Future students

Jack Farlow, a second-year engineering student at the University of Waterloo has achieved a remarkable feat by qualifying for the 2023 CrossFit Games. The games are a multi-day competition that brings together elite athletes from around the world to showcase their fitness and compete for the title of Fittest on Earth.

After two previous attempts, making it to the semifinals each time, Farlow secured his spot in to compete in this years’ finals taking place August 3 to 6 in Madison, Wisconsin.

On July 19th, the University of Waterloo community came together to support seven finalist teams as they pitched their business ideas for a chance at one of four $5,000 grants, and one $500 grant for People’s Choice Award. 

Unzila Shahzad, a University of Waterloo co-op student, recently wrote and published her own children’s book following a work term at SickKids Hospital. Shahzad’s book, Haseeb and Teddy: From Magic Boots to Magical Feet, adds a touch of magic to empower children with clubfoot while shedding light on the congenital condition. Clubfoot is present at birth which causes an infant’s foot to turn inward or downward because of a shortened Achilles tendon.  

On Tuesday, July 7, the Office of Indigenous Relations invited Waterloo President and Vice-Chancellor Vivek Goel and other campus community members for an event to celebrate the official launch of the Indigenous Strategic Plan 2023-2028. The purpose of this plan is “to assist in guiding the University of Waterloo towards its goal of indigenizing and decolonizing the institution,” according to Jean Becker, associate vice-president of the Office of Indigenous Relations.  

It’s said that an engineering degree can take you places. For Waterloo University alumnus Stephanie Holko (BASc ’04, chemical engineering) her studies led her somewhere extraordinary - swimming with orcas off the coast of Norway on an all-women research expedition.

Dr. Sharon Kirkpatrick, a professor in the School of Public Health Sciences, was recently named University of Waterloo Research Chair, along with six other professors across campus. The seven-year appointment began July 1, 2023.

Dozens of Velocity founders showcased their innovative businesses and technologies to a global audience at the recent Collision conference in Toronto. 

The tech conference brings together investors, government and major brands, while giving startups global networking and business-building opportunities. 

From Gen Z to baby boomers, workspaces in Canada now span across four generations. Students engaging in work-integrated learning (WIL) and their employers need to learn from each other and how to effectively work together. As part of the World Association of Co-operative Education (WACE) 2023 World Conference hosted at the University of Waterloo, international leaders in industry, government and academia to share their collective wisdom on cultivating two-way learning opportunities. 

Autonomous airline Ribbit has signed a $1.3 million contract with Transport Canada to start testing its commercial cargo aircraft to deliver goods to northern Canada, starting in 2024. 

“Ribbit ultimately exists to help improve access to transportation,” said Jeremy Wang (PhD ’23), co-founder and COO. "Our dream would be a future where anybody can receive goods quickly and reliably no matter where they are located.” 

Wang said the company’s initial goal is to serve northern Canada, where about 120 million pounds of food gets delivered annually. 

Laura Middleton, associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo, has been appointed Schlegel Research Chair in Dementia and Active Living for a five-year term starting July 1, 2023.