Future students

The following is a transcript of a video message shared with University of Waterloo students on August 31, 2023

Hello everyone

I’m Vivek Goel, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo. I use the pronouns He/Him

It is my privilege to welcome you to our Fall 2023 term.

For some of you, this will be your first time on our campuses. For others, we welcome you back.

While research and learning on our campuses continues throughout the year, every September, there is a sense of a new beginning.

Find ways to build your Waterloo community and make the best of your university experience this fall and beyond- summary

Dr. Nikolas Knowles, a professor who joined the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences in 2022, has received a $100,000 grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF). He is one of 13 recipients at the University of Waterloo.

While a typical course of study at Waterloo includes co-op work terms and on-campus coursework, these Math students found they had a lot to learn by traveling much farther. Here’s what they had to say about their adventures thousands of kilometers from home.

North America has 10 million kilometres of overhead power lines, and when vegetation come into contact with one, it can be like tinder to a flame.

“Once they come in contact with trees, the risk of forest fires increases,” says Anson Maitland (PhD ’19), co-founder of Enerza, a company at Velocity, University of Waterloo’s startup incubator. “With our robot, utilities can spot vegetation risks, corrosion or birds' nests near the line and send out a team to handle it.”

A chronic shortage of certified pilots has impacted Canada’s aviation sector for too long. Vision-science experts associated with the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA) are doing their best to make that a thing of the past through groundbreaking research.

The Optometry Clinic at the University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry and Vision Science, in collaboration with Essilor and Modern Optical, conducted an outreach event on August 14, 2023, to provide vision screening and eye examinations for more than 45 children and youth. The Clinic worked with the Youth Association for Academics, Athletics and Character Education (YAAACE), which is a Black-led community organization that seeks to engage children and youth from all communities, to organize this summer camp style event on campus.

Students and business leaders at the University of Waterloo are pushing back on the idea that there’s only one way to be a successful entrepreneur. It’s an idea that’s been growing in every part of the Waterloo entrepreneurship ecosystem.

In a quest to decipher the enigmatic power of black holes and the intricate role they play in galaxy growth and structure — Waterloo scientists are gearing up for a much-anticipated launch. The X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in collaboration with NASA and global partners, is poised for liftoff on August 26, 2023.

The mission aims to delve into the heart of supermassive black holes and their profound influence on the universe's evolution.

Velocity has launched a new program called Foundations to help students develop an innovative mindset, a skill which is becoming increasingly important.

Applicable to any career, learning how to ask great questions for a deeper understanding of a problem can be a professional lifeline, in particular due to the ubiquity of large language models like ChatGPT that is giving rise to questions about the future of job opportunities.