News

Vision is one of our most dominant senses, and our world is often built around our ability to see. Despite this, the World Health Organization reports that more than one third of people around the world suffer from some form of vision impairment or blindness. Of these estimated 2.2 billion people, at least one billion of these cases could have been prevented or have not been addressed yet.

A student project to reduce plastic waste was recently chosen as the Canadian winner of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s (CEC) Youth Innovation Challenge.

Congratulations to Professors Avery Broderick, Barb Katzenback, and Ben Thompson for being selected as the first recipients for the new Faculty of Science Excellence in Science Research Award!

In July 1965, Herbert Fernando, his professor wife Aggie and their two children – which quickly became three – departed Sri Lanka to embark on a new life in Waterloo.

Bernard Duncker, Professor in the Department of Biology, has been reappointed as Associate Vice-President (AVP), Interdisciplinary Research, for a three-year term, starting on September 1, 2022. 

Establishing and supporting innovative research projects is an important priority for the University of Waterloo. The Canadian Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund has recognized four Faculty of Science researchers to embarking upon research or technology development that is innovative, high quality and meets international standards.

From using microbes to breakdown contaminates in landfills to learning how to conserve our amphibian populations in the face of climate change, the Government of Ontario has awarded three Waterloo Science researchers $140,000 each to advance ‘Ontario made’ research and innovation. 

Early Researcher Awards 

Professor Jozef Nissimov was awarded the $10,000 USD Norma J. Lang Fellowship to investigate viruses associated with harmful algal blooms in Canadian lakes. 

Congratulations to Laura Neary and Hannah Thibault who have been chosen as recipients of the 2021 Weston Family Awards in Northern Research!

Funded by the Weston Family Foundation (formerly The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), these annual awards are some of the most prestigious in the country for students pursuing a master’s degree, a doctoral degree or postdoctoral fellowship.

As campus is beginning to open more widely, identifying asymptomatic COVID-19 cases becomes more important to help minimize the spread of the virus on campus. Faculty of Science researchers are looking to track the effectiveness of a non-invasive, saliva-based rapid test, while simultaneously testing asymptomatic individuals on campus.