When the first picture of a black hole, a gravitational well from which no light can escape, was unveiled last year, it was a stunning technological feat.
University Convocation is obviously a little different this year, given the limitations placed on social gatherings due to COVID-19 and the global pandemic. Still, the occasion warrants a celebration for its graduates, and this fall we’re pleased to offer a live, virtual reception to allow the Class of 2020 to share this important milestone with the Faculty, fellow graduates, friends and family.
When asked about the Toronto Raptor’s 2nd round exit from the NBA finals last month, Matthew Schmitz sighs and his disappointment is tangible “I was worried about them playing the Celtics,” he admits, “I thought maybe it might be different playing in the bubble, but in the end they were just too tough. But they gave it a good shot.”
For 10 Earth and Environmental Sciences students graduating this week, who should have graduated this past June, it has taken months of planning and preparation in order to deliver the required field course they needed to take in order to graduate.
Waterloo Biology is one of the top ten biology programs in Canada for 2021, according to the influential annual Maclean’s magazine ranking program.
In results released last week, Waterloo’s Biology program was placed 10th for 2021, rising in the rankings from 13th in 2020 and 15th in 2019.
In 2015, after documenting testimonies from Indigenous survivors of the residential school system in Canada, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released 94 Calls to Action to enable reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. Without personal connections to Indigenous communities, many Canadians fail to grasp the depth of intergenerational impacts of residential schools and associated systemic racism. Consequently, reconciliation remains an elusive concept.
Professor Nandita Basu from Waterloo's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Civil and Environmental Engineering, joins fellow Science Faculty member Professor Rebecca Rooney from Waterloo's Department of Biology, as a member of the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board of the International Joint Commission, representing Canada. Both Basu and Rooney are also members of the University's Water Institute.
The University of Waterloo honoured 125 educators and researchers who have received the President’s Excellence in Teaching and Research awards 2020 in an online celebration that recognized their contributions to the Waterloo community and beyond.