Editor:
Brandon Sweet
University Communications
bulletin@uwaterloo.ca
Bridges conference connects mathematics and arts
The annual Bridges Conference, a celebration of mathematics and art at the University of Waterloo, will be hosted this year by the Faculty of Mathematics at the end of July.
This conference brings together an interdisciplinary group of mathematicians, scientists, artists, educators, musicians, writers, computer scientists, sculptors, dancers, weavers, model builders, and many others in an atmosphere of mutual exchange and inspiration. 300 participants from six continents will gather in Waterloo from July 27 to 31.
The conference organizers are pleased to announce that they have opened up three of the conference events to the campus and local community, free of charge:
- The UW Art Gallery is hosting an exhibition of local artists whose work connects to math from July 27 to 30 at the UWAG in East Campus Hall.
- The Grand Philharmonic Choir will perform pieces that explore the relationship between math and music on July 29 in the Humanities Theatre.
- A “family day” math-art expo will feature hands-on math-art fun for all ages – from colouring to model building, as well as a short film festival, and poetry reading on July 30 in the Davis Centre. There will be fun for all ages from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Anyone looking for further information is welcome to contact Amy Aldous at aaldous@uwaterloo.ca.
In Fort McMurray, a student explores pharmacy care
7 hours north of Calgary, the northern lights are easily visible in Fort McMurray.
By Alana Rigby
In Canada, Alberta is looked on as the leading province for pharmacy practice. All Albertan pharmacists can order lab tests and initiate therapy for minor ailments, and those with additional authorization can prescribe independently for most prescription-requiring drugs. These are all services Ontario pharmacists can’t provide.
Doctor of Pharmacy student Chris Voss wanted to see Albertan pharmacy practice in action. For his first co-op term, January-April 2017, he only applied to jobs in Alberta.
“I’d worked at a community pharmacy in Ontario for three years,” explained Voss. “I wanted to see something different. For me it was an adventure, driving across the ‘great white north’ to this place where pharmacists have so much autonomy.”
Voss landed a work term at Dave Hill Pharmacy in Fort McMurray. In May 2016 Fort McMurray made headlines worldwide as a devastating wild fire forced the evacuation of the town and surrounding areas. Dave Hill Pharmacy was the only pharmacy to stay open during the evacuation, providing medical supplies and toiletries to firefighters, police, the oil sand companies, and civilians during the chaotic time.
Left: now a historic building, the original Hill Drugs was run by Dave Hill’s grandfather in 1934. Right: The pharmacy delivery vehicle that Voss drove.
“Not a lot of family doctors came back after the fire. This left a big gap in care for patients. With only about 25 family doctors in town, you can imagine how difficult it was for patients to get a doctor’s appointment.”
Given this need, the wide scope of pharmacist practice was especially beneficial. At Dave Hill Pharmacy, there was always at least one pharmacist with the additional prescribing authorization working at a time. They could also refer patients for lab work or to pharmacist-run clinics where they received support for chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension.
Voss lived most of his life in Waterloo, so a co-op term in northern Alberta was quite a change – there were some days when the thermometer read -40 degrees. Despite that, he wants to go back next term.
“It was a fantastic experience. I’m already applying to Alberta for my next co-op. It’s where I want to work when I graduate.”
Velocity Fund Finals tomorrow
The 19th Velocity Fund Finals will take place this Thursday, July 20th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. University of Waterloo students and alumni will pitch their innovative startups for the chance to win funding to grow their businesses, and to receive workspace in the Velocity Garage, the largest free startup incubator in the world.
Ten companies will compete for four prizes of $25,000, and judges will present one winning company with an additional $10,000 for the top hardware pitch. Another 10 startups will compete for one of three awards of $5,000.
The judging panel for the Velocity Fund $25K competition includes:
- Seth Bannon; Founding Partner, Fifty Years
- Dianne Carmichael; Chief Advisor of Health Tech, Council of Canadian Innovators
- Eric Migicovsky; Visiting Partner, Y Combinator
- Tomi Poutanen; Co-CEO, Layer 6 AI
The judging panel for the Velocity Fund $5K competition includes:
- Tobiasz Dankiewicz; Co-founder, Reebee Inc.
- Kane Hsieh; Investor, Root Ventures
- Karen Webb; Principal, KWebb Solutions Inc.
Check out the list of Velocity Fund finalists on the Velocity website.
The pitch competition will take place in the Student Life Centre, Great Hall. The $5K competition starts at 11:00 a.m., and the $25K competition starts at 1:00 p.m., with the event wrapping up at 3:00 p.m.
Register to attend online. Can’t make it in person? There is also a live stream.
Link of the day
50 years ago: The Summer of Love
When and where
The Hymn Society Annual Conference 2017, Sunday, July 16 to Thursday, July 20, Conrad Grebel University College.
UWRC Book Club presents "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline, Wednesday, July 19, 12:00 p.m., LIB 407.
Calming the Panic: Practical Skills to Reduce Anxiety, Wednesday, July 19, 2:30 p.m., Counselling Services.
PhD seminar, “Nonphotorealistic rendering of stereoscopic 3D media,” Lesley Istead, PhD candidate, Wednesday, July 19, 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., DC 2314.
Organize your time for midterms and exams, Wednesday, July 19, 4:30 p.m., SCH 108A.
Banting postdoctoral fellowship final application deadline at Waterloo, Wednesday, July 19, 8:00 p.m.
Math 101, Thursday, July 20, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
UW Farm Market, Thursday, July 20, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Student Life Centre Lower Atrium.
Velocity Fund Finals, “20 startups compete for $125,000,” Thursday, July 20, 11:00 a.m., SLC Great Hall.
PhD seminar, “Deep active learning for dialogue generation,” Nabiha Asghar, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, Friday, July 21, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., DC 2306C.
Waterloop Pod Launch event, Friday, July 21, 3:00 p.m., Federation Hall.
UW A Cappella Club end of term concerts, Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22, 7:30 p.m., Theatre of the Arts.
Conrad Grebel Concert, Instrumental Chamber Ensembles, Sunday, July 23, 7:30 p.m., Conrad Grebel Chapel.
The University Club presents Lobsterlicious, Monday, July 24 to Friday, July 28, 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., University Club.
Conversation Café, Monday, July 24, 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., SCH 219.
Lectures end, Tuesday, July 25.
PhD seminar, “Constraint bubbles: Adding efficient zero-density bubbles to incompressible free surface flow,” Ryan Goldade, Tuesday, July 25, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., DC 2310.
Pre-examination study days, Wednesday, July 26 and Thursday, July 27.
NEW - Women in Physics Conference, Wednesday, July 26 to Friday, July 28.
Getting Published for Grad Students, Wednesday, July 26, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Exploring Your Personality Type: (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), Wednesday, July 26, 12:00 p.m., TC 1113.
NEW - Waterloo Women’s Wednesdays: Lunchtime Yoga, Wednesday, July 26, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., NH3308. Beginners encouraged!
CrySP Speaker Series on Privacy, “Making security sustainable,” Ross Anderson, University of Cambridge, Wednesday, July 26, 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., DC 1304.
Social Impact Showcase,Thursday,July 27, 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., St. Paul's Alumni Hall. All welcome! Register here.
Examination period begins, Friday, July 28.
UWRC presents Mental Health in Childhood and Parenting, Friday, July 28, 12:00 p.m., STC 0040.
Conrad Grebel Peace Camp, Monday, July 31 to Friday, August 4.
Conversation Café, Monday, July 31, 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., SCH 219.
WISE Public Lecture Series featuring Mahdi Shahbakhti, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Tech, "Physics-based Control of Energy Systems Ranging from Smart Buildings and Power Grid to Smart Hybrid Electric Vehicles," Wednesday, August 2 10:30 a.m., CPH 3681.
UWRC presents Advance Care Planning, Wednesday, August 2, 12:00 p.m., MC 5501.
Employee-Explore your personality type: Myers Briggs Type Indicator, Wednesday, August 2, TC 1113. - Please note, you must sign up for the session on July 26 as this is a follow up session to that one.
Biomedical Discussion Group featuring Professor Patricia Trbovich, Academic Research Lead, UHN and Assistant Professor, U of T at University Health Network and University of Toronto, "Application of Human Factors to Quality Improvement and Patient Safety," Wednesday, August 9, 2:30 p.m., STC 1019. Register online.
UWRC Book Club presents The Baker’s Daughter by Sarah McCoy, Wednesday, August 16, 12:00 p.m., LIB 407.
Positions available
On this week's list from the human resources department, viewable on the UWaterloo Talent Acquisition System (iCIMS):
- Job ID# - 2017-1738 - Events, Communications and Administrative Coordinator - AVP Human Rights, Equity & Inclus, USG 8
- Job ID# - 2017-1779 - Information Centre Service Representative - Coop Education & Career Action, USG 4-5
- Job ID# - 2017-1780 - Online Technologies Consultant - Centre for Extended Learning, USG 8-10
- Job ID# - 2017-1777 - Preschool Teacher - Psychology, USG 7
- Job ID# - 2017-1771 - Research Project Accountant - Office of Research, USG 9-11
- Job ID# - 2017-1781 - Student Advisor (International) - Coop Education & Career Action, USG 8-9
- Job ID# - 2017-1790 - Web Co-ordinator and Technical Assistant - Statistics & Actuarial Science, USG 4
- Job ID# - 2017-1788 - Web Developer - Marketing & Strategic Communications, USG 9
Internal secondment opportunities:
- Job ID# - 2017-1778 - Academic Advisor and Administrative Coordinator - Stratford Programmes, USG 6
- Job ID# - 2017-1782 - Business Development Officer - Retail Services, USG 9
- Job ID# - 2017-1784 - Business Process Analyst - Human Resources, USG 8
- Job ID# - 2017-1791 - Communications Strategist - Registrar, USG 9
- Job ID# - 2017-1773 - Coordinator of Graduate Studies and Research - School of Architecture, USG 6
- Job ID# - 2017-1737 - Graduate Admissions Assistant - Grad Studies & Post doc Affairs (GSPA), USG 7
- Job ID# - 2017-1789 - Information Systems Specialist (Testing Coordinator) - Information Systems & Technology, USG 12-13
- Job ID# - 2017-1785 - Instructional Support Coordinator - WatPD, USG 8
- Job ID# - 2017-1762 Manager, Special Projects and Initiatives, Waterloo International, USG 12