Current students

On March 27, the University of Waterloo community came together to welcome an Eagle Staff to our institution. The day began with a Sunrise Ceremony followed by a formal introduction ceremony held at Federation Hall. The ceremony began with drumming from the Cedar Hill Singers and a procession, followed by a prayer of thanks led by Elder Bill Woodworth. Indigenous Knowledge Keeper, Elder Myeengun Henry, introduced the sacred Eagle Staff on behalf of the University’s Indigenous community, marking an important step in Waterloo’s journey towards reconciliation.

During high school in the Waterloo Region, Rachel Wormald attended Go ENG Girl, an outreach program hosted by the University of Waterloo that introduces grade 7 to 10 girls to the world of engineering.

She was immediately hooked.

After a six-year process, the leading world body for the assessment of climate change, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has released their final Synthesis Report that summarizes what we know about climate change and how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The key takeaway – we must act now to secure a livable future for all.

The region’s tech startup roots have deepened further now that two companies, Halion and H2nanO, have launched out of Velocity and into their own lab spaces. Joining the Velocity alumni community of 150 companies, Halion and H2nanO will continue to grow their sustainable solutions and, ultimately, further commercialization of their deep tech products while remaining in the local area.

In close cooperation with the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association and the Glow Centre, the University of Waterloo is making campus more inclusive for Two-Spirit, Trans, Non-Binary and Gender Non-Conforming members of the campus community by increasing access to all-gender washrooms.

Modern society relies on the products of traditional manufacturing processes: plastics, fuels, solvents, etc. However, these industrial activities release significant volumes of atmosphere-warming CO2 into the air and there is an urgent need to address this problem.

Many universities struggle with dismantling systemic racism and bias in their policies, practices and culture.  In response to this challenge, the University of Waterloo created an anti-racism unit — the first-of-its-kind academic support unit. Under the leadership of Jennisha Wilson, director of anti-racism within the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-racism Office (EDI-RO), the unit identifies and addresses systemic racism in the University's policies, procedures and practices.

The release of ChatGPT, a conversational artificial intelligence (AI) created by OpenAI, has refreshed debates on the ethical creation and use of new technologies.

Dr. Alexander Wong, for one, describes the tech as a “very big engineering achievement that needs to mature.”

ChatGPT has moved the needle for human-machine engagement. Its ability to sensibly converse with users is remarkable. But there are limitations to its powers that people need to be aware of.

Dr. Thomas Jennewein, a faculty member at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) and the University of Waterloo’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, has his sights set high and wide — specifically on a quantum satellite orbiting high above the Earth to connect Canada and Europe via a secure quantum communication link.