Friday, May 15, 2015


Pharmacy student wins award of distinction

Holly Meginnis.Fourth-year Pharmacy student Holly Meginnis has been recognized with the Ontario Pharmacists Association (OPA) Student of Distinction Award for leadership and commitment to advancing the profession.

The University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy, in the Faculty of Science, prides itself on developing and supporting pharmacy student leaders. This is the fourth consecutive year that a Waterloo student has received the Student of Distinction Award. Sarah Johnson (Rx2014) won the Student of Distinction Award last year.

“Holly has worked tirelessly on behalf of students at the School of Pharmacy as well as pharmacy students across the country though her work with the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students and Interns (CAPSI). The future of pharmacy in Canada is in good hands with leaders like Holly entering the profession,” said Prof. David Edwards, Hallman Director, School of Pharmacy and Associate Dean, Faculty of Science.

During her time at the School of Pharmacy, Meginnis has shown outstanding devotion to committees and causes within and beyond the walls of the Kitchener campus.

Meginnis is the current Class Representative for her year, Rx2015, the UWaterloo CAPSI Senior Representative, and an active member of the Graduation Committee. She has also volunteered her time to special events with Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists and Community Action Now, an organization that runs community service projects supporting health and well-being.

“Through my involvement, I was able to learn about pharmacy from different perspectives. I learned about pharmacy across Canada, and the highlights as well as the challenges that exist within the profession. The initiatives I have been a part of have helped me develop even more of an appreciation for the profession of pharmacy,” said Meginnis. 

Looking ahead to her next steps after graduation, Meginnis already is already envisioning how she can make a positive impact as a hospital pharmacist. Working in hospital settings will allow her to support patients when care is critical and they are most vulnerable. Ever the forward-thinker, Meginnis is hoping to introduce new best practices that enhance continuity of care for patients as they move from hospital to home.

“Often, the transition from hospital to home can be challenging for patients. By making sure patients' medications transition from hospital to home will help to keep patients safe,” said Meginnis.

Congratulations Holly and good luck in your future endeavours!

Seed grant applications due June 1

Waterloo’s Chronic Disease Prevention Initiative (CDPI) offers seed grants of up to $10,000 to bring together new multidisciplinary teams and increase their success in applications for external funding. This next call for applications was issued on April 20 with a deadline for electronic submission of Monday, June 1 at 4:30 p.m.

To download the RFA and read the Frequently Asked Questions click on the CDPI/Seed Fund page.

For more information about the CDPI, seed grant funding and a list of past seed grant recipients visit the Chronic Disease Prevention Initiative website.

Staff association offers awards for spring term

The University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA) is offering three student awards, each valued at $500. Two are aimed at undergraduate students, and one is being offered to graduate students.

One of the undergraduate awards is proudly sponsored and funded by the Education Credit Union.

Eligibility requirements are straightforward - the recipient must be a full or part-time student in a degree program at the University of Waterloo and must be either a member of the UWSA, or the spouse, child, grandchild, or dependent of a UWSA member.

More details about the awards, including the application forms and terms of reference, are available on the UWSA website.

The application deadline for the Spring term is Monday, June 15.

Retail Services introduces new print request system

There's a new way to print on campus, and it goes by the name of NMS eACCESS.

NMS eACCESS is a browser-based interface with secure access control that allows the user to communicate with the New Media Services production centre in real time. The system enables users to:

  • Create new orders
  • Reuse past orders
  • View order status
  • Upload files for print jobs
  • Review billing and job history

To set up an account visit the New Media Services eACCESS pageClick “New User” and follow the on-screen instructions. After your account information has been verified, you will receive an email and phone call confirming that your account is active and ready to start submitting print jobs.

Retail Services will also be offering training sessions to help users take advantage of the NMS eACCESS system. Simply visit any Retail Services Media.Doc location (DC, DP, EIT, MC or SLC) for an introduction to the system. Anyone interested in arranging training for their department can send an email to avanti-req@lists.uwaterloo.ca.

What's open and closed this long weekend

It's the Victoria Day long weekend. Hooray!

Victoria Day honours Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901, and the long weekend is considered the unofficial start to the summer season. There will be plenty of gardening, picnics, barbecues and fireworks if the weather holds.

No classes will be held Monday. The Columbia Icefield and the Physical Activities Complex will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17, but will both be closed for the holiday on Monday.

Retail Services outlets are closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday, reopening Tuesday. 

The Dana Porter and Davis Centre libraries will be open from noon to 6:00 p.m.

Food Services locations Bon Appetit, Browser's Café, Brubaker's, the CEIT Café, Liquid Assets, Pastry Plus in Needles Hall, Subway, William's, all Tim Hortons locations and the University Club are all closed Monday. The SLC Tim Hortons will be closed Saturday and Sunday as well.

Mudie's will be open from 11:30 a.m. Friday, May 15 to 1:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 16 and from 11:30 a.m. on Saturday to 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 19.

The holiday closures do not affect Eye Opener, Festival Fare, ML's Coffee Shop, the PAS Lounge, Pastry Plus in BMH, REVelation and the Tim Hortons in UWP, which are all closed until September 4 or 6.

A full breakdown of locations and hours can be found on the Food Services website.

In case of emergency, UW Police will be available at 519-888-4911 (ext. 22222 on campus). The Turnkey Desk in the Student Life Centre will be open as always, and the maintenance emergencies folks will be around as well at ext. 33793.

Notable notes on a festive, restive Friday

The Library has served notice that its accessible parking spaces will be out of service from Thursday, May 14 to Thursday, May 26 during a construction project that involves the reinforcing of underground tunnels.

Map of campus parking."Those affected by the closure of the accessible parking area adjacent to the Porter Library must move to another nearby accessible parking area as detailed on the campus map," says the note from the Library. "If these alternatives are too far, then arrangements can be made with Parking to use the shuttle service from parking lot X on the north campus."

The shuttle service runs from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and will bring you to and from the front steps of the Library. (Please follow up with Parking if you plan to use this service.)

The construction areas will be fenced off.

Rasul Mowatt delivers a presentation.Professor Rasul Mowatt of Indiana University is pictured presenting the first annual Fern Delamere Memorial Lecture in memory of former PhD student Fern Delamere during the 23rd Annual Graduate Association of Recreation and Leisure Studies (GARLS) Symposium held on Thursday, April 30 and Friday, May 1.

The student research conference attracted 30 student researchers from across Canada presenting how their research is pushing boundaries in leisure, recreation, tourism, and sport research. Upwards of 75 students and University of Waterloo faculty attended this event. Professor Mowatt's keynote lecture critiqued current directions in leisure research, instead advocating for better engagement with mainstream societal topics (e.g race relations in North America, murdered and missing Aboriginal women throughout Canada, and climate change).

Another bird leaves the nest, er, garage: Check out this profile on MetricWire, one of the latest startups to graduate from the Velocity Garage.

Musicians in Waterloo Region, including Conrad Grebel music professor (and director of the Grand Philharmonic Choir) Mark Vuorinen, have joined together to raise funds for earthquake victims in Nepal.

Nepal earthquake fundraiser photo.A free concert will take place on Sunday, May 24 at 4:00 p.m. in St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Kitchener. At the concert, audience members will be invited to donate to Mennonite Central Committee’s Nepal earthquake relief fund. The federal government will match any donations made at the concert. The MCC will make a presentation on its work in Nepal, which has focused on bringing food, water treatment, and other essential supplies to people in remote areas.

The music will include Gabriel Faure's "Requiem" and J.S. Bach's
Cantata 39: "Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot." (Break your bread for the hungry.)

All musicians involved, including an orchestra made of members from the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, and soloists Daniel Lichti, Bethany Horst and Jennifer Enns Modolo, are donating their services. More than 80 singers from several local choirs will participate in the concert.

"It is both humbling and inspiring to be surrounded by such a generous
arts community."
said Vuorinen, artistic director for the choir. He says the music being performed reflects both the disaster and the response to it.
The Faure Requiem "collects our thoughts for a nation that has lost
so much and for whom the grief of loss is very real.
"And Bach's music in particular is well suited to a concert like this. 
"In this cantata from 1726, Bach reminded his listeners that we have a duty to share what we have with those less fortunate."

For more information, contact
 Mark Vuorinen, artistic director, Grand Philharmonic Choir at 
markvuorinen@grandphilchoir.com

 or Rick Cober Bauman, 
executive director, 
Mennonite Central Committee Ontario at 
519-745-8458 or by sending an email to 
rickcoberbauman@mcco.ca.

May 23 and 24 Bottle Drive poster.And while we're on the subject of fundraising, hold onto any long weekend empties you might accumulate, because the The Returns for Leukemia Bottle Drive will be taking place on Saturday, May 23 and Sunday, May 24 at all Beer Store locations across Ontario. All proceeds from the drive, now in its tenth year, will be going to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada.

Volunteers sought for Day of Caring

Help make a positive impact in our community! The United Way KW’s Day of Caring will take place on Friday, June 5. For the Day of Caring, United Way KW matches volunteers from local organizations with various local volunteer projects. Volunteers will visit a local agency and learn more about the services they provide. The specific volunteer tasks won’t be announced until late May, but in previous years we have packaged brown paper donation bags for the Food Bank, assembled tactical play boards at the CNIB, and helped with sanding and painting at the Bright Starts Daycare.  

If you are available from 9:00 a.m. to noon on June 5 and you’re interested in participating in the Day of Caring, please respond to Theresa Bauer (tbauer@uwaterloo.ca or ext. 36535) by Friday, May 15

Stay tuned for the University of Waterloo United Way Campaign, which launches in October.

Link of the day

Isra and Mi'raj

When and where

Course add period ends, Friday, May 15.

Victoria Day holiday, Monday, May 18, most University buildings closed.

Interviews: Preparing for Questions, Tuesday, May 19, 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., TC 1208.

Senate meeting, Tuesday, May 19, 3:30 p.m., NH 3001.

Cultivating Learning Cultures (CTE744), Wednesday, May 20, 9:15 a.m., DC 1302. 

Exploring Your Personality Type (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) Part I, Wednesday, May 20, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., TC 1214.

Chemistry Department Seminar Series featuring Prof. Patrick Charbonneau, Department of Chemistry, Duke University, “Recent Surprises in the Mean-field Description of Glasses”, Wednesday, May 20, 11:00 a.m., C2-361.

How to Start Your Own Business, Wednesday, May 20, 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., TC 2218.

Velocity Alpha: What’s Your Problem?, Wednesday, May 20, 7:30 p.m., Environment 3 room 4412. 

Considering International Work Term Opportunities for Co-op Students, Thursday, May 21, 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., TC 1208.

LIB 001 - Library Foundations, Thursday, May 21, 2:30 p.m., Library FLEX Lab.

Climate change labels on gas pumps: An update from Canadian lawyer Robert Shirkey, Thursday, May 21, 2:30 p.m., EV3 4412.

Thinking about an International Experience? Thursday, May 21, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., TC 1208.

Drop, No Penalty period ends, Friday, May 22.

Standing and official grades available in Quest, Friday, May 22.

Career Interest Assessment (Strong Interest Inventory), Friday, May 22, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., TC 1214.

You@Waterloo Day, Saturday, May 23.

Undergraduate School on Experimental Quantum Information Processing (USEQIP), Monday, May 25 to Friday, June 5.

Co-op Interview Cycle begins, Monday, May 25.

Work Search Strategies, Monday, May 25, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., TC 1208.

It’s All About Your Skills, Monday, May 25, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., TC 1208.

Citing Properly with RefWorks, Tuesday, May 26, 10:00 a.m., Library FLEX Lab.

Interviews: Proving Your Skills, Tuesday, May 26, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., TC 1208.

General Application, Tuesday, May 26, 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., TC 1208.

Mitacs: Skills of Communication, Wednesday, May 27, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., TC 2218.

University of Waterloo Computer Museum presents Reading Artifacts Workshop, Wednesday, May 27, 9:30 a.m., DC 1301.

LIB 002 - Searching: The Library Catalogue, Wednesday, May 27, 10:30 a.m., Library FLEX Lab.

Biomedical Discussion Group Lecture featuring Dr. Lisette van Gemert-Pijnen and Dr.Olga Kulyk, “Persuasive Health Technology to Improve Health and Wellbeing," Wednesday, May 27, 10:30 a.m., EIT 3142.

Exploring Your Personality Type (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) Part II, Wednesday, May 27, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., TC 1214.

Velocity Alpha: Ain’t No Model Like A Business Model, Wednesday, May 27, 7:30 p.m., Environment 3 room 4412. 

Résumés for Grad Students, Thursday, May 28, 2015, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., TC 2218.

Make Networking Count, Thursday, May 28, 2015, 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., TC 1208.

Canadian Obesity Network - Students and New Professionals UW Chapter presents "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" documentary screening and discussion, Thursday, May 28, 3:00 p.m., Grad House Green Room.

Centre for Career Action presents Careers 601, Friday, May 29, 10:30 a.m., TC 2218.

Centre for Career Action presents Academic Interview, Friday, May 29, 2:30 p.m., TC 1208.

Centre for Career Action presents Non-Academic Work Search and Networking, Monday, June 1, 10:30 a.m., TC 1208.

Centre for Career Action presents Project Management as a Career Option, Monday, June 1, 2:30 p.m., TC 1208. 

Centre for Career Action presents Interview Q&A, Tuesday, June 2, 10:30 a.m., TC 1208. 

Propel Centre for Population Health Impact presents a webinar, "E-Cigarettes in Canada – A special supplement of Tobacco Use in Canada: Patterns and Trends, 2015 Edition," Tuesday, June 2, 1:00 p.m.

LIB 003 - Searching: Databases, Tuesday, June 2, 1:30 p.m., Library FLEX Lab. 

Are You LinkedIn? Learning the Basics, Tuesday, June 2, 1:30 p.m., TC 1208.

LIB 004 - Evaluating Information, Wednesday, June 3, 10:00 a.m., DC 1568.

Centre for Career Action presents Teaching Philosophy Statement, Wednesday, June 3, 10:30 a.m., TC 1208.

Velocity Alpha: Setup Your Business Like A Boss, Wednesday, June 3, 7:30 p.m., Environment 3 room 4412.

Centre for Career Action presents Successfully Negotiating Job Offers, Thursday, June 4, 10:30 a.m., TC 1208. Note: this session is primarily geared towards graduate students.

Mitacs Step Workshop: Networking Skills, Friday, June 5, 9:00 a.m., TC 2218.

Centre for Career Action presents Writing Successful Grant Proposals, Monday, June 8, 1:30 p.m., TC 1208.

Spring 2015 Convocation, Tuesday, June 9 to Saturday, June 13.

The Library presents Tracking Other Researchers and Their Work, Tuesday, June 9, 10:00 a.m., Library FLEX Lab.

Centre for Career Action presents Career Interest Assessment (Strong Interest Inventory), Tuesday, June 9, 10:30 a.m, TC 1214.

Centre for Career Action presents Career Exploration and Decision Making, Tuesday, June 9, 2:00 p.m., TC 1112.

Institute for Quantum Computing presents a public lecture by Dr. Krysta Svore, Microsoft Research, "Quantum Computing: Transforming the Digital Age," Tuesday, June 9, 7:00 p.m., QNC 0101. Registration details.

Velocity Science: Brainstorming, Tuesday, June 9, 7:30 p.m., Quantum Nano Centre room 1506. 

Centre for Career Action presents Writing CVs and Cover Letters, Wednesday, June 10, 10:30 a.m., TC 1208.

Citing Properly with RefWorks, Wednesday, June 10, 1:00 p.m., DC 1568. 

Centre for Career Action presents Business Etiquette and Professionalism, Wednesday, June 10, 1:30 p.m., TC 2218.

Velocity Alpha: How To Find Your Customers Online, Wednesday, June 10, 7:30 p.m., Environment 3 room 4412. 

Quantum Programming & Circuits Workshop, Thursday, June 11, all day, QNC 0101. 

Centre for Career Action presents Work Search Strategies, Thursday, June 11, 10:30 a.m., TC 1208.

Centre for Career Action presents Exploring Your Personality Type (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) Part I, Thursday, June 11, 1:30 p.m., TC 1214.

Biomedical Discussion Group Lecture featuring Dr. Boxin Zhao, “Zebra Mussel-inspired Electrically Conductive Polymer Nanofiber,” Thursday, June 11, 2:30 p.m., DC 1304.

Centre for Career Action presents Success on the Job, Friday, June 12, 10:30 a.m., TC 1208.

Centre for Career Action presents The Who Am I? Self Assessment Game, Tuesday, June 16, 10:30 a.m., TC 2218.

Velocity Alpha: Do People Want Your Sh*t?, Wednesday, June 17, 7:30 p.m., Environment 3 room 4412. 

UW Farm Market, Thursday, June 18, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Student Life Centre.

Velocity Alpha: Pitch Like A Pro, Wednesday, June 24, 7:30 p.m., Environment 3 room 1408. 

UW Farm Market, Thursday, June 25, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Student Life Centre.