Events

Join us for the 2025 Birdsall-Dreiss Distinguished Lecture featuring

Dr. M. Bayani Cardenas
Earth and Planetary Sciences
University of Texas at Austin

Groundwater on ice: hydrogeologic processes and the fate of permafrost carbon in Arctic watersheds

Monday, October 27, 2025
10:30 a.m.

In-person: EIT 3142

The Accuracy Crisis in Binding and Potency Studies: Hidden Causes, Heavy Costs, and a Call to Act

Professor Sergey N. Krylov
Center for Research on Biomolecular Interactions, York University
Toronto, Canada

Tuesday, October 27, 2025
11:00 a.m.

In-person: C2-361

Join us for the 2025 Farvolden Lecture

Forecasting, mitigating and preventing the impacts of mining on groundwater quality

Dr. David Blowes
Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Waterloo

Novel approaches in quantum sensing and probing atomic-scale quantum transport

Raffi Budakian
Professor, Physics and Astronomy
Institute for Quantum Computing
University of Waterloo

Monday, October 27, 2025
2:30 p.m.

In-person: QNC 0101

Globular clusters are ancient groups of stars found in every single galaxy, and they are key tools for studying the evolution of the Universe. These dense cosmic cities contain some of the oldest stars in existence, offering us a glimpse back in time.

In this month’s KPL astronomy talk, Ana Ennis will teach us what globular clusters are, how we think they are made, and all the things we can learn from them, from black hole formation to galaxy evolution.

Nanoscale Sentinels and Molecular Beacons: Illuminating Disease from the Inside Out

Adam Shuhendler
Professor, Department of Chemistry & Biomolecular Science
University of Ottawa Heart Institute

Tuesday, November 4, 2025
11:00 a.m.

In-person: C2-361

Ready to step outside the classroom and into the field? Join us for an interactive afternoon at the Conservation Halton Foundation, where you’ll discover how science, planning, and restoration work together to protect our local watersheds and ecosystems.

This is more than just a tour—it’s your chance to connect with professionals, explore real-world environmental solutions, and see how today’s conservation efforts are building a more sustainable future.

This event is for University of Waterloo Students only.

Green Chemistry Approaches to Base Metal Catalyst Design: Leveraging a Lewis Acidic
Secondary Coordination Sphere for Small Molecule Activation

Dr. Marissa Clapson
Assistant Professor
University of Prince Edward Island

Tuesday, November 11, 2025
11:00 a.m.

In-person: C2-361

Topological Landau theory

Joseph Maciejko
University of Alberta

Wednesday, November 12, 2025
2:00 p.m.

In-person: QNC 1201

Join us for a special evening celebrating the 40th anniversary of Nobel Laureate Dr. Donna Strickland’s CPA, a milestone marking her extraordinary journey in science and innovation.