Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Eye Talks: Your vision is our vision

As the University of Waterloo continues to celebrate 60 Years of Innovation, the School of Optometry & Vision Science will be showcasing a free public education event in celebration of the School's 50^th Anniversary.

Eye Talks: Your Vision is Our Vision will allow people to gain information on a wide variety of topics in eye care and learn about eye conditions that can may affect quality of life, literacy and even cause blindness. There will be interactive informational booths and min 20 minute talks on various topics such as: 

• Dry Eyes – a growing concern for many, commonly undiagnosed and is often exacerbated by the use of electronic devices;
• Contact Lenses – existing types, advantages and best practices;
• Glaucoma, Cataracts – signs, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options;
• Vision Care & Children – importance of vision in learning and development;
• Concussions – the visual implications of having a concussion and post-concussion management;
• Vision Therapy – improving visual function by training the eyes to work together as a team; and
• Macular Degeneration and Low Vision Rehabilitation – the effects of disease and options available for living with reduced vision.

“We hope to answer questions that we hear every day, such as, ‘when should I get my child’s eyes examined?’ says Clinic Director Dr. Andre Stanberry. “There will be opportunities to ask questions about the services we provide to the public and the cutting edge research conducted on campus.”

As the only English language optometry program in Canada, the School of Optometry & Vision Science has a wide breadth of expertise in vision care and conducts state of the art research. The synergy at the University of Waterloo between vision research and the clinical practice ensures that our patients, citizens of Waterloo Region, have access to the latest technologies, techniques and discoveries in vision care.

“We are so excited to be welcoming the community to the School of Optometry and Vision Science in honour of our 50^th anniversary," says Stanberry. "We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than by sharing our knowledge with the community."

There will be prizes to be won, including designer sun glasses from Optical Services and free LASIK eye surgery from TLC Laser Eye Centre. There will also be face painting and colouring stations for children. 

The event takes place on Saturday, June 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the School of Optometry & Vision Science. Registration is required.

Internationalization was the talk of the town (hall)

The Mini Town Hall on Global Prominence and Internationalization took place on Friday, May 26 in QNC 0101.

The event featured remarks by President Feridun Hamdullahpur and Associate Vice-President, International Ian Rowlands, and was moderated by Dean of Environment Jean Andrey.

President Hamdullahpur began his remarks by linking the town hall event to the previous series of mini town halls set up to discuss the University’s strategic plan and spoke about how the University of Waterloo has become more internationalized in recent years.

Dean of Environment Jean Andrey introduced Ian Rowlands, who was named Associate Vice-President, International on an interim basis February 2016 and then in December 2016 for a three-year term, and who now acted as the strategic theme lead for the global prominence and internationalization theme.

Rowlands outlined the theme's goals, which were twofold: to be recognized internationally for excellence and innovation in education, research and scholarship, and to educate globally literate and world-ready graduates. He also spoke about the role played by Waterloo International to promote Waterloo's interests globally: by being strategic and focused, looking to add value by identifying opportunities, making linkages and advancing campus priorities.

Rowlands highlighted that in 2016 there were over 7,000 international students studying at Waterloo, representing 18 percent of the undergraduate student body and 39 percent of graduate students. He also noted that Waterloo has inked agreements with 37 of the top 100 universities in the world.

He said that teaching, research, and learning at Waterloo should be enhanced by internationalization. International experiences, whether involving learning opportunities abroad, welcoming international students to campus, or making research, teaching, and academic publishing linkages with international partners will enrich the experiences of students, faculty, and staff at the University.

Questions were taken from the floor and from social media on a number of topics, including how internationalization fit into the rest of the University's strategic plan themes, the financial resources that were in place to help students, faculty and staff take advantage of international opportunities, how Waterloo picked its partners, emergency support for international students, and how Waterloo was preparing to deal with an influx of international students and faculty in the wake of the US travel ban, to name a few.

“There’s a world of opportunity for us out there,” said Rowlands. “And we need to be acting purposefully with respect to how we engage internationally.”

The townhall event's livestream can be viewed for those who missed seeing it live.