Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Velocity Start opens in South Campus Hall

A message from Velocity.

We are excited to open the doors to Velocity Start, a new 6,000 sq ft space on-campus for people who want to learn about entrepreneurship and collaborate with like-minded people. Resources include lounge and workspace, booking space, weekly workshops, a maker space with 3D printers and hand tools (coming soon), startup coaching, and problem lab workshops to help students identify big problems worth solving.

Velocity Start is located on the second floor of South Campus Hall in the former Festival Fare location and is open to students starting Monday, January 11. Feel free to drop by, check out the space, and say hi to the Velocity staff. There is a growing need for entrepreneurship resources on campus, and this new space is intended to be the first stop on campus for people to discover what entrepreneurship is all about, and receive mentorship.

Upcoming programming for Velocity Start includes:

• Our first event, Science Talks, on Tuesday, January 19 at 7:30 p.m.; and
• An informal Velocity Start Programs Kickoff, on Wednesday, January 20 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., followed by Find Your Kick A** Idea from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.

Stay tuned for an official Open House event later in the Winter 2016 term.

New mandatory workplace safety training course

A new mandatory employee training course program around hazardous materials is required to keep the University compliant with new legislation, a message from the Safety Office says.

"Canada has aligned the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), titling federal and provincial legislation WHMIS 2015," says the memo from Director Kate Windsor, which was circulated to employees last week. "WHMIS 2015 will require a move to a new labelling system, which can already be seen on hazardous products arriving in the workplace. In order to be compliant with WHMIS 2015 legislation, all employees must be trained."

"Canadian employers have a transition period for hazardous product labelling and (Material) Safety Data Sheet - (M)SDS compliance that extends to December 2018, however all employees must receive training in WHMIS 2015 now," says the memo. "Employers must ensure that the workplace is compliant with both the original WHMIS system and the new WHMIS 2015 requirements as long as both labelling systems are present in the workplace."

In response to these developments, the Safety Office is introducing a new WHMIS 2015 course (approx. 1-hour duration) to replace both the WHMIS material contained in the Employee Orientation course and in the stand-alone WHMIS course. All employees (new and existing), regardless of job description, must complete the WHMIS 2015 course. The course is valid for 5 years, after which it must be repeated as a refresher.

Employee WHMIS 2015 is available through LEARN. To take the online course you must first "self-register". In order to self-register, your @uwaterloo.ca email account must be activated (if it is not activated visit your faculty or departmental computing support for assistance). Follow these directions to self-register:

• Go to the LEARN home page
• Login using your University of Waterloo nexus username and password (same as MyHRInfo).
• Click the "Self Registration" link at top of page
• Select "Employee WHMIS 2015" from the list.
• If the login fails contact learnhlp@uwaterloo.ca for assistance.

Additional online orientation courses including SO1001 - Employee Safety Orientation, SO1081 - Workplace Violence Awareness, and SO1100 - Supervisor Safety Awareness are accessible from the Safety Office’s Training Programs webpage.​

Centre for Career Action re-launches employee workshops

by Saja Al-Biladi.

Employee career development workshops are once again available through the Centre for Career Action. All sessions run over the lunch hour and take place in the Tatham Centre.

The following workshops will run this winter term. Employees interested in attending are encouraged to register early, as spaces are limited. 

• Résumé tips (Wednesday, January 27)
• Interviews: Preparing for questions (Friday, February 5)
• Pursue a part-time or on-line degree at Waterloo, Undergraduate programs (Tuesday, February 23)
• Pursue a part-time or on-line degree at Waterloo, Graduate programs (Wednesday, March 2)
• CV tips  (Tuesday, March 15)
• Learning the basics of LinkedIn (Wednesday, April 13)
• You’re in charge: Excel in your career at Waterloo (Thursday, April 28) 

Coffee and treats will be served at all sessions, and attendees are welcome to bring their lunch.

The Centre for Career Action provides workshops and confidential individual career advising at no cost to University of Waterloo employees who are in regular appointments or temporary assignments of one year or longer. This service falls under the University of Waterloo’s strategic Robust Employer-Employee Relationship theme, in which one of the objectives is to “enable staff to fulfill their potential in a career at the university.”

For inquiries and further information, contact the Employee Career Advisor. 

Two new exhibits on display at the Library

A message from the Library.

H. Spencer Clark in the Soviet Union is an online exhibit curated by our past co-op student, Eva Lau. In the summer of 1931, Herbert Spencer Clark visited Europe as part of a study group led by Dr. Sherwood Eddy. Between July 25 and August 9, Spencer visited various locations of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (i.e. USSR, or Soviet Union) to examine first hand the economic and social conditions of the nation, as well as the effects of the revolution. Eva hand picked items from Spencer’s travel diary, scrapbook, and correspondence in order to tell this story.

Highlights from the new archives we received in 2015 are also on display in the cabinets at the entrance to the Doris Lewis Rare Book Room.

Debugging the gender gap and other notes

On Thursday, January 14, Professor Jo Atlee, director of Women in Computer Science, will be hosting a screening of the movie CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap." 

Through compelling interviews, artistic animation and clever flashpoints in popular culture, the CODE documentary examines the reasons why more girls and people of color are not seeking opportunities in computer science and explores how cultural mindsets, stereotypes, educational hurdles and sexism all play roles in this national crisis. Expert voices from the worlds of tech, psychology, science, and education are intercut with inspiring stories of women who are engaged in the fight to challenge complacency in the tech industry and have their voices heard. CODE aims to inspire change in mindsets, in the educational system, in startup culture and in the way women see themselves in the field of coding.

Following the movie there will be an open discussion and Q&A period.

The event takes place from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in STC 0050.

The Status of Women and Equity Committee (SWEC) is seeking nominations for the fourth annual Equity and Inclusivity Award. This award is a celebration of excellence in equity, inclusivity, and diversity. The award recognizes a member or affiliate of the University of Waterloo community whose actions have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to improving equity, inclusivity, and/or diversity at the University of Waterloo. Send nomination packages by Saturday, January 30 to Kate Rybczynski, Chair of SWEC, at krybczyn@uwaterloo.ca. The successful candidate will be notified by February 12 and the award celebration will take place near the end of Winter Term.

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., Uken Games, Amazon, Desjardins General Insurance Group, McRae Integration Ltd., Noom Inc., D2L, TATA Consultancy Services, Loblaw Digital, A Thinking Ape Entertainment, TJX Canada, Loblaw Analytics, WeMesh, Stephenson Engineering Ltd., Blackberry, RBC Capital Markets Technology, TribalScale, Facebook, and eSentire.