Tuesday, October 29, 2019

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• Centre for Teaching Excellence launches new Communities of Practice
• Advancing healthcare through innovative technology
• Board of Governors considers Strategic Plan today; other notes

Centre for Teaching Excellence launches new Communities of Practice

The Centre for Teaching Excellence has two new Communities of Practice:

The Collaboration and Teamwork Community of Practice provides an opportunity to connect with peers to share examples, experiences, ideas, resources, and best practices around collaboration, teamwork, and group work in education. Organized by the Department of Knowledge Integration and the Centre for Teaching Excellence.

The first meeting will be held on Friday, November 1 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. 

For more information and to register visit: https://bit.ly/2Vihz0E

The Educational Technologies Community of Practice aims to provide instructors with the opportunity to connect with peers to share examples, experiences, and best practices around all kinds of educational technologies. This community of practice will have a blended format combining both face-to-face and online opportunities to connect. Organized by the Centre for Teaching Excellence.

The first meeting will be held on Monday, November 25 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

For more information and to register visit: https://bit.ly/2W9jEfu

Advancing healthcare through innovative technology

by Melanie Scott.

Medical devices can be used to diagnose or prevent disease, they can improve a patient’s quality of life and they often save lives. Devices such as pacemakers have been around since the late 1950s, but advancements in med-tech have come a long way since then. As research expands and technology advances, a multitude of medical devices are being developed and prepared for market. At the University of Waterloo, students and researchers are working on technologies that can improve outcomes for patients and propel the medical industry forward.

Waterloo physics professor Melanie Campbell developed an instrument to detect the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease by looking into the eye. Professor Parsin Haji Reza and his research team at PhotoMedicineLabs developed a new imaging technology that can detect the edges of cancerous tumors. Another study combined radar and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to detect changes in glucose levels for patients with diabetes, without the need for painful finger pricks. A radar system that can wirelessly monitor the vital signs of patients was also developed here. There are so many emerging medical technologies at Waterloo that they can’t all be listed.

“Together, we have a unique opportunity to shape how technology can truly impact the Canadian healthcare system, from facilitating better and more accessible treatment and diagnostics to improved care and system efficiency,” said engineering professor, George Shaker (pictured left) who is involved in the research and development of a number of healthcare innovations at Waterloo.

Developing a medical device that improves patient care, however, is only the beginning. Before a device can go to market in Canada, it has to be reviewed by Health Canada’s Therapeutic Products Directorate (TPD). TPD is Canada’s authority on monitoring the safety and effectiveness of diagnostic and therapeutic medical devices. Devices are classed into groups according to their potential risk, those in higher classes require a Medical Device Licence before they can be sold.

The Centre For Bioengineering and Biotechnology (CBB) is offering a regulatory insights workshop on Friday, November 15 that will help developers and researchers navigate the certification process. Health Canada regulators will be onsite to provide details about the process and answer questions. The workshop is free and open to everyone in the community, including industry members, faculty, graduate and undergraduate students.

Board of Governors considers Strategic Plan today; other notes

The University's Board of Governors meets today at 1:30 p.m. in NH 3407. Among the agenda items:

• A motion to increase the Student Refugee Program (SRP) fee from $1.03 to $4.95 per term effective Winter 2020;
• A motion to approve the granting of an easement of approximately 0.08 acres to Waterloo North Hydro for the installation of a third point of electrical supply to service the south campus, part of a longstanding plan to improve the University’s infrastructure resilience;
• A motion to reappoint Ernst & Young as the university’s external auditors for the fiscal year ending 30 April 2020; and

• A motion to make a technical plan amendment clarifying the amortization of unfunded liabilities and University contributions to the Pension Plan.

The Board of Governors will also consider approving the University's Strategic Plan 2020-2025. The plan was considered by the University's Senate on Monday, October 22, who supported the adoption of the strategic plan and recommend its approval to the Board of Governors. The Board's final consideration and decision follows an extensive process of consultation, analysis, and development led by the president and the provost over the course of 18 months.

The Board will receive a number of reports for information, including updates from the Board's committees as well as an update on the Student Experience and Strategic Mandate Agreement development, and progress reports on the state of the University's upcoming fundraising campaign.

Tadeusz Gorecki of the Department of Chemistry snapped this lovely picture of the sun rising this morning. May it brighten your day, literally and figuratively.

The Library is raising funds in support of the United Way Campaign with its Good Buddies of the Library 2020 calendar "to show off the cutest resources of the University of Waterloo Library – the cat and dog friends that keep our staff happy!" For $15, you can have a cat or dog calendar of your very own. Check out the preview pages and order your very own calendar. "Special thanks for W Print’s generous support for this project," says a note from the Library.