Monday, March 26, 2018

Help guide the development of the next Strategic Plan

The University of Waterloo is beginning the process to develop our new Strategic Plan, 2020-2025.

The Bridge to 2020, the new strategic planning process, will build on the 2013-2018 strategic plan and will determine the University’s institutional direction between 2020-2025. Read this to learn more about this process.

The Provost’s Office is leading this effort. We have created a Strategic Plan Advisory Committee (SPAC) to help inform, advise, and guide the development of the plan. Members of this committee include Faculty deans, University vice-presidents and the University secretary, representatives of each of the faculty, staff and student associations, and an alumni representative. In addition, we are seeking four representatives elected from each of the University’s key constituencies: faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students and staff.

We are asking for volunteers from each of the following groups to volunteer to stand for election to participate on this important committee. We need one representative from:

• Regular faculty (as defined by Policy 76);
• Full- and part-time graduate students;
• Undergraduate students; and
• Full-time regular staff (as defined by Policy 54).

Volunteers can submit their names to stand for election between now and 4:00p.m. on April 6, 2018. The election will be held April from 11 to 20.

To volunteer to put your name forward for election to the SPAC, please complete this nomination form.

To learn more about this opportunity, please visit the SPAC Election site.

For questions and concerns please email the Vice-President, Academic & Provost.

WIS speakers talk tech-inspired futures

by Beth Gallagher. This article originally appeared on Waterloo Stories.

Innovators who are building the next-generation of computing and artificial intelligence say the tech community needs people who can translate the power – and the peril – of technology to society.

“Powerful technologies can be dangerous and it’s important they be guided by ethics and an inclusive community,” says Joseph Emerson, a professor in the Faculty of Mathematics and faculty member of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC).

Emerson, who co-founded a startup called Quantum Benchmark, was speaking at the Waterloo Innovation Summit’s speaker series in Toronto. The Friday event, hosted by the University of Waterloo and the Globe and Mail, featured panels on the potential of artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

Emerson, who researches ways to control fragile quantum states methods for assessing and improving the performance of quantum devices, told the crowd that Canada needs a new generation with diverse perspectives to leverage the head start it got in quantum research when IQC was established in 2002.

Pearl Sullivan, the University’s dean of engineering, said the hardest intelligence to develop and scale will be human-centred intelligence – not digital or artificial intelligence.

Society needs AI-translators

Sullivan called for “AI translators” from the business community or academia who can help ask the right questions and bring context to new technological developments. “These human attributes cannot be substituted by artificial intelligence,” said Sullivan. “We are short of experts, but we are critically short of translators.”

Alex Wong, a Waterloo professor of systems design engineering who specializes in AI, has developed technology that can help doctors make better decisions when it comes to cancer diagnosis and care. His team is developing technology that helps doctors at the initial cancer screening and improves recovery rates.

He said AI translators could help businesses, who often abandon artificial intelligence too early because the organization isn’t seeing a return on their investment. However, Wong pointed out that often what is needed is a brain-storming session with an expert who asks the right kinds of questions.  “Industry needs people who are able to take the fundamental AI theories and translate and integrate them into the company structure,”added Wong.

Kate Larson, a professor in Waterloo’s David R. Cheriton of Computer Science, has developed AI techniques to improve the deployment of resources to combat forest fires. She told the crowd at the Globe and Mail Events Centre that machine intelligence often comes with the all-too human biases in the data that is used to train machines. Larson said some facial recognition software does a great job – but only on white men.

“You can tell me what outcome you want,” said Larson. “But what is a good outcome? That depends on the preferences of the decision makers and their values. We need people who can think hard and carefully about what our preferences and values are when we are designing platforms that affect our daily lives.”

Max Tegmark, an MIT professor doing physics and AI research, is the author of New York Times bestseller, Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. He said when thinking of the future of technology we should start with basic measures like: banning lethal autonomous weapons; ensuring AI generated wealth makes everyone better off and investing in AI safety research.

“We can build AI that overpowers us, or build AI that empowers us,” he said.

Beware feathered frenemies: Goosewatch is live

A message from the Student Success Office.

Goose Watch begins today here at the University of Waterloo. During nesting season, Canadian geese can become aggressive and territorial. Goose Watch is a mapping application that helps students, staff and faculty navigate around goose nest locations on campus. But it only works with your help – the campus community can report nesting locations through the Goose Watch website or in Portal.

Plant Operations will be taking the usual precautions by posting signs and possible barricades in the case of territorial bird behavior. While sharing campus space with these soon-to-be parents, Goose Watch 2018 presents Goose Tips:

1. If a goose acts aggressively, back away slowly and calmly.
2. When passing geese, keep your chest and face pointed towards them. Maintain direct eye contact.
3. Be neutral. Do not show fear or act in a hostile manner.

By the end of nesting season, the next generation of tiny goslings will be out and about exploring campus. In the meantime, you can send in your goose nest sightings through Goose Watch and now Portal, and celebrate the season with #GooseWatch18 filters in Snapchat.

Goose Watch is a collaboration between the Faculty of the Environment’s Mapping, Analysis, and Design department and the Student Success Office. Follow #GooseWatch18 for updates from UWaterloo Life.

Velocity Fund finalists will pitch on Wednesday

The 21^st Velocity Fund Finals will take place this Wednesday, March 28 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, Canada’s most productive startup incubator.

Ten companies will compete for four prizes of $25,000, and judges will present one company with an additional $10,000 for the top hardware pitch. Another ten startups will compete for four awards of $5,000.

The judging panel for the Velocity Fund $25K competition includes:

• Peter Aceto; co-founder, eQuoshift & former CEO, Tangerine 
• Jamie James, managing partner, GreenSoil Building Innovation Fund  
• Karen Madden; vice-president, technology & innovation, PerkinElmer  
• Greg Stewart; president, GreenSky Capital 

The judging panel for the Velocity Fund $5K competition includes:

• Donna Litt; co-founder, Kiite
• Alexander Mistakidis; CEO, Gamelynx
• Adam Spence; director, SVX, MaRS Centre for Impact Investing

The pitch competition will take place in the Student Life Centre's 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 3:00pm. Register to attend here. Can’t make it in person? There is also a live stream.  

The $25K finalists are:

• A-Line Orthopaedics, which is developing implants for safer, faster surgeries;
• Bibu Labs, which uses artificial intelligence to provide defense against cyberattacks;
• Brink Bionics, which is developing a low-cost, high-functioning, hand prosthesis;
• Fuzzbuzz, a fuzzing platform that keeps critical software secure
• NeuroGate, a platform to provide movement-disorder specialists with AI-driven analytics and disease prediction to better treat patients;
• OpenPhone, which offers a modern phone system for small businesses;
• PolyGone Technologies, which is developing laundry and filtration technologies to capture microfibres, a type of microplastic, before they enter our environment, water, and food;
• SannTek, which is developing a marijuana breathalyzer;
• ShopSimply, which offers a mobile app that lets you buy clothing from popular brands such as H&M, Zara, and Nike; and
• Supercut, which helps agile and distributed teams run feedback meetings that encourage participation, promote alignment, and ensure accountability.

The $5K finalists are:

• Circadian Energy, which provides affordable, long-term energy infrastructure for underserved communities by providing simple home-to-home energy sharing;
• Elevate, a game-based digital platform that empowers individuals with Down syndrome to become active members of society;
• Freewheel, an accessible, affordable retrofit system for walking devices;
• gndrv, a data management platform for biological data, like GitHub for DNA;
• Intelline, which builds mass custom cryocoolers to enable widespread implementation of cryocooled technologies;
• Quantum NanoPure, which provides affordable access to specialty fullerene molecules for researchers and distributors;
• Stabilo, which offers a hardware solution to improve the rate and level of recovery for people regaining motor functions, starting with victims of stroke;
• The Health Aisle, a web-based platform that directly connects pharmacists with their patients to improve health outcomes and increase billable revenues for pharmacies;
• TobyX, which TobyX offers an in-room kiosk to optimize hotel service experiences and revenue; and
• WatVision, which helps the blind and visually impaired interface with touch screens.

Nutrition Month "myth vs. fact" for March 26

Myth:  Eating disorders affect mainly teenage girls.

Truth:  This is one of the many myths about eating disorders. While some people may be at higher risk, these serious and complex illnesses can affect anyone - they occur across genders, all ages, cultures and socioeconomic groups. Eating disorders are life threatening and have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. They are treatable and full recovery is possible, but getting help is extremely important. For more information on eating disorders, including symptoms and how to get help for yourself, a friend or a relative, visit NEDIC, the National Eating Disorders Information Centre. The Canadian Mental Health Association of Waterloo Wellington offers community-based treatment programs for adolescents and adults with eating disorders as well as recovery resources and a support group for family and friends.    

Senate meets today and other notes

The University's Senate will meet at 3:30 p.m. today in NH 3407. Among the agenda items:

• Several motions to change academic regulations in the Faculty of Environment;
• a motion to change Retail Services' name to "Print and Retail Solutions";
• a motion to inactivate the Knowledge Integration option in the Faculty of Environment;
• a motion to change the name and scope of the Campus Wellness unit to "encompass Counselling Services, Health Services, and Health Promotion";
• a motion to change the name of the Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre to "The Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business", and to grant it formal status within the Faculty of Engineering as an academic unit.

Senate will also hear a teaching presentation from Professor Wayne Brodland of Civil & Environmental Engineering.

Speaking of Senate, the Secretariat has announced a number of acclamations for Faculty and Faculty-at-Large representatives. Check the Secretariat page for more information about the new faculty senators, whose terms run from May 1, 2018 to April 30, 2021.

A message from Information Systems and Technology about WatIAM: The replacement of the identity management system known as WatIAM has been rescheduled to begin on Monday, April 9 at 4:30 p.m. until Thursday, April 12 at 8:00 a.m. The WatIAM system will be down and unavailable to clients during the upgrade process. 

Important notes:

• Authentication services will remain available.
• Identity management services will be unavailable for the duration of the outage, including new identity creation and changes to user information such as emails and passwords.
• Identities in the current WatIAM system prior to the planned outage will have been provisioned already, including post-dated or future dated items during the outage period.
• Dependent applications, such as myHRinfo, will continue to process new application accounts during the outage, however the new identity (and therefore user access) will not be provisioned until after the identity system change is complete. These new accounts will be queued and processed when the new service is available.
• Critical requests for changes to user access can be directed to the IST Service Desk at helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or ext. 44357.

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or ext. 44357.