Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Editor:
Brandon Sweet
University Communications
bulletin@uwaterloo.ca

Mini Town Hall talks space tomorrow

Town Hall image

Space will be the final frontier at the mini town hall meeting scheduled for tomorrow on the subject of Teaching, Learning and Community Space.

Among the speakers at the Strategic Plan town hall event will be Associate Provost, Students Chris Read, Associate Vice-President Academic Mario Coniglio, Director, Graduate Academic Services Sarah Hildebrandt, Graduate Student Association President Maya D'Allesio, and Federation of Students President Chris Lolas.

Each town hall offers attendees the opportunity to ask questions about Waterloo's strategic priorities, learn details of the action plans that support each strategic priority area, hear from expert advisors committed to building a better university, and deepen understanding of what the Strategic Plan means to the University community.

The event will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in QNC 0101.

The mini town hall will be livestreamed.

More information is available on the Strategic Plan Town Hall page.

A Tale of Monstrous Extravagance

by Paisley Cozzarin

Tomson Highway laughing.

Award-winning playwright, author, and musician Tomson Highway will give a free public lecture at the Theatre of the Arts on Thursday September 24 at 2:00 p.m.

Highway is from the Barren Lands First Nation in Nunavut and much of his work draws from his experiences growing up in this multi-lingual community of Cree, Dene, French, and English, as well as his recent life as an international artist. Among other awards and distinctions, he is the recipient of the Order of Canada, the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, and is the holder of 10 honorary doctorates.

Famously born in a snow bank on the Manitoba/Nunavut border, Tomson Highway was the 11th of 12 children in a family of nomadic caribou hunters. When he was just six years old, the Canadian government enrolled him at Guy Hill Residential School, where he stayed until he was 15. He later studied music and English literature at the University of Manitoba and the University of Western Ontario. Highway emerged as one of Canada’s foremost Indigenous voices as a gifted storyteller, performer, and musician. His best known works are his award winning plays, The Rez SistersDry Lips Oughta Move to KapuskasingRoseErnestine Shuswap Gets Her Trout, and the critically acclaimed novel, Kiss of the Fur Queen.

Members of the University community are also invited to a special evening performance at the Registry Theatre in Kitchener. Accompanied by Peruvian/Canadian singer Patricia Cano and saxophonist Marcus Ali, Highway will perform a cabaret, derived from his recent musical theatre creation, The (Post) Mistress.  Tickets are only $20 and $15 for students.

For more details and tickets for the evening show visit the event website.

The Aboriginal Education Centre at St. Paul’s University and the Department of History are thrilled to bring this important Indigenous artist to Waterloo. These events are also sponsored by the Faculty of Arts, Silver Birch Projects, the Impact Theatre Festival, WPIRG, and LSPIRG.

Photograph by Sean Howard.

An undiluted talk about the origins of homeopathy

by Lori Straus

A close-up of a dropper with a bead of liquid over a bottle.

In mainstream media and scientific circles, homeopathy has earned the reputation as this century's figurative snake oil. It has left many people scratching their heads, wondering how such a system for healing ever came into being.

“Homeopathy as it’s practiced and commercialized today makes little sense without knowledge of 19th-century Germany, when it first emerged,” says Alice Kuzniar, Professor of German and English. Homeopathy was created by German doctor Samuel Hahnemann around 1800. Culturally and historically, that falls into the German Romantic period, one of Kuzniar’s areas of research.

Professor Kuzniar will give a presentation based on her book The Romantic Art of Homeopathy on Friday, September 25 at 7:00 p.m. in HH1102 as part of the Waterloo Centre for German Studies’ annual Jacob-&-Wilhelm Grimm Lecture series.

Antique bottles of homeopathic treatments.

“Judging homeopathy by our current medical and scientific standards doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look back to that period. Let me give you a couple of examples. If, as a scholar of that period, I can historically account for the claim that an infinitesimally diluted substance can heal, then it’s important for me to do so. Or, can I explain what scientific objectivity meant at the time?” says Kuzniar.

Professor Kuzniar will review numerous ways in which homeopathy is a product of its era. Referencing German philosophers, poets, physicists, and physicians from around 1800, she will look at the pervasive notion in Romantic science of a “vital life force” and how it informed homeopathy’s concepts of healing and the infinitesimal dose.

The talk is for anyone interested in mainstream or alternative medicine, general health, or European intellectual history. It is being presented in partnership with the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies. Visit the Waterloo Centre for German Studies site for more information.

Sessions, lectures, receptions and so on

The Centre for the Advancement of Co-operative Education (WatCACE) is hosting a seminar on co-operative education analytics featuring Yuheng Jiang, a graduate student in Management Sciences, today at 2:00 p.m. in TC 2218.

The talk will discuss two recent data-driven projects relating to co-operative education and will be livestreamed.

Blurred images of a car's taillights on a curved road.

As part of Science Literacy Week across Canada, the University of Waterloo in partnership with the Kitchener Public Library is holding a timely public lecture discussing transportation with two leading researchers. The lecture, taking place today, is entitled "Transportation Solutions for the Future" and will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Kitchener Public Library

Associate professor David Hawthorn of the Department of Physics and Astronomy will discuss the technology behind superconducting trains that are currently used in Japan and under development in several other countries. Associate professor Jeff Casello from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering will explore Waterloo's intricate solution regarding several different methods of transportation in our city.

As conversations on the topic continues to expand, these experts will explore Waterloo’s several methods of transportation, including the technology behind superconducting trains, and the implications that could arise from increasing the sophistication of transportation in our city.

The event is free, but please register to attend.

The University of Waterloo Retirees Association will be holding its annual fall reception on Wednesday, September 23 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the University Club. The reception's guest speaker is Vice-President, Academic & Provost Ian Orchard, and other invited guests include senior administrators, representatives from Human Resources, the faculty and staff associations' presidents, and the 2015 UWRA executive.

Complimentary cheese, cold canapés and hot hors d’oeuvres will be served.  All paid up members of the UWRA will receive two free tickets for “on-the-house” beverages (wine, beer, soft drinks). New and renewal annual memberships can be purchased at this event and you will then receive your complimentary bar tickets.  Annual membership is $12.00 or you can purchase a Lifetime Membership for $120.00.

Anyone with questions is invited to contact Sue Fraser, social events co-chair, at fraser@uwaterloo.ca.

The Pension Team from Human Resources will be offering a Lunch and Learn Pension session on Thursday, September 24 in RCH 101 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. This session is entitled “Forms of Pension and Other Considerations”. 

The Registrar's Office has sent a message to undergraduate students reminding them that the last day to add classes for fall 2015 is Friday, September 25.

Link of the day

Yom Kippur

When and where

Conrad Grebel presents Peace Week, Monday, September 21 to Saturday, September 26. 

Science Literacy Week, Monday, September 21 to Sunday, September 27.

Volunteer Fair, Tuesday, September 22, 11:00 a.m., Student Life Centre Great Hall.

Library Orientation, Tuesday, September 22, 1:30 p.m., LIB 329.

WatCACE research seminar, "Co-operative Education Analytics," Tuesday, September 22, 2:00 p.m., TC 2218.

Critical Reading and Listening, Tuesday, September 22, 2:30 p.m.

Résumé tips: Thinking like an employer, Tuesday, September 22, 2:30 p.m., TC 1208.

Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (I.B.M.B.) Seminar Series featuring Professor Hanadi Sleiman, Department of Chemistry, McGill University, “DNA Cages and Nanotubes: Design and Biological Applications,” Tuesday, September 22, 3:30 p.m., C2-361.

Mawlana Rumi and the Islamic Spiritual traditionTuesday, September 22, 7:00 p.m., Renison Dunker Family Lounge. 

Transportation Solutions for the Future, Tuesday, September 22, 7:00 p.m., Kitchener Public Library.

Velocity Science: Brainstorming, Tuesday, September 22, 7:30 p.m., QNC room 1506.

TA Workshop: Assessing and Evaluating Student Writing, Tuesday, September 22, 9:30 p.m.

Biological Conservation Research Opportunities for Students, OpWall Info SessionWednesday, September 23, 12:30 p.m., Needles Hall, 3001.

Mini Town Hall Meeting - Teaching, Learning and Community Space, Wednesday, September 23, 2:00 p.m., QNC 0101.

UW Retirees’ Association Annual Fall Reception, Wednesday, September 23, 3:00 p.m., University Club.

Velocity Alpha: Find Your Kicka** IdeaWednesday, September 23, 7:30 p.m., Environment 3 room 4412.

UW Farm Market, Thursday, September 24, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., SLC lower atrium.

Pension Lunch and Learn session: Forms of Pension and Other Considerations, Thursday, September 24, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., RCH 101.

Tomson Highway presents A Tale of Monstrous Extravagance, Thursday, September 24, 2:00 p.m., Theatre of the Arts. 

WPIRG presents September Slam: Humble the Poet & KWPS, Thursday, September 24, 7:00 p.m., Humanities Theatre.

Business Communications: Deloitte, Friday, September 25, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., TC 1208.

Knowledge Integration seminar: “Running a Tax Department for a big Canadian Bank: an interesting and multidisciplinary challenge”, featuring Peter van Dijk, Senior Vice President, Tax, TD Bank Group., Friday, September 25, 2:30 p.m., Environment 3 (EV3), room 1408.

English Speaker Series featuring Jayne Lewis, University of California, Irvine, “Milton’s Hair: A Long Eighteenth–Century Entanglement," Friday, September 25, 4:00 p.m., PAS 2438. 

The Birth of Homeopathy out of the Spirit of 1800: Medicine as Cultural History, Friday, September 25, 7:00 p.m., HH 1102. Presented by the Waterloo Centre for German Studies.

Ontario Universities' Fair, Friday, September 25 to Sunday, September 27, Metro Toronto Convention Centre. 

Hack4Health, Saturday, September 26 to Sunday, September 27, Waterloo Accelerator Centre.

Annual Traditional Pow Wow, Saturday, September 26, 12:00 p.m., Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre, St. Paul's University College.

The Ceremony of Induction into Professional Planning Education, Saturday, September 26, reception and registration in Environment 3 Atrium, 9:30 a.m., ceremony in Theatre of Arts, 11:00 a.m.

Career Interest Assessment (Strong Interest Inventory), Monday, September 28, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., TC 1214.

Résumé Q&A, Monday, September 28, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., TC 1208.

Work Search Strategies, Monday, September 28, 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., TC 1208.

Interviews: Preparing for Questions, Tuesday, September 29, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., TC 1208.

Medical School Applications (OMSAS) Q&A, Tuesday, September 29, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., TC 1208.

CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) as a Career Option, Tuesday, September 29, 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., TC 1208.

Career Fair, Wednesday, September 30, 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., RIM Park.

CBB Seminar - Cynthia Goh, Director, Impact Centre; professor, scientist and serial entrepreneur, Wednesday, September 30, 2:00 p.m., E6 4022.

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

UW Farm Market, Thursday, October 1, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., SLC lower atrium.

"Representing the Anthropocene: indigenous and immigrant perspectives of global socio-ecological change," Thursday, October 1, 2:30 p.m., EV1-221. 

University of Waterloo Research Talks featuring Professor Heather Keller, "Finding solutions to nutritional vulnerability in older adults," Friday, October 2, 12:00 p.m., DC 1302. Register online, seating is limited.

Warrior Weekend Charity Tailgate, Friday, October 2, 11:30 a.m., TechTown patio.

English Faculty Research Series: Mediated Bodies, Friday, October 2, 1:30 p.m., HH 373.

40th Anniversary Mathematics Reunion - Class of 1975, Friday, October 2 to Saturday, October 3.

Reunion 2015, Saturday, October 3.

AHS Annual Fun Run, Saturday, October 3, 8:30 a.m., BC Matthews Hall.

Further Education Boot CampSaturday, October 3, all day, RCH.

Fall Teaching Week, Monday, October 5 to Friday, October 9.

Canadian Engineering Graduate Studies Consortium, Tuesday, October 6, 5:00 p.m., Engineering 5.

UW Farm Market, Wednesday, October 7, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., SLC lower atrium.

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

Velocity Science: Brainstorming, Tuesday, October 13, 7:30 p.m., QNC room 1506.

Velocity Alpha: Setup Your Business Like A Boss, Wednesday, October 14, 7:30 p.m., Environment 3 room 4412.