Friday, April 17, 2020

Concept announces winners of Graduate Student Startup Fund

Last Friday, Concept announced the winners of the Graduate Student Startup Fund. This fund is exclusively for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to help them commercialize their research and build startups. It was created with generous support from Sam Pasupalak, co-founder of Maluuba, an artificial intelligence startup acquired by Microsoft in 2017.

Taking home the prizes this year are the following graduate students: 

• 1^st Place ($20,000): Majid Mirza - ESG Tree, PhD Candidate in Sustainability Management, Faculty of Environment
• 2^nd Place ($10,000): Jeremy Wang - Ribbit, PhD Candidate, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
• 3^rd Place ($5,000): Kate Elliott - Changing the Flow, MA Candidate Public Issues Anthropology, Faculty of Arts

Check out Concept's full blog post to learn more about the winning students and the incredible research they are working on.

Professor wins 2019 Outstanding Young Computer Science Researcher Award

This article was originally published on the Cheriton School of Computer Science website.

Professor Florian Kerschbaum has received a 2019 Outstanding Young Computer Science Researcher Award from CS-Can/Info-Can, the nation’s professional society dedicated to representing all aspects of computer science and the interests of the discipline to Canadians.

Conferred since 2009, these annual awards recognize excellence in computer science research. They are awarded to top faculty members in Canadian computer science departments, schools and faculties who are within the first ten years of their career after completing their PhD.

"Congratulations to Florian on his receiving an Outstanding Young Computer Science Researcher Award from CS-Can/Info-Can,” said Mark Giesbrecht, director of the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science. “Florian is an accomplished expert in searching and processing encrypted data — keeping data secure, private and encrypted in the cloud while still allowing it to be searched and processed. His contributions to computer security, privacy-enhancing technologies, and database research are both respected internationally by his academic peers as well as adopted by leading high-tech companies, including SAP and Microsoft. His teaching of undergrads, supervision of graduate students at both Waterloo and SAP, and postdoctoral mentorship are exemplary."

Read the full article on the School of Computer Science website

Renison offers sign language, other courses online

This spring, Renison University College is offering non-credit online courses in American Sign Language (ASL), Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean. Registration for these courses closes May 1. Check out the complete list on the Renison website.

Renison's English Language Institute (ELI) has also moved online for Spring, including its English for Academic Success (EFAS) program. "Whether you are living abroad or still in Canada, you can participate in our Spring session of EFAS from the comfort of your home," says a note from the ELI. "Courses will be available online, delivered remotely in a virtual classroom setting."

The EFAS program is ideal for students interested in meeting the English language requirements at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, as well as students who are interested in pursuing undergraduate or graduate studies at a university where English is the language of instruction. Read more about EFAS on the English Language Institute's website.

MFA thesis defences go digital

"In response to the unfortunate cancellation of MFA thesis exhibitions scheduled April 16 to May 2 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Fine Arts and University of Waterloo Art Gallery invite you to explore the work of MFA candidates Becca Wijshijer and Tyler Matheson online or via downloadable PDF," says a note from the Department of Fine Arts.

Becca Wijshijer
shrimpychip YouTube

"shrimpychip YouTube is a series of YouTube videos that explore the ways in which digital intimacy and capitalism intersect," says a note from UWAG. "The performances, designed for the platform, strategically exploit the intimacy of the body, home, and notions of privacy in order to highlight the counterintuitive relationships embodied in new digital capitalism. Editing and aesthetics of social platforms are employed to stress the strangeness of these new economic, cultural, social, and private relationships. In documenting myself using AI and search tools, the work functions as a digital archive of actions and perceptions, thereby providing a firsthand account of the body and thoughts as they are mediated by technology. By following trends tirelessly, to the point of the ridiculous, shrimpychip empathizes with Internet culture while amplifying aspects of concern."

Becca Wijshijer is a research-based artist working within digital media and is an MFA candidate at the University of Waterloo. They have exhibited at La Centrale galerie Powerhouse in Montreal; Supermarket 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden; and are alumni of The Roundtable Residency in Toronto.

Tyler Matheson
Any other name would smell as sweet

"Any other name would smell as sweet is an exploration of personal and shared experiences of feeling queer," says the note from UWAG. "This exhibition serves as an aesthetic and material investigation of the performativity of othered bodies, identities, and visibility. The process of becoming and adapting to surroundings is conceptually and experientially present in my work. When creating installations, I employ mirrors and queer-coded reflective materials. By choosing materials that have the visual capability to shift and transform their appearance depending on the viewer’s body and position in relation to the work, I create a spatial dynamism where each individual’s experience is uniquely their own—where the viewer and the work are reliant on each other. In this codependent performance, the gallery becomes a site where viewers can be projected into queer liminal space—a bridge between worlds."

Tyler Matheson is an MFA candidate at the University of Waterloo. He has exhibited in Montreal and Toronto. He was awarded a Shantz International Research Scholarship through the University of Waterloo, and worked with German artists Fabian Treiber and Dave Bopp in the summer of 2019. He was a recipient of the 2019 Superframe Framing Fund.

Say hello to my little friends, the Good Buddies of the University

"Callie the Calico and Belle, the chocolate lab, are helping me work from home by getting in my way," writes Karen Parkinson, occupational health nurse at Occupational Health. "Mostly they like the company and I don’t mind it either. I prefer their company to my teens (shhh don’t tell them)."

"Bill the cat likes to hover behind my monitor, waiting to pounce," writes Beth McLay, project manager at the Survey Research Centre.

"Here is my furry helper Ted," writes Leah Shantz, ARBUS LLC experience mentor. "He holds me accountable and is great at proof reading emails!"

"Every time I get up, Juliet sneaks onto my chair to stop me working until I give her snuggles or treats (preferably treats)," writes Rachel Reist, undergraduate academic and administrative officer and internship coordinator at Conrad Grebel University College.

"My fella, Roscoe, is a therapy dog who comes to work with me every day to assist me with supporting distressed students," writes Sara O'Donnell, academic advisor, international in the Math Undergraduate Office. "He is very confused by this ‘working at home’ thing because home is when he is off-duty and can be a regular ol’ puppy. Roscoe celebrated his fourth birthday on April Fool's Day and we had a birthday cake and hat to celebrate the occasion with him."

"This is Sadie, a two-and-a-half year-old Shih-Poo," writes Jenniffer Fleet, administrative officer in the School of Optometry and Vision Science. "She is loving that I am working from home and insists on being as close to me as possible."