Community

As the pandemic drove people online to work, study and connect with loved ones, Leah Zhang-Kennedy doubled down on her commitment to making digital spaces safer for everyone.

Leah Zhang-Kennedy
Professor, Faculty of Arts
> Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business
> Waterloo Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute

When a flood hits a Canadian community and rising waters wash out roads, governments at all levels respond with heroic evacuations of vulnerable residents and emergency food and shelter.  

Jason Thistlethwaite
Professor, Faculty of Environment 
> JBA Risk Management
> Climate Risk Research Group (CRRG)

WATERLOO, Ont. (February 3, 2021) – Indigenous post-secondary students from across Canada will soon be able to participate in a new entrepreneurship training program.

Hosted by St. Paul’s University College at the University of Waterloo and lead by industrious entrepreneur Jacob Crane, the program will be administered online by the Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre and GreenHouse social impact incubator at the College.

Leslie Xin and Queenie Wu don’t mind admitting now that they did a lot of crying during their first year as engineering students at the University of Waterloo.

But at the time, feeling alone and overwhelmed by all the new demands placed on them, they were both so ashamed of their tears that they hid them.

That changed as Xin and Wu became close friends and learned they had actually struggled with many of the same emotions.

Avonae Gentles thought everything was under control. 

As a busy third-year Faculty of Health student, Gentles was juggling multiple responsibilities when her family was dealt an unexpected blow — her father’s diagnosis with lung cancer. 

Avonae Gentles 
> Faculty of Health

Exactly one year ago today, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Canada.

We asked public health expert Professor Zahid Butt to take us through what we’ve learned about COVID-19 in the year that has passed, and what we still need to learn in order to beat the virus.

Six universities in Ontario have partnered to create a new fellowship to expand the pathways for Indigenous and Black students pursuing doctoral degrees in engineering and mathematics to prepare for careers as professors and industry researchers.

Coming out of high school and considering a choice for university, Waterloo came up on my radar for two reasons: a couple of high school friends were going there, and Waterloo had the best Kinesiology program. Kinesiology was a great fit as it brought together my two major interests, sports and science.

In the midst of a global pandemic, Waterloo's mission of education and innovation continues. And although he's approaching the end of his term, President Hamdullahpur isn't slowing down either. Learn about the initiatives he’s working on that will help us move forward in a post-COVID world.