Contact the Problem Lab
Mathematics and Computer Building, room 2057
University of Waterloo
519-888-4567, Ext. 36421
Thursday, May 14, 2020
Every semester, co-op students who conducted an exceptional analysis of a strategic problem affecting one of their co-op employers are awarded a Co-op Problem Award in recognition of their problem analysis skills.
"Our winners demonstrate the powers of observation and analysis that are the hallmark of Co-operative Education," Larry Smith says, Director of the Problem Lab. "By identifying key problems, they exhibited an enviable maturity of judgment. In doing so, they mobilized their experience to offer focused insight."
2019 Co-op Problem Award winners are:
Charvi Choudhary
Systems Design Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Charvi Choudhary completed a detailed analysis of the problem of legacy systems in financial institutions. She explored the financial services industry through analyst and data-related roles at Fidelity Investments and the Royal Bank of Canada. During her time at Fidelity Investments, she has also helped research and develop new tools and technologies to deliver better client experiences, reduce costs, and aid digital transformation.
Samuel Muller
Geological Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Samuel Muller is recognized for his work as a Rock Mechanics and Data Science Student at Velvet Energy Ltd and will be completing a third work term with the company this summer. During his work term, he had conducted an analysis of why there is restricted egress of Albertan oil to global markets. In addition, Samuel has developed a statistical model using machine learning algorithms on oil.
Sharan Sankar
Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Sharan Sankar is recognized for his analysis on the problem of high-recall detection in cybersecurity during his work term at Abnormal Security. As a Software Engineer co-op student, Sharan had improved a Machine Learning model to detect sophisticated email attacks and is also an author with over 50 citations. Finally, Sharan competed in the Winter 2020 Quantum Valley Investments® Problem Pitch finals.
Mahtab Dhaliwal
Applied Mathematics, Faculty of Mathematics
Mahtab Dhaliwal worked in the Space Weather Research group at Natural Resources Canada where her work focused on improving forecasting for the geoelectric field. She co-published two papers for Hydro Manitoba and Hydro Quebec that discussed models relating the geomagnetic and geoelectric fields. As part of her research, she processed data collected every one-minute, five-second, and one-second over various decades at approximately 20 stations across Canada.
Keyuan Wang
Science and Business (Biochemistry), Faculty of Science
Keyuan Wang is recognized for his work as an Assistant Lecturer and Researcher at the University of Soochow. Keyuan instituted the Kanban Inventory Management system and improved the supply availability at MSW Plastics. He also published his first academic research paper in Journal of Higher Education and Social Sciences (CSCanada). In addition, Keyuan strengthened the oral and listening skills of nearly 400 first year and second year Chinese university students by 50 per cent through teaching 120 hours of compulsory English courses.