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The University of Waterloo’s Engineering Science Quest (ESQ) outreach program has been awarded the 2013 Actua & GE Canada Award for Leadership and Innovation in science and technology education.

The award recognizes ESQ’s dedication to high impact quality programs, ongoing leadership and supportive engagement of Canada’s most underserved youth.

Canadian music icon, Bruce Cockburn, will play a solo concert at the University of Waterloo campus next month as part of Conrad Grebel University College's 50^th anniversary celebrations this year.

Cockburn will play at the J.G. Hagey Hall of the Humanities at Waterloo at 8 p.m. on Thursday, February 13. Tickets are available for purchase from the theatre box office by calling 519-888-4908, or visiting https://uwaterloo.ca/grebel/cockburn.

As the debate continues in several cities surrounding the potential impact of light rail transit (LRT), a researcher from the University of Waterloo is harnessing the power of big data to help gather new insights into how transit systems might transform urban redevelopment and affect the housing market.

Professor Dawn Parker of the Faculty of Environment at Waterloo is the lead researcher on a project that will also analyze and compare data from computerized simulation models.

The University of Waterloo has launched its new and innovative Doctor of Pharmacy program, giving future pharmacists even more opportunity to meet Ontario's modern health-care needs.

Called PharmD, the new program replaces the previous entry-to-practice degree. It provides students with advanced clinical training to closely align with the recently expanded scope of practice for pharmacists across Canada, and prepares them for the direct patient care roles of today’s practitioners.

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.

To help undergrads get back into campus life, the Federation of Students is hosting Winter Welcome Week from Jan. 13 to 17.

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.