Thursday, September 15, 2016

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• Teach-a-thon to examine dimensions of sexual violence
• Holger Kleinke named interim executive director of WIN
• Doors Open puts Science and Tech in the spotlight
• Grebel's peace advancement centre gets new name
• Waterloo Innovation Summit highlights; other notes

Teach-a-thon to examine dimensions of sexual violence

Almuth Lutkenhaus’s 1974 sculpture Walking Girl, located outside of Modern Languages.

The following is an excerpt of an article originally published on the Faculty of Arts news site.

Universities are one of the few places where people can speak frankly about hard-to-talk-about problems, says Tim Kenyon, associate dean of research and a professor of philosophy. It’s for this reason that the Faculty of Arts is tackling a topic that has received a lot of attention recently: rape culture.

Fourteen instructors will speak for 15 minutes each on a topic related to rape culture at a teach-a-thon, to be held Sept. 16 at 10 a.m.

Kenyon says the ability to talk frankly about challenging topics demonstrates the importance of universities in the community.

“There’s so much hand-wringing, pearl-clutching commentary about how in university, nobody wants to talk about difficult topics and students are coddled and they want a trigger warning and a content warning and a safe space before they can be talked about,” says Kenyon. “It’s utter nonsense, it’s absolute nonsense.

"It’s almost impossible to find any other kind of institution in society where it’s easier to talk about hard-to-discuss topics than at a university."

Questions of rape culture are often given scholarly treatment in the work of academics on campus. Student and administrative groups have also made attempts to mitigate that culture, through education and training. But the Faculty of Arts was looking for ways to help too, and the dean felt the best way to contribute was through education.

“We understand rape culture as not just the topics in a public service announcement,” says Katherine Acheson, associate dean of undergraduate studies and a professor of English.

"It’s not just about watching what people might put in your drink at a party in frosh week. For us, as teachers, intellectuals and researchers, rape culture is a feature of so many of the areas that we deal with."

The teach-a-thon will feature professors and instructors from many disciplines. Topics range from rape culture and Twitter, rape culture and Game of Thrones to rape culture and war, among others.

Read the rest of the article on the Faculty of Arts news site.

Holger Kleinke named interim executive director of WIN

“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Holger Kleinke as Interim Executive Director, WIN, for a one-year term beginning September 8, 2016,” wrote Vice-President, University Research D. George Dixon in a memo circulated last week.

Kleinke is a Professor of Chemistry and Physics and member of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology. He joined the University of Waterloo in 2000 and has held a Canada Research Chair in Solid State Chemistry. Professor Kleinke is internationally renowned in his field and serves as Editor for the Journal of Alloys and Compounds.

“I look forward to working with Holger, and am confident that he will have your full cooperation and support,” Dixon’s memo continues. “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Arthur Carty for providing outstanding leadership as Executive Director of WIN since 2008. Recently honoured as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Arthur’s directorship of WIN has been instrumental in Waterloo’s recognition as a leader in nanotechnology.

Doors Open puts Science and Tech in the spotlight

Several buildings with strong University connections will be part of this weekend's Doors Open Waterloo Region event, which gives community members an opportunity to tour sites that are often not regularly open to the public.

The fourteenth annual Doors Open Waterloo Region (DOWR) takes place on Saturday, September 17 and will feature forty-eight sites around the region.

Since 2003, over 250 participating sites have opened their doors to more than 100,000 visitors. 

The Doors Open Waterloo Region 2016 sites include both first-time participants and back-by-popular-demand favourites, selected for their architecture, heritage, or for the interesting things going on inside. 

The theme for this year's event is "Into Science and Tech," and the organizers mean that literally: visitors will be invited to get into buildings that have played a role in putting Waterloo on the science and technology map.

University-related sites for this year's event include:

The Stantec Waterloo Region Office: Located in the David Johnston Research + Technology Park, the innoTECH building achieved Waterloo Region’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification for new construction from the Canada Green Building Council. Stantec designed innoTECH’s beautiful, environmentally sustainable interiors, and expert staff will tell the story of how a building like innoTECH is designed and built.

The Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre: You know it, you love it. Visitors can explore this state-of-the-art research centre that doubles as an architectural marvel. It’s the ideal environment for researchers to unlock the power of quantum information science and the potential of nanotechnology. 

The University of Waterloo School of Architecture: Formerly home to the Riverside Silk Mill, the last industrial plant built on the Grand River in Galt, the building is now home to more than 450 graduate and undergraduate students, 13 staff, 21 faculty, a full-service restaurant and an art gallery. The building is over 80,000 square feet in size on three levels that take advantage of the Riverside Silk Mill's large open spaces flooded with natural light. Its industrial atmosphere, spacious interior and spectacular town and river views were preserved and enhanced in its School of Architecture transformation in 2004.

Most sites are open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with exceptions. 

For a full listing of the sites involved in this year's Doors Open Waterloo Region event, visit the website.

Grebel's peace advancement centre gets new name

Kindred Credit Union Chief Executive Officer Brent Zorgdrager and Conrad Grebel University College President Susan Schultz Huxman sign a renewal agreement.

Kindred Credit Union, formerly Mennonite Savings and Credit Union (MSCU), has renewed its commitment to support the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement (CPA) at Conrad Grebel University College.

The CPA’s change of name reflects the name change of its donor.

"Kindred Credit Union is MSCU’s new name for values-centred, faith-inspired, cooperative banking," says chief executive officer Brent Zorgdrager. "We began operating under our new name and brand throughout our branch network and in the communities we serve on July 18. Changing the name to the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement is an outward sign of our credit union’s continuing commitment and support. The CPA is an innovative expression of our core values and our credit union remains committed to sharing resources in support of building peaceful, just, and prosperous communities.” 

The CPA came into being in 2011 as the result of a gift to Conrad Grebel University College of one million dollars from Kindred Credit Union, then called MSCU. The CPA opened in 2014.

“We have been thrilled with the level of activity, impact and partnership between Grebel, the credit union and University of Waterloo around cutting-edge peace initiatives,” says Susan Schultz Huxman, president of Conrad Grebel University College.

Since its opening, the CPA has supported a wide range of activities in all of its priority areas, including naming an inaugural Research Fellow, providing mentorship, training, and seed funding through the Epp Peace Incubator program, and engaging with over 7,000 community members through workshops, public events, and Grebel Gallery exhibits.

Waterloo Innovation Summit highlights; other notes

Waterloo Innovation Summit attendees mix and mingle at the opening reception at the Communitech Hub yesterday evening.

The Waterloo Innovation Summit continues today with an opening address delivered by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. 

David Fransen, chair of the Waterloo Innovation Summit and President Feridun Hamdullahpur will provide a welcome and opening remarks to the summit attendees in the Humanities Theatre.

Following the Minister's opening remarks, Emma Sinclair of EnterpriseJungle will give a keynote address.

After a networking break in the, Don Craig School of Accounting & Finance Atrium, Walter Isaacson of the Aspen Institute will deliver a keynote address, and then the delegates will depart for a number of workshops in the Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre.

The first day of the summit will conclude with a networking reception at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI).

The summit's host is journalist Amanda Lang, anchor of Bloomberg North on Bloomberg Television Canada.

Follow along on social media with the hashtag #WINS16.

The 14^th annual Waterloo Information Technology and Information Systems (WatITis) conference is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, December 6, 2016 in the Science Teaching Complex. 

The conference organizers are encouraging members of the University community to actively participate in WatITis as a speaker or panelist for one or more of the conference sessions. Topics include, but are not limited to, IT trends and excellence, collaboration, innovation, and student services. There's still time to submit a proposal to present and speak at the WatITis conference.

"Due to interest expressed in last year’s attendee survey to see more rapid fire presentations, we invite you to submit 10 or 20 minute talks, in addition to the regular 45 minute presentations," says a note from the conference organizing committee. "Please send a brief synopsis of your topic or ideas for presentations and/or panels to our program committee chair Adam Savage (asavage@uwaterloo.ca) by September 16^th, 2016. If required, a date for final submissions will be announced by October 3^rd."

Retail Services is inviting members of the community to Leather Jacket Day on Thursday, September 22. "The event allows you to purchase and customize your very own Waterloo leather jacket from the Waterloo Store while saving $60 off the regular price."

The jacket comes with the Waterloo crest on the front, with two available options. On the back the “University of Waterloo” is proudly displayed. Jackets can be customized to display year of convocation, degree, or both on the jacket sleeves. Both women’s and men’s styles and sizes are available.