Thursday, May 30, 2019

Update on responsible investing at Waterloo

A message from Dennis Huber, Vice-President, Administration & Finance.

As you may be aware, the University of Waterloo, through the Responsible Investing Working Group (“RIWG”), conducted a year-long review of how best to incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into investment decisions related to its endowment and pension funds.

At its June 2018 meeting, the Board of Governors adopted the recommendations of the RIWG, confirming that the University will consider ESG an important lens in the investment decision-making process and approving institution-wide ESG guidelines.

Over the past year, the University has continued to take steps to implement the recommendations, including, but not limited to:

• Embedding ESG capabilities as part of the criteria used to select a new investment manager for the endowment fund;
• Requiring enhanced reporting and data analysis from investment managers to  explain how they reflect ESG practices in investment decision making;
• Evaluating the process and steps required to become a signatory in good standing to UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) in order to table a proposed implementation plan to Board of Governors later this year.

The University of Waterloo is committed to stewarding our resources effectively for the benefit of our entire community by incorporating an ESG lens in our decision-making.

For more information visit the Environmental, Social and Governance Implementation website.

2019 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholars named

This article was originally published on the Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs website.

Three Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship recipients will pursue their doctoral studies at the University of Waterloo. 

Tyler Hampton

Tyler is a PhD candidate in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. His research proposal - modelling water quality changes from streams draining forested landscapes in response to timber harvesting and wildfire – will help predict the effects of these activities on drinking water quality in forested regions of Canada.

Steven Pretty

Steven is a PhD candidate in the Department of Kinesiology. His research proposal - characterization of trochanteric soft tissue mechanics: informing the development of personalized protective devices - will add to our understanding of falls on the hip. Steven is investigating the interaction between hip protectors and underlying soft tissues.

Lei Yang

Lei is a PhD candidate in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Her research proposal - using duality to investigate the effects of interactions between electrons in topological quantum materials - may have application to the increase in speed and miniaturization of semiconductor electronic devices.

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program was created to attract and retain world-class Doctoral students and to establish Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning. Vanier Scholars demonstrate leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health-related fields. 

Applications now open for the Velocity Fund $5K competition

A message from Velocity.

The Velocity Fund $5K provides funding in a way that is impactful to students by incorporating pitch experience into its funding program. Students are eligible to apply to pitch an early-stage startup idea to qualify for a chance to win one of four $5,000 grants. 

The top applicants that submit a written application will be invited to make a 3-minute pitch in front of a panel of judges at one of the Velocity Fund $5K Qualifiers Nights on July 3 and 4. All teams will get helpful feedback on their idea, and the top 10 teams from the Velocity Fund $5K Qualifiers will move on to pitch at the Velocity Fund Finals $5K on July 18 to compete for a share of $20,000. 

Applications close Sunday, June 16. Learn more.

Food. Friends. Sunshine.

It must be the Keystone Picnic!

Join your colleagues on Friday, June 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Davis Centre Quad for live entertainment, a BBQ lunch, popcorn, cupcakes, cotton candy and more. For evening staff, an indoor picnic will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Student Life Centre.

If you’re spotted wearing your Keystone Campaign sticker, which was mailed to current Keystone donors last month, you could win a prize. Lunch is on a first-come, first-served basis, so grab your friends and join the fun!

Please consider bringing a toonie to the picnic to support student wellness programs on campus.

Thursday's notes

The Registrar's Office has posted the spring 2019 final exam schedule. Exam room information is expected to be added to the schedule by June 14.

The W Store Summer Reading Sale is set to run from Monday, June 3 to Wednesday, June 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the South Campus Hall Concourse. A huge selection of new and bestselling books will be available, all for 25 percent off.