News

Plastics pollution is a global environmental hazard with potentially harmful impacts on wildlife, ecosystem services, and human health and wellbeing. Microplastics in particular are of great concern because of their ability to be transported over great distances and absorb and disperse contaminants widely.

To a scientist, trial and error is common in laboratories to refine new tests and methods, and look for potential problems on the small scale. But what happens when these techniques are meant for human tissues, such as for surgeries, medical tests, and treatments, where multiple different trials are not possible?

Researchers studying two-dimensional crystalline materials have observed an electromagnetic effect, called the nonlinear anomalous Hall effect, of unprecedented size. Their finding opens the door to exploring other quantum materials using their techniques and hints at promising applications in spintronic devices.

A twenty-minute saliva-based COVID-19 test may be coming soon to a pharmacy near you, thanks to researchers at the University of Waterloo.

From the smallest of nanomaterials to the edges of our known galaxy, and every water droplet in between, researchers in the Faculty of Science are pushing the boundaries of knowledge.

Congratulations to Professor Jean Duhamel of the Department of Chemistry, who was awarded the 2021 Macromolecular Science and Engineering Award by the Chemical Institute of Canada. The award is presented to an individual who “has made a distinguished contribution to macromolecular science or engineering.

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.