Seeing the road ahead

The Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association (APMA) Connected Vehicle Technology Demonstrator, also known as the Connected Lexus

The vehicles of tomorrow are taking shape today at the University of Waterloo — home to the largest concentration of automotive researchers at any Canadian university.

It’s just one of the stories of real-world impact that you’ll find in the Fall 2014 issue of the University of Waterloo Magazine. Published in print and online, the magazine goes out this week to more than 140,000 alumni and supporters around the globe. Extended content in the University of Waterloo Magazine online edition offers an even deeper look at some of the innovations putting Waterloo on the map as a global research and education leader, including:

• Vehicles and technology that warn drivers of risks they can’t see, make more efficient use of resources and keep passengers safer than ever before are being developed at the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR)
• Breakthrough research into better sex positions for back pain sufferers
• Hands-on learning takes flight for students in Waterloo’s undergraduate aviation program — a demanding bachelor degree that puts students in the pilot seat

This issue also introduces readers to some of Waterloo’s remarkable alumni:

• Alison Brooks (BArch, ’88), an award-winning, U.K.-based architect, recently named one of the 500 Most Influential People in Britain, shares her vision for Future Heritage with students at Waterloo’s School of Architecture.
• Jean Creighton (PhD, ’98, Astrophysics), director of the Manfred Olson Planetarium at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, was one of 24 Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors selected by NASA to fly aboard the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy
• Dr. Tom Chau (PhD ’98, Systems Design Engineering), vice-president and director of research at the Bloorview Research Institute in Toronto’s Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, leads a team that creates technologies to help children with severe disabilities communicate.

That’s just the tip of the innovation iceberg. Find out more about how Waterloo research can help you — on the road, in the bedroom, or with your career in the print edition or online with extended content. We’re proud to share this content with our University of Waterloo family. We encourage you to share your Waterloo Magazine with friends and colleagues and to contact us with feedback or ideas for future issues.