Friday, October 16, 2020

Four brilliant researchers join Waterloo on fellowships

This article was originally published on Waterloo Stories.

Four world-class academics pursuing research to improve society are the inaugural recipients of the AMTD Waterloo Global Talent Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Waterloo.

The five-year program was made possible by a generous donation from the AMTD Foundation, led by Waterloo alumnus Calvin Choi (BA ’01). 

“In what has been a difficult year for so many of us, the process of meeting and getting to know these incredible scholars has been absolutely inspirational,” Jeff Casello, associate vice-president, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, said. “The postdoctoral community at Waterloo has been and continues to be transformative. Mr. Choi’s generosity has allowed us to attract the unmatched talent of these exceptional postdocs which will accelerate the University’s transformative work.”

Meet the inaugural recipients of the AMTD Waterloo Global Talent Postdoctoral Fellowship:

Oluwakemi (Kemi) Amodu, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences

Oluwakemi Amodu’s research examines the accessibility of reproductive health resources for women in Nigeria who have been internally displaced due to terrorism by Boko Haram. She believes that “without health care for all, there’s no health care at all.”  Her objective is to promote an intervention program that is situated within the context of cultural knowledge, with broader applications for global health-care systems. Amodu will be working with Craig Janes, professor and director of the School of Public Health and Health Systems. An outstanding scholar who completed her Bachelor of Nursing in Nigeria and her Master of Nursing at the University of Alberta, she became a registered nurse in 2018. Amodu has presented her work to the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development and holds numerous scholarships and awards that recognize her academic achievements and community service. In addition, she placed first at the University of Alberta 3MT and second in the 3MT event for Western Canada.  She leads several community initiatives including the Health and Community Wellness Working group and serves as an advisory committee member for Gradual Rising of Women (GROW), a group that seeks to educate and empower immigrant women. During her time at Waterloo Amodu is also interested in connecting with the graduate student community about methods for advocacy in research and policy. Read more about the work that Amodu will be exploring on the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences website.

Rhea Hoskin, Faculty of Arts

Rhea Hoskin is an outstanding scholar examining the role of anti-femininity as a catalyst for violence and discrimination. Hoskin’s research will address how anti-femininity manifests itself and results in violence and decreased health outcomes for all. Hoskin completed her PhD at Queen’s University and was the recipient of the Governor General’s Gold Medal. She currently holds the Ontario Women’s Health Postdoctoral Award. She has received numerous awards for her academic achievements, having produced 26 publications, numerous contributions to national and international conferences and has been covered in the media, including Psychology Today and International Business Times UK. In addition to her research, Hoskin has taught courses as an adjunct professor at St. Francis Xavier University. While at Waterloo, Hoskin will be working with professors Toni Serafini (Department of Sexuality, Marriage, & Family Studies at St. Jerome’s University) and Andrea Quinlan (Department of Sociology and Legal Studies), to examine her research questions using an interdisciplinary approach. Hoskin said her research has the “capacity to disrupt and shift the way scholars and activists mobilize around gender-based violence.” Read more about the work that Hoskin will be exploring on the Faculty of Arts website.

Alex Krolewski, Faculty of Science

Alex Krolewski’s research focuses on fundamental questions in physics and astronomy and aims to address the cause of the accelerated expansion of the universe. His work, in collaboration with professor Will Percival in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, will utilize the DESI survey (an international collaboration aiming to produce a 3D map of the universe) and the Simons Observatory (SO) survey to examine gravitational light lensing of galaxies in the early universe and will transform our understanding of galaxies and our universe. Krolewski has an outstanding academic record. Krolewski completed his undergraduate degree at Harvard, his MA in Astrophysics at the University of California, Berkeley and has recently completed his PhD at Berkeley. Krolewski has published eight papers and given talks at numerous prestigious institutions including Princeton, Stanford and his previous institutions, Harvard and Berkeley.  In addition, he has worked on curriculum development for a Virtual Reality (VR) depiction of the sky for an after-school program for middle school students. While at Waterloo, Krolewski will interact with the newly formed Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics and the Perimeter Institute, contribute to making the University a center for DESI survey activity. Read more about the work that Krolewski will be exploring on the Faculty of Science website.

Edris Madadian, Faculty of Engineering 

Edris Madadian is a leading scholar in biofuels, particularly the reuse of waste biomass to the creation of energy in carbon-neutral ways. Madadian’s research, overseen by David Simakov, professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, will stimulate high impact multi- and inter-disciplinary research on major environmental and societal problems, creating a sustainable future and enhancing our world through technology. Madadian’s scholarly record is exceptional. He completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees in his home country of Iran. In 2013, he began his PhD studies at McGill University in bioresource engineering. After completing his PhD, he stayed at McGill to serve as a postdoctoral fellow and in 2018, Madadian was awarded a prestigious Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship at Dalhousie University where he has continued his research program. Madadian joins Waterloo having produced 40 refereed publications and memberships in multiple professional societies in Canada and internationally. He also has an outstanding teaching record, having taught graduate seminars in his area of research, as well as multiple courses in mathematics at all undergraduate levels. During his time at Waterloo, Madadian will continue his interactions with government and industry, exploring the potential for funded research and the possible commercialization of his research work. Read more about the work that Madadian will be exploring on the Faculty of Engineering website.

Food Services provides update on operations

A message from Food Services.

As the term progresses, Food Services has been learning about how to better serve the campus. We have made some changes to hours of operation and offerings to align with serving the campus community what they want and when they want it.

The changes are as follows:

• Tim Hortons SLC will be reducing hours from September, and will be open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Tim Hortons DC will be reducing its hours to 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
• As of October 26, Tim Hortons SCH will be closed for the rest of the term.
• Rolltation in DC Bytes will continue to be open to the public and will also be offered on the app for delivery or pick up. Hakka Wok in DC Bytes will be closed for the rest of the term.
• Brubakers in SLC will open Shawarma Hub on the app for delivery and pick up.
• As of October 19, all Brubakers offerings (Pizza Pizza, Subway, Shawarma Hub) will only be available in the app for delivery and pick up. The hours are 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Starbucks STC remains open 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Catering Eats and UC Eats remains available on the app from 11:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

For more information visit our website.

March of the Deans and other notes

There is still time to register for the viewing of the March of the Deans, a tradition where the six faculty deans dress up to support our campus’s United Way campaign. The viewing will take place on Monday, October 19 during the Senate meeting. To register, request to join the up-coming meeting as a guest.

Flags at the University were lowered to half-mast yesterday in tribute to Jason Arbour, a second-year Electrical and Computer Engineering student who died earlier this week, and whose private funeral also took place Wednesday. The University also posted a bereavement notice on the Waterloo news site. The University encourages members of the campus community who are affected by this news and feel they need support to contact any of the following resources:

• Counselling Services - 519-888-4567 ext. 32655
• Here 24/7 - 1-844-437-3247
• Health Services - Student Medical Clinic - 519-888-4096
• Grand River Hospital - 519-749-4300
• St. Mary's Hospital - 519-744-3311
• Good2Talk - 1-866-925-5454
• Crisis Services Canada - 1-833-456-4566 or by text 45645  
• Mates - mates@wusa.ca
• Employee and Family Assistance Provider (Homewood Health) - 1-800-663-1142
• Occupational Health - Linda Brogden at ext. 36264 or Karen Parkinson at ext. 30338

The University’s Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) provider Homewood Health is organizing a webinar entitled “COVID-19: The Second Wave and Your Mental Health” and has added extra sessions due to overwhelming demand.

“With the arrival of fall, government and health officials at federal, provincial and regional levels have started, and in many cases, enacted, planning to minimize the complications and difficulties we face with the onset of a second wave of COVID-19,” says a note from Homewood Health. “Organizations have endured challenges throughout the past several months and will continue to be affected as the number of new cases continues to rise. Moving forward, employers may face additional obstacles as employees may require continuing or new forms of support as the pandemic continues. Some individuals may experience continued or amplified difficulty with mental health, anxiety, depression and fear. These added levels of stress and uncertainty can begin to take a toll on one’s mental health and, in some cases, lead to burnout.”

“The webinar is focused on the unique challenges we collectively face with the onset of a second wave of COVID-19,” says Homewood Health. “In this one-hour webinar, employees will increase their understanding of the effects of prolonged periods of stress, recognize signs and symptoms of chronic stress and burnout (including personal and workplace risk factors) and acquire self-care and resiliency strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of chronic stress both personally and professionally.”

Homewood Health will be hosting additional sessions on Wednesday, October 28 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., EST and PST.

• Register: Wednesday October 28, 7:00-8:00 p.m. EST
• Register: Wednesday October 28, 7:00-8:00 p.m. PST

Moderating the session will be Sandy Kriegish, Homewood Health Clinical Manager and Account Executive.