Monday, November 18, 2019

Waterloo in the world and the world in Waterloo: It's International Education Week

A message from Waterloo International. Today is the first day of International Education Week 2019 celebrations. This also marks the first in a series of articles highlighting the importance of international and intercultural experiences and ways in which the University of Waterloo supports internationalization activities.

Engaging globally in an increasingly complex and interconnected world is important for maintaining relevance in research, teaching and positive impact at the global scale.  Thus by extension, a strong international outlook, presence, and engagement are vital to the University of Waterloo’s future impact, continuity, relevance and consequence.

International and intercultural experiences better prepare students for a globalized world. They can help create global citizens who can gain an enhanced understanding of ability to characterize and respond to global needs. They can break down barriers, reduce narrow-mindedness and eliminate or minimize insularity.  They can create lifelong friendships, exciting possibilities and new passions.

Through outbound opportunities such as international exchange, study abroad, internships, research, volunteerism and co-op work experiences, students can develop intercultural communication, flexibility and resiliency skills that are both highly sought after in the global marketplace and can apply to all facets of one’s life. Similarly, inbound international opportunities such as interacting with international students, visiting scholars, and meeting new visitors to campus, students can learn about other cultures and can experience different perspectives on how to view challenges, opportunities and how to solve problems.

International Education Week is all about celebrating the positive impact that internationalization can have on education. We are excited to honour the activities described above and the many other internationalization activities that happen each day on campus. An exciting series of programs, activities and events have been planned by a variety of campus partners over the next week to showcase much of the activities that are occurring. These events will highlight the opportunities and benefits of international education, experiences and collaboration.

Students, faculty and staff are invited to join the celebration by attending one of the many events being held on campus this week. Check out the International Education Week Events page and be sure to show us how you’re celebrating by using #IEW2019.

Math 3 becomes first campus building to fully transition to new waste receptacles

A message from Plant Operations.

Math 3 is the first building on campus to be fully outfitted with the new standardized waste receptacles. We sat down with Carlos Mendes, administrative officer within the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences, who lead the push for his building to purchase the new multi-stream waste receptacles.

We asked him what the driving force behind the decision was: “We wanted to have multi-stream receptacles throughout the building to provide staff, students and faculty the opportunity to sort their waste and do their part in helping the University become a zero-waste campus. We understood, that the roll-out across campus of the new standardized receptacles would take some time, we wanted to get a head start as we felt it was an important initiative to support. Working on this project with the Environmental Services team in Plant Operations has been a great experience”.

When asked about how it feels to be the first building on campus to have completely transitioned over to the new receptacles, Carlos smiled and responded; “The receptacles look awesome and provide practical value. It feels great to be the first building on campus to be completely outfitted with new multi-stream receptacles”.

Dr. Stefan Steiner, Chair, Statistics and Actuarial Science said “It demonstrates our department’s commitment to being environmentally friendly. It’s good to see progress being made regarding waste management practices on campus. We all need to do our part and something as simple as sorting and diverting our waste into the correct stream each day brings the University one step closer to achieving its 90 percent diversion rate by 2035”. 

We asked Giovanna Zinken, Associate Director of Environmental Services, if she’s pleased with the progress made to date; “I think waste management has come a long way over the past couple of years and the interest around campus has been energizing, but we still have a long way to go. I’m thankful to all those departments that are supporting Plant Ops’ efforts to standardize infrastructure across campus and getting involved with the work we’re doing. We create a huge amount of waste each year and increasing the amount diverted from landfill is going to take a campus community effort.”  

Senate meets today and other notes

The University's Senate meets today at 3:30 p.m. in Needles Hall. Among the agenda items:

• A motion to remove restrictions in the audit status regulation in the Faculty of Environment, effective September 2020;
• A motion to approve a number of committee appointments;
• A second reading of a series of proposed changes to Senate Bylaw 3 to coordinate the bylaw with the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association’s Elections and Referenda Procedure, and to ensure that references to the Federation of Students are updated;
• Motions relating to program changes in the Faculty of Engineering, and
• A motion to approve the creation of new specializations in architectural, civil, environmental and geological engineering.

Charmaine Dean, vice-president, research and international, will deliver a research presentation.

112 employees celebrating employment milestones gathered in Federation Hall on Thursday, November 14 for the annual Years of Loyal Service event. The event celebrates those who have reached 5, 10, 15, and 20 years of service. Speakers delivering congratulatory remarks included Jim Rush, vice-president, academic & provost and Michelle Hollis, director, HR Client Services. Congratulations all!

The WatPD program is inviting you to a design review for the redevelopment of PD1: Career Fundamentals on Friday, November 22, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in TC 2218. PD1 is the first core PD course that students in Arts, Applied Health Science, Environment, Mathematics, and Science take, providing them with tools to be competitive in their employment search and to help prepare them for a successful first work term. As part of the design review, participants will have the opportunity to ask questions about the course and provide feedback on the new course design. Faculty, staff, and students are all invited to attend.

"We look forward to hearing your feedback on this course redevelopment!" says a note from WatPD.

The Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) is seeking participants for a multifocal contact lens study at the University of Waterloo. If you are at least 40 years of age and do not currently wear multifocal contact lenses you may qualify. Participants will receive up to $320 for 6 visits over 12 weeks.  To register or for more information, visit the CORE website or call 519-888-4742 and mention code name RECORDER.

The Waterloo Centre for German Studies (WCGS) is pleased to announce the eight finalists for the WCGS Book Prize. The prize, valued at CAD $2000, is for books in any area of German studies published by first-time authors in 2018. "The shortlist demonstrates the rich and diverse nature of German studies scholarship today," says a note from the WCGS. "The Waterloo Centre for German Studies congratulates the authors on their fine achievement."