Wednesday, June 19, 2019


Campus comes together for Thrive Day

Thrive logo.

Today is Spring 2019 Thrive Day at Waterloo. Wear your Thrive T-shirt and attend one of the many events taking place on campus today to show your support for building positive mental health. Events include:

  • Mental Health Booths and Activities - 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the SLC Great Hall.
  • Positivity Buttons - All day at Dana Porter, Davis Centre and Musagetes Architecture Library
  • Free Peer Health Education Thrive Package with Tips on How to Thrive at UW - Time varies, pick up at your faculty society during their office hours
  • More Feet on the Ground Mental Health Training for Students - 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Register on LEADS.
  • Personal Wellness and Motivation Activities with Residence Life Staff - 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Claudette Millar Hall, Main Lobby”
  • Graduate student lawn games and popsicles — Wednesday, June 19, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Graduate House Green. Join your graduate student peers for a Spring Thrive event! Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs along with the Graduate Student Association will be set-up on the Grad House green with lawn games and popsicles. Take a break and drop by for a sweet treat and some fun.

Women leaders share their journey to leadership

Journey to leadership banner.Waterloo women-identified Deans and senior administrators will share details about their path to leadership, the ways they overcame barriers and what they wished they had known along the way at a special event today in Federation Hall. The Journey to Leadership event has been organized by the Equity Office and the Research, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council.

The panelists include:

  • Professor Diana Parry;
  • Professor Susan Tighe;
  • Professor Pearl Sullivan; and
  • Professor Jean Andrey.

Professor Anita Layton will moderate the panel. 

The event will feature a breakout opportunity for attendees to speak to the panelists individually, engage in dialogue and ask questions about more specific topics.

The event takes place at Federation Hall. Light refreshments will be provided.

IST explores Microsoft Office 365 email for employees

A person writes an email on a laptop at a conference table.

Information Systems and Technology (IST) is considering moving University employee email into the cloud.

“Email services for University employees are currently hosted on an on-premises Microsoft Exchange environment, while email services for undergraduate students are hosted on the cloud-based Microsoft Office 365 environment,” wrote Chief Information Officer (CIO) Bruce Campbell in a memo circulated to Executive Council on June 6. “I believe it is time to evaluate whether employee email should be moved to Office 365, and eliminate our on premises Exchange environment.”

In such a model, employees would continue to use familiar email and calendaring tools including Outlook, web mail, and smart phone apps, however, the email servers themselves would be located in a Canadian Microsoft data centre.

According to Campbell, the benefits of such a change include reduced cost to the University and an enhanced user experience that includes improved service, larger email quotas, and a new opportunity for employees to collaborate with students. 

“A recent survey suggests most Canadian universities have already moved their employee email to the cloud, with Office 365 being the most common platform used,” Campbell wrote. “We have held consultations with four Ontario universities (Toronto, Queen’s, Ottawa and Western) who have recently moved to Office 365 for employees, to learn of their experiences and any challenges encountered.”

“Many in our research community have already individually embraced cloud solutions (e.g. Dropbox), and several of the University’s enterprise solutions (e.g. Workday, Unit4, LEARN) are cloud hosted. We have completed a Privacy and Security Impact Assessment (PSIA) with IST’s Information Security Services team and the Secretariat, and concluded that cloud hosting of employee email would meet applicable privacy legislation and University policy.”

“In the coming months, we will begin broader campus consultations on this potential change, including in-person and online opportunities for feedback and questions,” Campbell’s memo concludes.

In the meantime, questions may be directed to IST’s Director of Client Services Andrew McAlorum.

Tech is strong and free at True North 2019

The True North event gets underway at Lot 42.

The University of Waterloo will be a sponsor and partner for True North 2019, the annual conference led by Communitech. The conference takes place today and tomorrow at the Lot42 space in Kitchener.

The event will include a lineup of 50 thinkers and builders who will discuss topics like AI, data security, quantum computing and digital detox, and among them will be University of Waterloo researchers, alumni, and partners, including:

  • Marcel O’Gorman of English Language and Literature; 
  • Roger Melko of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and the Faculty of Science;
  • Michele Mosca of the Institute for Quantum Computing;
  • Waterloo alumnus Jade Choy, CEO and Co-founder of EPOCH;
  • Waterloo alumnus Ryan Garipey of Clearpath Robotics;

The True North Festival is open to the public as well as conference attendees and includes concerts on both June 19 at Waterloo Town Square and June 20 in downtown Kitchener. There are more than 50 events to discover across the region.

True North will also feature the launch of the inaugural Leaders Prize, a national competition that will award $1 million to the winning team solving a problem of global significance using artificial intelligence.

Engineering prof publishes poetry; other notes

This article was originally published on the Faculty of Engineering's news site.

A mechanical and mechatronics professor has recently published her first collection of poems in English and Persian titled Tales of Existence, A Collection of Poems.

Shahrzad Esmaeili.Shahrzad Esmaeili, pictured on the right, credits the University of Waterloo, where she began teaching in 2004, for providing inspiration for some of her poems.

"As I ponder my new life journey in poetry, I see the trails of the natural beauty of the University campus, which helped me in the process of starting to write in Spring 2014," she says. "The spring blossoms on the campus grounds, its beautiful creek with swimming ducks, dandelion-covered grass, colourful birds and their songs, were inspirations for my earliest poems."

Tales of Existence cover image.Esmaeili's book of poetry is available for purchase in the UW Authors section of the University of Waterloo bookstore or online.

Partial proceeds from sales will go towards student activities at the University.  

The International Spouses group's Spring Term Potluck is scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 22 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. If you are the partner or spouse of an international student, post-doc, visiting professor or Waterloo faculty or staff member, you, your partner/spouse, and family are invited to attend. Full details about the potluck are available on the International Spouses website.

International Spouses group members pose for a photo at a potluck dinner.

Waterloo’s Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience invites everyone to an open house, the culmination of a two-week workshop that teaches researchers how to build sophisticated brain models. These international experts will demonstrate brain models running on laptops, robots, and specialized brain-like computers while simulating neural functions. Among the brain-like computers used at the summer school is Loihi, a new neuromorphic chip developed Intel Labs.

The workshop is focused on using the Nengo brain simulator, developed by Professor Chris Eliasmith’s lab in the Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience, to build state-of-the-art AI applications that run on neuromorphic hardware.

The open house will be held on Friday, June 21 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in E7-7303.

    Link of the day

    A group of 28-millimetre scale miniature military officers.

    The Battle of Waterloo in miniature

    When and Where

    Bike Month, Saturday, June 1 to Sunday, June 30, across campus.

    Bike Challenge, Saturday, June 1 to Sunday, June 30, across campus.

    Portfolio & Project Management Community of Practice (PPM CoP) session, "Engaging Stakeholders," Wednesday, June 19, 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., East Campus 5 (EC5), 1111. 

    Continuous Improvement Workshop for employees, Wednesday, June 19, 10:00 a.m., STC 1012.

    Spring 2019 Thrive Day, Wednesday, June 19, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Student Life Centre Great Hall.

    Journey to Leadership, Wednesday, June 19, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Federation Hall. RSVP by June 12.

    CBB- Symposium: Smart Aging and Rehabilitation Technologies (Netherlands and Canada), Wednesday June 19, 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Engineering 7, E7-2317. This event is open to Faculty, Staff, Students, and postdocs. Register today.

    More Feet on the Ground - Mental Health Training for Students, Wednesday, June 19, 1:30 p.m., HS 2302.

    Business Etiquette and Professionalism, Wednesday, June 19, 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., TC 1208

    Thank-you event for Mario Coniglio, Wednesday, June 19, 4:00 p.m., University Club.

    Ethical AI - Separating the Fact from Fad, Wednesday, June 19, 5:30 p.m., DC 1302.

    Green New Deal Canada Town Hall - Kitchener, Wednesday, June 19, 7:00 p.m., St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (Elizabeth Room), 54 Queen St. N , Kitchener.

    Velocity Start: Pitch to Win, “Perfect your 3-minute business pitch at this interactive workshop,” Wednesday, June 19, 7:30 p.m., Velocity Start, SCH 2nd Floor.

    Retirement celebration for Marko Dumancic, Thursday, June 20, 2:00 p.m., Grad House.

    CBB-Biomedical Discussion Group featuring Dr. Francesco Negro, University of Brescia, Italy: “The high-density Electromyography (EMG) technology and its applications in rehabilitation research,” Thursday, June 20, 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., EC4-2101A. This event is open to faculty, staff, students, and postdocs. Register online.

    Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation (WICI)’s Conversations on Complex Systems, Thursday, June 20, 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., STC 1019.

    Graduate Student Stress Management Group, Thursday, June 20, 3:30 p.m., HS 2302.

    Interviews: Preparing for Questions, Thursday, June 20, 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., TC 1208.

    Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation (WICI)’s Graduate Student Complexity Seminar, Thursday, June 20, 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., STC 1019.

    NSERC Alliance Grants Introductory Workshop, Friday, June 21, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., East Campus 5, Enterprise Theatre, Room 1111. Please register to attend in person or via livestream.

    Can we scale tobacco control intervention research with school teachers in india?,” Friday, June 21, 11:00 a.m., AHS 1621.

    Thank You Celebration for Doug Peers, Dean of Arts. Friday, June 21, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Hagey Hall Hub.

    Farewell celebration for Jason Coolman, Friday, June 21, 3:00 p.m., E7 second floor event space.

    Brain Builders' Nengo Summer School Open House, Friday, June 21, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Engineering 7, room 7303.

    Glow Goes to Toronto Pride 2019, Sunday, June 23.

    Getting Published for Graduate Students, Monday, June 24, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., SCH 228F.

    Coping Skills Seminar - Thriving With Emotions, Monday, June 24, 3:00 p.m., HS 2302.

    Wellness Collaborative Launch Event, Tuesday, June 25, 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Federation Hall. Register on Ticketfi.

    Retirement celebration for Anne Wagland, Tuesday, June 25, 3:00 p.m., University Club. RSVP to Jaime Fohkens by June 14.

    NEW - Women in Renewable Energy Speed Mentoring Event, Tuesday, June 25, 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

    Talking Careers with Your Kids (for employees only), Wednesday, June 26, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., TC 2218.

    Waterloo Women's Wednesdays: Pilates Class, Wednesday, June 26, 12:00 p.m., EIT 3142.

    QPR Mental Health Training for Faculty and Staff, Wednesday, June 26, 1:30 p.m., HS 2302.

    NEW - Interviews: Proving Your Skills, Wednesday, June 26, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., TC 1208.

    Retirement celebration for Sergeant Patrick Ulett, Wednesday, June 26, 3:00 p.m., University Club.

    WISE Public Lecture: The Road to Reliable and Economically Feasible Electricity for Remote Communities in Developing and Developed Economies, Wednesday, June 26, 3:00 p.m., CPH 4335.

    Eating Disorder Support Group, Wednesday, June 26, 4:00 p.m., NH 3308.

    Coping Skills Seminar - Cultivating Resiliency, Wednesday, June 26, 4:00 p.m., HS 2302.

    Velocity Start: BYSB (Building Your Startup Brand), “The basics of setting up your brand and the online platforms available to help you,” Wednesday, June 26, 7:30 p.m., Velocity Start, SCH 2nd Floor.

    NEW - Skills Identification and Articulation, Thursday, June 27, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., TC 2218.

    Waterloo Engineering and the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business present guest speaker Janét Aizenstros, “Pioneer Adventures in Entrepreneurship and Business,” Thursday, June 27, 5:35 p.m., Engineering 7 Conrad School hub.

    Positions available

    On this week's list from the human resources department, viewable on the UWaterloo Talent Acquisition System (iCIMS):

    • Job ID# 2019-4293 - Advancement Coordinator - Dean of Math Office, USG 6
    • Job ID# 2019-4322 - Digital Content Development Specialist - CEE Services, USG 9
    • Job ID# 2019-4289 - Director, Climate Finance and Science - Dean of Environment Office, USG 13
    • Job ID# 2019-4364 - Educational Developer, TA Training and Writing Support - Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE), USG 11
    • Job ID# 2019-4350 - Faculty Financial Officer - Dean of Engineering Office, USG 12
    • Job ID# 2019-4362 - Global Learning Coordinator - Student Success Office, USG 8
    • Job ID# 2019-4306 - Graduate Program Administrator - Physics and Astronomy, USG 7
    • Job ID# 2019-4106 - Manager, Purchasing and Merchandising Strategy - Print & Retail Solutions, USG 10
    • Job ID# 2019-4347 - OHD Coordinator - Organizational & Human Develop, USG 8 - 10                                                               
    • Job ID# 2019-4344 - Records Supervisor -Registrar, USG 8
    • Job ID# 2019-4363 - Student Service Specialist - Student Service Centre, USG 5 – 6
    • Job ID# 2019-4153 - Custodian I - Plant Operations-Custodial

    Internal secondment opportunities:

    • Job ID# 2019-4361 - Alumni Advancement Officer - Dean of AHS Office, USG 8 – 10
    • Job ID# 2019-4356 - Graduate Admissions Specialist - Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA), USG 8
    • Job ID# 2019-4352 - Immigration Consultant -Student Success Office, USG 9
    • Job ID# 2019-4181 - Senior Manager - Survey Research Centre, USG 9