Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Why National Indigenous History Month should be important for everyone

By Joy Braga.

Today marks the 12^th anniversary of National Indigenous History Month, which started in 2009 with the passing of a unanimous motion in the House of Commons. In June, we celebrate and honour the history, heritage and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples in Canada. Indigenous Peoples’ vast contributions, both past and present, shape Canada and this month is a time for all Canadians to learn about, appreciate and acknowledge these immense contributions.

This June it is particularly urgent for us to acknowledge Canada’s historic and ongoing colonial relationship with diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, and actively work within our own spaces, communities, places of work, and families to advance the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action.

On May 28, the remains of 215 children were found at the site of a Kamloops residential school. It is imperative that we acknowledge and honour the lives of each of these children — and thousands of others -—while acknowledging and addressing the ongoing impacts of these losses for communities across this country. Learn more about residential school systems in Canada, and their historic and ongoing impacts.

While the entire month of June represents an opportunity to learn about Indigenous history and culture, June 21^st is especially important because it is National Indigenous Peoples Day (previously called National Aboriginal Day when it was announced in 1996). June 21^st also marks the arrival of the summer solstice and the longest day of the year. This date has cultural, historical and spiritual significance for many groups around the world, particularly the Indigenous Peoples. While this day is recognized as a statutory holiday in the Northwest Territories and Yukon, it is not yet a statutory holiday in the rest of Canada.

As a non-Indigenous student at the University of Waterloo, I believe it is especially important for non-Indigenous people to commemorate this special month and take the time to learn about Canada’s treatment of Indigenous Peoples. Canada’s dark history of colonialism, racism and violence towards Indigenous communities continues to impact the lives of many today. With this in mind, we should also recognize the strength of Indigenous communities in present-day Canada as we work towards reconciliation and decolonization. Regardless of race or ethnicity, it is essential for everyone to learn about Indigenous history and culture so we can build a future based on equity, fairness and inclusion for all Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Whether you are learning for the first time or already have a deep understanding of these topics, I encourage you to explore new resources and attend the virtual events hosted by the Indigenous Initiatives Office this month.

The Indigenous Initiatives Office is excited to host a series of virtual events and resources to celebrate and give the University of Waterloo community the opportunity to learn more about National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day.

University events planned for the month include:

• All of June: Facts and Trivia – A series of “Did You Know” facts and weekly trivia questions for a chance to win a prize pack.
• Monday, June 7 to Friday, June 11: Indigenous Faculty Features
• Wednesday, June 16: Tracy Primeau – Indigenous Alumni Spotlight Speaker
• Monday, June 21: Deantha Edmunds – Musical performance from Canada’s first and only Inuk professional classical singer
• Tuesday, June 29: The Honourable Murray Sinclair – Keynote Speaker for National Indigenous History Month

For more details, registration information and resources, visit the Indigenous Initiatives Resource Page.

Helping doctors manage COVID-19 from the inside out

Chest x-rays used in the COVID-Net study show differing infection extent and opacity in the lungs of COVID-19 patients.

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo is capable of assessing the severity of COVID-19 cases with a promising degree of accuracy.

A study, which is part of the COVID-Net open-source initiative launched more than a year ago, involved researchers from Waterloo and spin-off start-up company DarwinAI, as well as radiologists at the Stony Brook School of Medicine and the Montefiore Medical Center in New York.

Deep-learning AI was trained to analyze the extent and opacity of infection in the lungs of COVID-19 patients based on chest x-rays. Its scores were then compared to assessments of the same x-rays by expert radiologists.

For both extent and opacity, important indicators of the severity of infections, predictions made by the AI software were in good alignment with scores provided by the human experts.

Alexander Wong, a systems design engineering professor and co-founder of DarwinAI, said the technology could give doctors an important tool to help them manage cases.

"Assessing the severity of a patient with COVID-19 is a critical step in the clinical workflow for determining the best course of action for treatment and care, be it admitting the patient to ICU, giving a patient oxygen therapy, or putting a patient on a mechanical ventilator," Wong said.

"The promising results in this study show that artificial intelligence has a strong potential to be an effective tool for supporting frontline healthcare workers in their decisions and improving clinical efficiency, which is especially important given how much stress the ongoing pandemic has placed on healthcare systems around the world."

A paper on the research, Towards computer-aided severity assessment via deep neural networks for geographic and opacity extent scoring of SARS-CoV-2 chest X-rays, appears in the journal Scientific Reports.

Announcing the winners of the Waterloo Faculty, Staff and Retiree Virtual Talent Showcase

A message from Heather Mair, Tony Munro and Jim Frank, co-chairs of the Faculty, Staff and Retiree Giving Program.

From all of the entries showcasing the amazing talents of Waterloo faculty, staff and retirees, we’re excited to announce the winners.

In first place with 135 votes, Silvana Shamuon (Epic Kicks), from the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, scores a day off with pay. In second place with 113 votes, Alison Enns (7 Musical COVID Parodies), from Conrad Grebel University College, wins a $100 gift card for the W Store. Honourable mention goes out to Fulu Mao (Vocal Imitation: Swan Lake), from the Faculty of Environment, with 112 votes. Congratulations to our superstars.

Thanks for taking part in the virtual talent showcase. We hope you had as much fun as we did. If you haven’t already joined the Faculty, Staff and Retiree Giving community, you can make your gift online now. 

Our heartfelt thanks for your dedication throughout the year.

Board of Governors meets today and other notes

The University's Board of Governors meets virtually today at 1:30 p.m. Among the agenda items:

• A motion to approve sabbaticals and administrative leaves;
• A motion to approve a number of revisions to Policy 76 – Faculty Appointments;
• A motion to approve a number of incidental fee changes and revisions to the Graduate Studies Endowment Fund constitution;
• A motion to approve the Institute for Quantum Computing's annual report to the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and a motion to approve IQC's corporate plan for 2021-2022;
• A motion to approve the change of the name of Police Services to Special Constable Services, effective 1 July 2021;
• A motion to approve the appointment of Moriyama & Teshima Architects as the prime consultants for the recently approved Math 4 building;
• A motion to approve TD Asset Management (TDAM) to provide a passively managed all country ex-Canada fund for the Endowment Fund;
• A motion that Board approve the recommendations of the Responsible Investment Advisory Group report and direct that such actions as outlined in the report be prepared and brought forward on the timelines described in the report; and
• A motion to approve the filing of the actuarial valuation report as at 1 January 2021 with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

The Board will also receive a report from the Office of Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion regarding sexual violence prevention and response.

Take your bike for a spin and win: Join the Sustainability Office for Bike Month 2021. With the warm weather here to stay, hop on your bike to enjoy the many benefits that biking has to offer (and help the planet while you're at it).

"Between June 1 and June 30, take part by sharing a cycling photo or your favourite cycling story for a chance to win some great prizes," says a note from the Sustainability Office. "Visit the Bike Month 2021 webpage for full terms and conditions and follow along on social media (@uwsustainable) for tips and resources throughout the month. Stay safe and happy cycling."