Perimeter Institute: employing alumni of schools in Waterloo Ontario

If you are student at one of the schools in Waterloo Ontario, there is no place that will inspire you to be a world-class scientist like the Perimeter Institute.

What is the Perimeter Institute? When was it set up? What does it do? How is it funded? These and many more questions will be addressed in this post.

Who Founded It?

The Perimeter Institute is the brainchild of the man behind BlackBerry, Michael Lazaridis. This world-class facility was started using the initial funding of $100 million put up by Lazaridis in 2000 and research activities kicked off in earnest the next year.

It was also announced in November 2008, that Stephen Hawking, perhaps the most famous physicist in the word, would serve as Distinguished Research Chair for the institute.

What Are Its Areas Of Interest?

University students in one of the schools in Waterloo Ontario are often very interested in knowing where the energies of the people who are at this institute are devoted.

The scientists at the Perimeter Institute are largely interested in eight areas. They are complex systems, particle physics, gravitation and cosmology, quantum gravity, string theory, quantum information and quantum foundations.

Do any of those areas sound familiar? Perhaps they sound like Greek to the average student, and that is why you must visit this Institute to fully appreciate the ground-breaking work that is being done to in those areas.

What Activities Are Associated With The Perimeter Institute?

As a meeting point of international scientists, the Perimeter Institute may strike one as a dull place that is far-removed from the ordinary Canadian. This can’t be further from the truth.

There are many activities and events that have taken place under the ambit of the PI in order to showcase to the public the work of the institute. These are some of them.

Educational Outreach.  Every year, the institute hosts a two-week summer camp for the best science students in Canada and the world. There are public lecture series carried out each month, just as there are professional development seminars geared at honing the skills of science teachers from around the country.

BrainSTEM Festival. This event is aimed at showing attendees that the future is indeed happening now when it comes to science and technology. The aim is to show how current technological inventions are linked to the scientific breakthroughs that made those innovations possible.

Can you for example link cell phones to the discovery of electricity? The festival makes such connections possible and that is why schools in Waterloo Ontario have no reason to miss such events.

Training Programs. The Perimeter Institute conducts graduate studies up to doctoral level on behalf of universities that partner with it so don’t be surprised when you end up as a student there someday!

Architecture

The Perimeter Institute’s building on Caroline Street is one of Uptown Waterloo’s most eye catching attractions. The award winning architecture of this futuristic design, juxtaposed  against the 19th century mill on Silver lake has inspired photographers and architects alike.

Summing it up…

To learn much more about Waterloo start by visiting here as well as keeping up with all the latest articles posted to keep you updated about schools in Waterloo Ontario as well  as other happenings in and around the city.

To see more stunning photography of PI, visit our Pinterest board: Waterloo Architecture.