Current students

Whether it’s creating a mural in a public space or building a tiny mobile home, two Waterloo School of Architecture alumni are fulfilling their artistic passions in unique ways.

Stephanie Boutari (BArch ’11 and MArch ’14) and Adam Schwartzentruber (BArch ’11) chose to study architecture not knowing where it would lead, but driven by a common desire to pursue a creative career.  

Chris Eliasmith
Professor, Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Engineering
> Co-Founder, Applied Brain Research inc.
> Director, Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience

The notion that robots could possess something akin to a human brain seems like science fiction.

Researchers at Waterloo Engineering have created a powder that could be used to reduce greenhouse gases at factories and power plants that burn fossil fuels.

The advanced carbon powder, developed using a novel process in the lab of chemical engineering professor Zhongwei Chen, could filter and remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from emissions with almost twice the efficiency of conventional materials. 

Rachel Thompson BSc' 15
Alumnus, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
> Founder, Marlena Books

One in five Canadians has cared for someone living with dementia. They have also experienced stress, stigma, and difficulty finding the right services and support for those they love.

A couple of disastrous co-op housing experiences were the inspiration behind a Capstone Design project that has developed into a startup company with the goal of ensuring students on work terms find decent and affordable accommodation.

PadPiper is an online site designed to help co-op students and interns locate verified furnished housing.

 “It’s a trusted safe place to find monthly rentals,” says Jack Forbes, a co-founder of PadPiper.

Ajoa Mintah sent out an interesting social media request last spring: bring me your ripe bananas and I’ll reward you with a sweet treat.

The overwhelming response to Mintah’s ask provided one of the main ingredients for her tasty concoction – banana toffee ice cream. In return for the bananas, people received a small ice cream cone from Four All Ice Cream, Mintah’s startup.

The first 91 students in the newest undergraduate program at Waterloo Engineering didn’t waste any time before getting their hands dirty as the fall term began in September.

Instead of settling into seats for lectures, members of the inaugural architectural engineering class broke into small groups for a two-day project to design, build and test pieces of furniture made of cardboard.

Chamath Palihapitiya kept it light but heartfelt when he was announced as the largest private donor to the new Engineering 7 (E7) building as hundreds of people gathered to celebrate its official opening on October 29.

One of the reasons that Waterloo has become a vibrant startup community is because of the tech founders who are engineering graduates or researchers of the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering. As Canada’s #1 engineering research university “Waterloo Engineering,” is known as a powerhouse of research talent and a magnet for graduate students looking to change the world.