News

As the Government of Canada focuses on responding to the challenges of COVID-19, it also recognizes the invaluable contributions of Canadian researchers in the natural sciences and engineering. That is why the Government continues to support the discovery research being done at Canadian universities to help build the foundation for innovation and economic growth. 

The Faculty of Science hosted its virtual Anti-Racism Town Hall yesterday to listen to the Waterloo Science community about their experiences, ideas and suggestions for future change. The Town Hall was the first of many steps that Science will be taking to address issues and problems related to racism.

Last week, this year's Vanier Scholarship award winners were announced. Among the prestigious group were Finnian Gray, Christian Ieritano, and Spencer Weinstein, three Faculty of Science graduate students.

An experiment that began by testing the properties of quantum entanglement has led to the discovery of a new diagnostic tool that could help optometrists detect macular degeneration much earlier than was previously possible.

Today, the Faculty of Science celebrated its first virtual convocation. More than 980 graduands will receive recognition for their undergraduate and graduate degrees, diplomas, and certificates. The Faculty of Science will welcome 875 undergraduate students, 65 Master's and 41 PhD candidates into the Science alumni family.

The Faculty of Science will welcome 41 new graduates from Science PhD programs this week, including chemistry PhD student Abir Khaled, who developed the methodology to quantify hundreds of pharmaceutical drug residues in meat samples and foodstuffs.

Five years ago, Lydia Vermeer was graduating high school and decided to go to the University of Waterloo because of its co-op program – little did she know that co-op would influence her studies, personal growth and help her find a career she was passionate about.

Rick Marta and Cynthia Richard were both recognized for their excellence in teaching with a 2020 Distinguished Teacher Award from the Centre of Teaching Excellence. Cynthia is the first recipient from the School of Pharmacy to receive the honour.

The death of George Floyd from police brutality has put an international spotlight on the sustained injustice faced by Black people. We recognize that the University of Waterloo and Faculty of Science are not immune to racism. This is our time to reflect, stand together and build a more inclusive community for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC).

Electricity storage in batteries is in ever increasing demand for smartphones, laptops, cars and the power grid. New research shows that solid-state batteries, using solid electrolytes instead of the usual liquid organic electrolytes, are a promising replacement for today’s lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries.