Friday, December 4, 2020

Waterloo holds virtual remembrance ceremony today

Today the University of Waterloo, in partnership with the Canadian Federation of University Women, Kitchener-Waterloo are proud to host a virtual ceremony of remembrance to honour the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.  

To view today’s event, please visit www.uwaterloo.ca/community.

Canada changed forever on December 6, 1989 when 14 young women were murdered in a gender-based act of violence at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal.

This day is not only an opportunity to reflect and honour the lost lives of 14 young women, but to also consider and take action against violence that people who identify as women in our communities face to this day.

Speaking at the event will be:

• Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor;
• Jean Becker, Interim Associate Vice-President, Human Rights, Equity & Inclusion;
• Mary Wells, Dean of Engineering;
• Anita Davis, President, Canadian Federation of University Women, KW;
• Sara Casselman, Executive Director, Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo;
• The Honourable Bardish Chagger, MP Waterloo; and
• Catherine Fife, MPP Waterloo.

There will be a virtual candlelight vigil where candles are lit and student participants will share information about each of the women who lost their lives. There will also be a moment of silence.

"I am writing this with a heavy heart as I would have stood together on this day, as I have many times in the past, with Pearl Sullivan, whom we lost last week," writes President Feridun Hamdullahpur in a blog post published this morning. "She was a leader on our campus as the first dean of the Faculty of Engineering who identified as a woman and, more importantly, was a dedicated mentor for our young and talented engineers. We miss her guidance, friendship, drive and determination for positive change, which we reflect on today." 

"On December 6, 1989, Canada was forever changed when 14 young women were murdered at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal. On the anniversary of that horrendous day, we come together for the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women to reflect on the tragedy that unfolded."  

"We remember the emotions, the disbelief but more importantly, we remember the loss of these women who were targeted and killed simply for identifying as women. Their promising, young lives cut short. Lives, love and expertise that Canada lost."  

"This act of gender-based violence reverberated across our nation and into every post-secondary institution. We recognize this important day, not only to remember for ourselves but also to inform those too young to remember what happened and why. The majority of students at the University of Waterloo today were not alive to hear the news that came out of Montreal, but so many in our community were." 

"We remember gathering with our friends, colleagues and family members listening to the news over the radio or television with tears in our eyes trying to comprehend the motives for this horrific act of violence. The shock and sadness of that day remains inside me and so many of us across Canada. We carry that loss but it has also driven a determination to act and ensure another act of gender-based violence doesn’t happen again."

Read the rest of the president's blog post

Thank you for rising to the challenge

A message from the Office of Advancement.

On Giving Tuesday, despite the hardships imposed by the pandemic, our campus community stepped up so that our students will have the resources they need to succeed, and our researchers can continue their critical work.

Our proud alumni, faculty, staff and retirees were among 910 donors who joined 25 Challenge Champions to unlock $380,025 for Waterloo. Every year, you knock it farther out of the park, and this year Waterloo’s incredibly generous donor community pushed us past the $1 million mark in total dollars raised since we launched our first Giving Tuesday campaign in 2014.

A few highlights from the day:

• Most Donors Challenge Winner: Engineering Diversity Fund
• Most Dollars Challenge Winner: Waterloo Eye Institute
• Lucky 100th Donor Challenge Winner: Brian M. with a gift to the Engineering Diversity Fund
• Lucky 500th Donor Challenge Winner: Tammy M. with a gift to the Co-op and Experiential Education Fund

You can view all of the results on the Giving Tuesday website. Thank you again for being an integral part of our success, not just on Giving Tuesday, but all year through.    

Waterloo unveils its action plan to shift to carbon neutral

In November, the University unveiled Shift: Neutral, Waterloo's first institutional climate action plan, at a virtual town hall attended by members across the campus community.

The plan was developed over two years by the Climate and Energy Working Group of the President’s Advisory Committee on Environmental Sustainability. It provides a roadmap for Waterloo to minimize the greenhouse gas footprint of activities across the campus, with an aim to become carbon neutral by 2050.

On November 10, the Sustainability Office hosted a virtual town hall to formally initiate the plan and take questions from the campus community.

Jean Andrey, dean of the Faculty of Environment, kicked off the town hall, stressing the importance of staying focused on climate change, even amidst a global COVID-19 pandemic, and introduced Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor, who gave the opening remarks.

In his remarks, President Hamdullahpur noted that climate change sits at the top of the University’s list of big important global challenges. He expressed his hope that presenting the climate roadmap will provide a forum for everyone in the campus community to contribute to this enormously important subject.

Mat Thijssen, the University’s director of sustainability, then took the virtual stage to present an overview of the plan. He described the work that went into putting Shift: Neutral together, from the research phase that began in 2018, to the series of open houses in 2019 to gather feedback from the campus community, through to creating the actual document and approval of the plan this year.

Thijssen noted that while the University of Waterloo contributes greatly to climate research, Shift: Neutral is an action plan that looks inward and focuses specifically on how the University can reduce its own emissions. In creating the plan, the working group looked at the current state of the University’s emissions and where they come from, then set targets for reducing these emissions. The plan begins with a goal of 17.5 per cent reduction by 2025, a 35 per cent reduction by 2030, and an end goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.

Pathways to reduce emissions include improving energy efficiency of operations, using low-carbon energy sources and increasing source diversity, reducing indirect emissions from campus operations and offsetting emissions in the long term. The plan includes 46 specific initiatives that help reduce emissions to reach short term targets, as well as initiatives that set up long-term success.

A question-and-answer period moderated by Andrey followed the formal presentation. Questions and discussion touched on topics such as how emissions have changed since the pandemic started, how to bring an Indigenous perspective into the plan, the feasibility of achieving carbon neutrality in particularly energy-intensive buildings, campus vehicle fleets and how the University will pay for these initiatives.

More information, a link to the full climate action plan, FAQs and information about how to get involved with initiatives can be found on the Climate and Energy Action Plan website.

Employing a workforce with diverse talents is a priority

This is an excerpt of an article originally published on Waterloo Stories.

Employing a workforce with diverse talents is a priority at an independent global design firm - and hiring University of Waterloo co-op students is a key part of their strategy.

Through community engagement and a team dedicated to mentorship as well as learning and development for staff, Arup’s Offices in Canada has distinguished itself as a standout student employer.

Arup believes that co-op students hired from different academic disciplines can benefit the organization.

“Arup is a multidisciplinary organization, we work across multiple markets, aviation, transit, energy, all aspects of the built environment,” says Arup’s Canadian group leader Craig Forrest. “The University of Waterloo covers a lot of ground. They’ve got a lot of deep programs that we can reach into, and we can cover a lot of the needs we (have), all from Waterloo.”

Arup has been recognized as the first-ever winner of the Impact in Interdisciplinary Recruitment Award as part of the Waterloo Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) Employer Impact Awards.

“Arup’s commitment to hiring University of Waterloo co-op students from a variety of disciplines reflects their commitment to be a future-ready employer and recognizes the importance of a strong connection to future-ready talent,” says James Rush, vice-president academic and provost at Waterloo. “Waterloo is committed to providing that innovative connection by preparing our exceptionally talented students to problem solve for impact through our high-quality academic programs and by fostering the ability to work together across traditional disciplinary boundaries. When it comes to complex challenges in a rapidly changing world, that is often a very powerful and innovative approach to ensure that the right questions are being asked, and the right solutions are being discovered.”

With an internal network of 14,000 team members in 34 countries, Arup provides engineering, design, planning, and project management services in all areas of the built environment.

Cheryl Petersen, associate principal at Arup, says the organization, which opened its Canadian branch in 2000, really values academically diverse backgrounds. She describes Arup as a multidisciplinary organization at its “core.”

“We don’t want people coming in thinking the exact same way that we do; we want people who are bringing diversity of thought and a different approach,” says Petersen.

A wide range of projects is what led Sophie Potter, a Waterloo Planning student, to complete two work terms at Arup.

“I really wanted to obtain a diverse experience in transportation because that’s where my interests lie,” says Potter. “The Toronto office is becoming one of the major rail hubs for the company, so I was really fortunate to take part in some of the rail projects happening right now.”

Potter also mentions the wide variety of backgrounds and education among their workforce. Planners, architects, and engineers all contribute to the final design of a project, which she enjoyed.

“The work environment at Arup is a perfect balance of work and play,” says Potter. “There’s a lot of young people at the office, along with a mix of senior leadership. The atmosphere is so positive and welcoming, and I never felt intimidated about asking anyone questions about anything.”

Kaushik Sarkar, a Waterloo Mechanical Engineering graduate who completed two work terms at Arup, says the company is actively trying to recruit the best talent possible.

“At Arup, what they try to do is really promote a more collaborative culture,” says Sarkar. 

Read the rest of the article, including a Q&A with Arup executives, on Waterloo Stories.

Campus Wellness celebrates Linda Brogden and other notable notes

"After over 36 years of dedicated service to University of Waterloo, Linda Brogden, Occupational Health Manager, has announced her pending retirement," writes Campus Medical Director Clark Baldwin in a memo to Campus Wellness. "As of this week, Linda will be taking her accrued vacation until her retirement."

Linda has been instrumental in the direction and oversight at the university’s Occupational Health," Baldwin writes. "Linda joined the university in 1984 having come to us from working for a number of years at various hospitals, having held various positions during her career as a nurse. Notably she has completed her ambition to complete 50 continuous years working as a registered nurse. She joined the University of Waterloo as a Nurse at Health Services."

"Linda transitioned from Health Services (student care) to Occupational Health (employee care) in 2002," Baldwin writes. "Linda has an exceptional understanding of the culture of the university and the challenges that staff and faculty face in their respective roles. She has formed many positive relationships over the years by virtue of her connections with staff, faculty and CUPE members. She was an early champion of the Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, a voluntary national standard for employees."

"Please join me in wishing Linda many years of good health in her well-deserved retirement. Linda will continue to be available for well wishes via her university email address. She will be truly missed."

Going forward, for any Occupational Health matters or concerns, please contact Karen Parkinson RN, COHN(C) at her usual coordinates.

"Please join the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies today for a lecture on “Geographies of threat, Cities of violence” on the historical origins of the colonial city by Rasul Mowatt, a professor of Recreation, Park and Tourism Studies at Indiana University Bloomington," says a note from the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies. "Mowatt is the 2020 recipient of the Shaw-Mannell Leisure Research Award, which is presented by the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies to recognize international career contributions to the study of leisure."

The talk will take place today,December 4 at 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Please register in advance to receive the link to attend.