Future students

Coming from a family of engineers, Pascale Walters knew that Waterloo was her first choice for engineering, but picking a discipline wasn’t easy. She liked physics, kinesiology, mechatronics engineering and systems design engineering. Walters wasn’t sure how she would decide — until she came across Waterloo’s new biomedical engineering undergraduate program.

Voltera V-One, a custom circuit board printer developed by University of Waterloo engineering students, has taken top prize in the International James Dyson Award competition - beating out a record 710 entries from 20 countries.

When people started putting mannequins in the backs of their cars to try and sneak onto HOV lanes during the Pan Am Games in Toronto, it was an extreme example of how desperate we can become when faced with major traffic congestion. It was also proof that Miovision’s potential solution to transportation management couldn’t come at a better time.

She has an awesome CV. He aced the interview. Both received glowing referrals.  But will either succeed in your company? Employers have a lot riding on their hiring decisions. Picking the wrong candidate can cost an organization thousands of dollars in wasted time and lost productivity, not to mention damaging workplace morale.

In most cases, what separates rising stars from unsuitable staffers aren’t technical skills. Instead, it’s that often elusive quality called “fit.”

Although he hasn’t slid behind the wheel of one yet, Drew Higgins hopes to drive a fuel cell vehicle someday. And here’s what would make the ride extra sweet for the recent chemical engineering alumnus: knowing the research he conducted during 11 years as a Waterloo student made the green energy source inexpensive enough to compete with gasoline.

Game-changing breakthroughs are nothing new for Waterloo Engineering. Right now, students, faculty members and alumni are revolutionizing hardware development, tapping into unlimited sources of clean energy, working to save healthcare dollars spent on heart disease treatment and much more.

“Nowhere else on the planet will you find the same advanced robotics technology under one roof. It will place Canada at the forefront of this strategically important emerging field. ”

 Prof. William Melek, Director of Mechatronics Engineering

The term ‘plug and play’ — which suggests various pieces of computer hardware can be snapped together with ease — had a dubious history in the technology industry. What’s often described as plug and play turns out to be more difficult to use than expected. If Calvin Chu is successful, however, people will soon be combining technology in ways that make Lego pieces look complex in comparison.