News

Designing nano electrocatalysts, quantum simulations of particle interactions and trapped ions are three Waterloo Science research projects broadening disciplinary horizons and delivering real-world impact. Waterloo scientists Anna Klinkova, Christine Muschik and Crystal Senko each received funding through the Government of Ontario's 2022 Early Researcher Awards program. 

Congratulations to Professors Andrea Edginton, Anna Klinkova and Rebecca Rooney for being awarded the 2022 Faculty of Science Excellence in Science Research Awards!

The Amit & Meena Chakma Awards for Exceptional Teaching by a Student recognize up to four students from across the University of Waterloo for excellence in teaching of all kinds (e.g., teaching assistant, laboratory demonstrator, sessional lecturer) by registered students.

Two researchers in the Faculty of Science have received funding from the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF): Holger Kleinke from the Department of Chemistry and Will Percival from the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Pharmaceutical drugs often take advantage of a specific shape in order to bind to the biological target. Some molecules, however, can exist with two versions that are mirror images of each other, similar to a left-handed and right-handed pair of gloves. In the body, often only one of the two molecules is an active pharmaceutical drug due to the difference in shape.

A new study shows that smoke from wildfires destroys the ozone layer. Researchers caution that if major fires become more frequent with a changing climate, more damaging ultraviolet radiation from the sun will reach the ground.

Atmospheric chemists from the University of Waterloo found that smoke from the Australian wildfires of 2019 and 2020 destroyed atmospheric ozone in the Southern Hemisphere for months. The ozone shield is a part of the stratosphere layer of the Earth’s atmosphere that absorbs UV rays from the sun. 

Congratulations to Professor Linda Nazar , who was awarded the 2022 E.W.R. Steacie Award by the Chemical Institute of Canada. The award is presented to “a scientist who has made a distinguished contribution to chemistry while working in Canada."

Professor Scott Hopkins has been named the winner of the 2022 Keith Laidler Award for his outstanding early-career contributions to physical chemistry in Canada.

In the quest for the perfect battery, scientists have two primary goals: create a device that can store a great deal of energy and do it safely. Many batteries contain liquid electrolytes, which are potentially flammable.

As a result, solid-state lithium-ion batteries, which consist of entirely solid components, have become increasingly attractive to scientists because they offer an enticing combination of higher safety and increased energy density — which is how much energy the battery can store for a given volume.

Sometimes Cupid’s arrow takes a few twists and turns before finding its mark in joining two people destined to be together. The path to finding true love can be short or long, and in some cases requires a journey across the world before two souls find one another. However, for two Waterloo Science alumni, their paths ran parallel for most of their lives before finally crossing one fateful day during Orientation Week at Waterloo.