Wednesday, July 27, 2016

    Editor:
    Brandon Sweet
    University Communications
    bulletin@uwaterloo.ca


    CANEU Co-op wins international education award

    Members of the CANEU Co-op team pose for a group photo.

    By Andreea Perescu

    Now in its seventh year, CANEU Co-op has won the 2016 British Columbia Council for International Education (BCCIE) award.

    CANEU (which stands for CANadian European Union) is a unique co-operative education experience that partners two North American universities with two European universities. European students travel to Waterloo or Victoria, BC to study, while Canadian students travel to Germany or Austria on work terms.

    Lisa ter Woort, one of four founders of CANEU Co-op and account manager, international, at Co-operative Education and Career Action (CECA), says this is the story of four universities coming together to make a unique co-op program. “This all started when I took on a new role at the University in co-op. I was asked to go to a workshop in the U.S. to learn a little bit more about how co-op can be different at different universities,” said ter Woort.

    At the workshop, ter Woort met a future founding member of CANEU Co-op: Johannes Haas from FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Science in Austria. Passionate about increasing international co-operative education, Haas and ter Woort parted ways with plans to collaborate in the future. In 2008, they came across a game-changing opportunity.

    “I saw this item, and it caught my eye. It was essentially a pot of money from Human Resources Development Canada (HRTC), encouraging Canadian post-secondary institutions to form a collaboration with other institutions,” said ter Woort.

    The grant aimed to increase student mobility internationally, and that’s just what CANEU Co-op set out to do – offer students the chance to branch out and develop their skills overseas. The timing had been perfect. Across the ocean, Haas had come across the same opportunity.

    “It started in 2009, and we had funding for three years from the Canadian government. We applied for the $200,000. HRTC Canada received 48 applications and they funded eight. We were one of eight that received funding,” said ter Woort.

    Ter Woort and Haas were joined by the University of Victoria, British Columbia, and Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University Heidenheim University in Germany. “So we ended up with four partners and we put together a proposal. The key parts of the proposal involved three innovative things,” explained ter Woort.

    The first was a winning concept that paired European students with Canadian students throughout the eight months program. The second focused on using research to further understand if international experience improves intercultural capability. The last component was piloting a hybrid agreement that would allow Canadian students to travel to Europe for work terms exclusively, while European students would benefit from study terms.

    Having played a key part in building CANEU co-op from the ground up, ter Woort has helped establish a renowned program. The BCCIE award celebrates distinguished education leaders from across Canada and abroad.

    “I’m totally excited how CANEU co-op was in itself a great opportunity to work with people at very different levels and different institutions, and to see how it did grow opportunities for our students,” said ter Woort.

    Researchers receive grant for dementia services innovation

    Waterloo researchers have received a grant that will help improve products and services for people living with dementia.

    The University of Waterloo project, recently funded by Canadian technology and aging network AGE-WELL, will explore how people with dementia can be involved in developing products and services that impact them. Increasingly, people with dementia want to be part of this process.

    Data collected by Associate Professor Mark Oremus of the School of Public Health and Health Systems and Lisa Loiselle, associate director of research at the Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program (MAREP), will inform practical resources for entrepreneurs and people with dementia looking to collaborate on technology projects.

    AGE-WELL, through its Strategic Investment Program (SIP), supports post-discovery commercialization, business development and knowledge dissemination, mobilization or translation activities.

    Oremus and Loiselle will receive an award of $25,000 for a 12-month term running from May to April.

    AGE-WELL was launched in 2015 through the federally funded Networks of Centres of Excellence program and strives to create real-world solutions that will make a meaningful impact on the lives of Canadian seniors and caregivers.

    Wednesday's notes

    Two students at a Lego Table in the Library.Hitting the bricks: on Monday and Tuesday of this week, students could stop by the Dana Porter, Davis Centre, and Musagetes libraries and de-stress in advance of exams by building with bricks at Lego tables. The brainchild of Library Ambassadors Rabia Gill and Karolina Kayko, the activity centres encourage students to build something and take a picture of it, tagging it #legobrary and submitting it to Twitter and Instagram. Rabia and Karolina will be judging the submissions and picking a winner.

    Human Resources is reporting that retiree Maria Vezza died on July 21. Maria started working at the University in September 1979 and held the position of Food Services Assistant in Village II. She retired in May 1994.

    Link of the day

    95 years ago: Banting and Best isolate insulin for the first time

    When and where

    Pre-examination Study Days, Wednesday, July 27 to Monday, August 1.

    The Writing Centre presents Say it in Your Own Words: Paraphrase & Summary, Wednesday, July 27, 2:00 p.m.

    ECU seminar featuring Jo-Ann Spicer, CFP, Wealth Management, “Dealing with Financial Decisions,” Wednesday, July 27, 4:45 p.m., Education Credit Union.

    SHAD public open house, Thursday, July 28, 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Great Hall, Conrad Grebel University College.

    WIN and Dept of Applied Math Joint Seminar featuring Professor Duncan J. Mowbray "The Role of Mathematical Modeling and Computer Simulation in Nanotechnology", Thursday, July 28, 3:30 p.m., QNC 1501.

    GreenHouse Social Impact ShowcaseThursday, July 28, 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Alumni Hall, St. Paul's University College.

    WIN Seminar featuring Professor Naoki Sugimoto, Frontier Institute for Biomolecular Engineering Research (FIBER), Graduate School of Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, Kobe, Japan, "Stability and Function of Nucleic Acids with Non-canonical Structures"Friday, July 29, 11:00 a.m., QNC 1501.

    August Civic Holiday, Monday, August 1, most University operations closed.

    On-campus examinations begin, Tuesday, August 2.

    The Writing Centre presents Grammar Studio Series, "Nuts and bolts: Basic grammar and sentence structure," Tuesday, August 2, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

    Stargazing Party and Lecture:Distant Planets and the Search for Life Beyond Our Solar System, Tuesday, August 2, 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., OPT 347 and Columbia Fields 3, 4.

    The Writing Centre presents Grammar Studio Series, "Putting it together: Advanced grammar and sentence structure," Thursday, August 4, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

    WISE Public Lecture Series featuring Madjid Soltani, “Natural Ventilation of Buildings Using a New Design of Wind-Catcher to Decrease Energy Consumption in Windy Regions,” Thursday, August 4, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., CPH 4333.

    Online class examination days,Friday, August 5 and Saturday, August 6.

    Quantum Cryptography School for Young Students (QCSYS), Friday, August 5 to Friday, August 12, QNC 0101.

    Conrad Grebel Peace Camp, Monday, August 8 to Friday, August 12, Conrad Grebel University College.

    School of Phamacy Research Seminar: Targeted mass spectrometric methods for the identification of asthma biomarkers, Monday, August 8, 10:30 a.m., Pharmacy 2009.

    The Writing Centre presents Grammar Studio Series, "Connecting the dots: Structure and Organization," Tuesday, August 9, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

    The Writing Centre presents Grammar Studio Series, Making it shine: Conciseness and revision strategies," Thursday, August 11, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

    On-campus examinations end, Saturday, August 13.

    Co-operative Work Term ends, Friday, August 26.

    Positions available

    On this week's list from the human resources department, viewable through myHRinfo:

    • Job ID# 3300 – Administrative Coordinator & Advisor UG Studies – Sociology and Legal Studies, USG 6
    • Job ID# 3307 – Assistant Supervisor – Food Services, USG 5/6
    • Job ID# 3308 – Cook, Regular Recurring – Food Services
    • Job ID# 3310 – Coordinator of Sport Clubs & Camps – Athletics & Recreational Services, USG 7
    • Job ID# 3277 – IT Specialist – Plant Operations, USG 8-10
    • Job ID# 3301 – Academic Development Specialist – Student Success Office, USG 10
    • Job ID# 3311 – Associate Vice-President, Marketing & Strategic Initiatives – Marketing & Strategic Communications, USG 17

    Internal secondment opportunities, viewable on myCareer@uWaterloo:

    • After Hours Lead Hand – Housing & Residences, USG 5
    • Administrative Supervisor and Course Scheduler – School of Accounting & Finance, USG 8
    • Experiential Learning and Career Development Coach – School of Accounting and Finance, USG 8