Wednesday, August 31, 2016

This week and next, welcome new students to campus

September has almost arrived, and thousands of new students will soon be moving into residences and participating in an array of engaging Orientation activities. Orientation runs from Friday, September 2 to Saturday, September 10. There will be targeted programming for the various groups coming to the University of Waterloo including first-year, international, American and out-of-province, transfer, exchange/study abroad, and graduate students.

To help ease the transition to residence life for first-year students, parents are invited to be a part of move-in weekend from September 2 to 5.  There are also specific sessions family members can attend during this time.

Classes begin for all students during Orientation Week on Thursday, September 8 and will follow the normal Thursday schedule.

Staff and faculty are encouraged to participate in welcoming students to campus. 

Provide a helping hand

With the start of Orientation and a new academic year looming ahead of them, many new students are likely to feel simultaneously excited and overwhelmed. Remember to wear your “Here to Help” button! Say hello if you spot a student, and take a few extra minutes out of your day to answer questions from students or their families. If you don’t know the answer to a question, please check the Here to Help page or direct students to Orientation headquarters inside the Student Life Centre (SLC), the Orientation social media accounts, or Student Portal.

Encourage students to get involved

It’s important for students to have a well-rounded university experience. This means being active outside the lecture halls to meet new friends and hone new skills. During Orientation, students will be able to learn about opportunities within their faculty and the broader campus to get involved through volunteer roles or part-time employment. After Orientation, there is Get Involved Week from September 19 to 23, which will feature events such as the Feds Open House and Campus Life Fair. Encourage undergraduates to attend the events and explore what Federation of Students clubs, societies, and services have to offer.

Don’t miss Single and Sexy

The popular play Single and Sexy, which is written by Waterloo students and focuses on situations many students encounter while living away from home for the first time. This year, the play will be put on in the Physical Activities Complex (PAC), and the staff preview is happening at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, September 2. Attend the Single and Sexy 2016 premiere by registering online.

Questions about Orientation?

Send any questions to orientation@uwaterloo.ca, and connect with staff on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Co-op students showcase their skills on campus

by Andreea Perescu

​Kinesiology Professor Michael Barnett-Cowan knows the benefits of hiring on-campus talent. “Waterloo co-op students have a strong work ethic, are knowledge seekers and are full of energy. They are also comfortable working with people in the lab and in the community,” said Barnett-Cowan. This past term he welcomed two co-op students to Waterloo’s on-campus Multisensory Brain and Cognition Lab (MBC).

Research in the MBC Lab focuses on tricking the brain with sensory illusions to figure out how the brain works. This past term, Barnett-Cowan recruited Mechanical Engineering student Ilarion Kvitnevski to help build a virtual reality motion simulator. A second co-op student, Adrienne Wise from the Department of Kinesiology, was hired to help with the assessment of audiovisual integration in patients who have suffered a stroke and acquired brain injury.

Barnett-Cowan says that co-op students bring a unique skill-set to the laboratory. “Our approach is multidisciplinary and relies on research tools and theory from multiple backgrounds, primarily neuroscience, kinesiology, psychology, biology, engineering and computer science,” he explained. “Whenever possible, I try to match students to projects that they are most interested in. Occasionally, co-op students are given a project to manage and conduct primarily on their own, with my supervision. This often leads to opportunities to present at scientific conferences and publish results in scientific journals.”

When asked what Professor Barnett-Cowan looks for when hiring co-op students, past work experience was at the top of his list. “Past work experience, whether it is from another co-op or from a summer job from high school, is highly valued. Students with past work experience generally know how to work with other people, how to manage their time, how to conduct themselves professionally,” he said. “They know when to seek assistance and guidance.”

For more information about hiring Waterloo co-op students on campus, including a step-by-step guide, visit Hire Waterloo.

More hand-picked stories can be found on the @HireWaterloo twitter feed.

ChemStores hangs up its lab coats and other notes

ChemStores will no longer be selling undergraduate equipment or Chemistry courseware. All undergraduate equipment (including lab coats, safety glasses, safety goggles, lab notebooks, small and large model kits) will be sold in the Science Teaching Complex Media.doc location and at WriteStuff in South Campus Hall. Likewise, the green soft-cover Bio books (required for the first year Biology lab) will also be sold at the STC Media.doc location and WriteStuff. Chemistry course notes and lab manuals will now be sold at the BookStore.

This change is effective this upcoming September term and for all future terms.

There's still time to register to be a beta tester for Portal app. You'll get advanced access to the beta app so you can explore, submit feedback and customize your experience before Portal app is even released. The Portal app is scheduled to be released in Fall 2016.

Looking to send a message to graduate students? The e-news publication dates for the fall 2016 term have been posted to the Graduate student e-news submission request form.

Mackenzie King Village recently made the Huffington Post's list of the most beautiful university residences in Canada. Who knew, right?

Built in 2000-2001 and opened in September 2001, William Lyon Mackenzie King Village is a 320-bed residence facility located between Village I and Ron Eydt Village and features four-bedroom suites, each with two bathrooms, a kitchen, living room and storage space.

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include Uken Games and Google. Visit the employer information sessions calendar for more details.