News

After an eight-year term that began in July 2015, Dean of Science, Dr. Bob Lemieux, will be stepping down on June 30. 

Throughout his tenure, Lemieux focused on the importance of fundamental science and its cardinal intersection with innovation and social impact. He committed more than $500,000 to establish the Dean’s Teaching Innovation Fund to support teaching and learning initiatives within the Faculty of Science. Lemieux hoped that this investment would transform the undergraduate educational experience in science at the University of Waterloo. 

Today, Savannah Sloat steps into the role of Manager, Indigenous Science Initiatives. The new position will identify systemic and systematic changes that move beyond Truth and the Reconciliation Calls to Action and develop a Faculty of Science-specific response and long-term vision for Science. 

Three years ago, history was made when the first image of a black hole inspired wonder and awe around the world as we glimpsed the shadow of light escaping from the supermassive black hole M87*. Today, history is being made again as the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration releases the image of a second black hole — Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) — the one at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy.

Rachel Beaver first became interested in microbiology during her undergraduate degree at Waterloo, when taking Fundamentals of Microbiology, taught by Professor Josh Neufeld. She was inspired to continue along this path, completing three co-op terms, her undergraduate thesis, and master’s degree in the Neufeld lab.

We are pleased to announce that the winners of this year’s Faculty of Science Excellence in Science Teaching Awards are Professor Keith Delaney from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Professor Stefan Idziak from the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

The world watched breathlessly as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched on Christmas morning and travelled 1.5 million kilometers to its earth-trailing orbit. Now, we breathe a sigh of relief as the telescope has begun sending us the first images as it aligns and prepares for research, launching a new chapter in humanity’s endeavor to study the universe.

A study of more than 2,000 streams around North America found that those altered by human activity are at greater risk of flooding.

The study from the University of Waterloo analyzed the seasonal flow patterns of 2,272 streams in Canada and the U.S. and found that human-managed streams – those impacted by developments like dams, canals, or heavy urbanization – had significantly different flow patterns compared to streams in natural watersheds.

The team includes members from organizations across Canada and several University of Waterloo departments. Left to right: Moses Tetui, Kelly Grindrod, and Nancy Waite from the School of Pharmacy.

Decisions about COVID-19 vaccinations often come down to trust.

Trust in peer networks, in the information available to a person and in the health-care system as a whole.

Congratulations to Professor Jozef Nissimov from the Department of Biology who has been awarded John R. Evans Leaders research infrastructure funding from the Government of Canada through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

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.