Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Further Education Fair helps students prepare for what's next

The Centre for Career Action (CCA)’s annual Further Education Fair (previously Professional School & Post-degree Day) will be held on Monday, October 22 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Student Life Centre Great Hall. This event offers students an opportunity to gain information from and network with recruiters from various post-degree programs and institutions.

Representatives from more than 90 institutions across Canada and abroad will be present to speak with current students and alumni to answer questions about career options, graduate school admission requirements, program specifics and application procedures and deadlines.

The Further Education Fair features staff and faculty from post-degree programs in teaching, law, MBA, engineering, health, pharmacy, optometry, veterinary medicine, social work and more! CCA also offers individual appointments to provide information about the grad/professional school application process, review of applications and mock interviews on an ongoing basis. Students, alumni and staff can book appointments via the CCA website.

If you work directly with students, please recommend this event to those who may be interested.

For more information, please contact Gillian McKenzie-Yorke.

Vision Science goes virtual with Canada's first VR optometry lab

This is an excerpt of an article originally published on the School of Optometry & Vision Science news site.

A new virtual reality (VR) training lab at the University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry & Vision Science will help Canada’s next generation of optometrists learn how to diagnose vision problems and eye diseases more quickly and accurately.

The new lab, funded through an $800,000 investment by national eye care provider FYidoctors, will accelerate the development of essential clinical skills for optometrists. The authentic experience simulates a patient’s eye and provides students with an opportunity to use virtual reality to practice on many cases that range from wellness through to diseases such as macular degeneration and diabetes.   

At a total cost of $1.5 million, the FYidoctors Simulation Lab is the first of its kind in Canada and will ensure the School remains at the forefront in optometric education in North America.

“With the simulators, optometry students will now take the time they need to practice and master skills as they progress through increasingly complex training modules,” said Stanley Woo, Director of the School of Optometry and Vision Science at Waterloo. “During valuable lab time, the foundational skills will be better established enabling our faculty to take the students more efficiently from good to great.” 

The simulation equipment will supplement real-life training, which is limited.  It will also provide hundreds of real patient cases to practice binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy (BIO), which will help students to recognize, identify and diagnose eye and systemic disease more quickly and confidently. FYidoctors leadership support represents the most significant sponsorship every received by the School's optometry program.

Dr. Al Ulsifer, CEO and Chairman of FYidoctors and Waterloo alumnus, said that this investment isn’t just an investment in the University, but an investment in the future generation of optometrists.

“When we formed FYidoctors 10 years ago, we created it with a vision to enhance the lives of people, in our communities, and across the world. Investing in students, and in their clinical education, will ultimately enhance patient care in the communities in which we serve, and keep Canada at the forefront of optometry and vision science,” said Ulsifer. “Simulation technology is the future of healthcare learning and is directly aligned with FYidoctors spirit of harnessing innovation to help our patients lead more fulfilling lives.” 

Ulsifer led the formation of FYidoctors in 2008 with a dynamic group of University of Waterloo optometry grads who had the vision to create an optometrist-led chain of eye-care clinics. Today, FYidoctors is the country’s largest doctor-owned eyecare provider, and invest heavily in technology to ensure its clinics deliver exceptional care to their patients. 

Read the rest of the article on the Optometry & Vision Science website.

Join Drew Hayden Taylor's Search for Winnetou

The Waterloo Centre for German Studies has announced its next event, "Drew Hayden Taylor's Searching for Winnetou." This will be a screening of the CBC documentary "Searching for Winnetou" followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, Drew Hayden Taylor. 

Years ago Hayden Taylor, an Ojibway from the Curve Lake First Nations in Ontario, became aware of the German fascination with the Old West as it is immortalized in the Winnetou novels of 19^th-century writer Karl May. He made this film to explore issues of cultural appreciation vs. appropriation in Germany. 

Drew Hayden Taylor’s Search for Winnetou is being held in the Balsillie School of International Affairs' multipurpose room (67 Erb Street W., Waterloo) on Wednesday, October 24 at 7:00 p.m., followed by a Q&A with Drew Hayden Taylor. More information and a link to register for this free event can be found on the Waterloo Centre for German Studies website.   

The event is co-sponsored by the Balsillie School of International Affairs Research Cluster for Indigenous Peoples, Decolonization and the Globe. 

Community flu vaccination clinic runs in November

A message from Campus Wellness.

With cold and flu season coming up, you might be wondering whether or not to get a flu vaccination this year. The answer is yes! Campus Wellness is providing a community flu clinic this November to help make it easy and convenient to get your flu vaccine and help stop the spread of influenza.

The community flu clinics are running on the following dates and times:

• November 6, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., SLC multi-purpose room;
• November 7, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., SLC multi-purpose room;
• November 8, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., SLC multi-purpose room.

Even healthy, young people should get the vaccine, to avoid missing work or school, but also to avoid spreading influenza to people who might not have well developed immune, which could include any babies, older relatives, or people with medical conditions who could develop serious complications from the flu.

People in high-risk categories are strongly encouraged to get the influenza vaccine. Campus Wellness will also be running an earlier clinic at their Health Services location for people in the high-risk categories starting October 17. For more information about the dates and times, see the event listing.

Getting vaccinated can be an effective way to maintain your health through cold and flu season. By avoiding the flu, you save time and energy for more important things like work, attending class, or visiting family members who might be at a high-risk for flu complications.

All University of Waterloo community members (students, staff, and faculty) can get their influenza vaccination at one of the flu clinics. If you can’t make it to one of the flu clinics, you can make an appointment at Health Services after the clinics, or visit one of the many pharmacies in town that offer flu shots.

For more information see the Region of Waterloo Public Health.

Fortune Global Forum favours the bold; other notes

President Feridun Hamdullahpur joined Nobel laureate Professor Donna Strickland, Chancellor Dominic Barton, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other thought leaders yesterday at the Fortune Global Forum, an annual by-invitation-only meeting that brings together the CEOs of the world’s biggest corporations—the Fortune Global 500—with innovators, builders, and experts to explore key issues shaping global business. 

Professor Strickland spoke at a "Scientific Frontiers" session on Monday at 5:15 p.m., and Chancellor Barton, co-chair of the Fortune Global Forum, moderated a "Boardroom Confidential Roundtable" featuring directors and board chairs from Fortune 500 companies.

President Hamdullahpur will be attending sessions at the event today as well as a dinner. The Fortune Global Forum continues until Wednesday, October 17. It is being held at the The Ritz-Carlton and Shangri-La Hotels. Follow along online with the hashtag #FortuneGlobal.

It's a Samhain Sell-Off in the Student Life Centre: The Federation of Students is clearing out its Halloween decorations from Orientation and the Bombshelter tomorrow in the SLC's multipurpose room starting at 10:00 a.m. All items are on sale for either $1 or $2. Departments are allowed the opportunity to preview and can buy large storage bins filled with their choice of haunted items for $20. For more information contact Dave McDougall, director of campus life, at dave.mcdougall@uwaterloo.ca.

"You asked, we listened," says a note from Print + Retail Solutions. "We’ve added a new selection of sustainable products including Pela phone cases with drop / impact protection, aluminum straws with cleaning brush, Ukagu binders and clipboards (made from recycled material and 100% recyclable), Decomposition Books, reusable drinkware and much more!"

"Check out our product offerings, available at the Bookstore and Waterloo Store, with a smaller selection available at Campus Tech and STC and as part of zero waste week, receive a reusable tote bag this week with every purchase."

The next Portfolio & Project Management Community of Practice (PPM CoP) session will take place Wednesday, October 24 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in East Campus 5 1111. Occupational Health staff will present on Mental Health and Stress Management on Projects.

No registration or previous project or portfolio management experience is required to attend. Visit the PPM CoP website for more details.