Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Students head to Rome on food policy mission

By Dheana Ramsay. This article was originally posted on the Faculty of Environment news site.

“When in Rome”, the adage goes, “do as the Romans”. That’s exactly what 16 students from Jennifer Clapp’s International Food Policy course will be doing for the next two weeks; taking their studies out of the classroom and into the heart of international food policy.

Many of the world’s top food policy organizations have their headquarters in Rome, making it the perfect destination for a field course designed to give student’s firsthand experience of real-world policy making. “The textbook is written by an academic who also had a long career as a policy maker.” Professor Jennifer Clapp explains, “And to prepare for the trip students will read Canada’s Food Security Strategy and other real-world negotiated policy documents.”

This is the first time environment students will visit the University of Waterloo’s Rome campus and the opportunity has attracted both undergraduate and graduate students excited for the immersive experience. “Being able to attend an International Food Policy course with an influential teacher in the heart of where many global food organizations lie is a privileged learning experience.” says sustainability management student Chelsea Hunt.

The first week of the international food course will focus on global food governance, with trips to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and Biodiversity International. During week two, students will explore international food assistance, with visits to the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the World Food Program. They’ll also get a chance to tour the Canadian Embassy, meet the author of their textbook and enjoy a weekend hiking excursion.

While the Waterloo campus will serve as home base, students will stay in dorm-style apartments at the Pantheon Institute a few blocks away, giving them the opportunity to shop at the local markets and prepare their own food; to “do as the Romans” during their stay - something Geography student Christine Tan is looking forward to.

"I think that this field course gives way for a lot of opportunities to learn and experience new things. Not only is this course educational, it also provides personal time to reflect what we've learned, while immersing ourselves in the Italian culture.”

Which is exactly what Professor Clapp had in mind when she created the course. “I really hope they get a sense for that real-world policy making,” she says, “and just a better sense of what the structure of global food security governance looks like. It’s often really hard to convey that in the classroom.”

The ERS 473/675 field course will be in Rome from July 4^th to 15^th. You can follow their journey on Twitter using the hashtag #UWFoodPolicy.

Art installation asks participants to channel their inner train

A scene from the installation at the Critical Media Lab on the corner of Charles and Gaukel in Kitchener. Photograph by Stephen Trothen.

A University of Waterloo student multimedia installation on display in downtown Kitchener features people acting like trains in the name of art.

"Every Day I Am a Train" is both a celebration and a commentary on the Region of Waterloo’s ION light rail transit system.

“The project is a collaborative effort that I developed with students in the Critical Media Lab,” writes Marcel O’Gorman, associate professor in English Language and Literature. “These students are English majors in the Experimental Digital Media (XDM) M.A. program and PhD students working in the area of technology and culture.”

The project involves 19 people portraying trains using sound effects and body language for 60 seconds at a time. The installation has been on display in the Critical Media Lab, which overlooks a downtown LRT construction site.

“It shows that our dreams of progress are rooted in childhood fantasy, play, risk-taking, and even irrational behaviour,” writes O’Gorman. “At the same time, the project acknowledges that we pay a price for progress. Construction surrounding the installation makes the work difficult to view. The project allows people a chance to let off some steam, so to speak, in face of the traffic chaos caused by our LRT madness.”

O’Gorman notes that before the phonograph, radio, and television were showcased as fantasy technologies at the Canadian National Exhibition, electric trains were in the spotlight. Trains, O’Gorman says, represented progress.

“Our incoming LRT is part of that technological trajectory, tapping into a cultural mania for innovation. This is obvious in the name of our LRT system: the Ion. This train is more than just a transportation service, it's a symbol of technoscientific progress. The message is that there's a fine line between modern particle physics and light rail commuting. Any city that wants to be viewed as technologically progressive is jumping onboard.”

So, what does a video installation about people and trains have to do with the Critical Media Lab?

“The CML supports the creation of media projects that investigate impacts of technology on the human condition," writes O’Gorman. "Trains are an important part of our technological heritage, and more importantly, of our technological imagination.”

Waterloo, Laurier students lead special needs camp

Students from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University will host 40 children during the 23^rd Arts Express summer camp from July 4 to 8.

Arts Express is an inclusive summer camp experience for children with special needs and their siblings and friends. This program offers children ages six to 14 the opportunity to explore music, art, dance and drama in a setting that focuses on each child’s unique abilities and capacity for creativity through the arts.

Camp activities are led by students from a variety of faculties at both Waterloo and WLU who are enrolled in a Laurier music therapy course called “Inclusive Arts for Children.” Students who take the course have a strong interest in working with children and various special populations. The course teaches students how they can integrate the arts into their work.

Arts Express was established in 1993 by WLU, KidsAbility, Conestoga College's Early Childhood Education program, the University of Waterloo and Carousel Dance Centre. The weekday camp takes place at KidsAbility in Waterloo.

The camp will conclude with a performance of the musical play “Adventures in Story” at the Maureen Forrester Recital Hall on WLU's Waterloo campus on Friday, July 8.

Velocity Science grand opening July 12

Velocity and the University of Waterloo Faculty of Science will be celebrating the opening of the new Velocity Science lab next Tuesday, and are inviting members of the University community to join the fun.

Located in the Earth Sciences and Chemistry (ESC) building, the lab, which has tripled in size to 2,500 square feet, is fully operational, with many science startups already utilizing the discovery space. This expansion will better provide students interested in building a science startup with the lab space, equipment, and mentorship needed to initiate and develop world-class science companies.

The Velocity Science Grand Opening is free for anyone to attend, and everyone's invited to come and check out the renovated space, as well as meet some of the exciting startups calling Velocity Science home.

Refreshments will be provided.

Please register for the event.

Remembering Vidyadhar Godambe; other notes

Human Resources has reported that Professor Emeritus Vidyadhar Godambe died on June 9. Professor Godambe began his career at the University in July 1967 as a visiting professor in Statistics and Actuarial Sciences. His research focus included the foundations of statistical inferences and sample surveys. He later received tenure as Professor in July 1969. He was once awarded the Gold Medal of the Statistics Society of Canada. He retired in July 1991.

Plant Operations is reporting that electrical power in several rooms in Engineering 5 will be shut off on Thursday, July 7 from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. as a new breaker is wired in. The effected rooms include 1014, 1017, 1018, and 1909. Please ensure that computer equipment is properly shut down the night before.

In addition, domestic hot and cold water will be shut off in Room 5511 of the Math & Computer building on Saturday, July 9 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. as lines are capped for a renovation.