Tuesday, August 11, 2020

President, University leaders engage on anti-racism

President Feridun Hamdullahpur and other senior administrators have been meeting with students, faculty and staff to listen and gather feedback on the University’s anti-racism activities.

“These have been productive meetings that are helping shape my understanding of how the University needs to move ahead,” President Hamdullahpur wrote in an update distributed to the University’s Executive Council last Friday. “I will admit, we are all challenged to ensure that we take the right steps and create the right conditions for our campus to actively tackle racism in all its forms.” This work, says Hamdullahpur, “must involve the leadership, advice and reflections of people with lived experiences of racism.”

President Hamdullahpur has asked Charmaine Dean, vice-president, research and international, to help lead a consultative approach to listening to individuals and groups on campus. “Over the next several weeks, we will all continue to consult broadly so we can establish the right actions that will allow us to challenge the systemic and structural barriers that Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) face at Waterloo,” Hamdullahpur writes.

“Many people across campus have been in touch with us to share their experiences and keenness to participate in our progress,” the president’s update continues. “We are still hearing from these people on how they would like to shape the discussion moving forward. This means we cannot yet say what the end will look like, rather we will be helping this team of staff, faculty members and students create solutions together.”

President Hamdullahpur has committed that leaders will continue meeting with individuals and groups to listen to their feedback on how the University will work to address racism, anti-Black racism and anti-Indigenous racism on campus, consolidate that feedback and use it to create meaningful action.

The tell-tale sign of antibodies

By Elizabeth Kleisath. This article was originally published on Waterloo Stories.

When the University’s research labs shut down for quarantine, biology professor Brian Dixon pivoted some of his research away from blood testing in fish, into looking at blood testing in humans. Instead of sitting around and waiting for his labs to open again, Dixon wanted to use his time and knowledge of biology and immunology to contribute to the global need for understanding and overcoming COVID-19.

“My lab happens to do a lot of testing in fish because aquaculture is important — but it’s all blood testing, it’s all looking for molecules in blood,” Dixon explains. “So, we realized that it would be very easy for us to pivot to testing for COVID-19.”

Dixon and his lab are exploring ways to test blood samples for antibody markers, which indicate if someone has previously been exposed to COVID-19. Antibody testing is becoming more important as quarantine restrictions are softened, because it gives an indication of an individual’s immunity to COVID-19, as well as how long the immunity lasts, therefore indicating who may be at a greater risk for infection.

Dixon goes on to explain that when a body is infected with a virus, the immune system creates molecules known as antibodies.

“Antibodies function similar to a lock and key, because each antibody is specifically designed by our bodies to identify one specific virus — such as SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes the illness COVID-19 — and bind to it,” he says. “Once created, these antibodies then stay in our blood stream, ready to identify and defend against the virus in the future.”

By creating a test for COVID-specific antibodies, scientists can identify individuals who have already been exposed to a virus and therefore might be more immune.

Infection causing viruses, including COVID-19, produce two different types of antibodies — one about four days after the initial infection and the other about 14 days later. Identifying which antibodies someone produces indicates how recent a COVID-19 infection is, and if someone has already been exposed to and are now protected from the virus.

Working in collaboration with Marc Aucoin from the Faculty of Engineering, Dixon is using a standard biochemical test known as an ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) which can detect these two types of antibodies. Dixon is using ELISA to answer questions about how long the antibodies last in our bodies and how dilute the blood samples can be while still reliably detecting antibodies.

“The results of the first samples we have tested match perfectly with the known COVID-19 infection status of the patients, including a weaker antibody presence in patients who did not have a strong, definitive COVID-19 infection,” Dixon says. “Therefore, we are confident in the antibody test’s ability to accurately predict the presence and strength of a patient’s antibody response.”

Additionally, he and Aucoin plan to expand the research to look at how mutations in the virus could change the body’s immune response, and also investigate if there is a correlation between the amount of antibodies an individual produces and their outcome to COVID-19. They also have plans to research stimulating antibody production from artificial viruses that look similar to the SARS-Cov-2 virus but can’t replicate, which could be used in developing a potential vaccine.

Get involved with planning International Week at Waterloo

A message from Waterloo International.

The University of Waterloo is excited to celebrate International Week from September 21-25, 2020.

International Week is a great opportunity to recognize and promote the value of education abroad, while bringing global conversations to campus. This signature event will showcase the merits to international education through a variety of programmes, events, collaborations, debates, discussions, and an array of activities for the University of Waterloo community.

Please join us in celebrating our international students, staff and faculty at home and let’s experience the world together.

Would you like to host an event for International Week? Please contact Aisha Shibli for the chance to represent your unit. It is our hope to make this truly a campus-wide endeavor. The deadline to submit expressions of interest is August 14, 2020.

For more information on International Week, visit the Waterloo International – International Week webpage.

Mandatory mask reminder and other notes

This is a reminder that face coverings are required in common indoor spaces on campus.

Effective Monday, July 27, all employees, students, visitors and contractors are required to wear a face covering in common use areas of University buildings. This includes corridors, lobbies, washrooms, elevators, classrooms, teaching laboratories and meeting rooms, or in any area where physical distancing is a challenge. In employees-only areas, managers will set the expectation with their teams based on physical setup and work activities.

A face covering can be a medical or non-medical mask or other covering, including a bandana, scarf or other fabric that covers the nose, mouth and chin  to create a barrier to limit the transmission of respiratory droplets.  Learn more on the face coverings website.

If you have questions, please contact safety@uwaterloo.ca.

Members of the University community are invited to join the University of Waterloo in partnership with the Kitchener Public Library for an online community lecture entitled "Will our kids be alright?"

"How will the disruptions of 2020 affect our children and their development?" says the lecture's promotional mateiral. "University of Waterloo researchers will unpack the short and long-term social and developmental consequences and how we can avoid exacerbating the effects of the global pandemic."

Speakers include:

• Janice Aurini, professor, Department of Sociology;
• Dillon Browne, professor, Department of Psychology;
• Kristina Llewellyn, associate professor, Department of Social Development Studies, Renison University College; and
• Sheila Ager, dean, Faculty of Arts (panel moderator).

The event takes place on Tuesday, August 25 online from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. To register and learn more about the event, visit the Community Relations and Events website.