaysian Association, and Math Grad Ball
Every day was in itself a highlight and a privilege. Living in two different cities and environments
for the entire three months is quite a remarkable experience. The students
are forced to test and develop their adaptability and resilience in various challenging situations. Furthermore,
in order to optimize this situation, the students must fine tune their time-management skills: it is hard to prepare
Program:
3A Math/CPA, Co-op
Past co-op position:
Junior Staff Accountant, Rosenberg Smith & Partners LLP, Concord ON
Hometown:
Etobicoke
Extracurriculars:
"I enjoy working on practical applications of math."
Visit Jackie Baek's blog - Singapore Exchange
How to Apply for International Exchange
PhD '88 Computer Science
Ricardo’s PhD research in the late eighties was a key component in the New OED project which formed the basis of the world's first full fledged web search engine, as deployed by a then small UWaterloo spinoff company in 1995.
BMath '85, MMath '87
Peter was an outstanding varsity and semi-professional basketball player who pursued law and business, providing valuable intellectual property counsel to emerging tech companies.
In business, he performed strategic development for VXtreme (bought by Microsoft), for Biztro/Rivio, a provider of web-based business services, and for Overture/Yahoo, from where he co-founded Nutch, an open source search engine.
Program:
3A Actuarial Science, Co-op
Past co-op position:
Actuarial Student, London Life Insurance Company, London ON
Hometown:
Toronto, ON
Extracurriculars:
Program:
2A Math/CPA, Co-op
Hometown: Cayuga
Extracurriculars:
Dr. Catherine Aczel Boivie is currently Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Inventure Solutions and senior vice-president of IT at Vancity, Canada’s largest credit union. Previously, Dr.
Program:
3A Actuarial Science - Finance Option, Co-op
Past co-op position:
Underwriting and Sales&Distribution Co-op, Northbridge Financial, Vancouver BC
Hometown:
Vancouver, BC
Extracurriculars:
BMath '78, MMath '80
David held executive management positions with software companies ranging across the spectrum of growth stages, including LivePage Corporation, Sybase Inc., Powersoft Corporation and Watcom.
Jeromy Carriere (BMath ’95 Computer Science) is an engineering director with Google leading a number of teams that develop core components of Google's production cluster management infrastructure.
Sweden – University of Lund
Lund is a vibrant student city in the southern part of Sweden. It's the perfect exchange location if you want to experience the Scandinavian culture. In Lund, there's sittnings (dinner parties with songs), nations (student clubs), and fika (coffee breaks).
Do you remember all new experiences that you had when you started university? The level of excitement during exchange is on par with that. You learn to adapt and make new friends from all over the world very quickly.
Sweden – University of Lund
Lund is a vibrant student city in the southern part of Sweden. It's the perfect exchange location if you want to experience the Scandinavian culture. In Lund, there's sittnings (dinner parties with songs), nations (student clubs), and fika (coffee breaks).
Do you remember all new experiences that you had when you started university? The level of excitement during exchange is on par with that. You learn to adapt and make new friends from all over the world very quickly.
Program:
3A Honours Mathematics, Co-op
Past co-op position:
Statistical methods analyst, BlackBerry, Waterloo
Hometown:
Toronto, ON
Extracurriculars:
Elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.
Bill Cook is the Chandler Family Chair in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech. He received his PhD in Combinatorics & Optimization from the University of Waterloo in 1983. Cook spent two years as an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow at the University of Bonn, and he has held positions at Cornell, Columbia, Bellcore, Rice, and Princeton.
Program:
4B, Mathematics/Chartered Professional Accountancy, Co-op
Past co-op position: Data Scientist, Capital One, Toronto
Hometown: Toronto
Extracurriculars:
Kim co-founded Side Effects Software in 1987. Utilizing the 3D animation system PRISMS, this company became a world leader in advanced 3D graphics, animation and special effects software used by major film producers.
Kim received the 1998 Technical Achievement award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science.
BSc '77, MMath '81
Dan co-founded QNX in 1983 to develop real time operating systems for embedded applications.
He led the company to become the leader in "embedded" technology, with applications world-wide, ranging from manufacturing automation and process control to telecommunications, car navigation and medical imaging.
Ginny Dybenko comes to the role of Executive – Strategic Initiatives for Wilfrid Laurier University with five successful years as the Dean of the Wilfrid Laurier School of Business & Economics and over 30 years of corporate experience.
Hamoon is the director of Studio Y at MaRS. The initiative is focused on fostering a movement of young systems change leaders equipped to thrive in the new economy and drive impact in the world around them.
A notable alumnus of the University of Waterloo is Dr. Abdel El-Shaarawi. After completing his PhD in Statistics in 1973, Dr. El-Shaarawi went to work as a research scientist at the National Water Research Institute at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters in Burlington.
Associate professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics at the University of Waterloo, faculty member at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of Waterloo and affiliate member at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Also a faculty member of the Guelph-Waterloo Physics Institute and a scholar with the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.
Program:
3A Math/Business Administration, Co-op
Past co-op position: Software Tax Analyst, H&R Block, Toronto
Hometown:
Toronto, ON
Extracurriculars:
BMath '88
I did my exchange in Hong Kong in Fall 2014. For me, the reason I chose Hong Kong is that working in Hong Kong is so very attractive to me. I want to experience what it is like working and living in that part of the world, to prepare myself for future possibility of moving there.
Program:
2B Computer Science/Business Double Degree, Co-op
Past co-op position:
Software Developer, SAP, Waterloo
Hometown:
North York, ON
Extracurriculars:
University of Waterloo Chinese Christian Fellowship (UWCCF), Math Orientation Director, Volleyball, Ultimate Frisbee
Fall 2016 Exchange
Mathematics, HCO
Applied Math/Biology Option – 3A
Program:
3A Mathematical Economics, Co-op
Past co-op position: Software Developer, S&P Capital IQ, Toronto
Hometown: Oakville, ON
Extracurriculars:
Winter 2016 Exchange - (Double Degree) Business Administration (WLU) and Mathematics (UW), Honours Co-op Program - 5B
BMath '83
Associate Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
While a graduate, Garth did the groundwork research on Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) that represents what is arguably the single biggest breakthrough in data storage in the last quarter century.
During Y2K, “I celebrated New Year’s early with my family and then, went in to the office.”
If you figure things out week by week, you’ll do a lot better. It’s a common experience to not understand material in class. Try figuring it out yourself and if you can’t then go to the Mathematics Tutorial Centre or see your professors. As professors, most of us feel that our office hours are underused; we don’t get enough knocks on the door.
Program: 3A Actuarial Science, Co-op
Past co-op positions:
Actuarial Intern, Ernst and Young LLP, Toronto ON
Cashier/Receptionist, Corporation of Delta, Delta BC
Hometown:
Richmond, BC
Extracurriculars: Actuarial Science Club Publicity Director, Senior Math Ambassador, Waterloo Instrumental Chamber Ensembles
Randall Howard is a senior serial technology executive committed to building world leading, high growth technology organizations through the transatlantic “Venture 2.0” boutique VERDEXUS. Randall is "hands-on" chairman at VERDEXUS portfolio investments iotum and Maintenance Assistant.
It was 40 years ago that Ivan defended his PhD thesis in the Department of Applied Mathematics of the University of Waterloo and graduated with a PhD degree.
Hometown: Hamilton, ON
Interests: Intramural Soccer, Intramural Volleyball, Math Volunteer Opportunities
"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."
- Albert Einstein
Hometown: Ottawa, ON
Extracurricular activities:
Refereeing intramurals, volunteering with the FEDS Food Bank.
Fun Fact: I've modelled for the Faculty of Mathematics brochures.
I like video games that require strategic thinking. I also like building toys (the Mega Bloks Halo line is my favorite) and models like Gunpa. I think my basement looks better than Toys R Us.
/*-->*/
Liwen Lu, Computer Science, Honours Co-op (3A)
I have been interested in Taiwan for a long time, but as a Computer Science coop student, it is difficult to plan a long-term trip, so I choose to have an exchange to National Taiwan University (NTU).
Exchange Fall 2015 (4A)
Business Administration WLU (Double Degree) and Mathematics UW, Honours Co-op
Program: 3A Math/FARM, Co-op
Past co-op position:
Technology Co-op, Deloitte, Toronto
Hometown:
Pickering
Extracurriculars:
Ian was the founder of Watcom in 1981, becoming president in 1986.
He provided innovative leadership to enable Watcom to achieve international recognition as technology leader in the programming tools and database segment of the personal computer software market.
Fall 2015 – Mathematics Honours – Actuarial Science/Finance Option (3B)
I did my 3A semester abroad in Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. Initially, I was quite hesitant of leaving my friends and family and travelling on my own in a stranger country. The idea of living out of a suitcase was very unsettling. Now, ever since I came back I could only think of how fulfilling those four months have been.
Program:
4A, Information Technology Management, Co-op
Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario
Extracurricular Activities: Hiphop, Play instruments (Piano, violin, guitar), Sing Karaoke
Program: 3A Actuarial Science with the Finance Option
Past co-op position:
Analyst, Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto
Hometown: Markham, ON
Extracurriculars: UW Language and Culture Exchange Club, reading and swimming
|
Ximeng (Simon) Li and Chuqi (Gina) Meng went on Exchange fall 2015 and both are; Here is their story.... |
I would do an international exchange again! I had so much fun, made amazing friends, and I think learned a lot along the way. Going into my exchange I didn't know anyone, so right from day one I was challenged to figure stuff out and make new friends.
A lot of students, such as myself, already have a program in mind when they arrive. I came to university interested in applied mathematics but after two years decided that it’s not my thing. My courses were still general enough that I could switch to statistics from applied math without slowing down my degree process.
Hometown: Mississauga, Ontario
Extracurricular activities:A cappella and volunteering for the Math faculty!
When things get harder, it just means you’ve leveled up.
BSc '66 (Mathematics)
Jim was one of the original developers of the WATFOR compiler while an undergraduate at UWaterloo.
He was heavily involved in the pioneer developments of interactive computing and personal computing throughout his career (Xerox, Javasoft and Sun Microsystems), redefining the definition of a computer and opening doors to new classes of computer-related products.
“My math background has helped me approach problem solving in different ways, in creative ways.”
Winter 2017 (3B) - Mathematics/Business Admin, HCO (minor in Computer Science)
I'm Kevin kevin.nguyen@uwaterloo.ca
For some exchange photos of me in Asia, please check out this Google Drive #KevInAsia
Program:
2A Math CPA, Co-op
Hometown:
Chengdu, China
Extracurriculars:
The Math CPA program! Math and Accounting plus Co-op!
Mathematics, HCO – Computer Science,Honours Co-op Fall 2015 (4A)
My name is Lindsey Pogue and I spent my 4A Computer Science term in Christchurch, New Zealand studying at the University of Canterbury.
Professor John-Paul (J.P.) Pretti came to the University of Waterloo for his undergraduate degree and has stayed here ever since. He graduated with a Bachelor of Mathematics (joint degree in Combinatorics & Optimization and Pure Mathematics). Then, he went on to complete his Master of Mathematics (at UWaterloo, of course). And now?
Program: 3B Actuarial Science
Hometown: Nairobi, Kenya
Extra curricular activities: Community Service, Swimming, and Field Hockey
Past co-op jobs: Sate Farm (Insurance), Grant Thornton (Business Advisory), Ernst & Young (Pensions) and Sheridan College (Teaching).
BMath '74
Bill's career has been with Lucasfilms and Pixar developing new imaging models that allow spectacular and intellectual film imaging.
His work on Toy Story was recognized in 1995 with an Oscar for innovation in film making.
I see these students come into the program needing help with their English language skills; then go on and flourish from that and continue on in the Faculty of Mathematics, and to be a part of this process is very rewarding.
Hometown:
Toronto – North York
Extracurriculars:
UWaterloo Financial Analysis & Risk Management Student Association (FARMSA), UWaterloo Actuarial Science Club, and co-ordinator for Orientation Week 2011
Program:
2A Math /CPA, Co-op
Hometown:
Vaughan
Extracurriculars: ICSN
It looked to be the best option for me at the time. Also, the co-op program seemed interesting since I could gain real work experience in school.
Program:
3A Math/Teaching, Co-op
Past co-op position:
Math Circles Assistant, Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing, Waterloo
Hometown:
Peterborough, ON
Extracurriculars:
Cross-Country, Tennis
I came to Waterloo in 2001 as an undergrad student and never left!
The great thing about studying at Waterloo is that everybody in the Faculty of Mathematics loves math. A lot of times people who love math are considered nerds, but at Waterloo, we’re all nerds!
Program: 2B, Computer Science
Hometown: Nanjing, China
Extracurricular activities: Swimming Club, IPCN mentor
Program: 3B, Computer Science, Business Option, Co-op
Hometown: Dehra Dun, India
Extracurricular activities: Tutor Connect, Photography, Math Orientation
Terry demonstrated innovative work in language compilers and computer networking with UWaterloo's Computer Systems Group prior to joining Watcom and leading the successful launch of Structured Query Language (SQL) Anywhere software.
Program:
2A Mathematics&Business Administration, Co-op
Hometown:
Kitchener
Extracurriculars: General Volunteer - Volunteer Centre
1. The WHY-NOT spirit!
2. The co-op program and the deep impression those co-op students leave me when I searched the official webpage
MMath ’86, Computer Science
Program: 4B, Math Business Single Degree/ Minor in Computer Science
Hometown: Lahore, Pakistan
Extracurriculars:
BMath '84, MMath '86
Paul played a leading role in developing Nortel's Cryptographic Centre of Expertise and then in the spin-off company, Entrust Technologies.
He is the holder of several patents and author of many research papers; co-author of the Handbook of Applied Cryptography, the leading reference work in the subject.
BMath '90, Computer Science
United Kingdom - University of Warwick (Warwick, England)
Winter 2017 Exchange - 4B
Math/Financial Analysis & Risk Management-Chartered Financial Analyst Specialization, Honours, Co-op
PhD '96
Winter 2017 (February to August 2017)
I did exchange and research internship at EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) in Switzerland from February to August 2017. It was my first time in Europe and it was so different from anywhere else I have been. It took me a while to get things I needed before school because of my poor French but everything worked out :)
Winter 2017 - Computer Science, Honours Co-op (3B)
BMath '83
In his executive roles at Watcom and later Sybase, David made key contributions to the design and development of Watcom C/C++ and Watcom Structured Query Language (SQL) (later known as SQL Anywhere).
Fall 2016 Exchange - 3B
Combinatorics & Optimization, Honours
Pure Mathematics, Honours
Remember, life is multifaceted, and your academic pursuits are just one aspect of it.
I also really like to travel – I want to visit every country in the world. My dream job is to be a traveling mathematician!
I like to visit new places and have a long list of them. Next on my list is Orlando, Florida!
I like to boulder, lead climb, and do silly challenges with my friends.
I am an avid mountain climber, although unfortunately they are a bit hard to come by in this part of Ontario.
I also like to bake, so I’ve been making different cupcakes and sharing them with my classmates who also live in CLV.
I absolutely love being able to make something by hand. I also love the designing aspect – there’s a lot of math involved.
My main hobby and recreative passion is the sport of fencing!
Every season is a good outdoors season, and almost anywhere can be a picnic spot if you’re determined enough!
I’ve travelled to many interesting places such as Hong Kong, Fiji and Nepal, and even though I’ve never been to Europe, I want to go there.
I really like playing strategy board games, often with other math students.
I made sure, however, to take frequent 5-15 minute dance breaks, where I would literally just hop around and dance for a little bit of movement for the body and the mind!
“I found my home away from home in the Association of Caribbean students.”
Coming in originally from San Fernando, Trinidad, Chérisse Mike is a University of Waterloo graduate with an undergraduate Economics degree from the Faculty of Arts and a Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology master’s dree from the Faculty of Engineering. Chérisse is an Undergraduate Recruitment Officer in the Faculty of Mathematics, and her role involves connecting with students from Africa and the Caribbean about life at the University of Waterloo.
While searching for a university she wanted one with a good reputation that could offer a wide range of career opportunities. She wanted one specifically “in Canada with a name that would make [her] mother proud.”
UWaterloo’s co-op opportunities were particularly attractive and the ability to gain experience while in school along with the recommendations from her peers helped convince Chérisse this was the place to be.
I felt very prepared academically for Waterloo after completing CAPE. In high school I was also very active in extra and co-curricular activities and continued to be involved at Waterloo. I was worried about the snow though because I had never seen it before and expected the worst. Spoiler alert: It wasn’t so bad!”
Reflecting upon her time at Waterloo, she was grateful of the unique experiences she gained saying “had I not come to Waterloo, I would have never been exposed to Afrobeats, which I can say is one of my favourite genres now. I also really appreciated being part of the team that helps other Caribbean students at Waterloo find their community and enjoy their new home.”
Chérisse shares her advice from the perspective of both a student and now a recruiter, “Communication and asking questions early is key! Connect with your peers and professors early and frequently as they will be beside you on your university journey.”
She encourages students to connect with the Caribbean community noting “not only can they help you socially, but you can also gain academically from each other.”
She adds that, “You are now in a different environment that can be very different from home. Know that you got this and never be afraid to lean on your community and ask for help when you need it.
And Chérisse’s final words of wisdom, “Seize every opportunity that interests you. Studying abroad is a thrilling experience where you’ll grow so much as an individual. Enjoy it all!”
Helpful resources
The university is also well-connected to some of the best insurance companies, which is the industry I will be pursuing a career in.
I have a project to find as many bird species in Ontario (and other places) as I can, and to take a decent photograph of a lot of them.
There are many items on my bucket list: traveling to every province in Canada before I finish my PhD, mountain hiking, snow skiing, paragliding, volunteering with the Waterloo Regional Police Service, and learning how to drive a bus!
