Co-op and Experiential Education

A research team led by Dr. Richard Kelly, a professor in Geography and Environmental Management at Waterloo, uses a novel radar-based technology to provide more insight into snowpacks and their implications for climate change, water resource management and hazard prediction.

Snowpacks form in cold regions and high elevations, accumulating due to layers upon layers of snow. As they melt, snowpacks serve as vital water resources — feeding streams, rivers and reservoirs.

Most people don’t leave the cinema commenting on the picture’s colour contrast, saturation and brightness levels. Yet, the look of the movie can influence our enjoyment of it, and how well it does on the cinema circuit.  

University of Waterloo alum Mike Perkins (BASc, '90), a principal product developer at local audio-visual solutions company Christie, led the development of a digital projector that takes movie-watching to a whole new level — illuminating the theatre screen with darker darks, brighter brights and colours not seen before in the cinema.  

In 2020, the negative impact of the global pandemic was particularly challenging for co-op students in their first work term. In response, Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) developed the award-winning Waterloo Experience (WE) Accelerate program to help some of the most vulnerable co-op students gain industry-driven skills and real-world experience.

Emelia Assigbey, a fourth-year Health Studies student, has had many aspirations that she’s wanted to explore. She envisions a future in public health, driven by the goal of ensuring equitable and accessible health care. But she also loves the idea of planning and attending events that celebrate life, different cultures and happiness.  

With AI’s transformational impact on the business landscape, senior leaders need to stay ahead of the curve and understand AI wholistically to capitalize on its promise and effectively navigate its implications. To help executives fully harness the power of AI, WatSPEED has launched a first-of-its-kind program: AI and Business Strategy. 

Co-operative and Experiential Education at the University of Waterloo is building on their strengths in talent development and advanced research to equip and power learners for the future of work and lifelong learning.

Their latest innovations are engaging a new "midlife evolver" audience in work-integrated learning. An evolver is someone who may be considering or navigating a transition from a primary career and curious to explore what's next.

Helen Huang (BSc ’17) 
Alum, Faculty of Science
> Co-founder, Co.Lab 

An industry serving a global audience should reflect global diversity. Yet diversity in tech, with people of different backgrounds bringing unique perspectives and lived experiences to the table, still feels a way off. 

Dr. David Drewery is the associate director of the Work-Learn Institute — a research, education and consulting unit at the University of Waterloo that advances work-integrated learning programs for employers and higher education institutions.   

His current research investigates how employers can connect with Gen Z’s work values to attract and retain talent through work-integrated learning programs. We asked Drewery how Gen Z can help create equitable and resilient economies in the future. 

Rachel Almaw was awarded the 2022 Faculty of Health Co-op Student of the Year. She worked for three co-op terms in the Mobilize Clinical Biomechanics research lab, which is based in Waterloo’s Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences. It was through these co-op terms that she found her calling. 

Almaw focuses her research on the intersection of health and race. We asked her what needs to change in Canada’s approach to data collection and research to create a more equitable health-care system.