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Beyond Grateful
Tomorrow is National Philanthropy Day. On November 15, we will celebrate the donors and volunteers who make Waterloo such a vibrant, innovative place – including the staff and faculty members who give back through the Keystone Campaign. Your generous support makes a variety of activities, programs and achievements possible -- like research, new building developments, and virtually every part of the student experience.
Happy National Philanthropy Day!
See how donors make a difference.
Celebrate International Education Week November 18-22
A message from Waterloo International.
Celebrated since 2000, International Education Week (IEW) has grown to include festivities in over 100 countries around the globe. IEW aims to showcase the impact and importance of international education, experiences and collaboration (CBIE, 2019). Events planned for 2019 at the University of Waterloo are intended to recognize and celebrate our diversity, foster international engagement and to highlight internationalization initiatives on and off campus.
Join the celebration by attending various events held by several departments and academic support units across campus. Try new foods and flavours from around the world while visiting the Faculty of Engineering’s International Fair or the Renison University College cafeteria. Wonder what it’s like to live in another country? “Borrow” a living book from Renison’s Living Library and learn about cultures from around the world while gaining a stronger appreciation of the diversity within our campus community. See what it’s like to go on an international co-op work-term and vote for your favourite photo taken by students while on their work-terms at the 10th anniversary of the Co-op International Photo Contest.
The week will feature a keynote presentation by Alexandre Trudeau, documentary filmmaker and journalist, Thursday November 21 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. entitled Multilingualism in an Increasingly Globalized World. The keynote will be followed by a panel discussion with industry professionals, a Waterloo alumni and student who will discuss and build on the topics presented. More information can be found on the IEW Keynote registration page.
All of these, and many more events can be found on the IEW Event Page. Be sure to show us how you’re celebrating by attending one of the many events and using #IEW2019.
Meet the finalists for the Concept $5K grant competition
A message from Concept by Velocity.
Last week, over 30 student teams pitched their tech startup ideas at the Concept $5K Semi-Finals hoping to be one of the 10 teams selected to move on to the Concept $5K Finals on Wednesday, November 20. This competition was previously known as the Velocity Fund Finals $5K, and provides four $5,000 grants to help move student projects forward.
- CodeGEM is developing a feedback management system to quantify code improvements and promote better feedback.
- Equal is building the world’s smartest corporate credit card.
- Flowy is building AI-powered digital transformation tools to commoditize frictionless automation.
- GoolooUp is developing an innovative online food court.
- IXIM is developing low carbon building materials using bio-based compounds.
- Recircuit is building an online marketplace for pre-processed recycled plastics.
- Ribbit aims to create the world’s first fully autonomous airline service.
- Scope is building lenses whose optical power is electronically tunable.
- Tomat.io is building a tomato harvesting robot for greenhouses.
- Vision Spatial Technologies is building a computer vision powered traffic light that improves safety and reduces the liability of ski resorts.
Concept is extremely lucky to host special guest speaker Marcelo Cortes at the Finals. Marcelo is an Computer Science alumnus and Co-founder of Faire, which operates a wholesale marketplace for independent local retailers and makers. Faire was in the news recently as they announced an additional round of funding and achieved the status of unicorn (a startup valued at over $1 Billion). Before the finalists pitch, Marcelo will be sitting down for a candid fireside chat with Velocity Director of Startups, Jay Shah. This will be an incredible opportunity to hear about Marcelo’s journey in the startup world and what it’s like to be the Co-founder of a billion-dollar company.
The fireside chat begins at 11:00 a.m. and the $5K pitches will begin after lunch (first-come, first-serve) at 12:30 p.m. Register to attend or join in via the live stream.
Years of service recognized tonight and other notes
The University will recognize employees marking employment milestones at tonight's Years of Loyal Service event. 328 employees who have reached 5, 10, 15, and 20 years of service are expected to attend the reception. Speakers include Jim Rush, vice-president, academic & provost and Michelle Hollis, director, HR Client Services. The event takes place tonight at Federation Hall from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Akindi: It's as easy as 1-2-3! Training for the new multiple-choice exam processing service, Akindi, will be held on Tuesday, November 19 from 11:00 a.m. to noon. Join in-person or join online. Visit uwaterloo.ca/akindi to learn more or watch IST's new IT in 60 seconds video about Akindi.