News

The University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry and Vision Science is amongst the top optometry schools in the world, according to one of the field’s top scientific journals.

These rankings were published in Clinical and Experimental Optometry, naming Waterloo 5^th overall, out of the 245 optometry schools in the world.

The listing also leaves Waterloo’s School of Optometry and Vision Science as #1 in Canada, and #3 of optometry schools in North America.

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 new institute at the University of Waterloo is aiming to shape the future of the aeronautics industry at a pivotal moment for the sector and the world’s climate.

The Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA), the first of its kind in Canada to take on the challenge of making air transport sustainable, will combine the work of 50 researchers from each of the university’s faculties, and will be guided by an advisory committee that includes astronaut Chris Hadfield.

The University of Waterloo has recently undertaken a significant step forward in promoting aviation research on campus, through the purchase of a new flight simulator.

The new flight simulator will allow researchers to have priority access to a simulator, which although common technology within flight school settings — including the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre — they usually prioritize student flight training instead of research efforts.

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!

Dr. Lyndon Jones, professor at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, has been named a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada's (RSC) Class of 2021.

This afternoon, Bob Lemieux, Dean of Science celebrated the amazing faculty and staff of the Faculty of Science that have received awards for teaching and research in the last four years (2018-2021), in addition to introducing the new faculty members, as well as recognizing faculty and staff who have retired since June 2018. 

Innovative and interdisciplinary research is at the forefront of the Faculty of Science. The New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) has awarded four Waterloo Science researchers a total of $750,000 to advance groundbreaking research. 

When the global pandemic forced Ontario into lockdown in mid- March 2020, the School of Optometry & Vision Science’s patient care Clinic staff were forced to take a step back and evaluate how they could safely continue offering care to the community.

Lisa Christian, associate clinical professor in the School of Optometry and Vision Science and Brenda Lee, lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy have been awarded the Faculty of Science's 2021 Excellence in Science Teaching Awards in recognition of their innovative and engaging teaching methods. 

With the transition this year to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been important to develop new strategies to teach courses in an online environment. Dr. Christian and Professor Lee have both showed a willingness to not only adapt but find new and innovative ways of using technology to connect with their students virtually.