��ݮ��Ƶ News - Math

Statistical insights that can save lives

Bernice Ma — Tue, 13 May 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Shu (Joy) Jiang is designing a modelling tool to help patients better understand their breast cancer risk

Dr. Shu (Joy) Jiang (PhD ’18) first developed her unique approach to medical research as a PhD student at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ.  

Dr. Shu (Joy) Jiang (PhD ’18)
Professor, Washington University School of Medicine

“The real lightbulb moment was when statistics stopped being theory, and I realized that I could actually apply these models in the real world to help people,” Jiang said.  

Today, Jiang is an associate professor in the Division of Public Health at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, where she’s developing tools to help women screen for breast cancer before it’s life-threatening. The work earned her recognition as one of Forbes’s 30 under 30 in health care in 2023 — and it all connects to the biostatistics research she did as a ��ݮ��Ƶ student.  

With her mentor, Dr. Richard Cook, research chair in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Jiang collaborated with scientists from the University of Toronto’s Psoriatic Arthritis Clinic and used statistical methods to analyze patient data to understand the progression of the disease better. “When it comes to statistics, you can build the best model there is, but if you’re not building a bridge between theory and real-world applications, then it’s not very meaningful,” she said.  

That interdisciplinary experience also impressed upon Jiang the vital importance of improving patient access to information and tools. “We’re in an era right now where there are a lot of systemic disparities in the medical system, especially in the United States: between people of different races and ethnicities, between people who do or don’t have health insurance, and between people who live in rural versus urban areas.”

Those disparities are only exacerbated by the erosion of people’s trust in the medical establishment.

“The real lightbulb moment was when statistics stopped being theory, and I realized that I could actually apply these models in the real world to help people.”

— Shu (Joy) Jiang (PhD ’18)

That’s why Jiang is collaborating with her colleague, Dr. Graham Colditz, on a startup that will directly put the tools to understand breast cancer risk into patients’ hands. “We’re trying to inform women about their five-year breast cancer risk so that actions can be taken based on recommendations from the national guidelines for patients and their providers – such as getting MRIs or ultrasounds — based on a mammogram.”  

“��ݮ��Ƶ has this great culture of combining research with industry,” Jiang said. “My time there helped me realize that, for this tool to get into clinics — for women to be using this — it has to be out there, in the market.”  

Their research is based in part on work concerning breast density and cancer risk co-authored by Jiang, which landed her in The New York Times last year. The research analyzes breast density data gathered from 10,000 women over a 10-year period and suggests that women who would go on to develop breast cancer had a much slower decline in breast density than women who remained cancer-free.  

Since the publication of that research, Jiang and her team have worked on validating their model, applying it to different populations around the United States and in British Columbia to see whether it reflects larger trends. That validation process — which has included large populations of Black, Asian, Indigenous and white women — seems to demonstrate that their estimated five-year breast cancer risk is robust regardless of race and ethnicity.  

Still, Jiang says, convincing women to prioritize their breast health remains a challenge. Even in British Columbia, where the provincial government covers routine breast cancer screening, only about 60 per cent of women go in for their scheduled mammograms.  

Jiang has a personal stake in improving those numbers: a close friend and colleague at ��ݮ��Ƶ died of breast cancer at a young age.  

“One out of eight women worldwide will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime,” Jiang said. “This is a disease that touches everyone.” 

Math

Magazine

Research

How WATCOM transformed computing

Bernice Ma — Tue, 13 May 2025 04:00:00 +0000

��ݮ��Ƶ’s first software spinoff introduced faster, more efficient software that changed the business and gaming world

At the groundbreaking for the new Mathematics 4 (M4) building in October 2024, Dr. Mark Giesbrecht, dean of the Faculty of Mathematics, addressed a full crowd in the Davis Centre. He told the crowd that the Faculty would shape the future of technology just as it had shaped the past. 

Dr. Don Cowan (MSc ’61, PhD ’65)

Those words held special significance for Dr. Don Cowan (MSc ’61, PhD ’65) and Ian McPhee (BMath ’73, MMath ’79, DMath ’11). As key contributors alongside many other ��ݮ��Ƶ pioneers, they transformed the computing world — first with the creation of WATFOR, a legendary compiler for IBM mainframes, in the 1960s and later the software spinoff WATCOM in the ’80s and ’90s. 

Uniquely focused on the user, these ��ݮ��Ƶ trailblazers democratized computer education, helped unlock the full potential of PCs and made database software accessible for organizations of all kinds. Along the way, they built strong relationships with leading tech companies like IBM, Commodore, DEC and Intel and even powered the rise of 3D video games. 

Computer education for all

It began with the bold goal of bringing computers to the masses. Cowan, a distinguished professor emeritus at ��ݮ��Ƶ, explained that Wes Graham, who was known as the “father of computing” at ��ݮ��Ƶ, wanted to make using computers “as natural to people as pen and paper.” 

While other universities reserved their computers for faculty and graduate students, ��ݮ��Ƶ wanted their new IBM 7040, acquired in the early 1960s, to be accessible to thousands of undergraduate students. But there were challenges. 

“The software supplied with the computer took 30 seconds to compile a program,” Cowan said. “That sounds quick, but if you want to do thousands of jobs a day, it’s a very long time.” 

Moreover, when errors were made, the compiler gave little help identifying the issue. 

To overcome these shortcomings, Graham and a ��ݮ��Ƶ team created their compiler, named WATFOR, which sped up compiling by a factor of 100 and provided students with valuable diagnostics. 

“Suddenly, we were running 25,000 student programs a day,” Cowan said. “That was incredible.” 

Other universities, business and governments thought so, too. WATFOR and its successor for the IBM 360 were distributed to educational institutions and other organizations worldwide. This proved so popular that the WATFOR team implemented an annual fee to cover the costs of fixing bugs, issuing updates and providing instructions.

“We have this incredible infrastructure that attracts talented people, and you can’t take that for granted.” 

— Dr. Don Cowan (MSc ’61, PhD ’65)

In 1973, the Computer Systems Group (CSG) was formed to oversee the software's creation and distribution. The group was prolific, creating more than 20 major products across more than 10 systems. Former CSG member Trevor Grove (BMath ’79) recalled: “It truly was a ‘just do it’ era.” 

WATCOM and the age of personal computing 

As microcomputers gained traction in the late ’70s, Graham’s team began developing portable PC software outside the University. Graham recognized the educational potential of PCs and, together with McPhee, established WATCOM, ��ݮ��Ƶ’s first software spinoff, in 1981.

WATCOM excelled in the new market. Early PCs had limited memory, but WATCOM’s compilers implemented clever optimization techniques to create faster, smaller programs. This included the WATCOM C/C++ compiler, which enabled developers to use the Intel 386 processor's full 32-bit capability on 16-bit Windows.  

Ian McPhee (BMath ’73, MMath ’79, DMath ’11)

This feat helped make it the compiler of choice for the gaming industry. Genre-defining games, like Doom and Descent, used it. At a an industry keynote in 1992, Bill Gates held up the WATCOM C/C++ box, announcing that users could now run 32-bit programs on Windows. 

“We had a hot C compiler,” said McPhee, who served as chief executive officer for WATCOM. “We were getting reviewed in all the tech journals and smoking the benchmarks. That's when the WATCOM brand got established beyond education markets.” 

Yet, WATCOM’s greatest success came with the foray into database server software in the 1990s. 

James Welch, President of WATCOM Products Inc. with Ian McPhee (BMath ’73, MMath ’79), President of The WATCOM Group

“Salesmen were taking early laptops on business trips,” McPhee explained. “But existing SQL systems were so large and complex that you’d need an administrator along to add information.” 

WATCOM SQL was self-configuring and efficient, enabling the simple operation of database applications on small portable devices. This led to its use as an embedded database in many best-selling products. 

It was on the strength of its thriving database business that WATCOM was acquired by Powersoft in 1994, which then merged with Sybase. In 2010, the German tech giant SAP acquired Sybase. WATCOM SQL is still produced today as SQL Anywhere, and SAP maintains an office on ��ݮ��Ƶ’s north campus. 

Cowan hopes that today’s Mathies learn from this remarkable history of innovation: “I hope the Faculty continues to blossom, but without forgetting its origins. We have this incredible infrastructure that attracts talented people, and you can’t take that for granted.” 

Math

Entrepreneurship

Magazine

When support comes full circle

Bernice Ma — Tue, 13 May 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Disney Lam honours her father’s legacy by encouraging the next generation of female software engineers

Disney Lam’s (BMath ’14) father supported her love of technology from a young age, giving her tasks like setting up computer networks in the family’s home. He inspired her to build a successful career in software engineering, creating technical systems to drive business outcomes at tech giants like Google and NVIDIA.

Disney Lam (BMath ’14)
Director, AI infrastructure engineering

But in 2022, Lam found herself working desperately to establish a remote connection to a hospital room 3,000 miles away so she could see her father one last time before he died.

“I thought, ‘This is the last time I'll do tech support for my dad and it’s to send him on his way. It feels so strange. It's like life has come full circle.”

Two years later, that circle looped around again.

Lam established the Tung Lam Women in Computer Science Scholarship to honour her father, whose support, business acumen and kindness shaped her life and career. This endowed award provides $5,000 each to two female-identifying students in ��ݮ��Ƶ computer science programs where women are underrepresented. 

“I’m hoping to meet the scholarship recipients, these up-and-coming women, and be part of their journey too.”

— Disney Lam (BMath ’14)

Although she’s made a name for herself in computer science, Lam began her studies at ��ݮ��Ƶ in the Math and Business Double Degree program. 

“I was always interested in computer science courses, but back then I didn't really think of computer science as something I could major in,” she said.

That changed when Lam entered the co-op program, where she explored a variety of roles and industries. 

“I realized that even though I was a business student, I was really good in tech. I started writing code to automate manual processes during my co-op terms. Then, I wanted to learn how to build systems that would automate the writing of that code.” 

Lam took a computer networking course during one of her co-op work terms. She did so well that she switched her major to computer science in her third year. 

For a while, Lam thought she might pursue a research career. However, after a year as a PhD candidate at Princeton University, she returned to industry, drawn by the opportunity to directly impact how companies are run. 

Starting as a junior software engineer, her career path included stints at Google, Facebook (now Meta) and Cruise, taking on roles of increasing scope and responsibility. Lam currently works at NVIDIA, a company that makes graphics processors and is helping drive the AI revolution. 

At Facebook, Lam met software engineer and ��ݮ��Ƶ alum Rico Mariani (BMath ’88). He became an ally and mentor, helping her navigate and thrive in a male-dominated industry. 

Mariani told her, “It doesn’t matter what software you write. It’s all about the people.” That statement, echoing her father’s consideration for others, resonated with Lam. 

“I believe that technology is what changes the world,” she said. “I like being able to influence business decisions and drive outcomes through the systems that I build. But the part of my job that I enjoy the most is coaching my team and working with them daily.” 

It’s that personal connection Lam hopes she’ll be able to foster through the scholarships she’s created. She’s not satisfied with merely providing financial support. She hopes to mentor other women — just as Mariani and her father did. 

“I think in tech you sometimes lose the human element,” she said. “I want to understand what people want to do in their careers and where they want to grow. I’m hoping to meet the scholarship recipients, these up-and-coming women, and be part of their journey too.” 

Campus

Math

Awards, Honours and Rankings

Magazine

New dean appointed for ��ݮ��Ƶ’s Faculty of Mathematics

Ryon Jones — Thu, 08 May 2025 15:04:55 +0000

Dr. Jochen Koenemann, an expert in combinatorial optimization, to serve as 13th dean

Dr. Jochen Koenemann will become the 13th dean of the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ’s Faculty of Mathematics. The appointment is for a five-year term, effective July 1, 2025.

The appointment was strongly supported by faculty and staff and has been approved by the University’s Board of Governors and Senate.

A highly respected researcher, Dr. Koenemann’s work lies at the intersection of theoretical computer science and operations research, focusing on optimization and its real-world applications. His work has addressed a wide range of complex problems across various domains. Notably, in collaboration with Professor Ricardo Fukasawa, he developed algorithms and planning tools that have been used to support life-saving cranial surgeries on children at SickKids Hospital in Toronto.

“Professor Koenemann’s expertise aligns closely with several areas of existing strength within the Faculty of Mathematics and positions him well to contribute to emerging opportunities for interdisciplinary engagement and innovation,” said James Rush, vice-president academic and provost at ��ݮ��Ƶ. “His close collaboration with external partners will help to bolster the Faculty’s connections across industries, showcasing the transformative role that mathematics plays in society.”

Dr. Jochen Koenemann has been appointed as the next dean of the Faculty of Mathematics, effective July 1, 2025.

Professor Koenemann completed his Master of Science in Computer Science at the University of Saarbrücken in Germany and earned his Ph.D. in Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization from Carnegie Mellon University. He joined ��ݮ��Ƶ’s Department of Combinatorics and Optimization in 2003 and was promoted to full Professor in 2013.

He went on to serve as ��ݮ��Ƶ’s associate chair for Undergraduate Affairs in the Department of Combinatorics and Optimization for four years and as chair of the Department of Combinatorics and Optimization for six years, giving him the insights needed to effectively lead a diverse, world-class Faculty.

“Universities face real uncertainty, but at ��ݮ��Ƶ I see exciting opportunities,” Koenemann said. “As the only Faculty of Mathematics in North America, we are uniquely equipped to drive innovative, interdisciplinary solutions to pressing global challenges. I look forward to working with our community to shape the path ahead.”

In addition to his academic achievements, Professor Koenemann brings valuable industry experience. Over the past five years, he has collaborated with Amazon, applying advanced optimization techniques to improve the efficiency and sustainability of their delivery network.

Professor Koenemann will succeed Dr. Mark Giesbrecht, who has served as dean since July 1, 2020.

��ݮ��Ƶ’s Faculty of Mathematics is home to the Departments of Applied Mathematics, Combinatorics and Optimization, Pure Mathematics, Statistics & Actuarial Science, and the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science. The Faculty offers undergraduate and graduate programs as well as interdisciplinary degrees in areas including Computational Mathematics, Data Science, and Mathematics Business and Accounting.

Math

Community

WWII codebreaker and mathematician Tutte honored with stamp

Melodie Roschman — Thu, 08 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Royal Mail celebrates combinatorics pioneer and WWII hero Dr. William T. Tutte with stamp commemorating 80^th anniversary of V-E Day

��ݮ��Ƶ professor and WWII codebreaker Dr. William T. Tutte (1917-2002) is one of ten individuals being honored by Great Britain’s Royal Mail in a stamp series commemorating the 80^th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day.

Tutte’s stamp, which features his photograph in front of a multi-wheeled code machine, recognizes him for “Codebreaking the Lorenz cipher machine at Bletchley Park.”

The stamp is the British government’s first public recognition of the vital role Tutte played in the fight against Hitler’s Nazi regime.

For half a century, however, his work was top secret.

The Puzzle War

Tutte was born in 1917 in the small town of Newmarket, UK, to a working-class family. He excelled in school, winning scholarships first for high school, then to Cambridge University, where he studied chemistry.

From the beginning, he was interested in mathematics and worked recreationally with three friends to solve several famous combinatorics problems. Their theory regarding one of these – dissecting a square into squares of unequal sizes – was published in Duke Mathematical Journal.

A portion of Tutte's notebook examining graph theory from his time at Cambridge University (University of ��ݮ��Ƶ Archives)

Eventually, this solution would help Tutte earn a reputation as an international leader in combinatorics. First, however, his aptitude for puzzles caught the attention of the British war effort.

Bletchley Park – made famous by Alan Turing and The Imitation Game (2014) – was Great Britain’s top-secret WWII codebreaking research centre. Early in the war, Britain had great success breaking Nazi code encrypted by the Enigma machine, a device that used three movable wheels to create sophisticated ciphers. Soon, however, another mysterious code – nicknamed “Tunny” – emerged. Tunny was being used by Hitler and his generals for vital army communications and was far more complicated than Enigma.

After months of fruitless efforts, the codebreakers got lucky. In August 1941, a German operator in Athens sent a 4,000-character message to Berlin, and – when it didn’t come through properly – he sent the same message again. This time, the operator was lazy: he broke protocol by transmitting twice without changing the encryption settings, and he altered some of his original words and punctuation.

The result was a rich sample of Tunny ready to be broken. A linguist and army officer, Brigadier John Tiltman, manually decrypted the individual message. But, after three months of effort, he and his team were no closer to figuring out how the machine generating Tunny worked.

The Unsung Hero

That’s where Tutte came in. He applied methods he had used in his combinatorics work to look for patterns in the Tunny code, and ultimately was able to determine how the Germans’ Lorenz machine was using twelve wheels to encrypt code. “Thus were the entire workings of the TUNNY machine exposed,” he recalls in a 2000 memoir, “without any actual physical machine or manual thereof coming into our hands.”

Tutte also created a statistical method for strategically attacking encrypted code, allowing Bletchley Park to decrypt intercepted Nazi messages in hours instead of weeks. This intel had a crucial impact on the Russian front, at D-Day and in many other parts of WWII.

Experts estimate that the information gained by breaking Tunny shortened WWII by two years, saving more than twenty million lives.

“I have met many people in the course of my life who worked at Bletchley and had no idea who Tutte was,” says Dan Younger, professor emeritus of Combinatorics & Optimization and Tutte’s long-time friend. “And they were all working to realize his statistical method for codebreaking! That’s the shame of him not receiving recognition earlier. He was a central figure in the work that was done at Bletchley Park.”

The Codebreaker's Path to ��ݮ��Ƶ

After the war, Tutte was officially sworn to secrecy regarding his work as a codebreaker. He finished his PhD in mathematics at Cambridge in 1948, and then moved to Canada to work at the University of Toronto. Soon, he became known internationally as a pioneer in graph theory.

In 1962, Dr. Ralph Stanton wooed him to join the brand-new University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, with promises that he could focus exclusively on his true love of combinatorics. Tutte and his wife Dorothea moved to a quiet home in the country, and for the next two decades he helped create the Combinatorics and Optimization department and cement its reputation as the best in the world.

In 1987, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of London for his mathematical accomplishments.

That same year, two years after retirement, ��ݮ��Ƶ awarded Tutte an honorary doctorate. The citation provided as much information on his war work as was available at the time, noting that he “made the crucial observations that led to the deciphering of one of the German secret codes.”

Secrets Revealed

In the late 1990s, Tutte’s work on Tunny was finally declassified.

In May 1997, shortly before his 80^th birthday, an article in New Scientist revealed the mechanics and importance of Tunny, and the role Tutte and other researchers played in cracking it.

In 2001, Governor General Adrienne Clarkson awarded Tutte the Order of Canada, partially in recognition of his wartime achievement.

Tutte died in 2002 at the age of 84. Ten years later, Prime Minister David Cameron wrote a letter to Tutte’s family, recognizing his work’s “enormous value to the war effort” and noting that he “deserves the thanks of the British people.”

“We’re all tremendously happy to see him finally recognized this way,” Younger says of the Royal Mail stamp. “I only wish he had lived to see it.”

To learn more, visit the Department of Combinatorics and Optimization’s page about Tutte’s life and research.

Math

Talent

Connecting ��ݮ��Ƶ’s best students with Canada’s best companies

Sam Charles — Thu, 08 May 2025 01:09:34 +0000

True North Fund partners with ��ݮ��Ƶ to develop a Canadian talent pipeline to help strengthen the country’s top 100 tech firms

Chris Albinson, co-founder and managing partner of Canadian venture capital fund True North Fund and co-founder of C100, says Canada is at a critical juncture in its continuing evolution as a global innovator. He says the country and its tech leaders need to work harder to retain the best and the brightest.

“We really need to build the narrative of 'Canada or bust!' The time for 'Cali or bust' that we hear from students has come to a close,” says ��ݮ��Ƶ-based Albinson. “For the first time we have a critical mass of global leaders based in Canada. We need to connect them to our best students. Considering the geopolitical environment we’re in, now is the time.”

Prompted by conversations at last spring’s convocation with University President and Vice-Chancellor Vivek Goel and Faculty of Engineering Dean Mary Wells, Albinson says they started exploring more ways to connect ��ݮ��Ƶ’s best students with Canada’s top private companies. That work has culminated in a partnership between True North and the University.

“As much as we’re proud to see our students thriving around the world, we also have a responsibility to show them they can build ambitious, meaningful careers right here in Canada,” Wells says. “Partnerships like this one with True North connect our students to top-tier co-op opportunities and help them see the possibilities that exist at home. I want them to see themselves not just working in Canada but also helping to build it for the future.”

Team True North is modelled after Canada’s “Own the Podium” Olympic strategy which focuses on providing resources to athletes with the highest potential for success. By merging True North’s roster of tech companies with ��ݮ��Ƶ’s co-op network, it creates a pipeline for growth and innovation in Canada.

Using an objective global standard data, True North identifies the top performing tech companies in Canada. The True North branding will provide students with the knowledge and confidence that they will have a meaningful and fulfilling co-op or full time experience at a global leader, right here in Canada.

At the bottom of each job description for these companies, it will read: “This company is part of Team True North, a comprehensive group of Canadian tech firms with performance and growth rates that match the top 1 per cent of companies worldwide.”

Some students might be surprised to learn that companies such as Arctic Wolf, Clearpath Robotics, 1Password, eSentire, Miovision Technologies and Faire are not only based in Canada but local to the ��ݮ��Ƶ region.

From the beginning, the world’s top high-tech companies have come to the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ to recruit its students. They are frequently drawn to ��ݮ��Ƶ by its track-record of developing leaders and innovators across sectors. For students, especially those seeking co-op experience, they are keen to join these large companies for the prestige and bragging rights.

The University has more than 8,000 employer partners across more than 70 countries including major tech companies such as Microsoft and Google. Despite data that shows every dollar invested by a business in a ��ݮ��Ƶ co-op student creates a greater economic gain, small and medium-sized companies may worry there might not be a critical mass of co-op applicants to draw talent from.

“We’ve heard that all high performing Canadian firms know about ��ݮ��Ƶ, but aren’t sure there are opportunities for them to recruit the University’s top students when competing against the world’s biggest companies,” Albinson says. “The same is true on the other side of the equation, that many students simply don’t realize the global leading opportunities right here in Canada, and we want to change that.”

Of Canada’s top 100 highest performing private companies, two-third are already working with ��ݮ��Ƶ co-op students. Albinson wants to close the gap with the remaining third of companies who he believes are missing an opportunity. “If we want these companies to compete globally, we need to connect them to ��ݮ��Ƶ’s talent pipeline, and vice versa, we need ��ݮ��Ƶ’s students to know and seek out these global Canadian companies.”

Companies like Faire, an online wholesale marketplace for retailers and brands, are already benefiting from its relationship with the University. With offices in San Francisco, Salt Lake City and ��ݮ��Ƶ, it employs more than 200 staff, many with University of ��ݮ��Ƶ connections.

“Our region is fortunate to be the epicentre of innovation in Canada,” Albinson says. “Our new partnership with the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ will help connect Canada’s best students with Canada’s best companies.”

Co-op and Experiential Education

Entrepreneurship

Global Futures

Economic Futures

Technological Futures

Planting the seeds for innovation and curiosity

Sam Charles — Tue, 06 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000

More than 100,000 children and youth from across the region are discovering the wonders of science and technology through the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

Ask a 10-year-old in ��ݮ��Ƶ region about the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ and they may tell you about the time they played with Nao or Talos, the humanoid robots housed in ��ݮ��Ƶ Engineering’s RoboHub.

Every week, elementary school-aged students from across the region, visit campus as part of the Kids on Campus and "Mentor" lab programs to learn about a variety of topics including AI and technology literacy. Their visits can include stops at the RoboHub, Institute for Quantum Computing, Crash Labs (MME) and WatiMake Lab. Not only do these programs become a foundation for the students’ future success, but they play a role in maintaining the region’s strengths in developing talent and technology.

In the past five years, Engineering Outreach has offered more than 3,000 programs and reached nearly 100,000 youth.

“Our region benefits from having one of Canada’s most innovative universities here in our backyard,” says Sophie Nasato, senior manager Engineering Outreach. “There is nothing like seeing the spark that ignites in the eyes of so many of the young people who visit our campus when they program a robot or learn how technology impacts their world.”

The impact of the University goes far beyond the sharing of knowledge, innovative research or launching of start-ups. Through outreach programs led by each of its faculties, ��ݮ��Ƶ engages and motivates children and youth in its community to be curious and explore. From STEM programs to the arts and sports, the University seeks to inspire its broader community.

There are many factors that draw students and researchers to ��ݮ��Ƶ. Its reputation for being cutting-edge and its co-op program are two of the biggest, but its connection to community is another.

Fourth-year Mathematical Physics (co-op) and Astrophysics minor student, Lauren Brown first experienced ��ݮ��Ƶ outreach as an eight-year-old attending ESQ summer camp. “Outreach played a major role in my decision to ultimately attend ��ݮ��Ƶ,” she says. “While I enjoyed my schooling, I strongly benefited from learning about topics outside of the standard curriculum, surrounded by like-minded individuals.”

Brown attended ESQ summer camps and Go Eng Girl programming for five years. She says she also benefited from Engineering Outreach classroom workshops. “It was a full-circle moment when I started attending schools in the region to teach students about the same topics I had been interested in back then. I decided to work with Outreach because I wanted to give back to the community that helped me grow into the learner I am today.”

��ݮ��Ƶ was established in the 1950s with the goal of helping tackle some of the world’s most daunting challenges. Today, ��ݮ��Ƶ continues to share with the world innovative solutions to global challenges while working in collaboration locally to ensure they are addressed in its own surrounding communities.

These challenges include preparing a workforce that is agile and ready for whatever tomorrow brings. That work doesn’t simply begin when first-year students step onto campus. For many youth in the ��ݮ��Ƶ region, it starts in elementary school with a trip to campus, a classroom workshop with ��ݮ��Ƶ students, or by attending a summer camp.

“I still remember seeing my fingerprint for the first time and participating in energy and water filtration activities in grades four or five when ��ݮ��Ƶ scientists visited my class,” says Tasbiha Saif Ansari, a third-year student in the Science and Business program at ��ݮ��Ƶ. Today, Ansari volunteers with the outreach team at the Faculty of Science.

Often in collaboration with community partners and schools, ��ݮ��Ƶ provides outreach programming that includes camps, the Earth Science Museum, clubs, workshops, conferences and community events. This programming is designed for all youth, with an emphasis on those historically under-represented in STEM and under-served populations.

Simone Sankhe is finishing up her first year as a Math and Business major — a joint program between ��ݮ��Ƶ and Wilfrid Laurier. “Attending ESQ at a young age made STEM feel exciting and accessible, and it definitely helped spark the passion that led me to where I am today.”

Not only did Sankhe participate in ESQ camps and Leader in Training programming at ��ݮ��Ƶ, but she was a high school leader in 2023/24, and part-time outreach instructor for the past two years. “It's honestly incredibly rewarding. I love working with Engineering Outreach because we're able to work with so many kids from different backgrounds and it's always so impressive to see how much they already know, and how their interest in STEM is growing."

Helping young Canadians discover STEM

“We’re trying to give every young person in our area, whether they are 7 or 17, the chance to immerse themselves in science and technology,” says Nasato. “The interest and demand from the community continues to grow, and we are grateful to our many donors and partners for supporting the expansion of these offerings.”

The programs are supported by ��ݮ��Ƶ and many generous individual donors and organizations. As lead sponsors, Actua and Let’s Talk Science play an important role in expanding many of the programs to ensure under-served populations have an opportunity to participate. Actua provides funding for many of ��ݮ��Ƶ’s engineering outreach programs while Let’s Talk Science supports science outreach.

While most engineering programs are funded by sponsors and donors, both Faculties largely rely on volunteers, co-op students and staff. Between the Let’s Talk Science program, campus lab days and the Earth Science Museum, the Faculty of Science annually connects with close to 10,000 students ranging from grades 1 to 12.

The campus lab workshops, that take place in April and May, draw grade 11 and 12 classes from across the region and as far as Toronto and Windsor.

“All of our programming is about removing barriers, and letting young people explore and discover,” says Heather Neufeld, manager Science Outreach. “Our overall goal is to help feed people’s curiosity and sense of wonder when it comes to science and learning.”

It is often a full-circle moment for outreach staff and volunteers when they work with young students. “I love when students ask ‘big’ questions because these often lead to fruitful discussions and provide an opportunity for students to ask scientific questions outside of the typical school structure, and without the added pressure of grades,” Brown says. “When students think critically and are interested enough in the material to ask scientific questions, it reminds me of my own experiences at that age, and it is amazing to be a part of that experience for them.”

Everyone involved from participants to instructors benefits from outreach according to Neufeld. “Not only are we inspiring young minds to explore and discover STEM topics, but outreach is also a great opportunity for our student volunteers to connect with the public, share their passion, and explain complicated topics in a way we can all understand.”

Inspired by its long-standing connections with the community, the University continues to foster these connections with the goal of having a positive impact locally and globally. Outreach plays a lasting role in encouraging young and old to be curious and explore what’s possible.

Here is a selection of University of ��ݮ��Ƶ outreach programming:

ESQ Summer Camps led by the Faculty of Engineering with support from the Faculty of Science includes a variety of hands-on activities that explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and feature STEM mentors and tours of exciting spaces on ��ݮ��Ƶ’s campus. Campers will experiment with new technology, develop valuable skills, and connect with friends. Camps are offered in four grade ranges: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7 and 8-9. Find out more about other programs hosted by Engineering Outreach.

You can keep up with the variety of opportunities offered by Science Outreach by signing up for their mailing list. Public lectures, community events and opportunities for both students and schools are shared monthly.

The Student Art Innovation Lab is a mobile Faculty of Arts outreach program that hosts workshops and exhibitions.

Ecology Lab at the Faculty of Environment provides enrichment programs and workshops that include both field and lab activities designed for the students.

The Faculty of Mathematics offers a variety of outreach and enrichment programs to promote mathematics and computer science.

The Faculty of Health has been opening its doors for more than 50 years to host Kinesiology Lab Days. The program introduces high school students to kinesiology — the science of human movement.

��ݮ��Ƶ’s Athletics and Recreation department offers summer youth camps where campers can explore new skills, try out exciting activities and grow into confident Warriors.

Technological Futures

Making virtual reality more accessible

Ryon Jones — Mon, 05 May 2025 20:37:42 +0000

New tool helps people with limited mobility play VR games like Beat Saber

A team of researchers from the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ have created a method that makes virtual reality (VR) more accessible to people with mobility limitations.

VR games like Beat Saber and Space Pirate Trainer usually require large and dramatic movements, such as raising one’s arms above the head or quickly side-stepping, which can be difficult or impossible for people who use wheelchairs or have limited mobility. To decrease these barriers, the researchers created MotionBlocks, a tool that lets users customize the game’s controls to fit the movements they can do.

Diagram of motion primitives, geometric representations of movements in VR applications. (University of ��ݮ��Ƶ)

“VR games are a lot of fun, and they’re important social spaces, especially for younger generations,” said Johann Wentzel, a recent PhD graduate in Computer Science and the lead author of the research.

“However, VR technology relies on a lot of large movements, which creates a barrier for people who can’t complete them. As soon as you have an application that isn’t accessible to everyone, you’re functionally excluding people with disabilities from these social spaces.”

The team’s research took place over three phases. First, they invited 10 people with limited mobility to play games, share their frustrations and discuss possible solutions. The ��ݮ��Ƶ team then used those testimonials to create MotionBlocks, which modifies how VR game platforms understand controller inputs.

Pictures of control-space motion primitives: (a) Point primitives for 2D wrist rotation; (b) Plane primitives for 2D translation across the lap; (c) Sphere primitives for small 3D head and hand movements; (d) Right-hand sphere primitive mapped to a transfer-space primitive. (University of ��ݮ��Ƶ)

“It’s a bit like how traditional video games allow you to remap your controls, but our method is much more customizable and works in 3D space,” said Dr. Daniel Vogel, professor at the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at ��ݮ��Ƶ.

“You pick a simple shape and tune it so it captures the kind of movements you can make, like a small circular range of motion on a desk. Then, you configure the kind of 3D movement needed in the VR application, like big hemispherical arm swings for BeatSaber. MotionBlocks figures out how to translate your movements to the ones prescribed by the game.”

Finally, the researchers tested MotionBlocks in collaboration with eight of the study’s participants. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with users reporting greater enjoyment, less fatigue, and a feeling that something was finally designed for people with disabilities.

The researchers have no current plans to sell or release MotionBlocks. Instead, they hope it will serve as a proof-of-concept for the VR industry. “I’d like to see a motion accessibility feature like this integrated into every VR system on the market,” Wentzel said. “Everyone deserves to be able to access VR in a way that works for their needs.”

The research, “MotionBlocks: Modular Geometric Motion Remapping for More Accessible Upper Body Movement in Virtual Reality,” was presented at the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, held in Japan from April 26 to May 1, 2025.

Math

Research

New partnership empowers AI innovation and operational excellence

Melodie Roschman — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 13:49:29 +0000

BASF and the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ are uniting their expertise to develop advanced AI systems that deliver real-time insights for business users

Chemical company BASF and the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ’s Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute (��ݮ��Ƶ.AI) are joining forces to advance AI applications through a collaborative research agreement that will run from 2025 to 2028. This partnership is designed to facilitate knowledge sharing and develop advanced AI systems to drive operational excellence, enhance customer value, and streamline processes.

As part of BASF’s commitment to harnessing value and unlocking new potential through AI innovation, the partnership will leverage novel root cause analysis, forecasting, and optimization methodologies and integrate advanced graph structures and language and data models to deliver granular, real-time insights in complex situations. Through these innovative solutions, BASF and the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ will aim to empower business users with tools for analyzing and optimizing intricate structures and combine ease of use with transparency to maximize adoption and business impact.

“At BASF, we’ve been on a decade-long journey of AI innovation, and this collaboration with the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ is our next step forward. By applying advanced methodologies, we can better equip our teams with the tools needed to optimize complex global value networks,” said Jürgen Müller, global head of AI Innovation Center at BASF. “However, innovation thrives on collaboration, and partnering with university leaders, like the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, underscores our commitment to operational excellence and a future powered by AI.”

The BASF AI Innovation Center is the key hub for technological advancement, strategically harnessing cutting-edge AI solutions to meet diverse business challenges while igniting future innovation. Designed to be BASF's dedicated innovation arm for AI, the center fosters a collaborative environment that spans various functions and product lines and partners with leading industry and research players like the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ to enhance research and development efforts.

“As one of Canada’s most innovative universities, we are pleased to partner with leaders like BASF to support the development of advanced AI systems,” said Dr. Vivek Goel, president and vice-chancellor at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ. “Collaborating with industry provides both our students and researchers with an opportunity to unlock innovative solutions that will impact the world for the better.”

Through this partnership, BASF and the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ will contribute to reinforcing Canada’s position as a hub for digital innovation, leverage local funding opportunities, and provide research opportunities for post-doctoral fellows and graduate and undergraduate students at ��ݮ��Ƶ.AI. This will advance AI research while learning directly about industry applications spanning production, engineering, R&D, and management.

“With BASF’s support, we are excited to advance research in cutting-edge areas such as large language models, natural language processing, AI-driven optimization, and supply chain management,” said Dr. Stephen L. Smith, co-director of ��ݮ��Ƶ.AI. “This collaboration presents a unique opportunity to make fundamental advances in these fields and to work closely with BASF to integrate these technologies into AI systems that will transform their operations.”

BASF Canada, headquartered in Mississauga, is a subsidiary of BASF SE and an affiliate of BASF Corporation in North America. BASF has approximately over 1,100 employees in Canada and had sales of $2.6 billion in 2024. For more information about BASF Canada’s operations, visit their website.

Engineering

Math

Research

Measuring methane to protect communities

Darren Mc Almont — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 04:15:00 +0000

An interdisciplinary team at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ is using Canadian technology to help measure and reduce methane emissions

��ݮ��Ƶ researchers are at the forefront of responding to the climate crisis with purpose-driven research and technology, including an interdisciplinary team who are in the field measuring methane emissions to support Canada’s net-zero gas emissions goals.

Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas — approximately 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) over a 20-year period. It also has far shorter lifetime compared to CO2, which means that methane emissions must be reduced urgently to avoid the worst outcomes of climate change, like natural disasters, forest fires, heat death and starvation. Addressing this problem requires an understanding of where methane comes from, how to measure it and how to reduce it. Researchers across the faculties of Science, Environment, Mathematics and Engineering have come together to tackle this critical issue.

Among other cutting-edge instruments, the team deploys a hyperspectral camera, also known as a “Hyper-Cam,” developed by Quebec City-based Telops. Unlike a normal camera, which makes a single image, the Hyper-Cam makes hundreds of images of the same scene, but each at a different wavelength. At the heart of the instrument is a high-speed infrared camera that works fast enough to visualize the wind moving across a field through the absorption of ambient water vapour.

The research team, led by Dr. Kyle Daun, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, is using the Hyper-Cam to measure fugitive methane emissions at the southern Ontario landfill site to help develop technology for methane detection. The data from the Hyper-Cam, along with specialized algorithms, can identify the exact location of a hotspot, leading to emission detection with increased accuracy. At the same time, a team of researchers led by Dr. Laura Hug in the Department of Biology studies the microbes living in the soil and the impact of the hotspots on those organisms.

The Region of ��ݮ��Ƶ provides site access to ensure academic institutions have a location to carry out research and to play a role in the advancement of quantification methodologies for the industry. The research is made possible at the site with funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The research team measuring methane at the ��ݮ��Ƶ Region landfill

“We’re seeing what microbes are present in the cover soil and how they are responding to the increase in methane or change in environment,” Hug shares.

The team’s goal is to identify methane-breathing microbes to measure how much of the hotspot methane is being consumed in soil before it is released into the atmosphere. Ideally, microbes capable of handling these large volumes of methane will be found and can be applied to other hotspots, reducing the emissions impact of these sites.

The team can then make recommendations to the regional landfill on which spots need to be covered up or plugged.

As Canada aims to have net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, reducing methane emissions is crucial to achieving this goal, and Hug affirms landfills are a huge priority in reaching this goal.

The team’s partners at the waste management site are thankful for this work. “With anticipated regulatory changes from Environment and Climate Change Canada, looking at alternative quantification methodologies and treatment approaches is both relevant and valuable to future operations,” says Brittney Crawford, an environmental engineer.

The team also works with Telops to develop techniques for detecting and quantifying methane emissions from upstream oil and gas sites in Western Canada using a downward-looking Hyper-Cam on a helicopter. Oil and gas companies use this information to find and repair leaks from pipelines and oil and gas facilities. At the same time, provincial regulators check emission rates to ensure that companies abide by Canada’s environmental laws.

The airborne Hyper-Cam mounted in a helicopter to detect and measure methane emissions from Canada’s oil and gas industry.

The team is passionate about their work across various industries and is eager to see how it inspires meaningful change. “The overarching benefits we expect is an improvement in the accuracy of methane emission rates from human activity, leading to better enforcement of regulations associated with the emission of methane, and a better understanding of the role of methane in our changing climate,” says Arpan Singh, a doctoral student in mechanical and mechatronics engineering.

Industries and researchers cannot reduce what they cannot measure. Technology like the Hyper-Cam, combined with a multidisciplinary team, can have a real impact on the safety and quality of life of communities across Canada.

Technological Futures