News

As its highest honour, the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) maybestow the title of “Honorary Fellow” on any individual who has made anoutstanding contribution to the profession of engineering in Canada, another country or globally. This honour is bestowed on an individual for contributions well above what is expected for a Fellow of the Academy.

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dr. Chiamaka Okoli, a brilliant astrophysicist and former PhD student at our department. Dr. Okoli successfully defended her PhD with the title “Dark Matter and Neutrinos in the Foggy universe” last December. Her PhD convocation at the University of Waterloo was scheduled for last week, on June 13th.

There’s a new kind of student in town, and for Waterloo physics professor, Roger Melko, this student has the potential to spark a revolution in the world of quantum computing.

Lei Yang was awarded a 2019 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. This three-year scholarship is awarded to students who demonstrate both leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies. Up to 166 scholarships are awarded each year, divided evenly between three federal granting agencies. Selection criteria value academic excellence, research potential, and leadership.

The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) is pleased to announce that the 2019 CAP Medal for Excellence in Teaching Undergraduate Physics is awarded to Robert Mann, University of Waterloo, for his overall accomplishments in teaching, and the promotion of quality teaching both at his institution and through the CAP, which are exemplified by the instigation of an annual Teaching Retreat at the University of Waterloo and the implementation of the CAP's Award for Excellence in High School/CEGEP Physics Teaching.

Last week, the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics named Waterloo Science alumnus Robert Myers (BSc Physics - Co-op ‘82) as their new director. He succeeds the previous director, cosomologist Dr. Neil Turok, who held the position since 2008.

Imagine if we could remove pollution from the atmosphere, not worry about the security of our private information, or design drugs targeted for more effective treatment against disease. Poised to revolutionize society, quantum technologies may help us overcome these real-world problems and other research challenges — and PhD candidate Kristine Boone is helping to pave the way.

Christine Muschik, assistant professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of Waterloo, was selected as a 2019 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow in Physics.

From manufacturing and industry, robotics, healthcare and more, eleven of Waterloo’s alumni and former students have earned spots on the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 list. The list, which represents innovative minds from Canada and the United States, stretches across 23 categories for a total of 600 people. Among the group, are two Science alumni who are shaking up the areas

The recent detection of flares circling black holes has proven a decade-old theory - co-developed by Waterloo physicist Avery Broderick - about how black holes grow and consume matter.