Future students

The "Solving the crisis:" series explores the pressing challenges of our time, including climate change, access to health care, housing affordability and more. Each article highlights how Waterloo, a hub of research, innovation and creative thinking, is uniquely positioned to address these issues. Through this series, we highlight the dedication of researchers to tackling global crises and shaping a better future for all.

The University of Waterloo was founded to inspire and empower the next generation. With a commitment to bettering humanity and our planet, Waterloo is at the forefront of connecting the next generation of leaders to programs that will inspire the next gamut of solutions for us to thrive in a complex future. 

“It isn’t going to feel real until I walk into the village and see the Olympic rings.”

When speaking to Eric Peters (BSc ’22) days before his first Olympic event, he appears calm and focused. After over a decade of training, practicing and competing in archery, he’s feeling ready to make his Olympic debut at the Summer Games.

The Summer 2024 Velocity Pitch Competition saw a big turnout for the eight finalist teams who showcased their innovative solutions in front of a live audience and a panel of judges.

On July 25, the University of Waterloo community rallied around the final teams, vying for more than $20,000 in grants. The startups — Automax AI, Brewtrack, ComedySet, Doro, InnSight, MyPharmacist, PyroGuard, and Talk & Order — each delivered a three-minute pitch about their startup and path to market.

A group of international and local researchers gathered at the University of Waterloo for the 2024 NSERC CREATE Training Program for Graduate Students in Scalable 2D-Materials Architectures.  

Dubbed the “2D-MATURE summer school”, this interdisciplinary seminar led by Dr. Michael Pope, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, engaged 53 researchers in a collaborative program focused on leveraging 2D materials for advanced manufacturing applications.  

Dr. Raouf Boutaba, a university professor and director of the Cheriton School of Computer Science, has been appointed the inaugural Rogers Chair in Network Automation.

Boutaba is an internationally recognized expert in the management of resources, systems and services in both wired and wireless networks. His current research applications encompass a range of novel technologies, including network virtualization, software-defined networking, cloud and edge computing, 5G and beyond mobile communications networks and cybersecurity.

Some of the leading solutions that tackle pressing challenges in our society started with an idea. 

At the core of addressing gaps and challenges in Waterloo Region are University of Waterloo students, alumni and researchers, who are known for thinking unconventionally and working collaboratively for the betterment of humanity and our planet.

Building disruptive technologies is at the core of what we do, and since our inception, the University of Waterloo has also been disrupting the boundaries of health.

In a landmark development for health-care innovation and regional transformation, the University of Waterloo has been selected as the site of Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s General Hospital’s new joint hospital, serving Waterloo-Wellington and beyond.

Rehnuma Tasneem (BASc ‘24) did not always want to become an engineer. Growing up she pictured herself as a nurse or a doctor, pursuing a career that held prominence in her Bangladeshi family and community — no one she knew was an engineer. 

Tasneem moved to Canada with her parents when she was in high school. Her interest in the sciences grew with a particular enjoyment for subjects like physics and math. Shifting her focus to these fields, Tasneem researched other areas of impactful work outside of health care and discovered engineering.  

A University of Waterloo partnership with the Accelerator Centre (AC) will further advance our commitment to creating social change through innovation with the launch of the Global Impact Creator Program.