Societal Futures

The year 2023 has unfolded with a dynamic blend of challenges and opportunities, offering us a fresh page to write the story of our University of Waterloo community.

As we embark towards 2024, we can reflect with pride on the continued dedication and achievements of our students, alumni, researchers and staff — all of whom have played an integral role in shaping on-campus initiatives, global events and cutting-edge education and research.

These trending stories highlight just some of the community’s profound impact on our collective future.

University of Waterloo professor and Canada Research Chair in Technology and Social Change Dr. Lai-Tze Fan analyzed hundreds of Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa’s voice-driven skills. Dr. Fan’s goal was to better understand how the encoded technology mirrors and reinforces traditionally feminized labour and sociocultural expectations.

Like so many great decisions in his life, it was the advice of his “Auntie Charity” that led scholar Victor Mawutor Agbo to choose the University of Waterloo as the next phase of his academic journey. 

He had just wrapped up his undergraduate degree in Tourism Management in Ghana and was looking at schools in Europe to continue his studies. “That’s when my auntie who lives in Canada said, 'This university is right next to us, and it's one of the best universities in Canada.’ So that's how I heard about Waterloo," says Agbo.

On November 30th, the University of Waterloo community came together to support eight finalist teams as they pitched their business ideas for their chance at a slice of more than $20,000 in grants.

Waterloo researchers are renowned for transforming societies, economies, technologies, sustainability and health for humanity to thrive in our complex future. However, scholars in many fields have experienced hostile responses to their work. This is particularly true for those whose focus is on social justice scholarship that focuses on discrimination based on gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity and religion. Also impacted are science and technology research; health and vaccine research, and environment, sustainability and climate change research.

See the remarkable achievements of individuals with roots at University of Waterloo recognized on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list.

The annual list highlights young entrepreneurs who are making a difference in their fields. Waterloo-linked founders were named in health care, consumer technology, science, social impact and enterprise technology categories.

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.

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.

Dr. Carla Fehr is a professor in the Department of Philosophy and serves as an advisor to the Gender and Social Justice program. She is an expert in gender diversity in STEM and feminist philosophy of science.

Fehr’s research explores the social nature of science and technology and how our culture influences the knowledge we produce. Across our academic and research activities we must consider the impacts on society. We asked Fehr how we can strengthen science and technology to positively advance society and ensure all members of our communities thrive.   

There was the young woman who’d suffered an eye injury in an attack and was left with only one functioning eye. The man who had low vision due to blunt force trauma and was desperate to find ways of coping so he could work. The teenager who’d been using a pair of glasses several years old despite her sight having worsened significantly since the last time she’d been able to get an eye exam.