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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.

For Michael Houston, PhD ’93, BSc ’87, the University of Waterloo is more than his alma mater. For a good chunk of his youth, the campus is where he called home.  

In the field of chemistry, one challenge that students commonly encounter is difficulty visualizing molecules, their arrangements and relationship between atoms in space. While there are some tools already being used to address this difficulty, they each have some disadvantages as well. Molecular model kits are bulky, expensive, require students to spend valuable time building each molecule, and are also limited by the number of pieces in the set.

Nine University of Waterloo professors are in the top one per cent of citations for their field of study and publication based on Clarivate Analytics’ 2021 Highly Cited Researchers list.

Each convocation, the University of Waterloo recognizes and profiles an outstanding PhD student from each Faculty across campus to showcase a glimpse into the hard work, dedication and success of every graduate. This convocation, the Faculty of Science will welcome 31 new graduates from Science PhD programs, including Cheryl Sturm from the Department of Chemistry.