Friday, August 28, 2015

Innovation in the driver(less) seat

by Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor.

I was chauffeured around Ring Road in an autonomous vehicle this month. Everything else is details.

Alex Rodrigues – who co-founded Varden Labs with fellow Mechatronics Engineering and Velocity student Michael Skupien – and I enjoyed a safe and smooth ride along the Needles Hall stretch of Ring Road on August 19. It was the first time an autonomous vehicle had taken to a Canadian road.

What a thrill for both Alex and Michael, and our whole University community. It’s a terrific example of Waterloo innovators leading the way for emerging Canadian and global industries.

In a way, it’s no wonder the we produce so many excellent students, alumni, and startups at UWaterloo: building on our academic and research strengths, we’ve worked really hard with our community partners to make the Waterloo region one of the world’s “richest startup ecosystems”, in the words of Singularity University’s Salim Ismail.

Salim is going to be one of our featured guest speakers at the Waterloo Innovation Summit in September, co-hosted by the University of Waterloo and Communitech. The summit, now in its third year, it bringing together some of the globe’s finest entrepreneurship thought leaders and practitioners to discuss what it takes to be a world-class entrepreneurial ecosystem. As one of North America’s premier innovation hubs, this conversation is a natural fit for the Waterloo region.

That was the topic of discussion when I hosted Ed Clark on campus this month as part of his tour of the Waterloo region ecosystem. Clark is Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne’s business advisor, and his mandate is to provide the premier with advice on “growing a vibrant and dynamic economy” in Ontario, as our province continues its development as a knowledge-economy. It was a pleasure to show him our facilities and provide insight on how UWaterloo and the university sector more broadly plays a pivotal role in driving innovation and prosperity for the province. (Unfortunately for him, he was about a week too early for the Varden Labs test drive.)

As we head into September, I’m looking forward to seeing campus fill back up with its full complement of students. Even at a university that keeps busy and productive during the summer months, there’s just something about the Fall. To those of you packing up this week – whether to come back to campus or perhaps head out on a co-op term – good luck for the term, and travel safely. For those staff, faculty, and upper-year students assisting with Move In – thank you! See you out there.

As for August, I’m winding things up with a trip to Ottawa where I’m engaged in two important efforts. As chair of the U15, I’m involved in meetings with colleagues and partners in Ottawa to move our research advocacy agenda forward. And conveniently, the Leadership Council for Digital Infrastructure – of which I was named chair this month – is also based out of Ottawa. Had some great preliminary meetings with stakeholders to discuss what the group hopes to accomplish over the course of its mandate. Our ultimate goal, though, is well defined: we’re working to build a “world-leading, advanced digital infrastructure ecosystem for Canada.”

It’s an essential step in support of Canada’s knowledge economy, and I’m proud to represent Waterloo and Canada’s U15 universities as we move this project along.

Everyone have a great weekend, and thanks for an excellent month.

Sincerely,

Feridun

Housing outlines its plans for September

A message from Housing and Residences.

Campus is set to welcome back tens of thousands of students in September while thousands of new students will arrive in Waterloo for the first time. The Department of Housing and Residences is able to help the overwhelming majority of student attending Waterloo who will need to access accommodations as they embark on an undergraduate or graduate degree.

For fall 2015, there are over 4,500 first-year students living on campus. Some first-year spaces in Waterloo Residences are still available for students starting this fall and students are encouraged to apply through the Waterloo Residences vacancies application. Hundreds of upper-year students also choose to live on-campus and there is currently limited availability in UW Place for returning students needing to secure housing.

Many students will choose to live off-campus while at Waterloo and they are reminded to connect with the Off-Campus Housing office is there are questions or concerns regarding off-campus accommodations. As student housing construction continues to boom around campus, students should contact their landlord to make sure their apartment will be ready for the start of the school year. With over 1,000 off-campus beds currently under construction –with aspirations to be ready for September – there may be delays that could impact the start of a student’s school year. 

Keeping the campus vibe alive with Warrior Tribe

This is the latest in a series of #UWCommunity stories that feature Waterloo in the community.

By increasing opportunities for University of Waterloo students to contribute to our vibrant campus, The Warrior Tribe is actively creating a sense of unity through study, sports, and most of all, spirit.

The Warrior Tribe celebrates UWaterloo pride and aims to be inclusive, providing students with new and exciting ways to succeed and maintain a healthy and active student body. This campus club pushes the importance of play and sport in the community, as well as student interaction, involvement, and awareness across the academic faculties by building school spirit. Throughout each academic term, The Warrior Tribe runs events that promote attendance at varsity games and participation in intramural sports. Community members are encouraged to attend the varsity games and cheer alongside the Warrior fans.

As the university prepares to welcome thousands of first year students to our campus and regional community, The Warrior Tribe is preparing for their kick-off event, Warrior Welcome. Warrior Welcome launches Orientation Week for incoming students, but is also an opportunity for staff, faculty, students, and the community to celebrate UWaterloo spirit, varsity athletics, and university achievements. Taking place on Sunday, September 6th and Monday, September 7th at 6:00 p.m. in the Physical Activities Complex (PAC), this event will introduce The Warrior Tribe to the campus community, encouraging students to engage in varsity games and participate in on-campus athletic activities.

"Warrior Tribe is important in bridging the gap between students and the community," says Adam Birch, Warrior Tribe Co-Founder and President. "Collaborating with Waterloo’s community outreach efforts will help to promote the importance of play in student lives, as the effort is coming from us as well as the University.”