Tuesday, October 11, 2016

University women celebrated at Oktoberfest Women of the Year event

On Thursday, October 6, six women from the University of Waterloo were recognized for their efforts in leadership, arts and culture, health and wellness, academic achievement, and professional excellence at the annual K-W Oktoberfest Women of the Year event. Each of their contributions to our campus and our community help make the region a better place to live:

• Nooran Abu Mazen, a Biology student, won in the Young Adult (14 to 25) category, which recognizes young women for leading by example and being a role model to her peers
• Professor Pearl Sullivan, Dean of Engineering, and Tobi Day-Hamilton, Associate Director, Communications and Strategic Initiatives at the Institute for Quantum Computing, were nominated in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math category, which recognizes women for outstanding advancement in STEM fields
• Professor Jean Andrey, Dean of Environment, was nominated in the Professional category, which recognizes women for dedicating themselves to the pursuit of excellence in their chosen careers
• Jude Doble, Associate Director, Advancement Communications and Special Projects, was nominated in the Arts and Culture category, which recognizes women for enriching the culture of our community through creation or promotion of the arts on a volunteer or professional basis
• Betty Pries, Sessional Instructor, Peace and Conflict Studies at Conrad Grebel University College, was nominated in the Health and Wellness category, which recognizes women for promoting and helping others achieve and promote mental, physical or spiritual well-being in her career or community involvement.

Congratulations to the nominees and winners!

How does WatPD help new co-op students? 

This is the second piece in a four-part series focusing on the Waterloo Professional Development Program (WatPD).

Most co-op students are introduced to WatPD by taking PD1: Co-op Fundamentals before their first work term. PD1 walks students through the co-op employment process and helps them develop their résumés and interview skills. They practice these skills while they’re contacting and meeting employers, meaning they have the chance to put what they’re learning into practice almost immediately. Students receive personalized support from their TAs — themselves Waterloo co-op students — through face-to-face feedback on their résumés and mock interviews, and they learn strategies for success on the job once they’ve been hired.

Students take different paths through the WatPD program depending on their faculty. When Science and Math students begin their first co-op terms, they’re enrolled in PD11: Processes for Technical Report Writing. This course helps students understand the structure and formatting of successful work reports, skills they’ll need throughout the remainder of their undergrad career and beyond. Students who complete PD11 learn how to identify suitable report topics, how to orient their reports towards the right audiences, and the importance of thorough revision.

Arts, Environment, and Applied Health Science students take a different required course. PD12: Reflection and Learning in the Workplace reinforces essential workplace skills like evaluating office culture, taking responsibility, showing initiatives, and adapting to changes. Students look back on their own experience, knowledge, and skills to complete the course, and they apply the results of that reflection in their new workplaces on a daily basis.

Engineering students don’t take PD1, 11, or 12, but they’re still supported through their first few work terms by a pair of faculty-specific courses. Students take PD20: Developing Reasoned Conclusions, a course that focuses on information and arguments, during their first work term. When they go back into the workplace for their second co-op term, they take PD21: Developing Effective Plans, a course that helps them identify problems and solutions and create feasible plans of action. Taken together, PD20 and 21 prepare engineering students for the complex problems they’re bound to face throughout their careers.

When the Daily Bulletin’s series on WatPD returns next week, we’ll take a closer look at some of the professional skills students can develop using WatPD’s elective courses.

Kicking off the 2016 United Way campaign

Tuesday, October 4 signaled the launch of the University of Waterloo’s annual United Way workplace campaign. Check out all the red highlights from across campus!

United Way fundraising events will be taking place throughout the month of October and we encourage you to check our events listing often to see all of the different ways you can participate in the campaign. As we continue to raise funds for the United Way Kitchener Waterloo and Area, please share your photos on Twitter or Instagram with #UWUnitedWay.

Waterloo partners with Chinese companies to advance commercialization

Representatives of University of Waterloo, Zenith Capital, and Canada Town celebrate the signing of an MOU in Shanghai. From left to right, Carey Tan, Managing Director, Zenith Capital; Ling Loerchner, Lead of Greater China Region and Technology Transfer Manager, WatCo; Bruce Muirhead, AVP, External Research; Jack Ding, CEO, Zenith Capital; Robert Nygren, Chairman, Canada Town; Cathy Ju, CEO, Canada Town.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between University of Waterloo and two Chinese companies to commercialize innovative technologies.

Representatives of the Waterloo Commercialization Office (WatCo), China Canada Emerging Technologies Park, and Zenith Capital signed the MOU earlier this month at the Canada China Business Council’s annual general meeting in Shanghai. Dignitaries in attendance included Canadian International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The MOU is expected to promote collaboration between China and Canada, and advance the commercialization of emerging technologies developed at Waterloo and across Canada. The strategy includes setting up a venture investment fund, as well as opening and running the China Canada Emerging Technologies Park in Langfang, China, also known as Canada Town.

In addition, Zenith Capital and Canada Town will establish the Emerging Technology Development Fund, an investment of about $2 billion to develop Canada Town. The fund will invest 20 per cent of its capital in Canada by developing technology park businesses in the Vancouver and Waterloo regions.

The fund includes approximately $100 million in venture capital earmarked to support commercialization projects and startup companies, $20 million of which will be allocated to WatCo.