Wednesday, January 22, 2020

University creates memorial funds to honour victims of Iran plane crash

A message from the Office of the President.

In the past two weeks, Canada’s academic community has come together to remember and mourn the 176 people who lost their lives in the crash of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 in Iran.

Among the Canadians who died were Waterloo PhD students Marzieh (Mari) Foroutan and Mansour Esnaashary Esfahani, alumnus Mojgan Daneshmand (PhD ’06), her husband Pedram Moussavi (a former Waterloo postdoctoral fellow) and their two young children, Daria and Dorina, as well as former student Dr. Neda Saddighi. 

Hundreds of Waterloo students, faculty and staff attended a campus memorial service on January 15, with another 1,000 people tuning into the event via livestream. Many across the campus community reached out to ask how they could do more. In response, with the blessing of the victims’ families, the University established the Mari Foroutan Memorial Graduate Scholarship and the Iranian Student Memorial Engineering Fund.

The funds honour the academic, research and personal contributions of Mari, Mansour, Mojgan, Pedram and Neda, and will inspire future international students to pursue their dreams of higher education. The goal is to raise $50,000 for both the scholarship and the fund, to create a legacy of support for generations of students to come. The University will match donations up to a total of $100,000.

To make a gift, please click on the links above. If you have any questions, please contact Maryam Latifpoor-Keparoutis in the Faculty of Environment or Prachi Surti in the Faculty of Engineering.

Test of the campus emergency communication system coming January 28

A message from Information Systems & Technology (IST).

A test of the University’s emergency communication system is scheduled for Tuesday, January 28 at 2:15 p.m. Test activation and deactivation messages will be sent using the below channels: 

• Tweets to @UWaterloo and @WatSAFEapp 

• WatSAFE mobile app 

• The ‘WatSAFE Desktop Notification’ on-screen pop-up for desktops and laptops 

• Portal alerts and push notifications 

In the event of a real emergency during this test, please contact Police Services at 519-888-4911, or ext. 22222. 

Be sure to install the WatSAFE app on your device and WatSAFE Desktop Notification tool on your desktop/laptop to receive this test message, and more importantly, to stay informed of campus emergency situations. Visit the WatSAFE website for more details. 

Noon Hour Concerts offer variety and enrichment

Waterloo alumnus Mary-Catherine Pazzano performs.

A message from Conrad Grebel University College.

The Noon Hour Concert Series at Conrad Grebel University College includes a range of both local and international musical talent. The performances consist of classical, jazz, world music, and contemporary works and are presented throughout the fall and winter terms. These free events take place on most Wednesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. in the Grebel Chapel. This season introduces eight unique concerts, presenting multi-faceted talent.

Karen Sunabaka, Associate Professor of Music at Grebel, noted that “the Noon Hour Concerts are an important weekly event at Grebel. Not only do they give students the opportunity to hear and learn directly from professional musicians, the concerts also enrich the cultural life of the Grebel and University of Waterloo communities.”

The term’s performances include Calgary Connection, featuring Ralph Buschmeyer, Clark Johnson, and Michael Wood. In addition to being a member of the Stratford Festival Orchestra, Wood is also the Jazz Ensemble director and adjust professor in the Music Department at the University of Waterloo. The trio will perform a mix of original material, jazz standards with new arrangements, and classic jazz-vibes repertoire.

UWaterloo Music Alumna Mary-Catherine Pazzano, accompanied by Paul Stouffer on the piano, will perform Bernstein 101. This concert offers some jazzy interpretations from Bernstein’s West Side Story and includes selections from other musicals such as On the Town and Wonderful Town. Pazzano has been described as a performer that “has her audience enthralled throughout the entire show” (Thornbury Paper). Some of her performance highlights include: Birdland (New York City), Uptown Waterloo Jazz Festival, and The Rex (Toronto).

The season’s concert series will finish on March 18 with a special March Break concert. Peter and the Wolf is a family-friendly production that includes a special children’s introduction to the pieces of the orchestra followed by music for all to enjoy. Peter and the Wolf was an immediate success when composed in 1936 and continues to be enjoyed by children all over the world.

Grebel is thankful to Staebler Insurance for sponsoring this year’s Noon Hour Concerts.

Winter 2020 Lineup:

January 22 – Calgary Connection: Ralph Buschmeyer, Clark Johnson, and Michael Wood
January 29 – Duets with Anna, Dan, and James: James McLean, Dan Lichti, and Anna Ronai
February 5 – Spirits: Shhh Ensemble, Edana Higham, and Zach Pulak
February 12 – Phases: Happenstancers, Brad Cherwin, Brenna Hardy-Kavanaugh, Lisa Tahara
February 26 – Bernstein 101: Mary-Catherine Pazzano and Paul Stouffer
March 11 – Selections from 24 Paganini Caprices: Benjamin Sung
March 18 – Peter and the Wolf: Wendy Wagler & Friends (Family friendly event)

Centre for Teaching Excellence events and deadlines; other notes

The Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE) has a number of upcoming deadlines for events and activities in the winter term:

• January 22 (Today!) – Deadline to submit a proposal for the University of Waterloo’s Teaching and Learning Conference: “Learning Through Assessment,” including presentations, panel discussions, workshops, posters, and showcase items. Save the conference date: April 29. Please contact uwtl@uwaterloo.ca should you have any questions.
• February 1 – Deadline to apply for a LITE Seed Grant supporting small-scale teaching and learning investigations or activities. Note - applicants must meet with Kyle Scholz or Kristen Archbell before January 24 to discuss their proposal, research plan, and ways to enhance the quality and clarity of the application.
• February 7 – Deadline to nominate an instructor (not limited to faculty) for the Distinguished Teacher Award.
• February 7 – Deadline to nominate a student for the Amit and Meena Chakma Award for Exceptional Teaching by a Student
• March 2-6 – Save the date: Educational Technologies Week

The Canadian Foundation For Innovation (CFI) reminds students and postdocs that there are two more weeks left to enter their #IAmInnovation Twitter contest. The contest encourages students and postdocs at CFI-funded institutions to tweet a picture or video of themselves working on CFI-funded equipment or in CFI-funded labs and facilities. Share your research, why you love it, why it matters and how the CFI has been an engine of change for you. The contest closes on January 31. Visit the CFI website for more details.

You can check for updates on this week's Centre for Career Action (CCA) workshops by visiting the Career Centre Events Calendar for all upcoming student and employee workshops.