Future students

Convocation is more than a ceremony — it’s a celebration of perseverance, growth and achievement. Each year, family, friends and the University of Waterloo community come together to honour graduates as they cross the stage and step into the next chapter of their journeys. 

For the second year, graduate students have been selected as valedictorians for fall convocation ceremonies. These exceptional scholars have not only excelled in their academic pursuits but have also made meaningful contributions to their communities through research, leadership and service. 

Bridging theoretical insight and academia with experimental expertise and industry application has been key to advancing quantum information science — and a defining strength of the Waterloo quantum ecosystem.

University of Waterloo researchers have received more than $4.3 million in funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), a non-profit corporation that support research infrastructure through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF).

The University of Waterloo has broken ground on WaterFEL, the Infrared Free Electron Laser (IR-FEL) facility scheduled to open in 2028. The new facility will be the only one of its kind in North America and will revolutionize research with its capabilities to address global challenges, from understanding and treating complex health conditions to creating pathways for a healthier environment.

While founding Canada’s next tech startup or discovering a major research breakthrough are the impetus for some University of Waterloo changemakers, others use their curiosity and imagination to find ways to unlock social impact locally and globally.

In many cases, the first steps towards making a difference happen at Waterloo where students immerse themselves in a culture of curiosity, entrepreneurship and global stewardship. It’s at Waterloo where a sense of belonging and a responsibility for others can really take root.

The iron ring is small, sized to fit the little finger of an engineer’s working hand. Today it is more often made from stainless steel than iron. Though it doesn’t weigh much physically, it carries enormous symbolic weight, acting as a reminder to Canadian-trained professional engineers of the oath they took to do good, safe work that advances society.

Friendlier, a local startup tackling Canada’s single-use plastic problem head-on, recently closed a $4.5 million dollar funding round. The company, founded in 2019 by University of Waterloo alumni Jacqueline Hanton (BASc ’20) and Kayli Smith (BASc ’20), has raised a total of $10 million and kept almost 3.7 million food and beverage containers out of landfills.  

A new Heritage Minute from Historica Canada celebrates Dr. Anne Innis Dagg (PhD ’67, DSc ’19), a groundbreaking zoologist, animal rights advocate and feminist. Dagg received her doctorate degree in animal behaviour from the University of Waterloo and later returned to campus as a faculty member in Independent Studies.