Research

As residents try to resume their lives more than a month after a ferocious wildfire forced the evacuation of Fort McMurray, crucial questions about its impact on their water supply still have no clear answers.

It’s why Monica Emelko, a University of Waterloo expert in water quality and water treatment, left for the devastated Alberta city last week after spending countless hours on the phone with government officials since the crisis escalated in early May.

Richard Yim grew up in Cambodia where the fear of stepping on landmines was part of every child’s life. As a young boy, Yim dreamed of inventing technology that would put an end to landmine casualties around the world.

“After war, when peace comes and bullets stop flying, landmines are still in the ground,” says Yim, a new graduate of Waterloo Engineering. “Children shouldn’t have to be afraid to step off the beaten path. They should be able to walk to school and hike and explore their world without fear.”

A Waterloo alumna considered one of the leading architects of her generation and an alumnus who is a major international figure in leading soft matter physics research will be among the distinguished recipients of honorary doctorates at the University of Waterloo's upcoming spring convocation ceremonies next week.

The Centre for Sight Enhancement at the University of Waterloo will host a public education event on age-related macular degeneration (AMD) on Saturday, where experts will discuss current studies, treatment options and debunk myths about the condition.

An innovative wearable technology for standing desks that creates a new way of interacting with your computer could reduce cyberslacking and increase healthy movement.

Researchers at the University of Waterloo’s David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science are hoping to make computing a bit more fun and physically active all while helping computer users kick cyberslacking habits by introducing a foot interaction method for computer users with a standing desk. 

Data from a now-defunct X-ray satellite is providing new insights into the complex tug-of-war between galaxies, the hot plasma that surrounds them, and the giant black holes that lurk in their centres. 

Launched from Japan on February 17, 2016, the Japanese space agency (JAXA) Hitomi X-ray Observatory functioned for just over a month before contact was lost and the craft disintegrated.  But the data obtained during those few weeks was enough to paint a startling new picture of the dynamic forces at work within galaxies.

The national Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, which sees graduate students from across the country communicate the breadth and significance of their research to a non-specialist audience in three minutes or less.

Watch video on YouTube

Date: Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Time: 09:00
Location: Senate Room, 3^rd Floor Needles Hall, University of Waterloo, 200 University  Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1

Media wishing to attend must register in advance by emailing Nick Manning.

Canada’s leading polar data collection, based at the University of Waterloo, has released two online animations to help the public see how our changing climate is shrinking polar ice in Canada.

While we may think some people are consistently wise, we actually demonstrate different levels of wisdom from one situation to the next, and factors such as whether we are alone or with friends can affect it, according to research from the University of Waterloo.

The study defines wise reasoning as a combination of such abilities as intellectual humility, consideration of others’ perspective and looking for compromise. The work appears in Social Psychological and Personality Science.