Dear staff, faculty, and graduate students,
As the month of July comes to an end, I am hoping that graduate students, staff and faculty will be able to take some time away from Teams, Zoom and email to rest your eyes and minds before we “return to campus” for the fall semester. On July 17, the Province’s Stage 3 re-opening strategy was announced. What does this mean for a return to campus?
In our Faculty, we encourage those who can work from home to continue to do so. If you do need to come to campus for research, please complete a research request form through the Office of Research. You should also take this online module beforehand.
Graduate students who wish to return to campus will receive the same considerations as employees. Shared offices and workstations are discouraged; where these cannot be avoided, we will use rotational scheduling, physical distancing and sanitization of workstations.
Currently, Emma Dare and Melanie Scholz are receiving training to help oversee our Faculty’s compliance to safety requirements as we phase in re-entry of some members of AHS onto campus. I would like to thank them for taking on this important role.
Like the Waterloo regional bylaw for wearing face coverings, the University requires all campus members to wear face coverings in enclosed public spaces (with some exceptions). In preparation for September, Plant Operations is installing signage to direct traffic flow and indicate recommended physical distances. They will evaluate study and social spaces and restrict access or remove seating that does not promote physical distancing.
We are also adding fob access to our buildings by the end of August and will establish a control plan for building access. In the next month, each department/school will be developing a COVID-19 Operational Return-to-Campus Safety Plan. The University is hoping to add satellite sites for COVID-19 testing, and exploring surveillance tools to monitor building occupancy, signing in and tracing. Return-to-campus updates will be added to the Welcome Back Waterloo web pages.
Our buildings will look a little different when we eventually all return, but I hope this helps give a general idea of what to expect for the rest of the summer.
All the best,
Lili Liu
AHS this month I Events I Tips and reminders
AHS THIS MONTH
The 2020 incoming undergraduate class
Thank you to everyone who supported our undergraduate recruitment and retention efforts over the past year, and to everyone who is working hard to design a high-quality online experience for our students this fall. Curious about our incoming undergraduate class? Pamela Hurvid has made an infographic to highlight some interesting details about this cohort, including transfer student numbers, deferrals and international representation. Of the 612 first-year students, 36 per cent are going into Kinesiology, 25 per cent are going into Recreation and Leisure Studies, 26 per cent into Health Studies, 12 per cent into Public Health and 1 per cent into the Bridge to Academic Success in English (BASE) program. See the full infographic and statistics on the incoming class.
New Chair for Kinesiology
Russ Tupling, who has been with the department since 2004, began a four-year term as Kinesiology chair on July 1. We thank Bill McIlroy for his service and leadership as chair for eight years.
Welcome, new faculty members
Kelsey Johansen joined the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies as a definite term lecturer, and Brian Horslen, who specializes in neuromechanics, joined the Department of Kinesiology as an assistant professor. Both began July 1. Welcome, Kelsey and Brian!
Funding for aging and COVID research
Heather Keller (Kinesiology) is part of a team that received funding from the Labarge Centre for Mobility in Aging and the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging to focus on mobility in aging within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Three teams received a total of $75,000 with which to conduct this research.
Ten Thousand Coffees launched
The AHS Advancement team has launched the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences Hub on Ten Thousand Coffees, a professional development platform. More than 350 members of the AHS community, including alumni, new grads, undergraduate and graduate students, have joined so far to network and share their expertise. If you fall into one of these groups, sign up today. The first round of matches will begin next week.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Please note that all in-person events have been cancelled or postponed until further notice.
AHS Best Chef contest: Until August 5
Many of us have been practising our cooking and baking skills the last few months, and now we want to see what you can do. We're holding an AHS Best Chef competition and rewarding two lucky participants for their creativity and presentation. The secret sauce: Include at least one ingredient that starts with A, H or S. Open to AHS students, faculty and staff. See the details and enter the AHS Best Chef contest here.
TIPS AND REMINDERS
Strengthen your survey grant application
Using a survey in your research? A new program led by the Office of Research and the Survey Research Centre will help researchers strengthen the quality and success of your grant applications involving surveys. Space in the program is limited.
Researcher resources on equity and inclusion
New information about Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenous Initiatives (EDII) across the research enterprise is now available on the Office of Research website. The section includes resources and guides, along with information about Canada Research Chair public accountability, the Research, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) Council and Indigenous Research Resources.
Do you have a news item to share? Please email it to Eugenia Xenos Anderson.