Friday, December 8, 2017

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• Mural reflects new vision and name for CORE
• St Pauls pilots online mental health resources with students
• Get a close look at quantum at the RAC 2 open house
• President's Holiday Luncheon today; other notes

Mural reflects new vision and name for CORE

It’s official: the CCLR (Centre for Contact Lens Research) has changed its name to CORE, the Centre for Ocular Research and Education.

“Reaction to the CORE brand has been universally positive, as it better illustrates how we have broadened and deepened our offerings over the past 30 years, while the same time advancing content lens technologies and clinical knowledge,” Director of CORE Dr. Lyndon Jones said.

To celebrate, a 12-foot by 8-foot mural titled Collected Insight was unveiled during the name-change ceremony. The acrylic painting now hangs in the newest wing of the School of Optometry & Vision Science building and was a collaborative effort between hundreds of the world’s foremost eye care professionals, researchers, students, and industry leaders. Over the course of three days, attendees of this year’s Academy of Optometry’s annual meeting donned protective lab coats and left their artistic mark on the massive canvas. Los Angeles-based artist John Park then transformed the piece into a mixture of shapes and colours, symbolizing the complexity and wonder of the eye and vision.

CORE partners with contact lens innovators on programs that include materials formulation, drug delivery and education for both practitioners and patients. In more recent years, it has established a reputation for working with major and emerging pharmaceutical companies, digital technology giants, and academic institutions that value uncompromising independence and adherence to the highest quality standards.

St Pauls pilots online mental health resources with students

St. Paul’s University College is piloting an online program aimed at providing mental and behavioural health resources for students who need support outside of regular counselling.

The Life Recovery Program, established in 2007, provides tools to help adults with depression, anxiety, and stress, and to develop healthy life coping skills. The pilot is testing the applicability of the video sessions and other resources to university students, who also face these issues and require support to prevent or manage them.

“We know that students need help managing stress and other related issues, and we also know that sometimes it’s hard to access a counselor in the moment,” said Steve Prentice, Residence Life Manager at St. Paul’s. “That’s why we decided to partner with the Life Recovery Program to see if students can use the resources to provide support.”

Paul Radkowski, founder of the Life Recovery Program, said, “24/7 issues require 24/7 solutions no matter where you are. The Life Recovery program provides systemic, holistic support for both the individual struggling, and those who care about the individual who is struggling. It's like having your own personal wellness coach.”

“Our program is peer-reviewed, and has demonstrated success with other demographics," Radkowski says. "For example, over 80 percent of participants in our forum developed new ways of coping – and research studies indicate that web resources can be effective in reducing symptoms and improving coping.”

St. Paul’s launched the program in late October, and will continue piloting it into the new year. For more information, contact Steve Prentice at s3prenti@uwaterloo.ca.

Get a close look at quantum at the RAC 2 open house

Today, Transformative Quantum Technologies (TQT) invites the University of Waterloo community to explore the Research Advancement Centre 2 (RAC 2) building and see first-hand where groundbreaking research in quantum information and science technology happens.

RAC 2 is a collaborative research centre that supports industry and academic engagement, industry start-ups and technology development. The shared research infrastructure includes a suite of unique tools that were built with CFREF, CERC, UW, NSERC, CFI and industry support and much of it is open to researchers through the Quantum Nanofab.

Stop by RAC 2 on north campus for a building tour and chat with the students and faculty members about their research. Light refreshments will be provided.

The open house runs from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

If you're looking for transportation out to the north campus:

• Check the Quantum-Nano Centre (QNC)/RAC 2 shuttle for available shuttle times and stops.
• Valid University of Waterloo parking permits can park in the RAC parking lot for this event.
• Those without a valid parking permit may contact TQT at extension 30311 for a temporary pass.

"We look forward to showing you around!" says a note from TQT.

President's Holiday Luncheon today; other notes

The President's Holiday Luncheon takes place today at Federation Hall beginning at noon. This event is free and open to all. Remarks by host President Feridun Hamdullahpur will begin at 12:15 p.m.

The Warrior Van will be parked outside of Federation Hall during the luncheon. In the spirit of giving, the campus community is encouraged to bring along an unwrapped toy, which will be donated to the Knights of Columbus toy drive.

The event serves to officially bring the 60^th Anniversary celebration to a close, and in recognition of the final stretch of the University's anniversary year, the Daily Bulletin will be publishing a daily recap next week of the year that was, from Monday, December 11 to Friday, December 15. 

The Library is currently operating under extended hours during the examination period.

Finally, 'tis the season for the annual Faculty of Environment holiday video. Here's a message from the environment elves:

Environment’s favourite tradition at this time of year
is sending our friends some holiday cheer.

While the warmth and fond wishes we send are the same,
our coop students helped us change up the game.

If you’re already on Snapchat, you’ll know what to do;
Follow us for bloopers at envwaterloo

And for those who don’t snap, click below and hit ‘play’,
to enjoy our holiday video the old-fashioned way!

"However you celebrate this festive time of year, we hope it's full of fun, family, good friends and warm memories in the making," says Dean of Environment Jean Andrey. "On behalf of myself and everyone in the Faculty of Environment, Happy Holidays!"