Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Celebrating National Co-op Education Week

March 14 to 18 is National Co-operative Education Week. As a world leader in co-operative education, Waterloo has a lot to celebrate.

At yesterday’s Co-op Students of the Year Awards, Rachel McDonald, a fourth-year Health Studies student from the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences (AHS) received both the provincial and national Co-op Student of the Year awards from Education at Work Ontario (EWO) and the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE). This is the second year in a row that a Waterloo student has won the national award.

National Co-operative Education Week is organized by CAFCE and celebrates the growth of co-operative education programs across the country. To mark the occasion, Co-operative Education & Career Action (CECA) has organized events that showcase the impact co-op has at the University.

Events include:

• The 2015 Co-op Students of the Year Awards on Tuesday, March 15, where we celebrate Waterloo’s top co-op talent and their accomplishments while on their work terms.
• Participation in CAFCE’s social media contest. Tweet, share, and post about co-op!

Use the hashtags #coopweek and #hirecoop to take part and be sure to follow @CAFCE_CoopWeek on Twitter for a daily challenge and a chance to win some amazing prizes! You can also read about the outstanding accomplishments of this year’s Co-op Student of the Year winners.

For more information on National Co-op Week, please visit CAFCE’s website.

Vendor selected for student e-mail system

Information Systems & Technology (IST) is pleased to announce that the University of Waterloo will be implementing Microsoft Office 365 Education for undergraduate student e-mail, starting this fall.

Microsoft Office 365 Education is a cloud-based e-mail and calendar service that provides students anywhere access to a robust set of e-mail, calendaring, and productivity and collaboration tools.

Key features for students include:

• 50GB individual mailbox quota
• 150MB e-mail message size limit (25MB per file attachment)
• Fully integrated e-mail, calendar, tasks, and contacts available on all your devices
• Feature-rich web interface
• Integration with Microsoft Office Suite and OneDrive (online document storage), the benefits of which include:
  • 1TB of personal storage space accessible from anywhere
  • Allows you to create and edit documents using the office online programs or desktop software, collaborate with others to create and edit documents, share your documents with others, and sync your desktop/online files so they are always up-to-date

• Access to Office 365 ProPlus
  • A subscription-based service that provides students (as well as staff and faculty) with the latest versions of Microsoft Office for use on their personal PCs, Macs, tablets, and phones at no cost.
  • Office Online apps are included and lets users open Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or OneNote documents in a web browser
• Improved e-mail security and reliability

View all of the features available in Office 365 Education.

IST began the investigation into cloud hosting of undergraduate student e-mail in 2013, with the support of the Computing Technology Services Committee (CTSC) and the University Committee on Information Systems and Technology (UCIST). The investigation included consultations with the Undergraduate Student Relations Committee (USRC), the Student Success Office (SSO), and an online survey to seek input from the campus community. A project team developed requirements, including those pertaining to provider handling of personal information, and posted a Request for Proposals (RFP) in December 2015.

Updates on the implementation of Microsoft Office 365 will be shared with the University community as this work progresses.

Questions or comments can be submitted to the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca. 

GLOW shines as it celebrates a milestone

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

On March 8, 2016, the Glow Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity celebrated 45 years of transforming lives at the University of Waterloo. A Federation of Students service, the Glow Centre is the oldest queer organization of its kind in Canada.

Located in room 2102 inside the Student Life Centre, Glow is managed by passionate undergraduates who devote their time to organizing events, maintaining resources on gender and sexuality, and advocating for causes such as gender-neutral washrooms on campus.

During the week of March 7-11, 2016, student leaders put together an array of engaging events to mark the milestone including highlights like a karaoke night and a series of monologues called Tales From The Inside. The main event was held on March 7 at 6 p.m. featuring guest speakers like local activist, Jim Parrott, and former Feds VP Education and Glow Coordinator, Adam Garcia, who shared their personal experiences with the centre, shedding light on its positive actions and outcomes, and expressing excitement at its expanding efforts to help the community. Hosted in Hagey Hall (Humanities Theatre), this particular location was chosen because the first meeting of the Waterloo University Gay Liberation Movement was held in room 161 inside Hagey Hall in 1971.

Andrews Garcia Rodriguez and Shari Brown, the current coordinators for the Glow Centre, are proud of how the service has evolved: 

“In the future we hope to amplify our advocacy efforts. We will start this new venture towards more advocacy with our protest on the restrictions on men who sleep with men donating blood, which will take place on parliament in October 2016. We have also been considering the idea of working more closely with the Co-operative Education and Career Action Centre (CECA) to create a workplace that is more inclusive.”

The Glow Centre plays an important role in helping to develop and inspire a progressive, healthy, and caring community across campus. More information can be found on feds.ca.

Secretariat announces faculty senate election

There will be an election for the Faculty-At-Large Senate representative beginning tomorrow, according to an announcement from the Secretariat & Office of General Counsel.

There are eight available Faculty-At-Large senate positions, and they are being contested by the following nine candidates:

• Carmen Bruni (Mathematics)
• Marios Ioannidis (Engineering)
• Spiro Karigiannis (Mathematics)
• Mungo Marsden (Science)
• Brian McNamara (Science)
• Daniel O’Connor (Arts)
• Neil Randall (Arts)
• Ross Willard (Mathematics)
• Dan Wolczuk (Mathematics)

The electronic poll, which is open to all regular faculty, opens on Thursday, March 17 and will close on Wednesday, March 23. An electronic ballot will be e-mailed to eligible voters. 

Voters can review each candidate's campaign statement on the Secretariat & Office of General Counsel's website.

Senate Bylaw 3 contains more information on nominations and elections. Any questions should be directed to Emily Schroeder at extension 32749.

Capstone Design projects now on display

The next big innovation to hit the marketplace could be among the Waterloo student projects on display at the annual Capstone Design symposia, beginning this week. Members of the public are invited to view the projects.

Senior-year engineering students at Waterloo will exhibit projects ranging from a technology that reduces agricultural water waste through intelligent irrigation systems to a device that may help people with Parkinson`s disease avoid falls.

Capstone Design is a degree requirement for undergraduate engineering students at Waterloo. During the symposia from March 16 through 24, at least 700 students in 12 programs will present more than 150 projects.

"Capstone Design challenges fourth-year students to conceptualize and design solutions to real-world problems,” said Wayne Parker, acting dean of engineering. "As in previous years, we anticipate that some of these innovative projects will lead to successful startups and the commercialization of new products and services.”

On March 30, 15 qualifying teams will compete for $60,000 in a pitch presentation funded by the Esch Foundation. The winner of the Sedra People's Choice Award will receive an additional $3,000 in funding.

Additional project highlights this year include:

• Dynamic bifocals that adjust lenses to the user’s distance or reading prescription
• Sweat-absorbing undergarments designed for professionals
• Technology design for producing, storing and recovering energy for household use
• Wearable hands-free camera that tracks the target
• Revolutionary suitcase that generates power as you travel
• System that collects and manages data on indoor air quality
• Self-learning tutoring system for piano
• Nano-electronic sensor that quickly detects toxic gases
• An Android game that teaches financial skills to people with literacy challenges in Tanzania
• Design of an on-campus brewery to be used as an educational centre
• New flying-wing roller coaster concept for theme parks
• Formula car chassis that is a hybrid steel-tube and carbon-fibre structure, making it both strong and lightweight

GM Canada has joined the Capstone Design program as its exclusive automotive partner. The company’s five-year sponsorship will help expose students to automotive-based project ideas and GM Canada innovations.

Check the Capstone Design page for a full list of symposium dates. The projects will be on display in the Davis Centre.

Wednesday's notes

To accommodate students preparing for exams, the Library will be extending its hours from March 27 to April 23. The Davis Centre branch will be opened 24 hours except Sundays from 2:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. Porter will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m every day.

Check the Library's website for more detailed information.

Deloitte is hosting its annual National Leadership Conference from August 17 to 19, and 100 students from across Canada will be selected to participate in a summer conference focused on challenging themselves to redefine what success looks like in their career.

Students from all programs and academic terms are eligible to apply. Applications are due on March 18. 

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include Achievers and KPMG.

Human Resources is reporting that retiree Leni Koehler died on March 11. Leni began working at Waterloo in September 1992. She worked in Housing and Residences as a Housekeeper in Village One. She retired in June 2005. Leni is survived by her husband, Emil.

Here's the latest Nutrition Month "Myth vs. Fact" supplied by Health Services Nutritionist Sandra Ace:

Myth: Locally produced food isn’t in season.

Fact:  Buying local food has many advantages. It’s delicious, nutritious, well-priced, supports local farmers and benefits the environment. However at this time of year it can be hard to find anything but imported foods in most supermarkets. Last week I attended a “Locally Grown” cooking show put on for students by University of Waterloo Food Services. Our talented campus chefs prepared a variety of student-friendly recipes using ingredients purchased at the local wholesale food auction, and based on attendance, student feedback and my own personal sampling, I can vouch that the food was fantastic! It was a good reminder that local foods are available in Waterloo region throughout the year. Recipes featured parsnips, beets, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onions, mushrooms, apples and colorful greenhouse-grown peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs, as well as eggs, meats and maple syrup.

If you have always thought of shopping for local food as a summer and fall activity, think again. March is a great month to visit a nearby farmers market in St. Jacobs, Kitchener or Cambridge  - you’ll find excellent variety, great deals, friendly vendors and lighter crowds. Consider a March break trip if you have kids – it’s a wonderful time to get them involved in picking out and preparing a tasty meal using sustainably-produced foods. For more information on other places to buy local food, visit Foodlink Waterloo  Region Facebook page or check their website, where you’ll also find availability, selection and storage tips as well as lots of recipes. Bon appétit!