Future students

The Department of English faculty boasts an impressive group of published poets and novelists, giving great credibility to their new specialization in Creative Writing. Now they can add a children’s author to this complement of expertise with the publication of Professor Jennifer Harris’ picture book, She Stitched The Stars: A Story Of Ellen Harding Baker's Solar System Quilt (Albert Whitman & Company), available in bookshops this October.

Most students develop an interest in technology and programming long before they begin their post-secondary education.

The path to becoming a developer, analyst or software engineer does not usually start in a computer science course at university, but in the opportunities available to students outside the classroom.

Hack the North is just this kind of event that allows students to gain valuable skills, learn about the tech industry’s culture and network with like-minded peers who share their interests.

Many things change when a person is diagnosed with dementia, but one thing that doesn’t have to is the ability to exercise.

Dementia-Inclusive Choices for Exercise (DICE) is a cross-Canada research team, led by the University of Waterloo, that has developed a new series of tools and resources to help exercise providers create inclusive programs and spaces for people living with dementia and support their knowledge and confidence to continue or begin exercising.

The start of the term hustle and bustle brings with it a sense of excitement; especially for three new AMTD scholars, who are joining the University postdoctoral community.

The Schulich Leader Scholarships are a national undergraduate STEM scholarship, established by businessman and philanthropist Seymour Schulich to encourage the next generation of entrepreneurial-minded, technology innovators. This year, the Schulich Foundation is celebrating their tenth anniversary, and in 2021 they’ve awarded up to 100 scholarships to students across Canada entering university. Since 2012, Waterloo has ranked as the top recipient with the largest number of qualifying applicants.

"Universities across the country are preparing for another school year affected by COVID-19. Though many institutions are now adopting mandatory vaccine policies and allowing for more in-person experiences, much more needs to be done to give our students the university experience they deserve. As a public health physician, I understand the risks the Delta variant of COVID-19 presents.

In late February, the Region needed a vaccine clinic to serve downtown Kitchener. Joe Lee and the Centre for Family Medicine (CFFM) stepped forward. When it came to finding an appropriate location, CFFM asked their neighbour, the School of Pharmacy.

“The word ‘no’ isn’t in our vocabulary,” says Trenny McGinnis, pharmacy’s administrative officer. “Our executive team had already implemented changes to support the vaccine effort, from injection-training students earlier in the program to creating COVID educational materials. Partnering on a clinic was a logical next step.”

It’s no secret that our everyday technologies gather personal data. But these increasingly entrenched conveniences, from Internet of Things-enabled Smart TVs to online voting systems to crowdfunding platforms, can also perform harmful surveillance.

Knowing how tools track user behaviour and collect personal information is important. Understanding their implications for social inequality within Canada and globally is perhaps even more pressing. What’s more, the challenge demands multiple areas of expertise.

Ryan Tennant is interested in bridging health care and engineering. From co-op terms and research projects at Sunnybrook and Sick Kids hospitals to developing a medical device at a company in Switzerland, he’s always looking to use his biomedical engineering education to improve the world around him. 

> Ryan Tennant
> PhD Student