Entrepreneurship

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.

Physicians tasked with diagnosing stroke patients have a new tool in their arsenal thanks to an innovative treatment devised by Vena Medical, a company spun out of Velocity, the University of Waterloo's start-up incubator.  

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. 

Jason Amri (BCS in progress)
Student, Faculty of Mathematics
> Co-founder, 3cycle
> GreenHouse
> Velocity

In recent years, 3D printing has become a manufacturing resource used in small to large-scale projects from prototyping products to 3D-printed houses.  

Waterloo-based 1Mentor’s recent acquisition by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), the world’s largest global higher education network, underscores the urgent need for their platform and the data it provides higher education institutions. 

For Ria Menon, a biomedical science student at the University of Waterloo, conducting research plays a large role in her program. But getting involved in research often requires undergraduate students to take 400-level classes, also known as senior thesis courses. 

But if students are lucky enough to know someone who is currently involved in research, those network connections can help them advance in research opportunities earlier in their studies, Menon explains. 

Before coming to the University of Waterloo, Christy Lee volunteered at hospitals and long-term care homes, working closely with patients and residents to help reduce the workload for staff. But Lee found that with the current communication call system, nurses and personal support workers do not know what types of requests the patients are making, and which patients need immediate help.