Research

Engineering researchers at the University of Waterloo are successfully using a robot to help keep children with learning disabilities focused on their work.

This was one of the key results in a new study that also found both the youngsters and their instructors valued the positive classroom contributions made by the robot.

The World Health Organization recently stated that the spillover to mammals of H5N1 influenza—commonly known as bird flu—should be monitored closely, and we need to be prepared to face infection in humans. Dr. Christine Dupont, a biologist at the University of Waterloo, is an expert on infectious disease in animals. This interview has been condensed.

This outbreak of bird flu is affecting domesticated and wild bird populations worldwide. How would you characterize it?

Office buildings are typically not energy efficient, and globally they contribute to nearly a third of greenhouse gas emissions from construction to end of life. A new study out of the University of Waterloo analyzes data-driven improvements in Canada’s first zero-carbon, net-positive energy building showing how they play a vital role in that building generating more energy than it consumes.

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the University of Waterloo to pursue collaborative research opportunities within Canada’s nuclear landscape.

Many things change with a dementia diagnosis, but support for your health and wellness should not be one of them.

The Dementia Resources for Eating, Activity, and Meaningful inclusion (DREAM) project is a cross-Canada research team, led by the University of Waterloo alongside the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). It brings together 40 people and 15 organizations, including the Alzheimer Society of Ontario, Alzheimer Society of British Columbia and the YMCA of Three Rivers.

Reports of globalization’s death are premature, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Waterloo, the University of British Columbia and the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai.

Their findings challenge widespread assumptions that the rivalry between the United States and China, recently highlighted during the Chinese spy balloon crisis, can only further escalate and split the world into two hostile camps.

That’s the view of Dr. Andrew Stumpf, an assistant professor of philosophy at St. Jerome’s University, a federated institution of the University of Waterloo. Stumpf’s research focuses on ethics and end-of-life care.

Pandemic impacts on people everywhere brought a unique opportunity for social scientists to study and forecast changes in society. The Forecasting Collaborative was founded in 2020 by Dr. Igor Grossmann, associate professor of psychology at the University of Waterloo, to evaluate the accuracy of social and data scientists' approaches in predicting social change.

What was the major finding of your study?

Engineers at the University of Waterloo have developed artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict if women with breast cancer would benefit from chemotherapy prior to surgery.

The new AI algorithm, part of the open-source Cancer-Net initiative led by Dr. Alexander Wong, could help unsuitable candidates avoid the serious side effects of chemotherapy and pave the way for better surgical outcomes for those who are suitable.