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Pushing back the frontiers of knowledge with supercomputing
How are researchers across Canada using Waterloo’s supercomputer Graham?
Find out at the next Research Talks where three researchers discuss how Graham – the biggest computer in Canada – has benefited their research.
Please register to attend this panel presentation on December 5 (11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) featuring:
- Scott Hopkins (Chemistry): Understanding the structures and properties of nanoclusters by engaging supercomputing
- Andrea Scott (Systems Design Engineering): Processing remote sensing data using supercomputing to improve knowledge of sea ice
- Régis Pomès (Biochemistry, University of Toronto): Developing novel computational methods with supercomputing to study biomolecular systems
A light lunch will be provided.
Research Talks is a regular series hosted by the Office of Research and supported by the Research Support Fund to provide Waterloo staff, faculty, and students with an opportunity to learn about world-class research at Waterloo.
Talking about the global sanitation crisis on World Toilet Day
Around 60 percent of the world’s population – 4.5 billion people – either have no toilet at home, or one that does not safely manage excreta. In a bid to help break taboos around toilets and make sanitation for all a global development priority, the United Nations General Assembly designated 19 November as World Toilet Day. This day is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.
Over 860 million people worldwide still practice open defecation. The impact of exposure to human faeces on this scale has a devastating impact upon public health, living and working conditions, nutrition, education and economic productivity across the world.
PhD Candidate in Health and Geography and QES Scholar Elizabeth Opiyo Onyango works with Water Institute member Susan Elliot, and is exploring how people socially construct, define and perceive societal and individual health and satisfaction with life in the global south, specifically in Kenya.
“In today’s world characterized by climate change, challenges associated with water and sanitation are bound to worsen in economically poor areas,” said Onyango. “Addressing these issues require locally driven initiatives that are context-specific if we are to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water (Target 6.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals), and adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene (Target 6.2).”
Many who live in deprived settings with no access to adequate water and sanitation spend much of their day collecting water – a responsibility that is borne by women, girls and children in most communities. These individuals are forced to interrupt their daily activities by waking up in the early hours of the morning or late hour of the evenings to go collect water, often compromising their safety to do so.
“Many walk at least one hour, to and from, the water point,” said Onyango. “In times of water scarcity, school absenteeism also increases either because of water-related diseases or because children take part in water collection which occupies much of their day.”
This year’s theme for World Toilet Day is “When Nature Calls,” referring to nature-based sanitation solutions that can harness the power of ecosystems to help treat human waste safely return it to the environment. One example of a nature-based solution is composting latrines that capture and treat human waste on site, producing a free supply of fertilizer to help grow crops.
“This is a great theme for an important issue that requires open discussion,” said Onyango. “By having such a theme, we are creating a conducive environment for discussions around taboo topics such as menstrual hygiene, defecation, and sanitation all over the world.”
To learn more about World Toilet Day and the global sanitation crisis, visit the UN’s website.
To learn more about how the University of Waterloo is helping us reach the Sustainability Development Goal (SDGs) visit the SDGs Network Canada website.
Students invite you to the Waterloo West Neighbourhood Fest
If you have children aged 2-12, you might want to check out this Saturday’s Waterloo West Neighbourhood Fest, happening on November 24. First-year Recreation and Leisure Studies students have been organizing a full day of free, drop-in activities for the community as part of a Program Management and Evaluation class, and will deliver them at the Stork Family YMCA and Harper Branch library.
This is the seventh year in which the class has partnered with these neighbourhood organizations to put on the Neighbourhood Fest. Waterloo students will be running a wide range of activities that should interest everyone from the science enthusiast to the sport fanatic. These include a Family Escape Room, a Super Hero party, slime making, coding, youth fitness sessions and more. Also, this year, Tex from the Kitchener Rangers will be on hand between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Everyone is welcome!
See the full schedule of activities on the Waterloo West Neighbourhood Fest Event page.
Senate meets today and other notes
The University's Senate meets today at 3:30 p.m. in NH 3407. Among the agenda items:
- A motion to inactivate the Applied Mathematics/Earth Option plan, effective 1 September 2019;
- A motion to approve the addition of a 50 percent numeric grading requirement for Faculty of Applied Health Sciences’ undergraduate plans, effective 1 September 2019;
- A motion to approve the establishment of the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics; and
- Motions to approve the 2019-2020 calendar dates and calendar guidelines for establishing academic dates; to update the Study Days calendar text for undergraduate students; to include specific guidance in the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar that specifies the requirements for graduate students during scheduled academic pauses.
The Senate will receive the University Committee on Student Appeals' annual report.
Senate will also hear a research presentation by Sarah Burch, associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Sustainability Governance and Innovation.
"It’s hard to believe, but Rohan Jayasundera will be retiring shortly!" says a note from Physics and Astronomy. "Rohan has been an integral part of our Physics & Astronomy Department at the University of Waterloo since 1982, over half of its existence! During his career, Rohan has been of immeasurable value to the thousands of undergraduate and graduate students he has interacted with at the University of Waterloo."
"Please join us for a retirement reception in Rohan’s honour on December 5th from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the IQC Main Atrium. Please RSVP to this event by November 20.