News

Omicron is the latest COVID-19 variant of concern, and it is expected to change the course of the pandemic. But how are variants formed, and what’s the threat level for people who are fully vaccinated? Kelly Grindrod, a pharmacist and professor, and Trevor Charles, a professor in the University of Waterloo’s Department of Biology, provide answers to these questions.

That morning coffee might be even more helpful than you think.

In the first study of its kind to explore caffeine’s effects on dynamic visual skills, researchers concluded that caffeine increases alertness and detection accuracy for moving targets. Caffeine also improved participants’ reaction times.

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.  

When it comes to hibernation, conserving resources is key for an animal’s survival. For bats of Western North America, water may be the key to assessing a bat species’ ability to thrive during hibernation.

New research that comes as part of a larger project to understand the potential impact of white-nose syndrome in the West found that bats are adept at finding similar hibernation conditions across their large geographic ranges, despite a variety of climates in these areas.

The University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry & Vision Science (UWOVS) is announcing that The Right Honourable David Johnston, the 28^th Governor General of Canada and former UWaterloo president, will serve as Honorary Chair for the School’s $35-million campaign.

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.

Dean of Science Bob Lemieux has been featured on Waterloo's Beyond the Bulletin Podcast to talk about the many opportunities the Centre for Eye and Vision Research (CEVR) provides the University, teaching initiatives in the Faculty, and the importance of fundamental research (8:30 to 36:44).

The Earth Sciences Museum is excited to announce the launch of our newest project, a virtual tour of the museum!

This fall’s Convocation isn’t the first for Tim Shardlow who is graduating from a master's in biology (microbiology specialization). With a little luck and a lot of hard work, it won’t be his last either. The Erin, Ontario native has already started his PhD at the University of Waterloo in the same field of microbiology with an environmental focus, and is well on his way to unlocking hidden secrets of what’s in the water.

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.