You’ve probably been eyeing that fancy new Quantum Nano Centre building beside the SLC since its grand opening back in September of 2012, but have you ever wondered what kind of mad science goes on inside? Most students have only seen part of what the place has to offer. It’s not just about the lecture halls, wall-to-wall whiteboards, and aesthetically-pleasing study tables; there are two other major sections to the building, both of which have had some exciting news in the past few weeks.
Firstly, there’s the IQC (Institute for Quantum Computing), the large office portion of the QNC, which had a historic announcement occur on September 6th during the first years’ frosh events. In high hopes of further the research done by this institution, the federal government granted the University of Waterloo more than $76 million! The money will be dedicated specifically towards the field of quantum computing with the purpose to make Canadian post-secondary schools the leaders in this research. The University did have to apply for the grant against 51 other institutions, but fortunately was selected along with 12 other projects to share the grand total of $900 million in funding.
What does this mean for us as engineers you ask? Well, to be quite honest, not much if your interests and program don’t align with quantum research. For those few in Nano (like me!) it is good news to hear that the field is being supported and the University of Waterloo has the potential for some revolutionary break throughs in the near future because of this funding!
In other QNC news, that cool earthquake-proof fabrication facility and clean room was put to incredible use this past week in setting a Guinness world record! The record was set for the World’s Smallest Canadian Flag at an incredibly tiny 1.178 micrometres long, which is about the same as 1/100th of the width of a hair. Even more amazing is that the stem is only 20 nanometres wide! This astounding work of art was created by Nelson-Fitzpatrick, a nanofabrication process engineer and a co-op student named Natalie Prislinger Pinchin. Their prized work will be displayed as part of a travelling exhibit by UW’s IQC known as Quantum: The Exhibition, which will be at science centres all around Canada starting 2017.
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