Tuesday, July 14, 2020

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• Office of Research announces Phase 2 of research restart plan
• W Store announces launch of UWaterloo, Waterloo Warriors non-medical face masks
• Waterloo professor to lead software engineering body
• Q and A with the experts: the psychology of the return of major league sports

Office of Research announces Phase 2 of research restart plan

"The Office of Research and the Safety Office are actively implementing a phased approach to restarting research on campus," says a memo from Vice-President, Research and International Charmaine Dean circulated to faculty and graduate students early this morning. "Previously, researchers could request access to continue on-campus research if the research was deemed critical or related to COVID-19. Phase 2 of the Research Restart plan expands criteria for on-campus research activities for those that cannot conduct research remotely or require access to labs or specialized facilities."

The expanded criteria now includes considerations for:

• COVID-19 related research;
• Research that if not continued would result in a significant loss of data or equipment;
• Grants and contracts with time-sensitive milestones;
• Graduate students nearing research degree completion;
• Research with needs for intermittent lab access;
• Early career researchers;
• Researchers currently hindered by restrictions due to COVID-19, where ongoing access to research laboratory and specialized facilities would be required for the continuation of their research.

"If you wish to request access to campus to resume research activity based on any of the criteria listed above, you are invited to submit a request and a detailed safety plan outlining how your research fits the criteria and how you will resume activities following social distancing and other public authority guidelines," says Vice-President Dean's memo.

The request form, an updated safety plan template and detailed instructions is available at uwaterloo.ca/coronavirus/research-information.

"Based on our experience in Phase 1, we have updated the request form and safety plan template for the Phase 2 application process," the vice-president writes. "These new forms provide greater clarity on what is required for an effective safety plan."

"We will continue to provide support for researchers who require assistance in adapting lab space and activities to adhere to social distancing and other health and safety guidelines. Please reach out to researchqueries@uwaterloo.ca for assistance." 

"As a reminder, Phase 2 applications include on-campus research labs and facilities with unique attributes such as specialized equipment or software without which the research cannot proceed."

"Anyone who can effectively continue their research and other work activities from home, should continue to do so until further notice."

"For those granted access to on-campus research activities, these activities should be limited to activities that require such access. Other activities such as lab meetings, should continue to be held remotely."

"For the immediate future, no visitors will be granted access to campus. Travel restrictions remain in effect, as do restrictions on in-person seminars and conferences, which should continue to be held remotely."

Read the rest of the Vice-President, Research and International's memo on the COVID-19 website.

W Store announces launch of UWaterloo, Waterloo Warriors non-medical face masks

A message from W Store.

W Store is excited to announce the launch of the much-anticipated University of Waterloo and Waterloo Warriors non-medical face masks. These reusable face masks feature two layers of tightly woven fabric and loop around ears for a secure fit. The moisture-wicking fabric is both washable and breathable. Currently available in both UWaterloo and Warriors designs.

A non-medical mask can reduce the spread of the wearer’s respiratory droplets to others. Wearing a non-medical mask when in public is not a replacement for following proven measures such as hand washing, physical distancing and staying home if you are feeling unwell.

It is important to follow the Government of Canada’s safety protocols for using a non-medical mask. Please visit the Government of Canada’s “How to safely use a non-medical mask or face covering” guide at www.canada.ca for more information.

Shop UWaterloo and Warriors non-medical masks: https://bit.ly/WStoreMasks.

Interested in ordering custom non-medical masks for your department, featuring your department’s name and/or logo? Email wstore@uwaterloo.ca and a W Store team member would be happy to assist you.

Waterloo professor to lead software engineering body

This piece is based on an article that originally appeared on the Faculty of Engineering's news site.

A Waterloo Engineering professor has been elected to a two-year term as chair of the world's largest professional organization devoted to computer science.

Ladan Tahvildari, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, will lead the IEEE Technical Council on Software Engineering (TCSE), the voice of software engineering within the IEEE and the Computer Society, as it works to advance awareness, and support education and training through conferences, workshops and other professional activities.

She is the first woman, and only the second member from Canada, to chair the organization after holding numerous positions within the IEEE.

Tahvildari founded the Software Technologies Applied Research Laboratory at Waterloo in 2004 and has focused her research on software architecture, autonomic computing, security and software analysis/testing. The underlying theme of her research has been to devise techniques and tools that aid with the construction, analysis, and maintenance of large-scale software systems. 

Prior to her election to the TCSE, Tahvildari had been active in several IEEE committees. She was an elected Member-at-Large (2016-2018) for the IEEE Technical Council of Software Engineering (TCSE), and the 2018 TCSE Awards Chair. She is currently a Member-at-Large of the IEEE Technical Activities Committee (TAC). She has been on the program and organizing committees of many international conferences. She was Publications Chair of ICSE’19 (Montreal), Co-Chair of ICSME ’17 Most Influential Paper Awards (Shanghai), the Publications Chair of ICSE ’09 (Vancouver), Workshops Co-Chair of ICSM ’08 (Beijing), Program Co-Chair of ICSM ’07 (Paris), Working Sessions/Tools Chair of ICPC ’06 (Athens), Workshop Chair of WCRE ’04 (Delft), and Publicity Chair of WCRE ’03 (Victoria). She also served as a guest co-editor for one of the past issues of the IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering.
Tahvildari has over 10 years of experience as Chair of the IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) Affinity Group and served as Chair of the IEEE Computer Society (2004-2008), Kitchener-Waterloo Section in Eastern Canada. She has also received a variety of awards/distinctions recognizing her outreach accomplishments.

Q and A with the experts: the psychology of the return of major league sports

The University of Waterloo has a number of experts available for comment on various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is the mental toll of asking players and staff in major league sports to risk their lives for our entertainment?

We talked to sports mental performance consultant Wade Wilson from the Department of Kinesiology to help us understand some of the risks of convening the major leagues to play again.

What will returning look like for the majority of sport franchises?

Very different, if possible at all, given the current regulations and new cases being reported in the professional athlete population. If return to play resumes, it will be without fans, which will be an adjustment for players as the energy and atmosphere will be minimal. It will look and feel very weird at the beginning, but athletes will adjust. For the fans watching from home, the experience probably won’t change that much.

What are the moral questions when it comes to these athletes and support staff being asked to risk their health to play again?

The risk is still too great, as we are seeing multiple cases being reported at the professional level already before getting back to play; this is just with training facilities. If this can’t be contained even before playing games, then – from a moral and health standpoint – professional sports are not an essential service and should not continue until a vaccine is ready. Athletes should be able to refuse unsafe work, and if the environment can’t be contained and guaranteed COVID-19 free, then players should not be penalized for choosing their health, their families’ health and their communities’ health over playing this season.

How will the new circumstances around returning to play affect the mental performance of these athletes?

It will be different for each athlete and the supports they surround themselves with. Mentally strong athletes will see this as something they will adjust to and will thrive and work with what they have. I would imagine that players and coaches are excited to get back to performing. But with that said, some athletes may experience anxiety or confidence issues by placing rigid expectations on themselves to get back to their top-level after being away from competition for so long. Being patient with the adjustment period will be crucial.

Wade Wilson is a lecturer in the Department of Kinesiology. His areas of research focus include sport psychology, mental training skills, the sociology of sport and well-being, moral disengagement in sport, attitudes toward performance enhancing drug use, and obsessive passion in sport and physical activity.