News

The implementation of a blockchain-based system may resolve many of the challenges facing current electronic medical records for British Columbia patients. 

By integrating a blockchain encryption method that works with the current electronic medical record options already being used, patient information could be securely and efficiently passed between healthcare providers, without the need for paper records or faxes, according to researchers from the University of Waterloo. 

We can all agree that 2020 has been the most unusual year as we struggle to cope with a global pandemic that has uprooted nearly every aspect of how we live and work. A year ago, terms like ‘social distancing’, and ‘you’re on mute’ meant nothing to me. In 2019, I weaved through grand crowds at the local farmer’s market without a mask, not thinking twice about the proximity of my fellow shoppers.

The Waterloo iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) team has been recognized with a number of awards this year at the annual competition. In addition to receiving Gold standing, their project also received the award for best Manufacturing Project at the undergraduate level, it was also nominated for the iGEM Inclusivity Award and the Best Wiki Award!

COVID-19 has changed the daily workflow of community pharmacies.

As essential services, pharmacies remained open when many other health-care facilities closed or shifted online, creating a surge in demand that overwhelmed many practices, especially in the area of medication delivery.

A scrappy swamp dotted with reeds, mosses, insects and frogs might not look like anything of value, but to Professor Rebecca Rooney, these ecosystems are priceless.

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is honouring Canada’s most recent science Nobel laureates by launching prizes in their names that will highlight Canadian research excellence.

The “herd immunity strategy” has been discussed and largely rejected by scientists as a strategy to combat COVID-19.

A common insecticide that is a major hazard for honeybees is now effectively detected in honey, thanks to a simple new method.

Researchers at the University of Waterloo developed an environmentally friendly, fully automated technique that extracts pyrethroids from the honey. Pyrethroids are one of two main groups of pesticides that contribute to colony collapse disorder in bees, a phenomenon where worker honeybees disappear, leaving the queen and other members of the hive to die. Agricultural producers worldwide rely on honeybees to pollinate hundreds of billions of dollars worth of crops.

Advanced simulations may one day be able to help us explore new frontiers in atomic physics, build new materials and discover new drugs. But first, researchers must find the best ways to control these simulations. New research, featured on the September cover of Nature Machine Intelligence, explores machine learning as a method for achieving optimal control.