Entrepreneurship

As the German software firm’s lease was coming to a close, the SAP team decided to stick to their roots and opted to expand.

As the first tenant at the R+T Park back in 2004, SAP has helped shape the Waterloo Region’s reputation as a hub for technical talent, innovation and discovery.

“SAP is a great representation of what happens when industry, government and academia work together,” says Mike Pereira, manager of business development at R+T Park. “We can take cutting edge research and turn it into technology that makes the world a better place.”

When Kathleen Fu (BAS ’17) started her Instagram account, she simply wanted to see how people would respond to her artwork. Little did she know that her side project would open up a world of possibilities.

The Master of Architecture student explores how urban landscapes create feelings of loneliness, and how art and design can help us reconnect with each other. Discover how Kathleen brings these ideas to life — in her studies, in her social media posts and in her illustrations for the Spring 2019 issue of the Waterloo Magazine. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the ability to do amazing things — from tackling climate change to providing more accessible health care, human-machine learning continues to change the world. 

But are we ready? 

Technology runs deep in our culture. It has become a huge part of our daily lives and impacts society in ways we may not even notice.

True North 2019, happening this week in Waterloo region, uncovers the negative and positive impacts of technology through this year’s theme that explores the intersection of society and technology. The University of Waterloo is proud to partner with True North to bring together tech experts from around the world to examine how tech can be a force for good and serve society for the better.

The phone rings and the realtor says your home offer was accepted. For many of us, what comes next is a flurry of papers, signatures, lawyers, bank forms and money changing hands. Everyone assures you this is all part of the ritual of buying a home. But with every signature, all but the most conscientious of us blindly pray no mistakes have been made, no unchecked boxes and no wasted money. 

As more of the world’s population migrates to cities, our global community is faced with complex questions: How can we make our streets smarter, and safer? How do we feed our growing urban centres? And are our cities making us sick?

The latest issue of Waterloo Magazine delves into these questions with alumni and researchers who are reimagining how we live. The print edition will hit mailboxes soon. Until then, check out the digital version for exclusive online extras like this interview with illustrator and alumnus Kathleen Fu.

She noticed him as soon as she walked in, a handsome young man with blonde hair and a beaming smile at the back of the room.

It was the fall of 1974, the first day of classes for 90 incoming students in the University of Waterloo’s systems design engineering program.

And for two of them - teenagers Cille D’Eon and Rob Harris - it was the start of a 45-year partnership that would see them all the way through school, careers, marriage and parenthood.

This month, doors open at a new school in one of India’s most rural and impoverished regions to provide 300 children with a formal education— something many of their parents never had the opportunity to experience.     

The Steele Family Foundation, led by Michael Steele, a 1980 civil engineering alumnus, helped fund, design and build the school in the town of Mathigiri, just south of Bangalore, India, for young students from three to 10 years old. 

On May 15, the University of Waterloo welcomed the local chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) for an immersive experience exploring the link between entrepreneurship, experiential learning and transformative research.

Waterloo’s global network of 205,000 alumni is a force to be reckoned with.

The annual Alumni Awards recognize exceptional members in the Waterloo network, and the impact they’ve made during their careers. Here are just some of the ways these alumni go beyond to make positive change in the world.