streams in virtual reality, cyber security, and other areas of research. In 2019, Microsoft announced a partnership with Waterloo's Artificial Intelligence Institute worth $115 million over five years as part of Microsoft's broader AI For Good Initiative. Waterloo's Artificial Intelligence Institute is an interdisciplinary initiative involving the researchers from faculties of arts, engineering, mathematics, and computer science. During the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers at the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology worked in collaboration with SiO2 Innovation Labs to develop a coating that kills the virus upon impact. The antiviral coating could be applied to all personal protective equipment and high-touch surfaces. This research was supported by both the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Mitacs. The school also received a $499,935 grant from the Public Health Agency of Canada's Immunization Partnership Fund to engage health care professionals and community leaders to combat COVID-19 misinformation and increase acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines. Admission The requirements for admission differ between students from Ontario, students from other provinces in Canada, and international students, due to the lack of uniformity in marking schemes. The minimum averages required for these programs are determined each year based on the number and qualification of applicants and the number of available spaces. As of 2016, the secondary school average for first year, full-time students at the University of Waterloo was at 90.1 percent. In 2018, 61.2 percent of new students at Waterloo had a high school average equal to or greater than 90 percent, and 28.2 percent had an average equal to or greater than 95 percent. However, this proportion varies greatly between programs at the university. In the case of admission into the Engineering and Math faculties, there is a large weighting given to the applicant's supplementary application, extracurricular involvement, adjustment factors for individual high schools, and an admissions video interview. Thus, it is possible to receive an offer with an average much lower than the mean admission average. The retention rate of the university's first-time, full-time first-year students in 2016 was 93.9 percent. Student life Organizations The university's two main student unions are the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) for undergraduate students, and the Graduate Student Association (GSA) for graduate students. Founded in 1967 as the Federation of Students, WUSA operates four businesses, twelve student services, oversees over 200 accredited student clubs; in addition to operating other student programs and events. Each of the university's faculties