Sustainable Futures

What began as a 150-square-foot windowless lab at the University of Waterloo in 2004 is today the Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing (MSAM) Lab — Canada’s largest academic metal additive manufacturing (AM) facility. With a space spanning 15,000 square feet, equipped with more than $25 million in cutting-edge infrastructure, MSAM leads innovation in advanced manufacturing, developing the next generation of sustainable 3D printing technologies for industries worldwide.

For engineers across Canada, the Iron Ring is more than a piece of jewelry — it’s a symbol of responsibility, integrity and pride. Now in its 100th year, the Iron Ring ceremony is an important rite of passage for University of Waterloo Engineering graduates, reminding them of their duty to do good work that serves society. 

Over the past decade, sustainable investing has exponentially grown in its global impact and popularity. This emerging trend led University of Waterloo researchers to investigate how green labels influence investment decisions.

Waterloo researchers, students and alumni tackle challenges through cross-disciplinary collaboration, developing creative solutions with global impact.

You’re familiar with Waterloo’s iconic inventions like BlackBerry and OpenText, and those mentioned in our 10 inventions you didn’t know came from Waterloo — but you spoke, and we listened. Our readers helped us uncover even more groundbreaking innovations from this vibrant community that continue to shape industries worldwide.

Home to the largest  Faculty of Environment in Canada, Waterloo has catalyzed environmental innovation, solutions and talent for 50 years.  

For many years, our researchers have been responding to the climate crisis with purpose-driven research and sustainable technologies to help design policies that will protect our environment and support a sustainable future.  

For years, you've been warned about "Frankenfoods" lurking in your grocery store, but what if everything you thought you knew about GMOs (genetically modified organism) was wrong? Despite overwhelming scientific consensus on their safety and benefits, genetically modified foods remain one of the most unfairly villainized innovations in modern agriculture.