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It was held at the National Fuel Cell Research Centre, the University of California Irvine. Professor Xianguo Li (Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering) served as the conference co-chair. It was a multidisciplinary conference that covered the latest developments and advancements in fuel cells, from fundamentals, to advanced materials, design, engineering, products, and applications. It was of a particular value and interest to those in the relevant fields.

As Waterloo continued to advance its Shift: Neutral climate and energy action plan, the University has undertaken a study to determine how it could decarbonize the campus district energy system, which accounted for around 75% of its emissions. The project was led by the Sustainability Office and Plant Operations, and is being completed by Doherty Engineering. The Sustainability Office and Plant Operations had partnered with Waterloo Climate Institute and Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy to host a special open house for researchers with interest and expertise in sustainable energy technologies and policy, climate action planning in an organizational context, or district energy systems. The focus was on: reviewing summary information on the project; reflecting on initial assessments of potential technology solutions and implementation strategies; speaking to the project team members; and submitting thoughts, ideas, and suggestions on technologies and strategies.

The Waterloo Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA) summit was held at the Region of Waterloo International Airport Operations Centre. The summit brought together more than 200 researchers and leaders from academia, industry and government. Experts discussed solutions to build a sustainable future for air travel and advance the aeronautics industry. WISE participated in this event as an exhibitor and showcases its R&D activities in the power and energy area.

N-ZAP is a five-year action research partnership/project led by the University of Waterloo with Professor Amelia Clarke as the PI, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and ICLEI Canada. It is funded by the Government of Canada through the Climate Action and Awareness Fund (CAAF). The focus was to analyze different strategies to support the Canadian municipalities to monitor, measure and achieve net-zero (GHG) mitigation goals. The aim was to ensure emissions reduction projects, policies and programs were aligned with Canada's national reduction commitments. The discussion was on creating improved measurement, analysis and monitoring systems for both municipal and community-wide GHG emissions to advance the quantification of GHG emissions, enable the application of methods to identify mitigation opportunities and evaluate their effectiveness. This would augment national reporting processes and align with international practice. The meeting was the first in-person meeting at the University of Waterloo in October of 2022.

Professor XiaoYu Wu (Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering) participated in the summit. Under the theme, Transition to Net Zero, the 5th annual Canada’s Innovation Corridor Summit highlighted and identified where the Corridor could utilize its strengths and talents to lead Canada’s transitional economy and ensure our region takes on a global leadership position in providing and commercializing solutions. Specifically, programming focused on the challenges and opportunities that decarbonization will bring within the following key themes: industry, infrastructure, transportation, and research.

Professor Ponnambalam (Systems Design Engineering) delivered a talk on “New trends and technology advancement in environmental systems and their effect on nations and societies towards sustainability”.

The conference addressed challenges and issues related to artificial intelligence technologies, cloud computing, the internet of things, quality of life, green and sustainable universities, cybersecurity, automation, robotics, autonomous vehicles, environmental engineering, renewable energy, and water resources management under the cluster of engineering and technological sectors.