Thursday, December 21, 2017

Have your profile published on myResearch

Researchers who would like their profiles published on a new research management system when it becomes available in 2018 can send their CVs to the project team in advance.

myResearch is a new web-based, research management, networking, and expertise discovery system that will house research outputs and publications, showcase accomplishments, and promote collaboration among experts at Waterloo.

As the project team tests the system, researchers are invited to submit their CVs to be used as a part of a pilot study. Sending a CV and your ORCID membership (if available) to myResearch@uwaterloo.ca are the only requirements for the pilot study.

Participants can be assured their profiles will be accurate and complete when myResearch becomes available and, therefore, able to use the system and benefit from its features immediately.

Test results will be shared with participants to confirm how well the system has populated their research outputs from various sources.

If you have any questions, please contact myResearch@uwaterloo.ca.

President's Town Hall website updated

The President's Town Hall website has been updated to include the full video of the November 14 event as well as a transcript of the Q+A portion of the event.

More than 265 employees and students attended the President's Town Hall at Federation Hall on November 14, with hundreds more watching the livestream.

The transcript includes the answers to many questions that were submitted both prior to and during the event that for reasons of timing weren't answered then and there.

Remembering John Miller

Human Resources has reported that retired professor John Wolf Miller died on December 2.

Miller joined the University in September 1969 as an assistant professor at Conrad Grebel College (now Conrad Grebel University College) and was named Associate Professor in 1972.

His research interests included the Old and New Testaments, religion and psychotherapy, and Biblical faith and parenting.

He was the acting chairman of the University's religious studies department from 1979 to 1980, and was the Acting Director, Academic Affairs at Conrad Grebel from 1980 to 1981. He chaired the religious studies department from 1981 to 1984.

Professor Miller retired in September 1992 from his faculty position at Conrad Grebel and was named Professor Emeritus. He was predeceased by his wife, Louise, in 2015.

Grebel has posted an obituary on its news site.

Hong Kong trip recap and other notes

"It was a few short weeks ago that a delegation from the University of Waterloo visited Hong Kong to broaden Waterloo’s ties to one of the most vibrant economies and communities in the world," wrote President Feridun Hamdullahpur in a recent post on his blog. "Hong Kong is home to the most Waterloo alumni in the world, outside of Canada, making it an incredibly special place to visit and explore. Our roots have traveled far, shaping our future beyond the borders of Canada."

"After a week of meetings with alumni and local universities, events and speaking engagements I can say that our University continues to make great strides in leveraging the strength of our alumni and our corporate and government partners in the region."

Check out the video recap of the Hong Kong delegation's activities:

The Hult Prize @ UWaterloo Finals were held on November 29. Team CataLight, comprised of students in the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) will be moving on to the Hult Regional Finals in March 2018 for a chance to win $1 million for their social enterprise.

CataLight seeks to provide access to clean water with affordable photocatalytic water treatment.

Check out the full story on the Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre website.

A Waterloo literature professor has been awarded a prestigious Polanyi Prize this year for his research that challenges traditional narratives of the refugee experience. Vinh Nguyen, an assistant professor of Diaspora Literatures and East Asian Studies at Renison University College, examines how refugee stories shape public perception and policy. Nguyen, who fled Vietnam as a child refugee, researches how former refugees stand in solidarity with other refugees.

Nguyen is researching the shared historical and political connections between three separate refugee waves to Canada in the post-war era, with the aim of dispelling the common myth that refugees tend to be apolitical and passive.

School of Accounting and Finance Tax Professor Alan Macnaughton was awarded a Lifetime Contribution Award from the Canadian Tax Foundation (CTF) at its annual conference in Toronto. This prestigious award celebrates individuals who have distinguished themselves through their contributions and dedication to the Canadian Tax Foundation.

The awards programme describes Alan’s contribution as having “…made a tremendous contribution to the quality of the Foundation’s publications, while at the same time regularly writing Canadian Tax Journal articles on the personal income tax system…Alan’s proudest accomplishment is establishing, in May 2011, the Canadian Tax Focus newsletter, which provides an opportunity for young practitioners across Canada to present their thoughts on current tax issues.”

The School of Accounting and Finance has the full story.

The University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA) is seeking applications for staff representation on the UWSA Nominating Committee. There are two positions available for a two-year term that runs from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019.

The purpose of the University of Waterloo Staff Association Nominating Committee is to nominate and/or appoint regular full and part-time UWSA members as representatives to: 

• University or UWSA Standing Committees; and
• University or UWSA ad hoc Committees requiring staff representatives. 

The Nominating Committee Terms of Reference are available online. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please submit the online web form for committee membership or fill out and send a printed copy to the chair of UWSA Nominating Committee, Gail Spencer at uwsanominate@uwaterloo.ca (DC 3609) by December 22, 2017.

Finally, Plant Operations will be holding an Ugly Christmas Sweater Day contest today, although it doesn't have to be a sweater. Participants can meet in the main reception area on the second floor of the GSC at noon to show off their attire. Voting will take place from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in a ballot box in Key Control. There are prizes including a Westward socket set, a Milwaukee M12 Fuel hand saw, Master chef coffee maker, $25 President's Choice gift cards, and more. There will be participation prizes for all who dare to don an ugly seasonal shirt.