Wednesday, September 7, 2016

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• Waterloo-led research projects get $91M in funding
• HeForShe writing contest opens
• Chem Eng alumna credits co-op with jump-starting her career
• Wednesday's notes

Waterloo-led research projects get $91M in funding

George Dixon, Vice-President, University Research, Mike Lazaridis, Managing Partner and co-founder, Quantum Valley Investments, David Cory, Professor of Chemistry and Canada Excellence Research Chair in Quantum Information, the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor, Raymond Laflamme, Executive Director of the Institute for Quantum Computing and Brent Herbert-Copley, Executive Vice-President, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) stand in the Quantum-Nano Centre after the CFREF announcement Monday.

Two globally groundbreaking research initiatives at the University of Waterloo will receive more than $91 million in funding.

The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, announced the recipients of the second competition of the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) during a ceremony at the University of Waterloo yesterday morning. Thirteen initiatives across Canada will share $900 million in funding.

Those involving Waterloo researchers are Transformative Quantum Technologies, which will accelerate the development of new quantum technologies, and Global Water Futures, dedicated to finding ways to manage water resources adversely affected by climate change.

“Quantum devices and computing will revolutionize technology as we know it, and the sustainable use and management of fragile water resources is one of the greatest challenges facing people around the world,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur. “Waterloo is a global leader in both of these critical research areas, and the funding announced today will help ensure Canada’s role at the forefront of world-changing discovery.”

The Transformative Quantum Technologies (TQT) program will tackle three grand challenges in quantum research: to develop a universal quantum processor, quantum sensors and long-distance quantum communications. Under the direction of Professor David Cory, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Quantum Information Processing at Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing, TQT will aim to connect academic research with industry applications in a variety of fields. CFREF will contribute $76.3 million to this initiative of more than $140 million.

“Quantum mechanics enable devices that are otherwise impossible in the classical world, and these revolutionary devices will transform the way we interact with and learn about the world,” said Cory, also a professor of chemistry in the Faculty of Science. “Transformative Quantum Technologies aims to develop new quantum technologies and to connect quantum devices to applications spanning the fields of medicine, health, navigation, environment, materials and others.”

Global Water Futures, the largest university-led water research program ever funded worldwide, is a Canada-wide effort led by the University of Saskatchewan (U of S). It brings together research on water resources, aquatic ecosystems, climate and land use change with advanced instrumentation, hydrological forecasting and risk management in order to address the threats and opportunities associated with ongoing and future changes in the availability and quality of water in Canada and in cold regions around the world. As the lead institution, U of S is partnering with the Water Institute at the University of Waterloo. Professor Philippe Van Cappellen, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Ecohydrology, and his colleagues of the Water Institute will receive $15 million of the CFREF funding to U of S, with the amount from all sources totalling $30 million. CFREF will contribute more than $77 million to the overall initiative of more than $143 million.

“Most of the climate change impacts we are experiencing are through changes in the water cycle,” said Van Cappellen, a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and a member of the Water Institute. “Canada urgently needs a coordinated, research-driven approach to manage and sustain our vast freshwater resources, and with this support, we’re going to be better able to adapt to the new climate normal.”

CFREF invests in areas where Canadian post-secondary institutions can become global leaders in their fields of key research strength. Selection for funding followed an open competition among Canada’s post-secondary institutions that was judged by a panel of Canadian and international scientific experts. The inaugural CFREF competition was divided into two parts, with the first one announcing more than $350 million in funding in 2015.

Information about each of the 13 funded initiatives from today’s announcement is available at www.cfref-apogee.gc.ca.

HeForShe writing contest opens

As part of the commitment to the UN Women’s HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10 initiative, the University of Waterloo has launched a HeForShe writing contest that is now open for submissions.

Submissions will fall into one of three broad categories: fiction, creative non-fiction, or poetry and should relate to the theme of gender equality, advancing the University’s HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10 goals.

There will be prizes awarded for the top submission in the poetry, creative non-fiction, and fiction categories. Selected submissions will also be included in a special University of Waterloo anthology on gender equity that will be published on International Women’s Day on March 8, 2017.

The contest is open to all Waterloo students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and submissions must not have been previously published. Pieces submitted as part of Waterloo course work will be accepted.

There is a $500 prize in each category. 

Entries are capped at 5,000 words. The deadline for submissions is October 14, 2016.

For full submission guidelines and more information about the contest, visit the writing contest website.

Chem Eng alumna credits co-op with jump-starting her career

by Andreea Perescu

Jenna Jamani is ahead of the game. A former chemical engineering student at Waterloo, Jamani knows that Waterloo’s co-op program helped lay the foundation for a successful career at Fluor Canada. Now, Jamani is a tour-de-force Waterloo alumna whose achievements are showcased in Alberta Oil magazine.

“Co-op was definitely a major driver for my decision to apply to Waterloo. I thought that Waterloo’s co-op program was really critical, because I didn’t have very much job experience,” explained Jamani. “It was a good opportunity to learn more about my discipline from a real life perspective.”

As a construction project engineer at Fluor Canada, Jamani oversees the hands-on aspects of on-site construction. She is also involved in designing and implementing new ways to increase the energy efficiency of infrastructures.

Following in her father’s footsteps -who is a mechanical engineering Waterloo alumnus- Jamani moved from her home in Alberta to pursue a chemical engineering degree at Waterloo. It was the work-term/study-term dynamic that tested Jamani’s knowledge and allowed her skillset to develop in practical settings.

“I thought it was the perfect way to do it, to be quite honest,” said Jamani. “I thought it was a perfect balance. I loved the opportunity to do school for four months, and while it’s still fresh in your mind, you get to go and apply it to the real world and make money doing it.”

Like many first-year students, Jamani had to overcome the obstacle of finding a job without prior relevant work experience. “The first time I was applying for a job, I remember being so scared about interviews and the interview process,” recalled Jamani. “It was my first work term, and I was planning on coming back to Calgary for Christmas when I happened to get a phone call a day before my flight. It was an interview with General Laboratories, which is a pipe testing company. My first two work terms were there.”

Waterloo’s co-op program helped pave Jamani’s road to success by testing her knowledge in the real-world. “Going through the co-op program really solidified my resume. If it wasn’t for co-op, it would have been pretty much impossible to get the role that I did at Fluor. Co-op gave me the experience to back it up.”  

Wednesday's notes

Watch your step: Just in time for the new term, the South Common pathway running between South Campus Hall and the Tatham Centre to parts beyond is open and ready for foot traffic. Thanks to the Library's Mary Lynne Bartlett for the photo.

Women in Math is hosting a Respectful Communications workshop today from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. in MC 4060. The workshop is described as follows:

"The racist joke. The sexist slur. The stereotype. The response "it was only a joke" when the impact of the comment is named. In this interactive workshop, we will explore ways to "call in" the best of people. This workshop is about how to respond effectively to unrespectful comments as a means of being more proactive in creating a respectful environment. Unrespectful comments could be jokes, slurs, stereotypical comments. They could be micro-aggressions.  They could be disrespect treatment in a power relationship (e.g., between TAs and undergrads, between faculty/visitors and staff). The workshop will address how to react if you are on the receiving end and how to react if you are a witness to disrespectful behaviour."

Presenting will be Lynn Long, senior education consultant and Matt Erickson, director of the Office of Conflict Management and Human Rights. Faculty, staff and post-docs of all genders are welcome.

A complimentary lunch will be provided. Advance registration for lunch is requested.

A portion of Seagram Drive will be closed for ION-related construction work until approximately September 20. The section, from the Ring Road to Lester Street, will have pedestrian access maintained at all times.

For more information, check the ION-related travel disruption website.

Human Resources is reporting that the following retirees have recently died:

• Claude Lemaire died August 22. Lemaire joined the University in November 2001 as a research associate in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He retired in November 2013.
• Nancy Smale died August 28. Smale started at Waterloo in September 1977 and held the position of Counsellor in the Office of the Dean (Environmental Studies). Nancy retired in July 1993. She is survived by her husband Richard.

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include Oliver Wyman, Ernst & Young, Facebook, Pacific Services Canada Limited, Eckler Ltd. Labatt, Amazon, Sandvine, Munich RE, Bruce Power, Diagram, Canadian Tire, Mckinsey & Company, Aviva Canada, Nulogy, TD Bank Group, Street Contxt, Loblaw Digital, Manulife/John Hancock (Data Science), PepsiCo, Mercer, Formlabs, Uver, Loblaw Anylitics, Clearpath Robotics, FDM Group, and Pixlee. Visit the employer information sessions calendar for more details.