Dr. Michelle Rutty
As Canadians contend with climate-induced environmental changes like wildfires, flooding and melting glaciers, Dr. Michelle Rutty (MES '10, PhD '14) has been exploring the relationship between environmental changes and the global tourism sector.
Her research is among the first to use the power of virtual reality (VR) technologies to provide immersive, realistic experiences that enable communities to better understand their current and future climatic risks.
As director of the deTOUR Lab, Rutty supports the use of VR environments where users experience a destination before or after climate-related disasters impact it. "We've developed VR environments for ski resorts and golf courses that are experiencing record warm conditions and drought and are currently working on a VR simulation of glacial retreat in Jasper National Park," Rutty said.
Recognizing that visual content is more persuasive than textual narratives for shifting emotional values, Rutty leverages VR as a public engagement tool to promote dialogue around climate-induced environmental change. "Visual media can both simplify the complexity of climate science while eliciting emotional responses," she explained.
Rutty is committed to methodological innovation that accelerates environmental action in the tourism sector. Her scholarship has been recognized for research excellence with awards from around the world.
Greg Mittler
When a group of Waterloo's Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) students pitched the idea of introducing video games and esports at Waterloo back in 2018, few imagined it would grow to be the largest network of its kind in Canada.
Under the leadership of Greg Mittler (BA '14), the first full-time esports coordinator at a Canadian university, the program has grown to approximately 60 esports athletes who compete in several collegiate-level titles across North America.
Intent on making space for inclusivity in the sports world, Mittler shared that the initiative is also one of the first to have a marginalized genders team.
"We're expanding into the community at large, focusing on more comprehensive goals with the Waterloo Region Esports Commission and the University's Interdisciplinary Network for Esports. Our ambition is to grow to be a significant influence in the country," he said.
Last year, in collaboration with Conestoga College, Mittler and his team hosted WaterLAN - an esports tournament - where 16 schools came to the region to compete. The two-day event generated more than $75,000 in economic impact.
In 2024, Mittler's team more than doubled those numbers, with help from approximately 50 student staff and volunteers that organized programming for thousands of students.
Christina Sullivan
During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Christina Sullivan (BASc '23) was introduced to the world of Formula 1 (F1) by her sister Veronica through the Netflix series Drive to Survive, and was instantly captivated by the sport. When her co-op term was cancelled due to the pandemic, Sullivan channelled her new passion into an academic project on F1 cars.
Shortly after, when her social media algorithm pushed an ad for an industrial placement at Williams Racing in the U.K., she applied and was thrilled to secure a one-year contract.
Today, as a full-time wind tunnel systems engineer with the company, Sullivan's work ranges from designing and fabricating printed circuit boards and electrical harnesses to developing data acquisition systems and ensuring wind tunnel data accuracy.
"My main responsibility is the development and maintenance of our F1 wind tunnel model. All the aerodynamic developments that are seen on the car during races are first seen on this model in the wind tunnel," she added.
Sullivan's proudest achievement is leading the electrical design of the new wind tunnel model that Williams will test for the 2026 F1 season. She says that working with many multidisciplinary teams on bespoke systems and innovative control networks was an extremely rewarding experience.
Dr. Daniel Scott
The future of tourism and sports events like the Olympics are highly influenced by global change. That's why Dr. Daniel Scott's (MA '93) research focuses on the transition of the tourism sector to a low-carbon economy and its adaptation to the complex impacts of a changing climate.
In a recent study commissioned by the International Olympic Committee to increase understanding of potential host cities in a warmer world, Scott's research revealed that only 52 of 93 potential Olympic Winter Games host locations will remain climate-reliable by the 2050s and just 46 by the 2080s.
The outlook is more troubling for the Paralympic Winter Games, with only 22 climate-reliable sites by the 2050s and 16 by the 2080s. "Climate change is altering the geography of winter sports and is a growing threat to the cultural legacy of the Olympic Winter Games," Scott said.
Still, believing that tourism can be a global force for good, he is committed to advancing global tourism that is compatible with planetary boundaries. As a leading scholar in the field, Scott's research has been cited in more than 550 policy documents in more than 30 countries and by multiple international government organizations.
Haley Baxter
With her mom as her soccer coach and her dad a strong advocate for women's sports, Haley Baxter's (PhD in progress) research on women in volunteer sport coaching was greatly influenced by her parents.
Recognizing that there is little research in this field, her work aims to fill the gap. "My research looks at how to create and support pathways for young girls to become volunteer coaches," Baxter explained.
Through meaningful engagement with club leaders, coaches and youth, her research highlights the lack of specific targets, strategies and gender-based initiatives for recruiting women and girls to coach.
Noting that club leaders recognize the need for intentional recruitment, she found they also feel unsupported by sports governing bodies, most of which prioritize high-performance coaching instead.
Baxter's findings underscore the need for targeted recruitment strategies and better support systems to engage women and girls in volunteer coaching roles. She hopes her research helps the sport system recognize the importance of supporting gender-based initiatives at the community level of sport.
Dr. Kristine Dalton
Dr. Kristine Dalton (OD '07, MSc '10) is a distinguished leader in sports vision and concussion rehabilitation, with a remarkable track record in Paralympic winter sports.
In 2014, she founded the Sports Vision Clinic at the University of Waterloo to help athletes improve their performance. After seeing many athletes with vision problems after a concussion, Dalton teamed up with Dr. Tammy Labreche to launch a specialized service focused on treating patients with various brain injuries.
"Our team works collaboratively with physicians, optometrists, physiotherapists, athletic therapists and other health-care providers in the community to support the multidisciplinary care patients with brain injury need in their recoveries," she said.
In 2015, Dalton pioneered a research project that focused on understanding how athletes use their vision to ski. Her research revolutionized classification rules for Para Alpine and Para Nordic skiing, ensuring fair competition for athletes with vision impairments.
In collaboration with the International Paralympic Committee, World Para Snow Sports and the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, the groundbreaking work has expanded global eligibility for these sports.
