Community

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues with no end in sight, many people find themselves struggling with feelings of grief.

“Grieving has become a big focus for many people,” Melinda Szilva says, low vision rehabilitation counsellor at the University of Waterloo’s Centre for Sight Enhancement (CSE). “As a society, we’re collectively mourning the loss of our routines, the loss of employment and the loss of loved ones.”

In our recent webinar series, Waterloo alumni share their passions and expertise to support others during this strange time.

As a little girl, Sophie Janszen-Spitman had always been good at math. She liked participating in math contests, but as she progressed through high school, she noticed fewer and fewer girls participating alongside her.

Sophie Janszen-Spitman, current student

In the wake of COVID-19, many in our community are overwhelmed with fear and uncertainty. Being separated from our loved ones and unable to go about our lives in any normal way, is adding to this stress and causing increased anxiety for many people.

In our recent webinar series, Waterloo alumni share their passions and expertise to support others during this strange time.

University of Waterloo researchers are developing personalized 3D-printed mask components for front line health-care providers as well as patients who regularly visit medical facilities for treatments such as dialysis and chemotherapy.

Members of the  Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing (MSAM) Laboratory have produced a number of prototypes based on approved design guidelines from Health Canada and the National Institutes for Health.

Michael Vermeer was listening to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau make an announcement on the radio about COVID-19 initiatives last month when one of them caught his ear.

It was about a deal the Canadian government had reached with a Toronto company called Thornhill Medical to supply hundreds of portable life support and ventilator units for the front-line fight against the coronavirus.

Robert Wagner ran into a problem while building a see-through booth so healthcare workers can test people for COVID-19 without using gowns, masks and other scarce personal protective equipment (PPE). 

But it wasn’t a problem for long.

When all he could scrounge up for his contraption were two left-handed gloves, the longtime engineering technician at the University of Waterloo simply turned one of them inside out and carried on.

After over six weeks in lockdown, governments across the country have agreed on criteria needed to start lifting restrictions, and several provinces have begun to take steps to reopen their economies.

While there is still some debate on timing and the best path to follow, all can agree that this has been a huge learning experience for Canadians.

We have all had to learn about social distancing – then understand it more specifically as physical distancing – and learn about how we can live, work and socialize from our homes without going stir crazy.

Sometimes, the most difficult times create the best opportunities for impact. In the midst of a global crisis, we’ve heard from dozens of alumni who shared their efforts to support essential workers.

While it can be difficult to capture all of the amazing work Waterloo’s alumni is doing in the face of COVID-19, here are a few of their stories.