Wednesday, February 26, 2020

WISE among top 100 proposals for MacArthur grant

On February 19, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced that Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE) was among the highest-scoring proposals, designated as the Top 100, in its 100&Change competition for a single $100 million grant to help solve one of the world's most critical social challenges.

The Top 100 proposals underwent MacArthur’s initial administrative review, a Peer-to-Peer review, an evaluation by an external panel of judges, and a technical review by specialists whose expertise was matched to the project. Each proposal was evaluated using four criteria: impactful, evidence-based, feasible, and durable. 

The proposal by WISE, entitled ‘Mending Broken Lives Through Clean Energy Solutions’, seeks to end the vicious cycle of poverty fed by lack of access to energy. The ambition is to accelerate the deployment of clean distributed energy solutions, on a massive scale in order to reach more than a billion people globally, who otherwise would have no access. The comprehensive technical plan combines reliable support of energy with community self-sufficiency and self-determination. 

Income for livelihood, skills development at all educational levels, learning through play and empowerment of women are all central aspects of the proposal to create a positive pathway out of humanitarian crises. Energy access is the first step: a launch pad for education and a path out of extreme poverty.

 “Our solution provides energy services to the world’s poorest communities that go beyond minimal access to a higher level of reliable and sustainable energy services in ways that create income, reinforce social well-being and economic stability," says Professor Jatin Nathwani, founding executive director at WISE in a press release. "The proposal is a test case for advancing global sustainability. Within the scope of $100 million funding, we will meet the energy needs of at least half a million people in refugee settlements in East Africa.” 

MacArthur’s Board of Directors will select up to 10 finalists from the high-scoring proposals this spring. The full press release is available on the WISE website.

LGBTQ2S+ faculty and staff coffee

The Progress Pride Flag by Daniel Quasar (licensing info)

Faculty and staff who identify as members of the LGBTQ2S+ community are invited to a drop-in coffee gathering on Tuesday March 17 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in NH 3308-3318.

The coffee is organized by the Gender and Sexual Diversity Working Group (GSDWG) and is a follow-up to a lunch organized in last Fall and as the beginning of a larger initiative to build connections between LGBTQ2S+ individuals on campus. The goal is to create opportunities for networking and community-building by holding events for all members of the campus community throughout the year.

You don’t need to register to attend the coffee, but if you want to leave your email to be contacted about future similar events, please do so here.

The GSDWG is a sub-committee of the Provost’s Advisory Committee on Equity (PACE), and we welcome all campus community members, particularly those with LGBTQ2S+ lived experience, to come and participate in our monthly meetings. Over the last few years, our work has been focused on education, visibility, and advocacy, and a key initiative was the creation of the Making Spaces program, which now has a network of over 150 Space Makers on campus. As the working group evolves, we will continue to be a forum for members to discuss concerns, organize and advocate around LGBTQ2S+ issues through an intersectional lens, and create opportunities for the LGBTQ2S+ community on campus to connect, engage, and build community.

We hope that LGBTQ2S+ staff and faculty will join us for coffee and discussion. All are invited, including those who work at the Stratford, Kitchener, and Cambridge campuses and the affiliate colleges, and those who are employed in part time or sessional roles, including postdoctoral researchers and research professors. This event is not open to allies or students, but we plan to host a mix of both restricted-invitation and open-invitation events in the future.

The March 17^th coffee is sponsored by the Equity Office, Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo, FAUW's Equity Committee, the University of Waterloo Staff Association, and the Library and Archivists Association of the University of Waterloo.

For more information about the GSDWG, please contact the chair of the committee, Clare Bermingham.

Global Engineering Week brings AI speaker panel

Artificial intelligence and advanced analytics are changing the way we live, the way businesses operate, and how the most complex problems in the world are tackled.

Disease prevention, global refugee crisis mitigation, flood forecasting, marine protection, detecting diseased crops and fighting deforestation, are just a fraction of the applications of artificial intelligence in the developing world. Truly addressing these challenges will not only require the use of the state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms and excellent data quality, but also partnerships between the private sector, public sector, and government institutions.

Sponsored by the Boston Consulting Group and Global Engineering Week, the AI & Big Data: Future of Global Development panel will bring together thought leaders from business, tech, academia, and political science to discuss how cutting edge technology can be used to address global development challenges. The discussion will also highlight the private sector, public sector, and government institutions can work together to implement the most innovative and sustainable solutions.

The event, a part of Global Engineering Week, is happening on March 10 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in M3 1006. Check out the panelists and event details. Registration is free.

You're invited to the Campus Climate Event

Join the University of Waterloo's Faculty of Applied Health Sciences and the Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Chage (IC3) for an evening of hope and action as they host a screening of Beyond Crisis, a Q&A with the film's director, and a reception.

Beyond Crisis is a story of hope for a rapidly changing world. It's a meditative call to action that explores what it means to be living in this new era of climate change, as told by over fifty diverse voices from across Canada, the U.S. and beyond. 

Following the screening, engage in a Q&A with the film's director, Kai Reimer-Watts, and a networking reception with Waterloo colleagues and student groups who are taking action on climate change.

This event is open to undergraduate/graduate students, staff and faculty. Refreshments will be served after the screening.

Reserve your spot