Research

Learning to play music by ear is challenging for most musicians, but research from a team at the University of Waterloo may help musicians-in-training find the right notes.

The Waterloo team analyzed a range of YouTube videos that focused on learning music by ear and identified four simple ways music learning technology can better aid prospective musicians – helping people improve recall while listening, limiting playback to small chunks, identifying musical subsequences to memorize, and replaying notes indefinitely.

You may want to think twice about using powerful artificial intelligence (AI) programs such as ChatGPT to self-diagnose health problems. 

A team led by researchers at the University of Waterloo found in a simulated study that ChatGPT-4o, the well-known large language model (LLM) created by OpenAI, answered open-ended diagnostic questions incorrectly nearly two-thirds of the time. 

“People should be very cautious,” said Troy Zada, a doctoral student at Waterloo. “LLMs continue to improve, but right now there is still a high risk of misinformation.” 

Financial landlords in Toronto charge monthly rents 44 per cent higher than the average neighbourhood price, according to a groundbreaking new study. The increase translates to $670 more on average.  

Acquiring information on rental apartments in Toronto is notoriously difficult, but researchers from the University of Waterloo are the first in Canada to prove that financial landlords are behind rising rents. They also discovered that they increase rents more sharply in neighbourhoods predominantly housing low-income and racialized people.  

Measles — or Rubeola — was eliminated in Canada in 1998, but it’s back with more than 1,600 measles cases reported in Ontario alone this year. Canada could lose its elimination status if measles continues to spread past October 2025, one year after the outbreak started. 

Dr. Shu (Joy) Jiang (PhD ’18) first developed her unique approach to medical research as a PhD student at the University of Waterloo.  

Dr. Shu (Joy) Jiang (PhD ’18)
Professor, Washington University School of Medicine

What if surgeons could replace damaged bone with a solution tailor-made to each patient?

That’s the question researchers at the University of Waterloo are seeking to answer as they develop a material that mimics the behaviour of human bone and is capable of being 3D printed with a high degree of accuracy. 

Dr. Michelle Rutty

When a group of 14 scientists came together in 2014 to discuss a collaboration, Dr. Avery Broderick knew it was the start of something exciting. What he didn’t know was that in just a few years, releasing the first-ever photos of a black hole would place them at the centre of a global phenomenon. 

Dr. Avery Broderick
Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy

New laboratory research shows that when viruses attack a species that forms toxic algal blooms, those thick, blue-green slicks that choke waterways and that threaten ecosystems, drinking water, and public health, what results might be even worse than before the infection. The finding questions the long-held theory among scientists that the viruses help regulate the negative effects of these blooms.  
 

If you’re a student with an eye on a career in the not-for profit sector, co-op job searches can sometimes feel a little challenging. A food bank, museum or community services centre might not have funds to hire a co-op student. At the same time, they could really use the extra energy and fresh ideas that a Waterloo Arts student brings — and so many Arts students are driven by a passion to do good work. How to bring them together?