Community

On November 22, GreenHouse held their 30th Social Impact Showcase at United College, celebrating the next generation of innovators. GreenHouse is a social impact incubator for students and community members who want to create environmental or social change, with their early-stage business venture ideas. 

Richard Myers, principal at United College, speaking at the opening remarks of the fall 2023 GreenHouse Social Impact Showcase.

University is a time of transition and new challenges for all students. First-year students are often experiencing life on their own for the first time away from home. Post-graduate students are working to balance the demands of research, studying and even teaching courses themselves. With all these stresses, making time for physical and mental health is critical for both academic success and personal well-being. 

Ahmad Mahfoud has experienced many hardships and losses as a refugee from Syria. Now, though, thanks in part to the Waterloo Eye Institute at the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Science, he’s on the cusp of gaining something he never thought he’d have – a driver’s license.

The University of Waterloo welcomed Royal Society of Canada (RSC) academics from across Canada, as they participated in a full-day symposium on Health and Well-being for All by 2030: Application of technology to global health problems, held at Federation Hall on November 16. 

The RSC and Waterloo share a common goal of addressing local and global challenges through future-focused solutions that have real-world impact. So, it was fitting that Waterloo hosted this year’s RSC Celebration of Excellence and Engagement conference (#COEE2023) to discuss the future of health.  

After Joe (BA ’81, MA ’82, LLD ’19) and Stephanie Mancini (BA ’82, LLD ’19) graduated in 1982 from St. Jerome’s University, a federated partner of the University of Waterloo, they opened  The Working Centre in downtown Kitchener to serve people facing unemployment and poverty in the community.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common virus that seriously affects vulnerable populations such as infants, young children and older adults. Dr. Wasem Alsabbagh, associate professor at the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy, answers frequently asked questions about RSV.

Why should I be concerned about RSV?

The Government of Canada has allocated $248 million to establish 34 new Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) at 18 post-secondary institutions nationwide, including the University of Waterloo. On November 16, the announcement of the new CERCs was made by the Honourable Terry Beech, Minister of Citizens’ Services, on behalf of Minister François-Philippe Champagne of Innovation, Science, and Industry.

Students from the University of Waterloo and four other Ontario institutions can vie for cash prizes and the chance to establish a startup by licensing a novel technology.

The Proteus Innovation Competition is a four-month competition that challenges students to craft compelling commercialization strategies for one out of five promising technologies with the chance to win a slice of more than $25,000 in cash prizes and the opportunity to license the technology and form their own startup.

On November 10, the University of Waterloo community came together to participate in the closing ceremony of Bridge: Honouring the Lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit People (MMIWG2S).