Thursday, May 12, 2016

Water Institute funding quenches thirst for interdisciplinary research

Global water issues are becoming increasingly complex and often require a collaborative approach across a breadth of disciplines. To stimulate interdisciplinary water research, on Monday, May 9 the University of Waterloo’s Water Institute announced it had awarded six teams a combined total of $112,000 during its most recent winter Seed Grants Program application round.

The program awards a total of $150,000 annually, with competitions generally held during fall and winter terms. The goal is to catalyze interdisciplinary collaboration, facilitate interaction with national or international authorities, to encourage new areas of research and to encourage the development of research proposals.

“This program is an important instrument for the Water Institute to initiate novel inter- and trans-disciplinary collaboration between faculties, departments and research groups at Waterloo, and with potential end-users,” says Roy Brouwer, executive director of the Water Institute. “It also encourages creative and unconventional thought — something that distinguishes and brands the research carried out at the University of Waterloo and is in line with NSERC’s 2020 discovery research strategy.”

Project teams must be led by a Water Institute member and demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach, involving a minimum of three departments or two faculties per team.

2015/16 grant recipients for Winter 2016 include:

• Public perception and priorities for safe water in Accra, Ghana, featuring researchers from Geography and Environmental Management, the School of Public Health and Health Systems, and the United Nations University for Water, Environment and Health;
• Establishment of the first and most detailed account of lake-levels in the Peace-Athabasca Delta: a key hydrologic node of the Mackenzie River Basin, northwestern Canada, featuring researchers from Earth and Environmental Sciences, Biology, and Geography and Environmental Management;
• Implementing an open access GIS and satellite imaging system to inform health system spatial planning in Western District, Zambia, featuring researchers from the School of Public Health and Health Systems, Geography and Environmental Management, Aberystwyth University, and the United Nations University for Water, Environment and Health;
• Reactive interfaces in agroecosystems: meta-analysis and uncertainty analysis of biogeochemical functions in agricultural landscapes, featuring researchers from Earth and Environmental Sciences, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Economics Geography and Environmental Management, and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change;
• Improving weather forecasting models with satellite data assimilation: a new initiative at University of Waterloo, featuring Geography and Environmental Management, Systems Design Engineering, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Environment Canada;
•  Catching ripples in the water: a social- ecological regime shifts approach to understand abrupt changes in coastal watersheds and crafting governance arrangements, featuring researchers from the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development, Environment, Resources and Sustainability, Geography and Environmental Management, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Civil and Environmental Engineering.

2015/16 grant recipients for fall 2015 include:

• Boomerang effect: climate change adaptation, organized violence and regional (in)security, featuring researchers from the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development, Economics, and Geography and Environmental Management; and
• Do watershed biogeochemical models really inform coastal ecology and environmental policy? Assessing knowledge gaps and charting the way forward in linking hydrology, biogeochemistry and land use to coastal ecosystem functions and environmental impacts, featuring researchers from Earth and Environmental Sciences, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability. 

Sabbaticals 101 aims to help academics and their families

Faculty members interested in reducing the stress, easing the transition, and increase the joy of their next sabbatical are invited to attend a University of Waterloo Recreational Committee (UWRC) talk on Tuesday, May 17 at noon entitled "Sabbaticals 101 with Nancy Matthews."

Matthews, author of the recently-revised, 2^nd edition of Sabbaticals 101: A Practical Guide for Academics and Their Families, will lead a discussion on the planning needed after the professional arrangements have been made. 

Matthews will look at issues such as finding housing, the "trailing spouse," the joys of international banking and taxes, the settling-in blues, and re-entry. 

"Whether you're planning your first or fourth sabbatical, travelling across the world or just settling into a city nearby, bring your questions and sabbatical tales to share," writes Matthews. "Spouses/partners welcome!"

Copies of the book will be available for purchase. 

Register for the session by e-mailing Nancy.

Matthews is a veteran of numerous overseas sabbaticals and exchanges with her now-retired husband, Waterloo's David Matthews of Statistics and Actuarial Science and their two sons. She has supplemented this personal experience with interviews of more than 50 other sabbatical veterans (many from Waterloo), as well as research on cross-cultural adjustment, travelling with children, living abroad, and returning home.  Nancy is also the coordinator of Waterloo's International Spouses.  

Farewell event for Mike Kirkup and other notes

"You are invited to attend Mike Kirkup’s farewell celebration to celebrate all he has accomplished for Velocity and for the broader entrepreneurship community," says a note from Velocity. "As Director of Velocity, Mike has played a central role in developing a thriving startup community in Waterloo region, fostering student interest in entrepreneurship, and guiding numerous startups to success. This farewell celebration is to thank him for everything he has done to help students, startups, and faculty at the University of Waterloo, and to wish him the best in his next adventure."

The event will take place on Thursday, May 19 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Communitech kitchen on the 2^nd floor, located in the Tannery building. RSVP by Wednesday, May 18.

Human Resources has reported the following staff retirements, effective May 1, 2016:

• Mark Haslett, who started at the University in August 1996, retires as University Librarian;
• Siva Ganeshalingam, who started at Waterloo in April 1997, retires as Senior Lab Instructor/Manager in Chemical Engineering;
• Dan Anderson, who joined the University in November 2008, retires as Director of UW Police Services; and
• Dawn Cheng, who began working at Waterloo in February 1999, retires as Faculty Secretary for the Dean of Engineering.

Congratulations all!

The following employee career development workshops are being offered at the Centre for Career Action this term:

• Résumé tips: Wednesday, May 18, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. 
• Effective cover letters: Tuesday, June 7, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. 
• Mindfulness and your career: Tuesday, June 14, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. 
• Discover your interests: Wednesday, June 22, 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. 

Employees who are interested in attending are encouraged to register early, as spaces are limited. 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 individual confidential career advising at no cost to University of Waterloo employees who are in regular appointments or temporary contracts of one year or longer.

For additional information, contact the Centre for Career Action at extension 84047 or by sending an e-mail to careers@uwaterloo.ca.