Monday, December 17, 2018

Previous | Next

• A holiday message from the President
• Waterloo: it's full of STARS
• Remembering Frank Brookfield
• Notes as the last week of the term begins

A holiday message from the President

There is nothing quite like the holiday season at the University of Waterloo. We’ve had a tremendous year as we’ve reached new milestone after milestone including Professor Donna Strickland’s Nobel Prize, our 200,000^th graduate and being named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for the third consecutive year.

During that time we never stopped pushing for what’s next. None of this would have been possible if it were not for our community of students, faculty and staff.

For that, I thank you. 

The holiday season brings us together to reflect on all that we have and to celebrate the opportunities of the upcoming year. It is within this spirit of cheer and goodwill that I send you season’s greetings on behalf of the entire University of Waterloo community.

As the year comes to an end, I wanted to share a short video message with you.

Watch video on YouTube

On behalf of the Office of the President and the entire University of Waterloo leadership team, I wish you, your family, friends and colleagues a very happy holiday season and a joyful New Year.

Sincerely,

Feridun Hamdullahpur
President and Vice-Chancellor

Waterloo: it's full of STARS

A message from the Sustainability Office.

Waterloo is excited to announce that it has earned a Silver rating on the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS), a comprehensive reporting framework for post-secondary institutions.

The rating recognizes Waterloo’s progress and actions across academics, campus operations, community engagement, and campus planning and governance.

Developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), STARS is the most comprehensive and transparent framework around the world for the post-secondary sector to measure and report on campus sustainability efforts.

“I am thrilled that Waterloo was able to achieve the Silver rating,” says Mat Thijssen, the University’s Sustainability Manager. “This speaks to the past and present efforts from many areas of campus. I am grateful for the departments who helped compile information for our submission and who are supporting ongoing action.”

STARS requires participating institutions to submit documentation and data about the following thematic areas:

• Inclusion of sustainability within curriculum and research activities
• Sustainability practices and performance from campus operations, including climate change, energy, waste, transportation, water, food, purchasing, and grounds management
• Efforts to engage students, employees, and wider community in sustainability efforts, and
• Planning and governance practices related to diversity, affordability, participatory governance, and wellbeing among others

Highlights from Waterloo’s submission included substantial academic programming related to sustainability across campus, as well as research efforts, and innovative actions such as hosting the Canadian chapter of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and participation in the HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10 framework.

”We certainly are not finished,” says Thijssen. “Waterloo’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy aims to reach STARSGold by 2025, and achieving the other objectives of the strategy will help us get there. I am encouraged and proud that this confirms we are building off strong foundations.”

Over 870 institutions are members of AASHE, with a large concentration in North America and increasing global presence. Over 420 institutions have earned a rating or have reported through the STARS program, and all submissions are publicly available on the STARS website.

For more information on Waterloo’s sustainability efforts, explore the Environmental Sustainability Strategy and view progress in the 2018 Environmental Sustainability Report.

Remembering Frank Brookfield

Frank Brookfield and Peter Russell with a fossil of Parasaurolophus on loan from the Royal Ontario Museum in 1979. The University of Waterloo would later purchase the artifact, which is installed in the CEIT building.

University of Waterloo retiree J. Frank Brookfield died on November 29.

Brookfield was a long-time instructor in the Biology department and also served as the biology curator of the Earth Sciences Museum.

"He was a dear friend and a dedicated teacher and educator who valued his students in the vertebrate world (both current and past worlds)," recalls Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Barry Warner.

Brookfield wrote and illustrated several articles of zoological interest for the University of Waterloo’s newspaper, The Gazette, and produced content for the Biology department’s Biologue publication.

His legacy at the University of Waterloo includes donations that funded the J. Frank Brookfield Scholarships for Excellence in Biology, which are awarded annually to outstanding undergraduate students enrolled in their second year in a Biology program, as well as the Brookfield Research Instructorship in the Department of Pure Mathematics, which enhanced research intensity in Pure Mathematics and provided young researchers with the opportunity to diversify and intensify their research capacity.

Brookfield also located and donated a number of fossil specimens to the Earth Sciences Museum, including a complete 2.7m-tall skeleton of an extinct Cave Bear, which he purchased at auction and donated to the University, where it is still on display. Other donations included a fossil of Captorhinus Aguti, an extinct species of reptile, a meteorite, and contributions towards the recently-completed Highgate Mastodon exhibit that published an app on the Apple App Store.

"One of his favourite items in the Biology side of the museum was the passenger pigeon and the Echidna, an Australian monotreme," recalls Peter Russell, curator emeritus of the Earth Sciences Museum. "He was a keen photographer, and enjoyed visiting natural history museums in the USA and Europe."

He was a member of the Canadian Society of Zoologists, and a President’s Circle Member Royal Patron’s Circle member of the Royal Ontario Museum, as well as a member of the American Museum of Natural History and the World Wildlife Fund.

Brookfield retired from the University in 1994, though he maintained his connection to the University through the administration of a distance education course in Biology for several years, and was a life member of the University of Waterloo Retiree’s Association (UWRA).

Frank enjoyed being part of the annual Science Open House, sitting next to the Cave Bear and talking to visitors of all ages. He participated in open house events as recently as October 2018.

For his generosity and continued support of the University, Brookfield was named a member of the 1957 Society, which recognizes donors whose cumulative gifts have reached $100,000 or more.

A memorial service will be held at the Graham A. Giddy Funeral Homes-Waterloo Chapel at 617 King St. N. in Waterloo on Wednesday, December 19 at 11:00 a.m.

Notes as the last week of the term begins

The Waterloo Centre for German Studies (WCGS) has announced the six finalists for the WCGS Book Prize. The prize, valued at CAD $2,000, is for books in any area of German studies published by first-time authors in 2017. 

"The shortlist demonstrates the rich and diverse nature of German studies scholarship today," says a note from the WGCS. "The Waterloo Centre for German Studies congratulates the authors on their fine achievement." 

Check out the finalists on the WCGS website.

On Saturday, December 22 between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. contractors and Plant Operations staff will be completing repairs and maintenance on Engineering 5 and Engineering 7. Both Engineering 5 and Engineering 7 will be closed to all for the day. No unauthorized persons will be permitted within either building.

Key fob access for these buildings will be shut down at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 21 until the completion of the work at approximately 6:30 p.m. on December 22. Upon completion, IST staff will ensure that all fobs are back on-line and functioning properly. 

Keys dropped off at the University of Waterloo Police office for sign-out by designated authorized users will not be issued for these buildings during this maintenance shutdown.

“Friends and colleagues of Elsa Woodhall, a familiar, friendly face at the University of Waterloo Book Store, are invited to a retirement celebration to mark her 30 years of service to the University," says a note from Print + Retail Solutions. "The reception is being held Thursday, December 20 starting at 4:00 p.m. in the Book Store. All are welcome.”