News

For the first time in two years, the University of Waterloo invites the graduating class to celebrate their accomplishments in front of families and friends during the in-person celebrations throughout the week. Two Science students, Marya Talha and Aisosa Laura Ohiegbomwan, have been selected by their peers, in recognition of their social and academic contributions to the Waterloo community, to represent the graduating class as valedictorian at their respective ceremonies.

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 new graduates from Science PhD programs, including Heather Ikert from the Department of Biology.

It’s fair to say that Sana Ahmad (BSc ’22) was always planning on attending the University of Waterloo. After all, she practically grew up on campus as a child of two Waterloo alumni from the Faculty of Engineering and saw her older sister also graduate from Engineering in nanotechnology. The only hiccup was the subject matter Ahmad was to study. Although the Cambridge, Ontario native showed an inherent interest in STEM and engineering, Ahmad was really interested in rocks and had accumulated an impressive rock collection early on in life.

Convocation is a time for celebration, reflection, and inspiration. It’s a time to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of students and to celebrate accomplishments. And we also want to recognize those thought leaders and influencers who are advancing society across a spectrum of disciplines. They are leaders our graduates can look to for inspiration as they prepare themselves for the future.

Two Science students will be recognized for their outstanding academic achievements at the Spring 2022 Faculty of Science Convocation. Physics and Astronomy student Aviv Shaya Padawer-Blatt will receive the Governor General Academic Silver Medal for being one of the top undergraduate students with the highest academic standing upon graduation. Biology student Taylor Lynn Virgin will receive the Alumni Gold Medal Award for her outstanding academic achievement.

A single-photon detector and counting module (SPODECT) recently designed and built by Waterloo’s Quantum Photonics Lab for the International Space Station (ISS) will be used to verify quantum entanglement and test its survivability in space as part of the Space Entanglement and Annealing QUantum Experiment (SEAQUE) mission, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, ADVR Inc, and the National University of Singapore.

Since she was a teenager, Taylor had a keen interest in biology and genetics with ambitious plans to become a genetic counsellor one day. The Renfrew, Ontario native packed up for Waterloo - a university that offered the type of co-op experiences that she knew would develop the job skills and experiences to help fulfil her dream.

The University of Waterloo's School of Optometry and Vision Science is announcing a $1 million partnership with the Region of Waterloo, expanding community members' access to world-class eye and vision care through the new Waterloo Eye Institute.

Quantum physicist Christine Muschik and vision scientist Ben Thompson were each named a 2022 University Research Chair at the last University Senate meeting.

Professor Ben Thompson is part of an inter-disciplinary research team that won New Zealand’s 2021 Te Pūiaki Putaiao Matua a Te Pirimia Science Prize, for changing international neonatal hypoglycemia practice. The prize is New Zealand's top award for scientific discoveries that have had a significant economic, health, social and/or environmental impact around the world.