The Entangler | Winter 2024

I am thrilled to present you a packed edition of The Entangler. Read more about our students, our faculty/staff, our alumni, and our latest events and initiatives.

In response to the evolving needs of students within the Department of Physics & Astronomy, the Physics Tutorial Centre was established in September 2023 to provide free tutoring services to our undergraduate students.

On Monday, April 8th, 2024, the total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. Dubbed the “Great North American Eclipse”, this will be the first total solar eclipse to be visible in provinces of Canada since February 26, 1979 and the only one where totality will be visible in the 21st century. 

LumeNeuro is gaining widespread attention across the world! The Alzheimer’s Association and MATTER (a premier healthcare incubator and innovation hub) started an annual pitch competition a couple of years ago – a place where startups and entrepreneurs compete to showcase their solutions, this year for increasing access to quality, person-centered care for underserved people living with Alzheimer’s disease. 

One thing you may miss about hanging out in UWaterloo Physics is a chance to have great physics conversations with friends. Well, two alumni want to share the fun of one of their conversations with you! Their bavardage focuses on the question: can 2 helium atoms bind together to exist as a molecule? 

Women of Waterloo is a cross faculty collaboration across numerous student clubs to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8th! The event aimed to celebrate the success of underrepresented people in STEM, while allowing students to socialize in a casual environment.

A group of passionate students at the University of Waterloo has come together to form the UW Astronomy Club. Operating under the umbrella of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, this stellar initiative aims to ignite an innate sense of curiosity and fascination for the captivating field of astronomy among students.

FemPhys, a student club under the department of Physics and Astronomy, hosts a yearly Mentoring Night which is one of the well-known events of the club that students and mentors both look forward to. 

The hall was empty, and the only noises came from the PhysClub and Materials and Nanoscience Society (MNS) executives frantically discussing logistics. Where would the pizza go? Is the sign-up sheet pulled up on the correct laptop? How do we properly check IDs?  How many tickets were reserved for professors again? The conversation had only just finished when the first students entered the hall, with many more trailing behind. Suddenly, the Fall 2023 Physics x MNS Student-Prof Night was in full swing.

Meet Maggie Bérubé, a remarkable 3rd year student that is currently pursuing a degree in Physics & Astronomy at the University of Waterloo. In the vast number of students within our programs, Maggie has not only demonstrated academic excellence but has also showcased outstanding research prowess and student leadership that makes her stand out amongst her peers. 

Meet Michelle Kao, a 3rd-year Physics & Astronomy student who is nothing short of extraordinary. In her pursuit of diversity in co-op experiences, she explores the relation between research, industry, and academia in the field of astronomy.

Like many other initiatives on campus, PHYS10 struggled over the pandemic. Despite this, PHYS10 is back and it's better than ever with a fresh team of dedicated undergraduate students. The new team has one hope, to make Phys10 the highlight of your week with approachable seminars about the frontiers of the field with some snacks on the side. 

On the 31st of October 2023, 4pm local time in Waterloo, an unusually large quantum fluctuation caused a tear in the spatio-temporal continuum on campus, close to J.R. Coutts Engineering Lecture Hall.

Courtney Kates is a 3rd year student in the Honours Physics program and one of our Department’s champions in the realm of science outreach and recruitment efforts. But her love of science didn’t start here, it began from her childhood.

As times change, we too must evolve and adapt to the new generation of learners coming through our institution.

October 2023 was an important milestone for our Department and the University of Waterloo – it was the first time we hosted the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Conference (CUPC) since 1989!

If you’ve been present at the University of Waterloo within the last decade, whether staff, student, or faculty you’ll have encountered some of Mirko Vucicevich’s work. Learn about how he used his Physics degree to solve problems on campus through code!

This coming fall will mark the 10th anniversary of FemPhys, and looking back on the club’s growth and achievements throughout the past decade is truly amazing.

Can you solve it? The Sir Isaac Newton Exam, as we all know and love it, continues to offer challenging problems to high school students around the world. Flex your Physics brains with this problem from a past Sir Isaac Newton Exam!

Can you solve it? The Sir Isaac Newton Exam, as we all know and love it, continues to offer challenging problems to high school students around the world. Flex your Physics brains with this problem from a past Sir Isaac Newton Exam!