News

Industry representatives, students and the public had a first-hand look at Waterloo Engineering’s innovative engineering research at this year’s We Innovate held in Engineering 5 on December 7. The research on display ranged from work on quieter wind turbines, flood resistant housing and fire-retardant material to crashworthy auto parts, anti-icing agents for concrete and 3D scanners that could help surgeons and dentists.

School of Architecture professor John McMinn and his partner architect Melana Janzen of McMinn + Janzen Studio have pulled it off for a professional couple living in south Mississauga — they designed an urban loft on a quiet street lined with 1970s suburban ranch houses. The home, with radiant concrete floors inside and custom stainless steel wire mesh screens, provides a downtown urban feel while meeting the needs of a growing family leaning towards a suburban lifestyle. But success didn’t come easy, says McMinn. The first contractor couldn’t mix oil and water and was let go.

Some of the brightest Waterloo Engineering faculty members and students will showcase leading-edge technology at this week’s WE Innovate. More than 50 exhibits will be displayed at the annual exhibit of Waterloo Engineering research December 7 from 4 to 7 p.m. on the third floor of the Engineering 5 building.

The Women’s Studies Society and the Women’s Centre at the University of Waterloo are hosting a December 6th Remembrance Ceremony to commemorate the lives of the women killed at Ecole Polytechnique on December 6, 1989 and to raise awareness of the continued need to prevent violence and abuse against women. The ceremony will take place on Tuesday, December 6 in the Student Life Centre, Multi-Purpose Room (attached to the Great Hall) from 12 noon-1 pm. All are welcome. White ribbons can be picked up at the Women’s Centre in the SLC for those unable to attend the event.

A team comprised of Waterloo management engineering students Helen Jiang and Sally Lee, and math students Larry Xing and Jonathan Yim took first place in the University of Waterloo Capital One Data Mining Cup held November 24. The goal of the competition was to apply data mining techniques to the problems associated with approving credit card applications and setting spending limits. The winning team used a simple but effective strategy of predicting customer spending patterns using decision trees and least-squares linear regression.

The University of Waterloo was the site of the federal government’s announcement that $54 million will be committed to fund 10 new Canada Excellence Research Chairs. The announcement was made November 28 at the Institute for Quantum Computing. In 2010, the program spread about $200 million among 19 researchers, including two at the University of Waterloo. Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear said the federal government recognizes the importance of supporting leading-edge research and world-class researchers.

Rick Haldenby, the director of the School of Architecture since 1988, has been reappointed to his position until June 30, 2013. A memo from dean of engineering Adel Sedra reports that Haldenby received strong support in the reappointment process. In order to complete a thorough, international search for Haldenby’s successor, the current nominating committee will continue its work. “The committee’s first step will be to consult with all stakeholders to determine the qualities we should be seeking in a new director,” says Sedra in his memo.

There’s a significant Waterloo Engineering presence in the new $26 million Waterloo Region Museum located on Huron Road in Kitchener. The museum was designed by Toronto architects Moriyama and Teshima with Waterloo architecture graduate Brian Rudy as the project architect. The project was managed by another Waterloo graduate architect, Roger Farwell, of the Walter Fedy partnership. Display’s include the famous Waterloo Pump, co-designed by Alan Plumtree in the Faculty of Engineering in 1978.