Events & initiatives

As we mark the first anniversary of the Physics Tutorial Centre, we reflect on the journey that has transformed a modest initiative into a cornerstone of academic success and community for students in the Department of Physics & Astronomy.

For 60 years the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Conference (CUPC) has provided undergraduate students the opportunity to network and collaborate with their peers and industry professionals.  

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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!