Friday, July 22, 2016

New Research Gateway System coming to campus

The Research Gateway System project team has chosen Pure from Elsevier as the new all-in-one research administration system for Waterloo faculty, staff, and students. Implementation will begin in August.

As part of the Transformational Research theme in the University’s Strategic Plan, the Office of Research is committed to implementing Gateway to strengthen research services and assist in facilitating research excellence across campus.

To learn more about Pure and how it will affect the Waterloo research community, visit the Gateway web page.

Waterloo sponsors Nature Unleashed exhibit at THEMUSEUM

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​By Amy Geddes and Sarah J. Brown. This is the latest in a series of #UWCommunity stories that feature Waterloo in the community.

Usually, you count yourself lucky to have avoided natural disasters first-hand. But Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters, the newest exhibit at THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener, intentionally immerses visitors in the natural disaster experience via interactive displays.

Sponsored in part by the University of Waterloo in a three-way partnership between Community Relations, the Water Institute and the Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC3), visitors of all ages are invited to stand in the eye of a tornado, build a volcano, and move tectonic plates. A dialogue series of public lectures later in the fall, some featuring Waterloo faculty members, will augment the experience.

“Depending on where you live, you are likely most informed of the disasters you are personally most at risk of in your local area,” says Roy Brouwer, executive director of the Water Institute. “Nature Unleashed brings a greater understanding of both the mechanisms and impact of all kinds of natural disasters that different communities experience around the world. This helps to cultivate a global literacy on natural disasters, the science behind them, the hardships of those impacted and, most importantly, the solutions available for mitigating them.

The Water Institute and IC3 share a common goal of bringing experts from across disciplines together to promote interdisciplinary dialogue, innovation, and the ability to investigate some of the world’s most pressing challenges from every possible angle. Nature Unleashed embodies the use of applied, interactive education that helps adults and young people alike to understand complex, global issues like natural disasters.

“Natural disasters are one of the many areas where water and climate change issues intersect and collaborative research and education is needed to better understand how to lessen our risk,” says Daniel Scott, Executive Director of IC3 and a member of the Water Institute. 

Waterloo staff, faculty, alumni and students receive 25 percent off admission to the exhibit.

Nature Unleashed, created by The Field Museum of Chicago, will be on display at THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener until February 20, 2017. Find out more at TheMuseum’s exhibit website.

Waterloo staff, faculty, alumni and students can receive 25 percent off admission to the exhibit when purchasing tickets online. Send an email to cre@uwaterloo.ca with your WatIM ID to get the promo code. 

Building English language and Canadian pride

by Ryan Connell. This is an excerpt of an article that originally appeared on the Renison English Language Institute's website.

Most Canada Day celebrations are known nationally for their enthusiastic and upbeat crowds. The kindness and friendliness of the crowd makes for a perfect setting for our Renison English Language Institute students wishing to build their language skills.

This year, students from Renison’s English For Academic Success (EFAS) program volunteered for the University of Waterloo’s Canada Day celebrations, a festive tradition that attracts more than 60,000 people across Waterloo Region each year.

Haruka Tenjimbayashi, an EFAS student in the program’s level 200, was very excited to learn about the opportunity to volunteer at the celebration.

"Because it was my first time to volunteer ever, I was really interested in volunteering for Canada Day," Haruka said. "The event also looked so exciting!"

Haruka signed up to volunteer at the face painting station for the festival, helping to paint Canada flags and maple leaves on children’s faces. Her favourite part was seeing the smiles she could bring to their faces.

"It was so much fun," said the Osaka, Japan native. "I liked that people even wore costumes about Canada. And before the fireworks started, I was impressed because all the people began to sing a Canadian song."

Of course, Haruka means O Canada.

Ayaka Masuda, another level 200 EFAS student, was also surprised to see most Canadians sing the country’s national anthem right before the splashy fireworks show. For Ayaka, she wanted to meet a lot of native speakers and practice her oral skills.

“I couldn’t speak English very well, so I wanted to practice more English,” Ayaka shared. Ayaka arrived in Canada from Osaka this past April.

Ayaka has already been very active this past term in the EFAS program, taking initiative to organize weekly events and activities for her classmates so they could learn more about Japanese art and culture. Weekly sessions taught students about the history and traditions from Japan, including recreation and leisure activities.

Overall, 23 students from the EFAS program volunteered at the event. An additional four graduates from Renison’s Bridge to Academic Success in English program also volunteered. 

Read the rest of the article on the English Language Institute website.

Friday's notes

Spaces are running out on the UW Staff Association's annual shopping trip to Erie, Pennsylvania from November 11 to 13. The UWSA's website has more details about the trip. Hosts Sue Fraser (fraser@uwaterloo.ca) and Peggy Day (pday@uwaterloo.ca) are happy to answer any questions you might have about the trip.

Three chamber ensembles made up of student musicians will be performing a selection of classical music on Sunday, July 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Conrad Grebel University College chapel.

Musical selections include Rachmaninov's Elégiac Trio, Bartok's "Contrasts," and Haydn's Trio No. 30 in E flat.

Admission is free, and a reception will follow the performance.