Over the past one year, the Science and Business program has continued to grow and flourish through student and alumni achievements, in-person events and activities, and additions to our program resources. To celebrate the end of the term, we are excited to share our recent program highlights and developments with you in the newsletter below.
The following topics will be covered in detail in the remainder of this newsletter:
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Master of Science-Based Emerging Technologies (MSET) Program
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Future Horizons Scholarship and Johnson and Richards Family Perserverance Award
Master of Science-Based Emerging Technologies (MSET) Program
The Science and Business program is still working on the development of the new Master program - it currently has a launch date of Fall 2026. Through co-op and coursework, this new Master program will help students become competent in the skills (technical and business), that are necessary to meet emerging job expectations and keep pace with various emerging technologies. Students that successfully complete the MSET program will be able to gain competency in a wider range of emerging technologies, compared to most other related programs that only focus on one or two technologies
New Undergraduate Plans
The Science and Business Program is working to introduce three new undergraduate plans in collaboration with the School of Accounting and Finance.
The Science-CFA plan combines scientific coursework with financial principles, enabling students to pursue the CFA designation. In contrast, the Biotech-CFA program emphasizes biotechnology studies exclusively. Meanwhile, the Science-CPA plan blends science with accounting, offering paths to CPA eligibility. These programs equip students with analytical skills essential for diverse career paths, bridging scientific inquiry with financial expertise for professional success in various industries.
2024 Collision Conference in Toronto
The Science and Business Program is excited to announce that it will be taking staff, faculty and students to the 2024 Collision Conference in Toronto! The 2024 Toronto Collision Conference is known for being one of the largest technology conferences globally, providing a platform for networking, learning, and showcasing innovations in various industries
Science and Business Advisory Council
On February 16, the Science and Business Alumni Advisory Council made a return to the University of Waterloo campus. Established in April 2022, the council was formed with a mission: to bolster the activities of the Science and Business program by offering invaluable industry knowledge and expertise.
The council is made up of 6 members:
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Amir Alinaghian, Product Manager at Kijiji.
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Michelle Liu, Medical School Student at McMaster Univeristy.
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Pablo Eder, Co-founder of Makeship.
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Jonathan Shepherd, Head of Fintech Corporate Development at RBC.
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Nicola Blue, Global Head of Brand Planning & Insights at American Express.
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Joe Han Co-founder at 1QBit.
The council engaged in insightful discussions, shared their career trajectories, and networked with current students. The event was a success, fostering meaningful connections between students and industry leaders.
Looking ahead, the program is committed to nurturing this collaboration with the advisory council. As the council members continue their term, they will be provided with opportunities to spearhead projects aimed at further enhancing program activities.
Stay tuned for more updates as the Science and Business Alumni Advisory Council continues to inspire and empower the next generation of leaders at the University of Waterloo.
The Key to to a Successful Mentorship Platform
The launch of the 10KC Networking platform was highly successful, as it led to an impressive enrollment of over 500 users within the first three months of the Fall 2022 launch. The success has continued to grow ever since.
From its inception, the mentorship platform has made a profound impact on both students and alumni. With over 600 members on the hub and an outstanding 96% satisfaction rate across all programs, the platform has become an integral part of the SCBUS community.
Check out SCBUS Alum's Salma Marzouk's post about the planning and execution of the program!
If you have any questions, concerns and/or feedback, please contact us at sabprogr@uwaterloo.ca.
Future Horizons Scholarship and Johnson and Richardson Family Perseverance Award
In the realm of academic achievement, resilience and perseverance are the cornerstones upon which success is built. Ariana and Ibraheem, two exceptional Science and Business students, were honoured with prestigious awards that recognize their unwavering dedication and determination. Ariana, the recipient of the esteemed Future Horizon's Scholarship Award, and Ibraheem, the deserving winner of the Johnson and Richardson Family Perseverance Award.
As we continue to build up the scholarship financially, we encourage and appreciate your donations to the Science and Business Future Horizons Scholarship at this website.
Check out the blog posting to find out about their insights!
Launch of Innosolve
At the beginning of the Winter 2024 term, our program launched a new extra-curricular platform called the Innosolve, which aims to explore innovative technical and policy solutions to our society’s complex and transdisciplinary challenges. At Innsolve you will learn to:
- Solve open-ended problems and build prototypes to showcase your solution
- Write policy recommendations that lead to change
- Build a business model to enable your solution or policy recommendation
- Present your ideas at national and international competitions
Science and Business Program Advising Email
As a reminder, we have created an advising email for students.
Please use your @uwaterloo email account and include your 8-digit student ID number. Please refrain from sending multiple emails on the same subject or from using our personal email addresses, as it will delay our response to you. If your question needs to be addressed by a different person, we will forward or refer accordingly.
Science and Business advisors actively monitor and respond to emails sent to scbus.advisor@uwaterloo.ca during regular business hours (Monday to Friday 8:30am-5:00pm except statutory holidays)
Student Celebrations and Highlights
Innovative student teams from the University of Waterloo’s diverse and varied student body showcased their entrepreneurial prowess at the Velocity Pitch Competition semi-finals on March 13 & 14. Among them, Science and Business students Jenny Ho and Jakob Leville presented their company Montere: a modular and customizable espresso machine that allowed consumers to upgrade and repair specific components as they saw fit, thereby reducing costs and E-waste in the process. The team comprised Jenny Ho and Jakob Leville from the Faculty of Science, along with Coleton Myers and Matthew Xu from the Faculty of Engineering, who submitted the project.
Alumni Celebrations and Highlights
We are equally excited to celebrate the ways in which the alumni of our program have been making us proud out in the world with the following stories:
Simone Harrington: BSc Science & Business ’06
Vice President, Trillium Health Partners' Institute for Better Heath
Simone was the recipent of the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award.
She has dedicated her career to driving transformative changes in healthcare. Her unique blend of skills in strategy, project management, and policy change positions her as a driving force behind health system transformation, aiming to create a healthier future for communities and regions.
In 2022, Simone was honored as one of Canada's 100 Most Powerful Women by The Women's Executive Network. She also serves as a board member at Sheridan College, in the role of Vice-Chair since 2023.
Simone holds a Bachelor of Science & Business from the University of Waterloo's Coop Program and an MBA from The Schulich School of Business at York University.
Azeezat Adeyoyin Oyawoye: BSc Science & Business ’21
Project Manager at Huge Inc. | Visual Artist & Illustrator, Àbíké The Artist
Azeezat was the recipient of the 2023 Early Alumni Excellence Award (formerly Young Alumni Award).
As a visual artist, she creates vibrant art inspired by her Yoruba cultural heritage, through a contemporary lens. Her work depicts Black women and Orí, which translates to “head” in Yoruba but also refers to one's essence and purpose. She reimagines Orí as otherworldly beings that embody the soul. Her work also celebrates distinct African features such as thick hair, full lips, and broad noses.
Azeezat’s ultimate goal is to preserve her cultural history by telling Afro-infused visual stories on an amplified scale. Her 2023 collaboration with Raptors 905, featuring her signature Orí, is a reflection of this goal.
Graduating Science and Business Student Leaders
As another group of graduating students from the 2024 cohort prepare to cross the stage in June and October, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank some of our graduating student leaders for their contributions to the program as follows:
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Echo Chen, 2023 WatSolve Group Managing Consultant
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Madison Paige Victoria Oliphant, 2024 WatSolve Group Managing Consultant
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Nicole Imoru, WatSolve SCC
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Salma Marzouk, Strategic Initiatives Coordinator
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Aryan Shah, SCBUS 225 TA
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Preet Chudha, SCBUS 122 TA
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Thomas Deans, SCBUS 122 TA
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Jakob Leville, SBSA Event Coordinator
These leaders have tirelessly put their valuable time and effort into the development of our program and have contributed to strengthening the Science and Business program landscape for years to come. We could not be more grateful for your commitment and hard work, and only expect the best from the futures that await you.
On behalf of the program, congratulations to the entire graduating class of 2024, and best of luck to each of you on your future endeavours. We have no doubt that you will continue to make our program proud.
