Societal Futures

A decade after it was first established, the Waterloo-founded Open Quantum Safe project now has a permanent home. Today, the Linux Foundation announced the launch of the Post-Quantum Cryptography Alliance (PQCA), an initiative that unites public and private technology leaders including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco, Google, IBM, IntellectEU, Keyfactor, Kudelski IoT, NVIDIA, QuSecure, SandboxAQ, and the University of Waterloo to address cryptographic security challenges posed by quantum computing.

Co-operative and Experiential Education at the University of Waterloo is building on their strengths in talent development and advanced research to equip and power learners for the future of work and lifelong learning.

Their latest innovations are engaging a new "midlife evolver" audience in work-integrated learning. An evolver is someone who may be considering or navigating a transition from a primary career and curious to explore what's next.

The University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering Outreach program STEMpowered provides Black youth with opportunities to engage in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities to inspire their interest in exploring further studies and careers in STEM. In just one year, the program has increased its reach by 680 per cent.  

Near the end of 2023, University of Waterloo President, Vivek Goel and AVP Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism, Christopher Taylor led a Waterloo delegation travelling to South Africa and Ghana.

“The world continues to face compounding major crises, and education and research are essential to ensuring society is equipped to tackle these challenges head-on,” said Vivek Goel, University of Waterloo’s president and vice-chancellor, in his opening address at the Global Futures 2024 launch event on January 31. 

Waterloo researchers and entrepreneurs are committed to finding and addressing the world’s most pressing challenges with a multi-disciplinary approach. Goel added that in order to achieve this vision, we must start by thinking globally and acting locally. 

Recent studies have suggested that firefighters are three times more likely to die of cancer than the general population. This is partly attributed to their gear, which contains polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), a large group of chemicals that are used in many applications, and often elevates the risk to cancer.

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) announced today that Dr. Laura Middleton, a researcher in Waterloo’s Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, received a grant of more than $979,000 over four years for a project called Dementia Lifestyle Intervention for Getting Healthy Together (DELIGHT). Middleton leads the project alongside Dr. Heather Keller and Dr.

Susan Roy is a University of Waterloo researcher and professor in the Department of History and at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. Her research examines the history of Indigenous-non-Indigenous relationships with attention to land rights activism and cultural performance, along with resource and urban development disputes in Canada.

We asked Roy how fundamental research and collaborating with Indigenous partners help deepen our knowledge and understanding of the arts, humanities and social sciences.

Opinion by Susan Roy

Helen Huang (BSc ’17) 
Alum, Faculty of Science
> Co-founder, Co.Lab 

An industry serving a global audience should reflect global diversity. Yet diversity in tech, with people of different backgrounds bringing unique perspectives and lived experiences to the table, still feels a way off. 

Edith Law is a professor at the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, where she co-directs the Human-Computer Interaction Lab. Her research delves into social computing technology, machine intelligence interactions and the design and user experience of technology that upholds important human values.

We asked Law how we can ethically harness the power of new technologies for the betterment of humanity.

Opinion by Dr. Law