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A company that makes mobile games that teach kids programming skills and another that connects avid cooks are among the 35 startups at the University of Waterloo's Velocity Garage workspace in downtown Kitchener this term.

The new startups target a broad range of markets in both the business and consumer space, from online shoppers and retailers, to bloggers, marketers and researchers. Several more hardware-based startups are queued up to move into the Velocity Foundry workspace when the new location is ready.

While many students make the transition back to school after the holiday break, at Waterloo, co-op students are returning to their studies after a four-month fall work term.

Things that were once easy for Mary Beth Wighton, like remembering the four-digit pin on her debit card, are now a challenge. In 2012, at the age of 45, Wighton was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a rare form of dementia with no cure.

“I’d known for years there was something seriously wrong with me and that it was not depression. I just didn’t know what it was,” said Wighton.

Lego robots, creative thinking, problem-solving skills and teamwork will be in action at the University of Waterloo tomorrow as 400 children aged nine to 14 compete in the FIRST Lego League (FLL) West Ontario Championships.

The FLL West Championship will be held on Saturday, January 11 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Physical Activities Complex at the University of Waterloo main campus. Admission is free and the public is welcome to attend.

A $20 sensor invented by two University of Waterloo researchers could save lives by letting ordinary people detect contaminated drinking water using their cell phone.

“No one should ever have to become sick or die from contaminated food or water,” says Simarjeet Saini, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “This sensor could save thousands of lives.”    

The University of Waterloo will host an information session next week for Grade 10 students and their parents planning for a university education.

Grade 10 Family Night will take place on Wednesday, January 15, and will help students learn what they can do now to prepare for applying to any of Ontario's universities.

“Parents are one of the top influences on a student’s choice of university. While some parents have attended university, this event will provide families with the most recent information available,” said Jody Berringer, manager of liaison at Waterloo.

The University of Waterloo is open today, Wednesday, January 8, 2014. 

Waterloo Region continues to experience a cold snap with temperatures for the morning as low as –17 C forecast by Environment Canada, with a wind chill as low as –27 C. Temperatures are expected to increase into the afternoon with wind chill diminishing.

The University of Waterloo main campus is open today, Tuesday, January 7, 2014. 

Waterloo Region is currently experiencing a cold snap with temperatures as low as -19 C forecast for today by Environment Canada.  Cold, brisk winds are expected and may produce widespread, dangerous wind chills as low as -40 C.

The University of Waterloo's next vice-president academic and provost is a highly respected professor and accomplished senior administrator at the University of Toronto.

While Grade 10 might sound early to start planning for university, it’s the year students have to select courses that will set them up for the university program of their choice.

The University of Waterloo is hosting Grade 10 Family Night, on Wed. Jan. 15 to help younger high school students and their parents learn about what they need to do now to prepare for university. Families are being asked to register by Jan. 10.