Research

A University of Waterloo researcher has spearheaded the development of the first computational model of the human kidney.

The new model will allow scientists to gain better insights into how new drugs that target the kidney, such as diabetes medication, may work. It will also enable researchers to better learn about the functions of the kidney, including the how the organ regulates the body's salt, potassium, acid content without having to employ invasive procedure on a patient.

As a child, Anita Layton wanted nothing to do with mathematics.

She refused to follow in the footsteps of her father, a high school math teacher. So, despite her interest in the subject, she did not pursue a math degree.

Today, Anita Layton is the Canada 150 Research Chair in Mathematical Biology and Medicine.

For the first time in 55 years, a woman has won the Nobel Prize in physics — Prof. Donna Strickland. This win has publicly highlighted that women are still under-represented in science, particularly in physics.

Simple, inexpensive urban design interventions can increase well-being and social connections among city residents, finds a new case study from the Urban Realities Lab at the University of Waterloo.

Cities could ease congestion and improve safety during snowstorms by tweaking the timing of traffic lights to take road conditions into account.

Researchers at the University of Waterloo collected data and ran computer simulations to determine that adjusting the signals at intersections in bad weather could reduce delays by up to 20 per cent.

A new quantum sensor developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) has proven it can outperform existing technologies and promises significant advancements in long-range 3D imaging and monitoring the success of cancer treatments.

Michael Reimer

Originally built as a way to secure cryptocurrency transactions, blockchain is a digital platform that verifies and records exchanges. Blockchains are global networks that can have millions of users, each adding information/data which is secured through cryptography. This creates an indisputable history of these transactions that cannot be modified by a single user, eliminating opportunities for fraud, and it is this feature that has some heralding blockchain as a way of increasing cybersecurity.