Thursday, October 15, 2015

Latest Staff International Experience Fund winners named

Waterloo International has announced the latest winners of the Staff International Experience Fund (SIEF).

Jennifer Yuen is a Waterloo counsellor at the Counselling and Psychological Services department including satellite offices within housing and residences. Since the University of Waterloo student population is extremely diverse, with over 61 per cent who report being a part of a visible minority; Jennifer regularly meets with students from diverse cultural backgrounds. Due to Waterloo’s unique student body, Jennifer plans to visit Bilkent University, Turkey, Yeditepe University and Insitut Teknologi Bandung, in Indonesia in February 2015. Jenniferis keen to learn cultural competence, cultural sensitivity, and ethic sensitive practice when working with individuals who are challenged bymental health.

During her travels Jennifer will be able to create an understanding of gender, family, and cultural issues specific to Muslim and Arabic students, allowing for culturally trained counsellors who can better support these students. Her trip will also help set the groundwork for professional training programs within the Counselling and Psychology Services and Organizational and Human Development to demystify Muslim culture and Arabic and Muslim student needs.

"I am thrilled to be selected for the SIEF fund as I will be using the time and resources to discover campus wellness in other parts of the world," Jennifer says. "I am looking forward to immersing into the culture and digging deep in collecting cultural wisdom to bring back to our Waterloo campus. There is a lot to be learned outside our borders."

Marina Ivanova is the Administrative Co-ordinator for Arts Graduate Studies and Research in the Dean of Arts Office. Marina will be taking on the ambitious project of visiting the University of California (Berkeley and Davis), the University of Southern California, Georgia Tech, New York University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Massachusetts in three weeks.

Marina plans to investigate graduate programs and research involving the overlap of Arts and STEM disciplines in the hopes of advancing the Faculty of Arts’ graduate program administration and experience. In addition, through her travels to various top-level US universities, Marina will strengthen the collaboration and deepen current research projects between the University of Waterloo and its American counterparts.

“I am thrilled to represent Waterloo in this pioneering US-university tour and hope to gain instrumental business partnerships and bring back institutional knowledge to advance interdisciplinary fields in Faculty of Arts graduate programs and research,” says Marina. “Through this initiative I am hoping to bring Waterloo one step closer to being recognized as a top global institution for innovation and student excellence!”

Susan Grant is the Assistant Director of Organizational and Human Development (OHD) and her SIEF builds on the learning and development initiatives of OHD and supports the priorities within the Robust Employer-Employee Relationship theme of the strategic plan. Susan will visit the University of Melbourne, The University of Tasmania and Macquarie University in Australia.

By visiting these universities, Susan plans to gain new insight in staff learning and development, lean practices, and Mentorship programs while gaining exposure to talent development practices in Australia. Through her experience abroad, Susan will have the opportunity to develop and further institutional partnerships with these universities.

“I am so grateful to the SIEF for offering this exciting and rewarding opportunity for me to learn from world-class Australian institutions,” says Grant. “I’m excited to build relationships, learn about new learning and development practices and share with these institutions our programs such as The Principles of Inclusivity series, our Annual Staff Conference and our Leadership Development framework. A colleague from Macquarie University, that I will be visiting, was just here for our Lean Conference so her and I were able to build on our planning and the itinerary for my upcoming visit. My hope is that these learning relationships will continue well after the formal visit is completed.”

Congratulations to the winners!

Actually, it is rocket science

This article originally appeared on the Faculty of Science's news site.

Imagine learning about the science of rockets from someone who actually rode one into space - three times.

That's exactly what happened when the Canadian Rocket Man himself, Colonel Chris Hadfield, came to campus last night to teach a SCI 206 class.

"How do rockets work? It's a pretty cool question, so let's make one," said Hadfield, an adjunct professor with cross-appointments to the Faculties of Science, Environment and Applied Health Sciences.

Holding an air-filled balloon, Hadfield explained how it was a primitive rocket. Both have high pressure compartments and an opening for release. But unlike the balloon randomly whizzing across the lecture hall, rockets transport things and can be steered. 

His lecture included the history of rockets, design changes, rocket structure and parts, how it dissembles, steering in space and fuel types. 

Hadfield used Newton's cradle, water bottles, balloons and mini spacecrafts to highlight the importance of lift, stored energy and the differences between rockets, jet packs and rocket airplanes.

Aside from using lively demos, Hadfield also incorporated details from his personal experiences.

“It's a wild ride. The fuel burns so fast that the pressure is phenomenal. After two minutes, you check you're still alive and glad it's over."

To end the night, students counted down 5...4...3...2...1...blast off as Hadfield rode a fire-extinguisher rocket down the hallway.

“It’s rocket science but it’s pretty straight forward,” said Hadfield.

Top photograph by Kush Patel via Twitter.

Memorial for graduate student today

A memorial gathering and reception will be held this evening for Neelanjana Pal, who was a graduate student in Electrical and Computer Engineering. The ceremony is open to all members of the university community who would like to come and remember Neelanjana, who passed away unexpectedly earlier this week. She arrived in Waterloo in the Fall of 2014 and was a treasured friend, peer and colleague to many in the University community.  The event begins at 7:30 p.m. at Fed Hall.

Thursday's notes

The Dean of Arts Office is hosting a United Way Bake Sale on Friday, October 16 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. in PAS 2438. All proceeds will go towards the United Way.

The electronic poll for the 2015-2016 University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA) Board of Director positions is open now and will remain open until 5:00 p.m. on October 22.

Candidate information, voting instructions, and online ballots are located on the staff association's website. 

Looking for a smoother, safer drive? Join Susan Tighe at noon on Wednesday, November 11 for the next edition of Research Talks entitled "Roads of the future: environmentally-friendly and resilient pavement." The lecture takes place in DC 1302. Please register as seating is limited.