Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Leisure researchers speak on sports, Trump, parental fears

A public lecture on sport and resistance in the era of Trump is one of two free talks scheduled during the Canadian Congress on Leisure Research, hosted by the University of Waterloo this week.

On Wednesday, May 24, Dave Zirin, an American sports-writer and radio show host will look at look at how sport reflects the political conflicts of our time and what political acts we expect can from the sporting realm under the Trump administration.

On May 26, Lenore Skenazy, a New York City newspaper columnist and founder of Free Range Kids, will discuss how today's parents became afraid of everything from predators to non-organic grapes, and how to regain the confidence to send kids out to play.

The conference, held once every three years, is the largest gathering of researchers and industry leaders specializing in leisure sciences in Canada and one of the largest in the world.

The Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at Waterloo is ranked top in Canada and 13^th in the world for hospitality and leisure management studies.

Both lectures take place at the Crowne Plaza in Kitchener.

Dave Zirin's lecture, "Sport and resistance in the era of Trump," takes place today from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Lenore Skenazy's lecture, "How come an old-fashioned childhood sounds so radical?", takes place on Friday, May 26 from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m.

Waterloo co-op student helps steer research at MIT

Co-op student Jatin Patil poses next to a piece of lab equipment signed by President Barack Obama.

By Christine Nhan

“You would be surprised by how well-known Waterloo students are at Harvard and MIT,” chuckles Jatin Patil, a third-year Nanotechnology Engineering student.

Jatin would know – he has had co-op works terms at all three prestigious schools.

Patil’s most recent co-op experience was as a Research Assistant for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Organic Nanostructured Electronics Lab (also knows as ONE Lab). Researchers at ONE Lab develop high-performance optoelectronic and photonic devices including solar cells, LEDs, lasers, photodetectors, transistors and chemical sensors.

Through the support and guidance of several professors, this position offered Patil the same level of work and responsibility as a MIT graduate student. He says this was difficult to adjust to at first.

“There are always difficulties adjusting to a new research environment, as the work can be very self-motivated,” says Patil. “However, I took on this challenge by doing additional background research and was able to propose a new research direction that is still actively being used to this day.”

Patil says the exposure to diverse and intellectual academic work environments has been the highlight of his co-op journey. “Not only am I gaining knowledge from my time spent working, but I also regularly attend events hosted by these institutions,” says Patil. “These after-work hours provided me the chance to connect with highly respected professionals that inspire me to work hard.”

What is Patil’s advice to fellow Warriors who have a co-op work term at another university? “You represent a prestigious Canadian institution, so make sure you wear it proudly regardless of where you are!”

GRADtalks to tackle Artificial Intelligence

The second installment of GRADtalks takes place on Tuesday, May 30. 

GRADtalks was launched earlier this year as an opportunity for Waterloo doctoral students to explore one research theme from interdisciplinary perspectives. The event promises to be a great occasion to celebrate and highlight graduate student research at the University. 

The research topic for the May 30 GRADtalks is “Beyond 60: The Promises and Realities of Artificial Intelligence” featuring Audrey Chung, PhD Candidate in Systems Design Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Justin Carpenter, PhD Candidate in English, Faculty of Arts. 

Chung will explain how artificial intelligence is created through a process of deep learning, drawing on enormous amounts of data to deliver precision while Carpenter will raise concerns about what we teach computers, what data we feed and how this is collected. He asks how virtual spaces transform our society and us as human beings.

The event takes place on Tuesday, May 30 at 4:00 p.m. with wine and cheese and the talk begins at 4:30. Register today.

Sustainability committee issues call for members

The President’s Advisory Committee on Environmental Sustainability is currently seeking an additional faculty member and undergraduate student. If you are interested in joining the committee, please send an email to sustainability@uwaterloo.ca by Friday, June 2, with the following information:

• Your name and department/program affiliation
• A brief description of why you would like to join
• A brief description of any previous sustainability experience on or off campus
• A brief description of any skill sets, knowledge, or experience you feel you would bring to the group

Faculty members will be asked to serve for a 2-year term, from the Spring 2017 through Winter 2019 academic terms.

Undergraduate student applicants should confirm that they are on campus and available to participate on the committee for Spring 2017, Winter 2018, and Fall 2018 academic terms.

For full details on the committee and current members, visit the Terms of Reference page.

Wednesday's notes

There are two upcoming ION-related construction closings that will impact traffic near the University beginning next week:

• Seagram Drive from Lester Street to University Avenue West will be closed at the tracks for ION track work and paving from Monday, May 29 to Friday, June 2. The suggested detour is via University and Albert.
• Columbia Street West from Hagey Boulevard to Phillip Street will be closed at the ION tracks for paving from Monday, May 29 to Friday, June 2. The suggested detour for eastbound traffic is to take Wes Graham Way, Bearinger, and Albert, and westbound traffic should take Phillip, University and Westmount.

For more information, check the ION-related travel disruptions page.

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include Nulogy, ecobee, Aviva Canada, Datadog, Stripe Inc, and A9. Visit the employer information sessions calendar for more details.