Thursday, June 2, 2016

Apply now for the Bordeaux-Waterloo joint research grant

Myra Fernandes and Helen Sauzeon pose in front of a model depicting the neuroanatomical structure of the brain at the University of Bordeaux’s Neurosciences Unit.

A Waterloo psychology professor is taking virtual reality (VR) beyond video games and using it to help people suffering from memory problems due to aging and Alzheimer’s disease.

The opportunity for Myra Fernandes to take her research to another level using VR has been made possible through a partnership with Helen Sauzeon, psychology and cognitive sciences professor at the University of Bordeaux’s Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, as well as funding from a Bordeaux-Waterloo research grant.

“Spatial and navigational memory are the first to go with early Alzheimer’s disease, but with the use of Bordeaux’s lab we can set up virtual routes for people to navigate, and determine whether there are strategies to enhance memory,” says Myra.

In a pilot study, people were asked to trace a route on a map with their finger, also known as active encoding. Myra and Helen then test to see whether the active encoding improves later memory of the route compared to simply viewing it.

“We hope to extend this technique to a more real-world setting using VR in which people simulate walking through a route, rather than simply viewing it. This research may help those with early Alzheimer’s disease find ways to preserve some memories,” says Myra.

The Bordeaux-Waterloo research grant, supported by the Strategic Plan, stems from a relationship that goes back several years. The collaborations have enhanced the professional roles of researchers at Waterloo and Bordeaux, and deepened international relationships. The grant supports research collaborations with funding in two categories. Up to $50,000 is available for research projects in priority fields including materials science, water, energy, and aging. Up to 15,000 Euros is available for projects in all fields for emerging research collaborations.

Two years ago Scott Hopkins, an assistant professor of chemistry, was awarded a joint research grant to collaborate with Bordeaux’s Valérie Gabelica. Along with Bordeaux, he and his team are using computational modelling and leading-edge experimental techniques to understand how anti-cancer and anti-aging drugs interact with DNA at the atomic level. While Waterloo is providing the custom code for the modelling, Bordeaux offers access to labs with unique instruments not available in Canada. Scott has sent an NSERC scholarship student to work on the project in the Bordeaux lab for six months, and another student is scheduled to visit in September.

“We’ve created a highly successful, mutually beneficial collaboration,” says Scott. “The people at Bordeaux are a joy to work with, and this research wouldn’t be possible without the unique lab facilities they offer. We plan to continue collaborating well past the end of the grant period.”

Applications for the Bordeaux-Waterloo Research Grants will be accepted until June 19. For questions or more information, please contact Drew Knight in Waterloo International.

Cloud-hosted e-mail domain name selected

A message from Information Systems & Technology (IST)

Nearly 3,000 votes for the new cloud-hosted e-mail service domain name were received by Information Systems & Technology (IST). Thank you to those who took the time to vote for their preferred name and offered feedback.

The preferred domain name, by a significant majority, is @edu.uwaterloo.ca. IST is now working to set up the Office 365 e-mail environment using this new domain name. Updates on this work and next steps in the process will be shared on IST’s ‘Undergraduate student cloud email service’ page when available.

New FAQ’s have been added to this page relating to questions received regarding:

• content published with an @uwaterloo.ca email address, and
• the impact of the change on students graduating and becoming alumni.

IST and the Federation of Students (FEDS) are also working collaboratively to plan a summer term information/Q&A session during which students can ask questions related to IST, department roles/responsibilities, services offered, and ongoing projects/initiatives, including Office 365. More details on this event will be shared once confirmed.  

Staff program offers opportunities to gain new perspectives

This is the latest in a series of #UWStratPlan stories that profile some of the initiatives that are part of the robust efforts to implement the Strategic Plan. 

Ideas are borderless these days. They move by email from one corner of the globe to another in a split second.

But there is still something to be said about the benefits of getting people out of the office to meet colleagues face to face. Even better, doing it in unfamiliar places thousands of kilometres away.

"When you see things that are similar, yet new and different, you start to ask better questions," says Sue Grant, assistant director of the Organizational and Human Development Department (OHD) at the University of Waterloo. "You start listening differently. You even start thinking about yourself differently and asking yourself how you make a difference on campus."

Creating a robust, collaborative employer-employee relationship is one of the eight themes of the University’s Strategic Plan. One aspect of that is the Staff International Experience Fund (SIEF), which gives University staff — the thousands of people who keep programs and services running smoothly — opportunities to enhance their skills in completely different settings.

SIEF was rolled out a couple of years ago by Waterloo International. The fund provides staff members with the chance to travel and engage in collaborative work abroad.

A SIEF trip to Turkey, for example, brought back more awareness of the cultural and family interests of Arab students‚ useful information for Waterloo’s counselling services. Another SIEF visit reaped fresh ideas from European universities on how to support first-year university students.

“The idea is to have the people who work here think of themselves as learners,” Grant says.

A successful SIEF applicant herself, Grant spent a few weeks in Australia in the late fall of 2015. She met with colleagues at three universities to find out what they are doing with employer-employee relations, mentoring and overall campus wellness.

Read the rest of the article on the Strategic Plan website.

Thursday's notes

Student testers wanted for Portal App Beta: Join a select group of students who get early access to the official Portal App! Sign-up to participate in a beta session test and provide your feedback on your experience using the app. Get a sneak peek of the app before the rest of campus and enjoy a free pizza lunch. Sessions will be held on:

• Wednesday, June 8, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Thursday, June 9, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Register early to reserve your spot.

Well ain't that a kick in the head: Waterloo alumna and staff member at the Centre for Career Action Silvana Shamuon has broken a world record for "Most Items Kicked Off People's Heads In One Minute." The record-breaking attempt took place on Wednesday, June 1 at St. David's high school in Waterloo.

According to the rules and guidelines, volunteers had to be standing at 5 feet, 4.1 inches and balance footballs on top of their (protected) heads, which Shamuon would then have to kick off. The previous record was 57 items, and Shamuon kicked 59 items to set a new record. Congratulations!