Friday, May 25, 2018


Welcoming future students at You @ Waterloo Day

A You @ Waterloo Day campus tour outside the Student Life Centre.

On Saturday, thousands of Waterloo’s future students and their families will be visiting campus to decide if Waterloo is the place for them in September.

The annual You @ Waterloo Day event is for students who have received offers of admission and aims to ensure that students leave with a firmer sense of commitment towards the university.

Organizer Andrea Santi says about 6,000 visitors are typically expected. The event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The main locale will be Federation Hall, where representatives from the faculties, student awards, the admissions office, co-op, athletics, and other offices and services will be on hand to answer questions. There will also be a celebration with “You’re In!” cupcakes and other refreshments available.

Campus tours, faculty-specific tours, as well as tours of the residences and the university colleges will all be available.

Drivers ready to tear up the tracks at EV Challenge

Electric race vehicles line up with Engineering 5 in the background.

Start your electric engines: the Waterloo High School Electric Vehicle Challenge takes place on Saturday, May 26 on the University's East Campus.

Hosted by Waterloo Engineering, the Waterloo High School Electric Vehicle (EV) Challenge encourages students to design and test their own electric car in an annual endurance competition. This year's competition will feature:

  • Two races — for 12 and 24 volt cars — with the winner of the 24 Volt Race receiving the TADA Cup
  • Dennis Weishar Engineering Design Award for excellence in Engineering design
  • Toyota Fabrication & Manufacturing Award for excellence in vehicle construction.
  • Interstate Batteries Rookie Team Award for the top-ranked first-year team.

Students will compete in two endurance races, driving electric cars they have designed and built from scratch on a temporary race course set up on the East Campus. 

Members of the community are welcome to watch the races on Saturday.

Provincial Envirothon to be held next week

A group of Envirothon participants in a forest.

A Provincial Envirothon competition is being held at Waterloo from May 27 to 30.

Envirothon is a team-based competition for high school students who love the outdoors. This year, Faculty of Environment staff and faculty worked to bring the competition to Waterloo.

Over 700 students and teachers from across Ontario take part in the program each year, with the top 21 teams attending the Ontario Envirothon Championship.

The Ontario Envirothon is part of the larger North American Envirothon reaching over 500,000 students, teachers and community members across North America. The students will be participating in a variety of outdoor and indoor activities, workshops, and presentations, with an awards ceremony at the end of the event.

The Waterloo community is welcome to drop by the various events taking place on campus and support the students, some of whom will hopefully join us as undergad students in the years to come! The events will be announced on Faculty of Environment social media channels including @envwaterloo.

Friday's notes

A Centre for Ocular Research study banner featuring a child smiling while wearing glasses.

Attention parents! The Centre for Ocular Research and Education at the University of Waterloo is currently seeking children ages 6 and 12 to participate in a study evaluating a new cutting edge spectacle lens design. Receive up to $120 for only 3 visits over 3 weeks and a free pair of spectacle frames. Check out the CORE website for more information.

Professor Ralph Smith stands with a graduate student in a 1988 lab photo.Friends and colleagues of Professor Ralph Smith (that's him standing with graduate student Rick Ridings in 1988) are invited to join the Biology department as they celebrate his retirement after 31 years at the University. The retirement celebration will take place on Tuesday, May 29 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the University Club. Light refreshments will be served and all are welcome. RSVP to Margaret Berton by sending an email to mberton@uwaterloo.ca.

The Book Store's annual "Spring Into Summer Sale" is happening in the South Campus Hall Concourse on Monday, May 28 and Tuesday, May 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Hundreds of new titles will be on display at a 25 percent discount. Come check it out!

The School of Planning Class of 2018 is being reminded to register for its Graduation Luncheon by May 30.

Finally, a reminder to University of Waterloo Staff Association members that today is the deadline for two calls for staff representative nominations:

  • The Dean of Arts Nominating Committee; and
  • The Dean of Applied Health Sciences Nominating Committee.

The UWSA is seeking applications for a staff representative on each of these committees. For more information, please refer to Policy 45 – The Dean of a Faculty. If you are interested in serving on either of these committees and meet the eligibility requirements, 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). Also, please feel free to contact Gail with any questions about applying and/or serving on committees.

Link of the day

Do you know where your towel is?

When and where 

NEW - Office 365 at Waterloo seminar featuring Greg Milligan, National Technology Strategic, Education, Microsoft Canada, Friday, May 25, 9:00 a.m., EC5 1111.

"India, Canada and Shastri India-Canadian Institute - A Canada-India Bridge for Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: New Funding Opportunities for Collaborative Educational and Research Activities with India," Friday, May 25, 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. DC 1302.

Games Institute Spring 2018 Game Jam MAKE event, Friday, May 25 to Sunday, May 27, QNC 1502, QNC 2502.

You @ Waterloo Day, Saturday, May 26.

Electric Vehicle Challenge, Saturday, May 26, East Campus.

Velocity Fund $25K and $5K applications open, Monday, May 28.

NEW - Book Store Spring Into Summer Sale, Monday, May 28 and Tuesday, May 29, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., South Campus Hall Concourse.

Menstrual Hygiene Day, Monday, May 28, 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., STC.

Undergraduate School on Experimental Quantum Information Processing (USEQIP), Monday, May 28 to Friday, June 8, Institute for Quantum Computing.

Interviews: Proving Your Skills, Monday, May 28, 2:30 p.m., TC 1208

Politics at The Pub: Student Meet & Greet with Green Party Candidate, Monday, May 28, 3:00 p.m., The Bombshelter Pub.

The Centre for Teaching Excellence presents: Statements of Teaching Philosophy (graduate students only), Tuesday, May 29, 10:00 a.m., TC 1208.

Interviews: Preparing for Questions (for employees only), Tuesday, May 29, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., TC2218.

Ecohydrology Seminar Series featuring Professor Claudia Wagner-Riddle, “Linking Surface N2O Flux to Soil Processes in Cold Climates,” May 29, 2:00 p.m., RCH 307.

Retirement celebration for Ralph Smith, Tuesday, May 29, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., University Club. RSVP to Margaret Berton - mberton@uwaterloo.ca.

Rapid Career Promotion Briefing (graduate students only), Wednesday, May 30, 6:00 p.m., TC 2218.

Waterloo Women's Wednesdays research talk with Arshi Shaikh, "What is Animal Hoarding?" Wednesday, May 30, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., NH 3308.

Preventing Depression Relapse: A Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Group, Wednesday, May 30, 5:00 p.m., Counselling Services, NH 2447.

Velocity Start: Building a Kick A** Team, Wednesday, May 30, 7:30 p.m., Velocity Start, SCH 2nd Floor.

Keystone Picnic, Friday, June 1, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the DC Quad. Or for those on campus in the evening, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the SLC.

Discovery: A Comic Lament, Friday, June 1, 7:30 p.m., Conrad Grebel University College.

Transforming Space: Immerse, interact and imagine in Philip Beesley, School of Architecture, Saturday, June 2 to Monday, October 8, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Royal Ontario Museum.

QPR Training, Monday, June 4, 1:30 p.m.

safeTALK training, Tuesday, June 5, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., NH 2447.

Board of Governors meeting, Tuesday, June 5, 1:30 p.m., NH 3407.

Annotated bibliography using RefWorks, Wednesday, June 6, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Library FLEX Lab.

Gustav Bakos Observatory public tour, Wednesday, June 6, lecture 9:00 p.m. in PHY 313, telescope viewing 9:30 p.m.

Velocity Start: Ain’t No Model Like a Business Model, “Learn how to create a lean business model canvas”, Wednesday, June 6, 2018, 7:30 p.m., Velocity Start, SCH 2nd Floor.

Presidential Lecture featuring Professor Eric Mazur, Harvard University, Friday, June 8, 2:00 p.m., Federation Hall. Register on Ticketfi.

NEW - Nukes and the Nobel: A Conversation with Setsuko ThurlowWednesday, June 13, 7:30 p.m., reception at 6:45 p.m. in Atrium, Conrad Grebel University College Great Hall.

Spring 2018 Convocation, Tuesday, June 12 to Saturday, June 16, Physical Activities Complex.

University Club Spring Convocation Luncheon, Tuesday, June 12 to Saturday, June 16, 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., University Club.

Discover Your Career Values (for employees only), Wednesday, June 13, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., TC2218. 

Velocity Start: Do People Want Your Sh*t?, “Learn about topics related to market validation,” Wednesday, June 13, 7:30 p.m., Velocity Start, SCH 2nd Floor.

ROM Daytime: Transforming Space: Can Architecture Come Alive?, Speaker: Philip Beesley, School of Architecture, Thursday, June 14, 11:00 a.m., Royal Ontario Museum.

Design and deliver I: Presentation Essentials, Thursday, June 14, 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

The Quantum Valley Investments® Problem Pitch Competition, Thursday, June 14, 7:00 p.m., AL 105.