Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Dutch king and queen to visit Waterloo next week

Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands will visit both the City of Waterloo and the University of Waterloo on Thursday, May 28.

The king and queen will be joined in Waterloo by Bert Koenders, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jet Bussemaker, Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science, and more than 20 Dutch higher education institutions and a business delegation from Eindhoven region to solidify the ties between Canada and the Netherlands.

The visit will include the announcement of an historic scholarship program celebrating the 70^th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands. The Liberation Scholarship Program will award the first six Canadian students of 70 scholarships to study at a Dutch university or college.

The royal couple will also be present for the signing of memoranda of understanding between Delft University of Technology and the University of Waterloo – with a focus on quantum information research – and between Brainport Eindhoven region and the Region of Waterloo – reinforcing a bilateral strategic alliance between two innovation communities.

Following formal ceremonies including a presentation on quantum information science, the king and queen will tour a laboratory in the Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre at the University of Waterloo.

Prior to the arrival of Their Majesties, Feridun Hamdullahpur will host the delegation of Dutch higher education institutions and leaders from across the Canadian post-secondary education sector for formal seminars and networking. Wilfrid Laurier University President Max Blouw and Jet Bussemaker will host the delegation of higher education institutions to continue seminars and networking following the royal visit.

The Daily Bulletin will provide updates on any logistical issues involving the royal visit and how members of the University can participate in the coming days. For example: there will be an opportunity to welcome the King and Queen upon their arrival at the quantum-nano centre at 10:30 a.m. and witness their departure at 12:35 p.m.

Get career help from the Career Development eManual

by Jayne Hayden.

The world of work is constantly changing.

If you are considering career development in your current role or thinking about making a change in your career path, the process may seem daunting and overwhelming. The award winning Career Development eManual, free to UWaterloo students, staff, faculty, and alumni, is an excellent resource to help guide you through this process towards a fulfilling and satisfying future.

The eManual contains thoroughly researched information gathered over years of talking with students, employers, and alumni. It’s organized into six steps designed to help define your interests, skills, values, and personal characteristics; target opportunities that match your talents and interests; set your career goals and create action plans; develop the tools to market yourself to potential employers; and evaluate your career aspirations on an ongoing basis. It can be used as a step-by-step guide, or you can choose to focus on only those steps that relate to your current situation:

• Self-assessment
• Research
• Decision making
• Networks and contacts
• Work
• Work-life planning

Each of these steps is further broken down into sub-categories that contain an abundance of information for job seekers and career explorers alike. Through interactive modules, users can access self-assessment tools, information on career trends, and practical tips on résumé writing, networking and interviews.

Thousands from around the world have already used the Career Development eManual to successfully navigate the career development process in a rapidly changing and diverse world. Will you join them?content to come.

Study shows risks of eyeliner use

People who apply eyeliner on the inner eyelid run the risk of contaminating the eye and causing vision trouble, according to research by a scientist at the University of Waterloo. This is the first study to prove that particles from pencil eyeliner move into the eye.

Dr. Alison Ng, at the Centre for Contact Lens Research at Waterloo, directed the study when she was at Cardiff University in Wales. The team’s findings appear in Eye and Contact Lens Science and Clinical Practice, the official peer-reviewed journal of the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists.

Dr. Alison Ng and her colleagues used video recordings to observe and compare the amount of eyeliner particles that migrated into the tear film – the thin coating protecting the eye – after applying makeup in different styles. 

“We noticed that the makeup migration happened quicker and was greater when eyeliner was put on the inner lid margin,” said Dr. Ng, also a post-doctoral fellow in the School of Optometry and Vision Science in the Faculty of Science at Waterloo.

Each participant wore glitter eyeliner outside the lash line, and then on the inner lid area closer to the eye, or along the waterline.

The vision scientists found that within five minutes, between 15 and 30 per cent more particles moved into the eye’s tear film when subjects applied eyeliner to the inside of the lash line, compared to outside it. The makeup also moved more quickly into the eye when eyeliner was applied inside the lash line.

As time passes, the amount of makeup entering the tear film steadily drops and by two hours, there was a negligible amount of eyeliner left. However, Dr. Ng and her colleagues say eyeliner can alter the tear film, adding to discomfort.

Eyeliner ingredients commonly include waxes, oils, silicones and natural gums to help eyeliner stick to eyelids and last for prolonged periods. It has to adhere through blinking, sweating and the secretion of natural oils.

Makeup that enters the tear film may cause discomfort for those with sensitive or dry eyes. But the eyeliner waxes and oils can also adhere to contact lenses and build up if used for more than one day. Resulting complications include irritation and redness, introduction of harmful bacteria from the eyeliner, and in some cases, eye infections or blurred vision. 

“People who wear contact lenses are most likely to notice some problems,” said Dr. Ng. “If they have eyeliner stuck to their lenses, increasing deposits might cause vision disruption as the lens becomes cloudier.”

While this study didn’t examine the bacterial aspect of makeup contamination to the eye, Dr. Ng notes that previous studies do show that old eye makeup can harbour bacteria.

“If you thoroughly sharpen your pencil eyeliner before each application and get rid of the stuff that’s stuck to the end, you’ll have a fresh tip which can help prevent infection,” said Dr. Ng. “With twist-up eyeliner, cut some off the end before each use. And always make sure to fully remove eye makeup before bed.”

Alison Ng writes about cosmetics and eye care on ContactLensUpdate.com, an online resource for eye-care practitioners, run by the Centre for Contact Lens Research. She and colleagues at the CCLR also produced handouts for the public to share makeup tips for contact lens wearers.

Looking forward to the Keystone picnic

A message from the Keystone campaign.

Rising temperatures can only mean one thing: the annual Keystone Campaign picnic is right around the corner!

Brought to you by the Office of Advancement and Keystone volunteers, the picnic is a celebration of our campus community and the contributions of time and financial support made by our faculty, staff and retirees.  

This year we’ll be celebrating on Friday, June 5 on the Davis Centre Quad from 11:30 to 1:30 with lunch being served at 11:45. For evening staff, a second event will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Student Life Centre.  Lunch be served on a first-come, first-served basis and a food ticket will be emailed to you in advance of the event.

This year’s picnic will feature live entertainment, burgers, cotton candy, popcorn, a chance to win prizes, and the ever-popular dunk tank.

“The picnic is a time to bring the Waterloo community together to celebrate,” says event co-chair Lauren Ward. “We look forward to having employees from across campus join in.”

“A group of dedicated volunteers has been working hard to bring together this year’s picnic," says co-chair Terrence Birmingham. "We’re all very excited for attendees to share in a fun-filled lunch, and have a chance to dunk someone you know in the dunk tank!”

Twitter and Instagram users can tweet their experiences and photos from the picnic using the hashtag #keystone15.

For more information, visit our website or contact Lauren Ward or Terrence Birmingham. We hope to see you there!

The Keystone Campaign engages and inspires the campus community in philanthropy. Every year, our family of faculty, staff and retirees donates over one million dollars and countless volunteer hours to support the University of Waterloo.

Wednesday's notes

The Faculty Association’s Status of Women & Equity Committee (SWEC) is looking for new members to start in September 2015.

"Please review the Call for Members for information about the committee’s role and recent activities, as well as what membership entails," says a note from FAUW. "Anyone interested in joining the committee is encouraged to send a brief paragraph by Friday, June 12 outlining your particular equity interests and previous equity work, if any (previous experience is not required) to the chair-elect, Kate Rybczynski (krybczynski@uwaterloo.ca)."

Two green thumbs up! uWaterloo Blooms will be taking place on Friday, May 22 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Student Life Centre's multipurpose room.

"An event all things garden – bring some to share and take some home!" says a note from the UWRC. "Plants provided by employees: lilies of the valley, herbs (mint and lemon), sedum, violets, ferns. Plants requested by employees (in the past): herbs, hostas, groundcover, grape hyacinths, hens and chickens."

Containers, seeds, liquid plant food, magazines and the like will also be available for sharing.

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include: DBRS Limited - Global Technology, Zynga, Atomic Labs, Square, Snapchat, Yelp, Vena Solutions, Uken Games, TunnelBear, Stripe, and Ginger.io.