Following up on a previous post about this Nanotechnology Engineering student group, this is apparently the first time Canadian undergraduate students have won a James Dyson Award. Congratulations!
University of Waterloo sun safety startup wins a Dyson award.
A Professor in Waterloo Engineering 
Hey professor! Do UW Engineering students participate in any design contests (on a provincial or national level)? Do you know what the contest(s) is/are called?
Yes, our students participate in numerous design, business and engineering contests. (and they usually win or rank in the top end too.) There are too many to list, so have a look through this site that mentions some of them. Our Student Design Centre is often the focus for preparing for these competitions.
Thanks for the info! I was just wondering though how students are chosen to participate in the contests. Is it more on a volunteer basis or do professors choose competent students? Or some other method?
I believe that it is primarily a volunteer basis. These teams are student-run; professors only act as “consultants” and are not involved in the management.
I apologize in advance if you aren’t able to answer the following question, but I think I’ll pose it anyways:
Do you know why there seems to be such variation in engineering tuition across universities? What exactly goes into the cost differences? Is it mostly based on supply and demand?
I ask this because I’ve been looking at university finances and I’ve noticed that Waterloo & Uoft engineering charge around $12,800/yr while, for example, the University of Ottawa only charges $7,500 or so. Is such a disparity justified?
I think Ottawa’s tuition is closer to $9,500, according to their website. Waterloo has always been a bit more expensive because of the cost of running a massive co-op program. In general, to maintain top quality teaching labs, equipment and faculty, it costs more. Supply and demand probably plays some role too.