Monday, September 25, 2017


Final four Celebration 2017 submissions selected

In celebration of the University of Waterloo's 60th anniversary and the 150th anniversary of Canada's Confederation, the Celebration 2017 Project will embody Waterloo's image as a hub for innovation and celebrate Canada's spirit of diversity and inclusion.

Celebration 2017 sought student proposals for a creative and innovative design for a campus space that inspires and captures the spirit of the University of Waterloo community. The three-stage challenge will conclude with a new campus gathering space in the current Arts quad.

10 student teams submitted their Stage Two proposals for review. The top 4 teams are moving on to Stage Three. The winning team will be announced at this year's President's Town Hall meeting on November 14, 2017.

The four team submissions are:

Team A+Q

Team A+Q's submission.

Team A+Q's submission promises "subtle homages to the 6 decades of the University's existence (e.g. historical timeline encircling the area laying out 6 innovations, one for each decade)." A feature of the submission is a solar panel canopy powering nearby mobile device powering stations.

Team FourthCo:

Team FourthCo's Celebration 2017 submission.

Team Fourth Co's design for the quad is "planned in a manner reaffirming the position of the Library as the most iconic building on campus" and features clear pedestrian paths radiating from its entrance, dividing the quad into two sections called The Steps and The Plaza.

Team Interlace:

Team Interlace's Celebration 2017 submission.

Team Interlace's submission was "conceived as a crossbreed between landscape and architecture" and the proposal "suggests a new paradigm in student space design: the "Urban Livingroom." The space is a network of "interweaving microcosms and amenities woven together by leading floor lines and outdoor furnitures."

Team Spatial Solootions:

Team Spatial Solutions' Celebration 2017 submission.

Team Spatial Solootions envisions "a greener and more intimate social space embedded within the tiered steps." The design features planters and merged seating, realized in concrete and timber lounge decks, and calls for study nooks along the edges of Modern Languages and colourful ground art, among other things.

You can check out the Celebration 2017 website to examine each submission in closer detail.

Health, aging, well-being at this week's GRADtalks

GRADTalks banner.

The third installment of GRADtalks takes place on Thursday, September 28. 

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 September 28 GRADtalks is “Beyond 60: Health, Aging and Well-Being” featuring Kaylen Pfisterer, PhD Candidate in Systems Design Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Samantha Biglieri, PhD Candidate in Planning, Faculty of Environment. 

Pfisterer is passionate about application-driven research; she presents her novel nutrition tracking technology for enhancing older adults’ health. Biglieri is captivated by how neighbourhoods influence quality of life; she examines older adults’ lived experiences in their communities to build more inclusive cities.

The event takes place on Thursday, September 28 at 4:00 p.m. with wine and cheese and the talk begins at 4:45. Register today.

Canada 150 brings an evening of Austrian culture

Anna Magdalena Kokits.

By Lori Straus

On Friday, September 29, Austrian pianist Anna Magdalena Kokits will perform selected works by renowned composers such as Gershwin, Beethoven, and contemporary Canadian composer Vivian Fung, as part of a coast-to-coast tour during Canada 150.

Born in Vienna in 1988, Kokits has been playing since the age of 4 and is the winner of several national and international competitions.

Following the concert will be a reception and the official opening of the CALLIOPE exhibition on women in society, culture, and the sciences. The exhibition re-examines the lives of Austrian women who have been forgotten, overlooked, and marginalized in Austria’s official historiography.

The evening begins at 7:00 p.m. and is part of UWaterloo’s HeForShe campaign. It is co-presented by the Waterloo Centre for German Studies, Conrad Grebel University College, and the Embassy of Austria in Ottawa. The concert and exhibition take place at Conrad Grebel.

For full details, please visit the Waterloo Centre for German Studies’ website.

Link of the day

60 years ago: The Little Rock 9

When and where

CBB Seminar: "Physical and Chemical Approaches for Ocular Drug Delivery" with Dr. Ying Chau, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Monday September 25, 2:00 p.m., EC4-2101a. 

WISE presents Geothermal Symposium, Tuesday, September 26, 8:00 a.m., Federation Hall.

Problem Pitch Competition applications close, “Apply to pitch important industry problems for a share of $7,500,” Tuesday, September 26, 11:59 p.m.

WIN/IQC Joint Distinguished Lecture featuring Philip Kim, "Physics on the frontier of quantum: Experimenting at the nanoscale," Tuesday, September 26, 3:00 p.m., QNC 0101.

Retirement celebration for Lorna Kropf, Tuesday, September 26, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., QNC 2101. RSVP.

Resume tips, Wednesday, September, 27, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., TC 1208.

Operation Wallacea Info Session, Biological Conservation Research Opportunities for Students, Wednesday, September 27, 12:30 p.m., QNC 1501.

Waterloo Women's Wednesdays: Women and Violence in Kashmir – A talk by Idrisa Pandit, Wednesday, September 27, 4:00 p.m., MC 5479.

2017 Stanley Knowles Humanitarian Service Lecture featuring Patrick Meier, PhD, "Humanitarian Robots in Action," Wednesday, September 27, 7:00 p.m., CIGI auditorium.

Velocity Start: What’s Your Problem?, Wednesday, September 27, 7:30 p.m., Velocity Start, SCH 2nd Floor.

Professionalism in your communication: How to talk to your professors, Thursday, September 28, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Beyond 60: GRADtalks - Health, Aging and Well-Being, Thursday, September 28, 4:00 p.m., STC 0050.

2017/2018 Medieval Lecture Series featuring Karen Beck, Manager Historical and Special Collections, Harvard Law Library, "Digitizing Early Manuscripts at the Harvard Law Library," Thursday, September 28, reception at 4:30 p.m., SJ2, talk to follow, SJ2-2002.

David Sprott Distinguished Lecture featuring Susan A. Murphy, "Challenges in Developing Learning Algorithms to Personalize Treatment in Real Time", Thursday, September 28, 4:00 p.m., MC 4021.

Waterloo Arts Distinguished Lecture in Economics featuring Debraj Ray, Silver Professor, Faculty of Arts Sciences, and Professor of Economics at New York University, "Uneven growth and social conflict," Thursday, September 28, 4:30 p.m., Humanities Theatre.

Knowledge Integration seminar: “From 'Stone Soup' to 'American Idol' and back again: The wrench that modernity threw into music-making and how we're getting meaning back”, speaker: Brandon Leis, Friday, September 29, 2:30 p.m., EV3-1408.

Reunion 2017, Friday, September 29 and Saturday, September 30.

Games Institute: Fall 2017 GI JAM, Friday, September 29 at 4:30 p.m. to Sunday, October 1 at 7:00 p.m., QNC 1502.

CBB Biomedical Discussion Group seminar featuring Dr. Mohammed S. Razzaque, MBBS, PhD, Department of Oral Health Policy & Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Pathology, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA, "Endocrine regulation of phosphate homeostasis,” Friday, September 29, 1:00 p.m., EC4-2101a.

Making the Most of Your Mid-career Years – for recently tenured/continuing faculty, Friday, September 29, 8:45 a.m., EIT 3142. Registration required.

Anna Magdalena Kokits - Coast to Coast Tour, Friday, September 29, 7:00 p.m., Conrad Grebel Chapel.

60th Anniversary Reunion Concert featuring A Tribe Called Red, Friday, September 29, 8:00 p.m., Physical Activities Complex.

Further Education Boot Camp, Saturday, September 30, 2017, William M. Tatham Centre.

Applied Health Sciences Fun Run, Saturday, September 30, 8:30 a.m., AHS Expansion Building.

NEW - Graduate Studies Mini Town Hall, Monday, October 2, 1:30 p.m., NH 3407.

Hallman Lecture featuring Dr. John Frank, "Chronic disease prevention: "upstream" and "downstream" revisited," Tuesday, October 3, 2:30 p.m., Sun Life Financial Auditorium, Lyle Hallman Institute. DC 1350. Please note the new location.

Noon Hour Concert: Duo Percussion, Wednesday, October 4, 12:30 p.m., Conrad Grebel Chapel.

University Club Thanksgiving Buffet, Thursday, October 5 and Friday, October 6, 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., University Club.

Research Talks Series, "Cardiovascular Aging in Space" featuring Kinesiology Professor Richard Hughson, Friday, October 6, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Please register. Seating is limited.

Distinguished Lecture Series, “Communication-avoiding algorithms for linear algebra and beyond,” James Demmel, Computer Science Division and Department of Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley, October 12, 3:30 p.m., DC 1302.

PhD seminar, “Energy system control with deep neural networks,” Fiodar Kazhamiaka, PhD candidate, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, Friday, October 13, 1:00 p.m., DC 1331.

Earning a Degree with ADHD: A unique event about succeeding at university and life with comedian Rick Green, Tuesday, October 17, 4:30 p.m., Theatre of the Arts, Modern Languages.