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Fall Convocation honorees named
A Waterloo alumnus with a distinguished career in the fields of animal biology, behaviour and social biology will be among the recipients of honorary doctorates at the University of Waterloo’s upcoming fall convocation ceremonies.
Anne Innis Dagg will receive an honorary Doctor of Science at this fall’s convocation. Dagg, who received her PhD from Waterloo in 1967, was the first person to study animals in the wild of Africa, and has been a tireless advocate for gender equality in academia.
Anne worked as a part-time lecturer at Waterloo Lutheran University in anatomy and physiology from 1962-1965, and then as an anatomy demonstrator at the University of Waterloo in 1966. In 1967 she earned her PhD in animal behaviour from the University of Waterloo.
Dagg became a fellow of the Zoological Society of Ontario in 1967, and was chosen one of eight top living female biologists in Canada by the federal government for the National Museums of Canada’s "Why? Why Not? Exhibit" in 1975. She has also received the Kitchener-Waterloo Status of Women Group Human Rights Award.
Donald Lemmen will receive an honorary Doctor of Environmental Studies. After receiving his PhD from the University of Alberta in 1988, Donald Lemmen dedicated over 30 years to studying and publishing on climate and environmental change. With Natural Resources Canada, he led the development of national assessments of climate change impacts and adaptation that have served as benchmarks for policy and program development in Canada. He has represented Canada as a leader on international climate change science and policy through the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, including four years as co-chair of the Adaptation Committee, the global advisory body to the 193 member countries.
Stephanie and Joseph Mancini will receive a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa. Stephanie and Joseph Mancini are graduates of the University of Waterloo, with B.A.s in history (St. Jerome’s, 1980 and 1981, respectively), and an M.A. in history for Joseph (Waterloo, 1982). Soon after graduation, they founded the Working Centre to offer practical job search support to the unemployed, followed by St. John’s Kitchen in 1985, to serve hot meals to those in need. They continue to develop community-based projects to help marginalized communities in downtown Kitchener. The Mancinis were recognized in 2014 with the Bene Merenti Medal, a Papal honour, and in 2016 with the Order of Canada.
In addition, a number of Waterloo retirees will be named Honorary Member of the University:
Vic DiCiccio graduated from Waterloo with a BASc (1976) and MASc (1979) in Electrical Engineering. He was instrumental in founding the Institute for Computer Research (ICR), a multidisciplinary institute supporting collaborations across the University and with other University and corporate partners in the areas of computing, communications and other aspects of information technology. When digital media research was in its early days, DiCiccio capitalized on opportunities for Waterloo to expand its activities in this field. DiCiccio also promoted Waterloo researchers' increased participation in Ontario and Canadian research networks and created several large grant proposals that were awarded to Waterloo researchers and their teams.
Ginny Dybenko has been a technology and education leader since graduating from the University of Waterloo (MMath, 1972). Career highlights include her appointment as founding President and CEO of Bell Advanced Communication and Dean of the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics. At Waterloo, she served as Executive Director of the newly-launched Stratford Campus, contributing to its enormous growth and success. Ginny has served on many boards, including TV Ontario, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Kitchener and Waterloo Chamber of Commerce. She was identified as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and, in 2012, was honoured with a Waterloo Barnraiser Award.
Mary Soulis' long history with the University of Waterloo began at the age of seven when her father was hired as a professor in Engineering at the still-new University of Waterloo. Mary joined Waterloo herself in 1971 as an Earth Sciences student, later completing her Masters in Civil Engineering at Waterloo in 1978. Mary joined Institutional Analysis & Planning in 1981, and throughout her 35-year career in IAP, both the University and the broader postsecondary education sector across Ontario and Canada benefited from Mary's keen analytical mind and methodical and creative solutions to challenging problems.
Three faculty members will be named Distinguished Professor Emeritus:
Chris Godsil earned his PhD in Mathematics from the University of Melbourne in 1979. He joined Simon Fraser University as Assistant Professor in 1981, and was promoted to Professor in 1985. In 1987, he moved to Waterloo and joined the Department of Combinatorics and Optimization. He has served as department chair, and several times as associate chair for graduate affairs. Professor Godsil is a world-leading authority in the field of Algebraic Combinatorics, especially Algebraic Graph Theory. His scholarly work has been profoundly influential on the development of the subject, impacting the work of many researchers in Mathematics and beyond.
Erik Woody earned his PhD from Duke University and spent 36 years as a professor at the University of Waterloo. As a clinical psychologist, his leadership in the accredited clinical psychology graduate program was crucial to the continuing success of that program. He has served terms as Associate Chair, Graduate, for the Department and twice as Director of Clinical Training. He was elected Fellow of the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis in 1993, and received the Society’s highest honour, the Henry Guze Award, in 2011. At Waterloo, he was recognized with the Distinguished Teacher Award in 2006 and with two Outstanding Performance Awards.
Derek Besner received his PhD from Reading University in the United Kingdom, following which he spent 37 years as a professor at University of Waterloo. As a cognitive psychologist, his expertise is in the domain of attention and basic processes in reading, a field in which he is an internationally recognized leader. He has been elected Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, The Psychonomic Society, and the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science. He has had continuous grant funding from NSERC throughout his career. At Waterloo, he was recognized for his stellar scholarship with an Arts Research Award in 2017.
The convocation ceremonies take place on Friday, October 25 and Saturday, October 26 in the Physical Activities Complex. More information is available on the convocation website.
Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics launches
The University of Waterloo officially launched its astrophysics centre today.
The Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics (WCA) is being launched to build on the University’s record of success in astrophysics, which includes the creation of the theories tested by the first-ever image of a black hole to be taken. The centre also aims to advance human understanding of phenomena such as dark energy, dark matter and the nature of supermassive black holes.
“There is an incredible amount of work being done Waterloo, and with the number of international projects already benefiting from our expertise, bringing the talent and resources together under one roof in the form of the WCA is the logical next step,” said Will Percival, director of the WCA and professor of astrophysics at Waterloo. "By creating an environment of intense collaboration, we'll not only create a recipe for further breakthroughs in astrophysics, but we'll also be able to advance our understanding of big data that will benefit scientific work taking place across our region.
“As the grandfather of big data, astrophysics has always been on the forefront of data science, and we expect that to continue to the benefit of everyone who comes into contact with the WCA.”
The WCA builds on the Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Distinguished Chair in Astrophysics, which is held by Percival. The WCA launched with 13 faculty members and numerous post-doctoral fellows and graduate students. Members include Percival, who makes and analyses maps made from the three-dimensional positions of galaxies, Robert Mann, who studies gravitation and quantum physics, and Avery Broderick, whose theories laid the groundwork for the black hole image recently captured by the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration.
Members of the WCA are involved in a number of ongoing global projects, including the Canada-France-Imaging-Survey, the Event Horizon Telescope, and the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey.
WCA members are also scheduled to take part in a number of the next generation of projects including Euclid, which is a satellite mission to understand dark energy, CASTOR, a proposed Canadian Space Agency satellite mission that would provide high-resolution imaging in the UV/optical spectral region, and the James Webb Space Telescope.
“The WCA will attract young, talented, scientists who will advance our understanding of dark energy, dark matter, and massive black holes that shape galaxies and clusters of galaxies,” said Brian McMamara, chair of Waterloo’s Department of Physics and member of the WCA. “The first image of the supermassive black hole in M87 by Avery and the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration is only a taste of the discoveries that lie ahead."
Global Engagement Seminar students will tackle the future of nature
Photo: Edward Burtynsky, Courtesy Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto
Now in its third year, the Global Engagement Seminar for senior undergraduates in all six faculties will focus on the theme “The Future of Nature” this winter term, and will feature acclaimed climate photographer Edward Burtynsky as mentor.
“Every day we’re exposed to the impacts of climate change,” says program director Jasmin Habib, professor of political science. “As students, scholars, policy makers, and practitioners, the impact of the human footprint on the natural environment calls for our urgent attention and action.”
The course will give students an exceptional opportunity to interact with Burtynsky in his role as the program’s Jarislowsky Fellow. His award winning films and exhibitions, including the most recent Anthropocene, explores the collective impact of our species on the planet.
Burtynsky is regarded as one of the world's most accomplished contemporary photographers. His remarkable photographic depictions of global industrial landscapes are included in the collections of over sixty major museums around the world, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the Tate Modern in London.
“We are delighted that Ed Burtynsky is the 2020 Jarislowsky Fellow. As a world renowned photographer and filmmaker, his experience combined with the expertise of course instructors Dr. Angela Carter and Dr. Brendon Larson is sure to challenge as well as inspire the students,” adds Habib.
Angela Carter is a professor of political science researching oil and the climate crisis including ‘keep it in the ground’ movements and policy. Brendon Larson is a professor of environmental studies focused social dimensions of biodiversity conservation.
The Global Engagement program is generously supported by the Jarislowsky Foundation to ensure students from any discipline graduate as adaptable thinkers able to tackle the big challenges of the 21st century. The course will culminate in a public summit in early spring, highlighting the students’ work, and including a keynote address by Burtynsky.
ART 490: The Future of Nature is open to senior undergraduates (3A, 3B, 4A, 4B) from any faculty or affiliated college — they can apply now until October 15.
WUSA promotes the vote
A message from the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association.
Canada’s Parliament Hill is once again alive with the sound of politicians! With the federal election fast approaching and campaign commercials in full swing, Canadians everywhere are considering which platform best represents their interests. Some are considering voting for the first time; many of those are UWaterloo students!
As we educate students on the importance of getting to the polls, we hope you’ll join us by encouraging them to exercise this right. Studies show those who discuss an election are more likely to vote in it. Engage students in conversation, answer their questions as best you can, and help them understand the long-term impact of this short-term effort.
For the when, where and how of voting, see (and share!) the below:
- October 5 to 9 – Special polls: Students, staff and faculty can vote for their hometown riding (with proof of address in that riding) on campus in SLC 2135 and MC 2037A during the following hours: October 5: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., October 6: 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., October 7 to 9: 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.;
- October 11 to 14 – Advanced polls: These are not taking place on campus, but will be available from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at your assigned polling station;
- October 21 – Election Day: Polls available on campus in SLC MPR, V1, and Beck Hall (UWP) from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. These polling stations are only for those in this polling district, voting for local Waterloo candidates.
In the 2015 election, voters aged 18 to 24 increased by 18.3 percentage points from the 2011 turnout. This is the largest increase for this age group since Elections Canada began reporting this data in 2004. Let’s all do what we can to keep that number rising.