Community

When Kathleen Fu (BAS ’17) started her Instagram account, she simply wanted to see how people would respond to her artwork. Little did she know that her side project would open up a world of possibilities.

The Master of Architecture student explores how urban landscapes create feelings of loneliness, and how art and design can help us reconnect with each other. Discover how Kathleen brings these ideas to life — in her studies, in her social media posts and in her illustrations for the Spring 2019 issue of the Waterloo Magazine. 

When Waterloo Region’s light rail transit system officially begins moving passengers through Kitchener and Waterloo it officially becomes the smallest municipality in North America with such a system. University of Waterloo alumni, researchers and students all played an important role in making the ambitious project a success.

Fun fact: I’ve been to the University of Waterloo campus twice – once to buy a textbook and once for my graduation. So, no, I’m not your ordinary Waterloo alumnus, but I never really wanted to be an ordinary anything.

Walking to the 2019 Knowledge Integration (KI) Exhibition (KIX), I had a feeling it would be one of those days that I love my new job. I was charged with photographing the Mashkawizii exhibit viewing by Chief Ava Hill, of the 56th Elected Council of the Six Nations of the Grand River, and member of the Board of Governors at the University of Waterloo.

If you are reading this, you are on the internet, and this is thanks to Sir Tim Berners-Lee, True North 2019’s keynote speaker. He invented the World Wide Web, which spawned the internet revolution, fundamentally changing the way we communicate and do business.

With the growing adoption and breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and digital technologies, AI is poised to be the most disruptive revolution since the invention of the internet.

Technology runs deep in our culture. It has become a huge part of our daily lives and impacts society in ways we may not even notice.

True North 2019, happening this week in Waterloo region, uncovers the negative and positive impacts of technology through this year’s theme that explores the intersection of society and technology. The University of Waterloo is proud to partner with True North to bring together tech experts from around the world to examine how tech can be a force for good and serve society for the better.

Philanthropy has a powerful impact on the Waterloo community. When that philanthropy comes from our own alumni, it means so much more. It shows that you have confidence in your education, your Waterloo experience, and the impact we make on the world.

Often, our generous alumni point to a specific person or experience that inspired them to give back. Read on to find four of these inspiring stories.

In its 52-year history only three women have won the Turing Award — the highest distinction in computer science and the "Nobel Prize of computing." Two of those women are receiving honourary doctorates at Waterloo’s Spring 2019 convocation.

Barbara Liskov and Shafi Goldwasser, the two most recent female Turing winners, are guests of the Faculty of Mathematics as they receive honourary Doctor of Mathematics degrees.

In a recent interview with the CBC, Lee Maracle, author of path-breaking books such as Bobbi- Lee: Indian Rebel, and Ravensong talked of the bigotry she faced trying to tell Indigenous stories as a young woman growing up in 1970s Vancouver.

"Publishers were telling me they don't publish Indians — that's what they called us at the time — because Indians can't read or write," she told the CBC.

Waterloo recently celebrated the launch of two new alumni chapters. Driven by passionate volunteers, these organizations offer a wide variety of activities for alumni and for students on co-op and exchange terms. From career panels to sports nights, chapter events connect Waterloo’s global community to the University and each other by welcoming them into our alumni network beyond Ring Road.