Monday, January 21, 2019

President joins global leaders in Davos for World Economic Forum

“World Economic Forum 2015: Impression of the Logo” by Jolanda Flubacher is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

by Anne Galang.

President Feridun Hamdullahpur will be in Davos, Switzerland this week attending the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting that will also include chancellor Dominic Barton and alumnus Calvin Choi (BA ‘01), Chairman and Chief Executive of AMTD Group. He will be one of more than 3,200 attendees at the Forum where he will meet with global business leaders, government officials and other academic leaders from around the world to share the University of Waterloo story.

The World Economic Forum is an international not-for-profit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization is best known for its annual meeting in Davos, which brings together political, business and cultural leaders to discuss pressing global issues. Attendance is by invitation only, and includes heads and members of government, executives of global companies, leaders of international organizations and non-governmental organizations, and prominent cultural, societal and thought leaders.

This year’s annual meeting theme is “Globalization 4.0;” that is, exploring a new framework for global public-private cooperation in the face of growing inequality, ecological challenges, the rise of populism and nationalism, and rapid technological change.

In Davos, President Hamdullahpur will get a firsthand look at where the global community is headed, the coming challenges and opportunities, and how the University and its community of students, faculty, staff and alumni can lead the way to a more prosperous future.

Check back in the Daily Bulletin this week for a “Daily Davos” update of key issues and developments.

Watch the Faculty of Mathematics build a four-dimensional object

by Anne Galang.

On Friday, January 25, drop by the Math 3 (M3) Atrium to watch as Professor Benoit Charbonneau and students from the Faculty of Mathematics build a three-dimensional projection of a four-dimensional polytope. The team will be at work from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The mathematical artefact, called an omnitruncated dodecaplex, will be built using Zometool pieces.

If you’re rusty on your geometry, the dodecaplex is a convex regular four-dimensional polytope built from 120 dodecahedral cells. The omnitruncated dodecaplex that is being built is an orthogonal projection of a four-dimensional polytope constructed by truncating all vertices, edges, and faces of the dodecaplex. It will have 14,400 vertices, 28,800 edges, 17,040 polygonal faces and 2,640 cells.

This “barn raising” of the omnitruncated dodecaplex is an opportunity for students to learn in a hands-on manner about the geometry. The artefact will use 21,360 Zometool parts and weigh 35 kg when it is completed.

After the team completes the model, it will be suspended from the M3 Atrium ceiling, where it will hang permanently as a piece of art for all to enjoy.

Senate meets today and other notes

The University's Senate has its first meeting of 2019 today in NH 3407 at 3:30 p.m. Among the agenda items:

• Several motions relating to approving revisions to BA Breadth Requirements, BA Co-op Requirements, Multiple Plan combinations, and Communications Skills Requirements in the Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar, effective 1 September 2019;
• A motion to approve a new Faculty of Mathematics graduate program, the Master of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (MDSAI), effective 1 September 2019; and
• A motion to approve a proposed three-year general English Literature and Rhetoric plan, effective 1 September 2019.

Senators will also welcome Phoebe Stephens, PhD student in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, who will give a graduate student presentation.

Nominations are open for the Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo (FAUW)'s 2019 Equity and Inclusivity Award. The award celebrates members and/or affiliates of the University of Waterloo community whose actions have made a demonstrable impact on equity, inclusivity, and/or diversity at the University. The award was introduced in 2012 by the Faculty Association’s Equity Committee (formerly the Status of Women & Equity Committee).

Send a nomination package in a single PDF file to Weizhen Dong, chair of the Equity Committee, at weizhen@uwaterloo.ca, by Wednesday, January 30. 

For more information about the award, check out FAUW's website.

Service Canada representatives will be on campus issuing and renewing Social Insurance Numbers for international students this week. These sessions occur on the last Friday of every month and will take place at The Centre in Needles Hall from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. No registration is required. International students can drop in with their required original documents and their WatCard.