Wednesday, February 28, 2018


Federal budget bolsters research strengths and impact

The Government of Canada’s investments in scientific research through Budget 2018 supports the University of Waterloo’s innovation and gender equity efforts.

The budget, which provided $1.4 billion towards basic science, introduced a new program to help early career researchers and encourage more women to enter and advance in scientific and research careers. The University of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing also received a commitment of $15 million in renewed funding for the next three years. The government also committed significant funding to Canada’s digital infrastructure and to maintain the Canada Foundation for Innovation. 

“The research investments announced in Budget 2018 are vital contributions to universities across Canada,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo. “This level of support will allow Waterloo to attract the best talent possible from around the world to develop homegrown breakthroughs in science, engineering and math that will help solve global challenges facing society today.”

Waterloo is a leading supporter of the UN Women’s HeForShe campaign and has numerous initiatives that support women in science and women in leadership positions. Waterloo attracts nearly $200 million per year in external research funding, has over 40 research centres, two Canadian excellence research chairs, 100-plus funded research chairs and four Killiam prize winners.

Tuesday’s budget announcements follow the federal government’s announcement of successful bids for the $950 million Innovation Supercluster Initiative. Waterloo is a key research partner in two of the initiatives, which involve an AI-powered global supply chain platform as well as a supercluster focused on advanced manufacturing.

“We welcome the federal government’s recent investments in groundbreaking research in Canada,” said Hamdullahpur. “These investments will greatly support research efforts at universities like Waterloo allowing us to continue to produce innovations that will drive our society for generations, and train our citizens to be leaders in the new economy.

“Thank you to our government partners for responding to the current and future needs and aspirations of diverse research communities across Canada through the short and long-term commitments in Budget 2018.”

Aboriginal centre changes name to Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre (WISC)

The logo for the Shatitsirótha’ Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre.

A message from St. Paul's University College.

Shatitsirótha’ means reigniting the flame in Kanien'keha (Mohawk language)  – and that’s what is happening at the newly renamed Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre (WISC). Formerly the Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre, the space has not only adopted an Indigenous name, but is also renewing its energy on supporting and connecting with Indigenous students.

“Across Canada, we are seeing a shift in terminology used to identify the collective group of those who identify as First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. The term in place has been ‘Aboriginal’ and the shift has been to ‘Indigenous,’” said Lori Campbell, Director of the Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre.

“The addition of Shatitsirótha’ to the name is not only connected to the opening of the Ceremonial Fire Grounds, but it also represents renewed energy and a sense of connection to the Centre space itself,” Campbell added. “It is also timely as the University of Waterloo embarks on working on its Indigenization strategy.”

The Centre, which is based at St. Paul’s University College, provides support and resources for current Indigenous students, educational outreach programs for Indigenous communities, lectures, events, an annual Pow Wow, and social campus events such as Soup and Bannock lunches.

Shatitsirótha’ is pronounced shah-tee-gee-roh-ta.

University of Waterloo hosts Lean in higher education seminar

Lean participants stand around a Human Resources banner

(From left to right) Kimberley Snage, Director HR Projects, Technology & Analytics, Kenton Needham, Executive Director, Human Resources, Marilyn Thompson, Associate Provost, Human Resources, Justyna Maciag, researcher from Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland.

In early February, the University of Waterloo hosted a Lean in higher education seminar. Representatives from other Canadian universities, including McMaster, Wilfrid Laurier, Ryerson and York attended to learn and share Lean experiences.

Lean is a systematic approach of improving processes by eliminating work that creates no value. It has three goals: culture change, effectiveness and efficiency. While traditionally applied to the manufacturing industry, Lean has gained traction within higher education institutions who are faced with pressure for greater accountability and transparency, shrinking budgets and an increased need for highly skilled talent.

University of Waterloo Associate Provost of Human Resources, Dr. Marilyn Thompson, realized the importance of collaboration across universities when she attended the international 2016 Lean in Higher Education Conference in Stirling, Scotland. “Because of their close proximity, universities in the UK could easily collaborate and share Lean ideas and practices,” she said at the beginning of the Lean seminar at Waterloo. “The strength behind what they were learning came from their shared knowledge. Working across institutions, there is huge potential for the development of world-class Lean processes for higher education.”

Guest speaker, Dr. Justyna Maciag, a researcher from Poland who is studying Lean culture in higher education, presented her findings at the seminar. UWaterloo Lean leaders also presented process improvements made through Lean methodology at the University of Waterloo. The Lean seminar provided several opportunities for idea sharing and collaboration, including a round-table session where attendees broke into groups and came up with solutions to common Lean barriers, such as resistance to change, and the challenge of finding time to analyze current processes and identify wastes. Ultimately Lean methods lead to savings in time and resources, but it can be hard to find time for the initial review and analysis while performing everyday duties.

As Lean initiatives are further developed at the University of Waterloo, collaboration across institutions will provide insights and lead to the development of continuous improvement practices that can be applied to higher education. UWaterloo Lean leaders will continue to seek out these opportunities throughout the year as they pilot a Lean consortium across eight departments on campus.

If you have questions about Lean at the University of Waterloo, please contact Marilyn Thompson, Associate Provost, Human Resources or Kimberley Snage, Director HR Projects, Technology & Analytics.

Wednesday's notes

The Noon Hour Concert Series continues with Sunabacka: Louis Riel’s Dream today at 12:30 p.m. in Conrad Grebel University College's chapel.  The featured composition for this noon hour concert is a 25-minute piece titled Mama’s Painting: Louis Riel’s Dream by Dr. Karen Sunabacka. The piece is inspired by an unfinished collection of paintings by her Métis grandmother Lenore Clouston titled “Louis Riel’s Dream.” The five paintings were to highlight the history of Western Canada through the stories of the indigenous peoples, illustrating the clashes of cultures and politics in Canada and pointing to a future where people of all races could live in harmony. Sunabacka decided to complete the project musically and used the prose of her mother (Joyce Clouston) to start each of the five movements of the piece. The final result is an interdisciplinary presentation of her grandmother’s vision.

Them's fightin' words: Electrical and Computer Engineering reports that "recent research by ECE PhD students Nahid Juma and Jonathan Shahen, Professor Mahesh Tripunitara, and an external collaborator, establishes that work that received a prestigious award from the National Security Agency (NSA) in the US, is deficient at its foundations."

"The research pertains to a problem called information leakage in the context of cloud-computing, and is especially relevant given the ongoing wide adoption of such cloud-computing technology. The research is to be published in the IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing, and is available at https://doi.org/10.1109/TDSC.2018.2790932. Professor Tripunitara is in communication with NSA over these findings."

Your T2202A tuition tax receipt for terms in 2017 is now available on Quest.  Go to Student Centre, click on Finances, then on Tax Receipts.  Your charitable donations receipt for endowment fund contributions made in 2017 is also available on Quest, if you did not request refunds for those feed during the year.

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include: Octopuz Inc.Visit the employer information calendar for more details.

Arts Undergraduate Office will be closed from 8:30-9:30am on Wednesday, February 28th for a staff meeting.

Link of the day

35 years ago: Goodbye, Farewell and Amen

When and where 

Heart-Healthy Eating (Waterloo Women's Wednesdays),Wednesday, February 28, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., MC 5479.

Noon Hour Concert: Sunabacka: Louis Riel’s Dream, Wednesday, February 28, 12:30 p.m., Conrad Grebel University College Chapel.

Bridges Lecture Series, “Beyond the Imitation Game – From Dieppe & James Bond to Blackberry and Quantum Encryption,” featuring Lecturers Peter Berg and David O’Keefe, Wednesday, February 28, 7:30 p.m., St. Jerome’s University, Academic Centre Vanstone Lecture Hall. Event SOLD OUT. Register for wait list at www.sju.ca/bridges.

Velocity Start: How To Find Your Customers Online, “Conduct online market research,” Wednesday, February 28, 7:30 p.m., Velocity Start, SCH 2nd Floor.

Mitacs: Foundations of Project Management II - Day 1, February 28, 8:30 a.m., TV 2218

Interviews: Preparing for Questions, February 28, 2:30 p.m., TC 1208

Women’s Studies Tea and Talk with Dr. Canan Aslan Akman, “The Feminist Movement in Turkey: Sustaining Resistance and Dynamism Under Lingering Dilemmas and New Challenges,” Thursday, March 1, 2:30 p.m., RCH 207.

Lecture - One Generation Away: Martyrs Mirror and the Survival of Anabaptist Christianity with David Weaver-Zercher - Thursday, March 1, 7:30 p.m., Conrad Grebel University College, Great Hall.

World’s Challenge Challenge UWaterloo, March 1, 7:00 p.m, EV2 2002

Mitacs: Foundations of Project Management II - Day 2, March 1, 8:30 a.m., TV 2218

50th Anniversary Lecture Series- Conversation 5, Thursday, March 1, 6:30 p.m., Laurence A. Cummings Lecture Theatre- School of Architecture.

QPR Training, Thursday, March 1, 10:30 a.m., Counselling Services, Needles Hall Second Floor.

Communication for the Workplace, Thursday, March 1, 1:00 p.m.

CBB Seed Funding Grant Applications close, Thursday, March, 1, 4:30 p.m., Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology (EC4 2001).

Free screening of 'Sea of Life' Documentary, Thursday, March 1, 6:30 p.m.

World’s Challenge Challenge competition, “Student teams propose solutions to major global problems,” Thursday, March 1, 2018, 7:00 p.m., Location TBD.

Ecohydrology Seminar Series - "Linking agricultural management to microbial ecosystem processes by Dr. Lori A. Phillips - March 2, 2 p.m., RCH - J.R. Coutts Engineering Lecture Hall

Philosophy Colloquium Series presents Dr. Govind Persad“Authority Without Identity: Defending Advance Directives via Posthumous Rights Over One’s Body,” Friday, March 2, 2:30 p.m., HH 373.

Panel - Mennonites and the Media: Telling Mennonite Stories Today with David Weaver-Zercher - Friday, March 2, 7:30 p.m., Conrad Grebel University College, Great Hall.

Athletics Football Gala, Friday, March 2, 5:45 p.m., Bingemans ballroom, Bingemans.

CBB Biomedical Discussion Group featuring Dr. Craig Simmons, Mechanobiology, University of Toronto, Friday March 2, 1:00 p.m., EC4 2101a.

Vision Science Research Seminar Series featuring Dr. Maud Gorbet, University of Waterloo, "Biocompatibility with biomaterials and biomedical devices," Friday, March 2, 4:30 p.m., OPT 1129.

CANCELLED - Lectures in Catholic Experience featuring Douglas Cardinal, architect, "Organic Architecture and the Indigenous Worldview," Friday, March 16, 7:30 p.m., St. Jerome’s University, Academic Centre Vanstone Lecture Hall.

Velocity Fund $5K and $25K applications close, “Today’s Velocity Fund winners, tomorrow’s innovative companies,” Saturday, March 3.

The DaCapo Chamber Choir present ‘Reincarnations' - Saturday March 3, 8 p.m. & Sunday March 4, 3 p.m.

Lecture - “Transgression, the Tragic and Metatheater: A New Look at Greek Tragedy” with Dr. Lothar Willms - Monday, March 5, 10:30 a.m. - 11:20 a.m., ML 349

Lecture: Unpacking ethics and evidence in FASD prevention with Dr. Melody Ninomiya -Monday March 5, 9 a.m. - 10 a.m., Dunker Family Lounge (REN 1303) at Renison University College.

Weather Station 20th Anniversary, Public Presentation and Reception -Monday, March 5 2018. 6 p.m. - 9 p.m., Davis Centre 1302 

CBB Biomedical Discussion Group featuring Dr. Nobuki Kudo, Biomedical Engineering, Hokkaido University, Tuesday March 6, 11:00am., EC4 2101a.

PhD seminar, “Stereoscopic 3D line drawing and shading,” Lesley Istead, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, Tuesday, March 6, 11:30 a.m., DC 3323

In Light of the Moon film screening and panel discussion, Wednesday, March 7, 6:30 p.m., AHS 1689.

Silver Medal Award Guest Lecture, “SORRY IS AS SORRY DOES: Apologies and Beyond, in an Era of Reconciliation, Redress, and Resurgence,” Wednesday, March 7th, 4:30 p.m., STC 0050.

Mardi Gras -Wednesday, March 7, 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., University Club

Knowledge Integration Exhibition “KI-X 2018,” Monday, March 12, 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., St. Jerome’s University, Siegfried Hall Residence Wellness Centre

Lecture - LGBTQ+ Studies and Disability Studies in Conversation with Dr. Margaret Gibson - Monday, March 12, 9 a.m. - 10 a.m., Dunker Family Lounge (REN 1303) at Renison University College.

Knowledge Integration Exhibition “KI-X 2018,” -Tuesday, March 13, 12:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., St. Jerome’s University, Siegfried Hall Residence Wellness Centre

Lecture - Embracing Hope: Strengths-Based Research as a Pathway to Change with Dr. Elizabeth Cooper - Tuesday, March 13, 9 a.m. - 10 a.m., Dunker Family Lounge (REN 1303) at RenisonUniversity College.

PhD seminar, Incremental difficulty in platformer games,” Rina Wehbe, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, Tuesday, March 13, 10:00 a.m., DC 3317

Knowledge Integration Exhibition “KI-X 2018,” Wednesday, March 14, 12:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., St. Jerome’s University, Siegfried Hall Residence Wellness Centre

Lecture - The Impacts of Neoliberalism on Social Work, Social Services and Communities with Dr.Ousmane Bâ - Wednesday, March 14, 9 a.m. - 10 a.m., Dunker Family Lounge (REN 1303) at RenisonUniversity College.

Knowledge Integration Exhibition “KI-X 2018,” - Thursday, March 15, 12:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., St. Jerome’s University, Siegfried Hall Residence Wellness Centre

Lecture - When Diversity is Our Strength: Negotiating Discussions and Discourses of Race in the City of Toronto with Dr. Shana Almeida - Thursday, March 15, 9 a.m. - 10 a.m., Dunker Family Lounge (REN 1303) at Renison University College.

Knowledge Integration Exhibition “KI-X 2018,” - Friday, March 16, 12:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., St. Jerome’s University, Siegfried Hall Residence Wellness Centre

Knowledge Integration Exhibition “KI-X 2018,”Saturday, March 17, 11 a.m.-4:00 p.m., St. Jerome’s University, Siegfried Hall Residence Wellness Centre

PhD seminar, Left them 4 dead: Perception of humans versus non-player character teammates in cooperative gameplay,” Rina Wehbe, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, Tuesday, March 20, 10:00 a.m., DC 3317

Lecture - Challenging Assumptions: Using Research to Evaluate Child Welfare Worker Qualifications with Dr. Kristen Lwin - Monday, March 26, 9 a.m. - 10 a.m., Dunker Family Lounge (REN 1303) at Renison University College.

Positions available

On this week's list from the human resources department, viewable on the UWaterloo Talent Acquisition System (iCIMS):

  • Job ID# 2018-2460 - Alumni Officer, Volunteer Engagement - Advancement-Alumni Relations, USG 7 - 9
  • Job ID# 2018-2435 - Associate University Librarian, Learning, Research and User Services - Library, USG 16
  • Job ID# 2018-2473 - Manager, Budgeting - Finance, USG 12
  • Job ID# 2018-2453 - MME Engineer - Mechanical & Mechatronics Eng., USG 9 - 10
  • Job ID# 2018-2448 - Recruitment and Admissions Coordinator - Stratford Programmes, USG 7
  • Job ID# 2018-2471 - Administrative Assistant - Spanish, USG 5
  • Job ID# 2018-2436 - Associate University Librarian Collections, Technology and scholarly Communication - Library, USG 16 

Internal secondment opportunities:

  • Job ID# 2018-2456 - Documentation and Training Specialist – Workday Program - Human Resources, USG 9
  • Job ID# 2018-2458 - Human Resources Client Support Administrator - Human Resources, USG 5
  • Job ID# 2018-2478 - Institutional Analyst - Institutional Analysis & Plan, USG 9 - 10
  • Job ID# 2018-2414 - Receptionist - Campus Wellness-General, USG 4