Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Memo outlines recent changes to Campus Check-In tool

For some, the Campus Check-In tool is familiar; for others, it will be part of the “next normal” as we begin a staged return to campus this fall.

In an ongoing effort to limit the spread of COVID-19, all students, employees, and visitors must complete the Campus Check-In once per campus visit, and each day you plan to attend. This tool helps to monitor building occupancy levels both within buildings and within departments.

As of Monday June 21, the screening tool has been updated with new guidance around how vaccine side effects could influence the way you answer the screening questions. Please note:

• In the 48 hours following your immunization, you may experience headache, fatigue, or muscle ache/joint pain. This is normal. If your symptoms only began after immunization, and you feel well enough to work, you are still able to access campus buildings.
• The check-in tool will ask if you have new or worsening symptoms. If you do have new but mild symptoms as stated above (headache, fatigue, muscle ache), and they began shortly after your vaccine, you should not include them in your answers

The provincial self-assessment tool is also available if you need more detailed screening.

Please refer to the Region of Waterloo Public Health fact sheet or contact Occupational Health if you have additional questions.

Research institutes hosted interdisciplinary summer school on water security and climate change

Climate change poses significant risks to water security in urban settings. Addressing this complex challenge requires collaboration and the incorporation of knowledge and expertise from various disciplines. The University of Waterloo’s Water Institute (WI) and Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC3) are advancing these efforts by delivering a uniquely designed, three-week virtual summer school, “Climate Change and Water Security in Urbanized Watersheds: An Interdisciplinary Perspective.” The summer school leverages the wide-ranging expertise of the University’s water and climate change researchers, tackling the complex topics of global climate change and water security through an interdisciplinary lens.

Ninety-four participants from more than 15 countries participated in this year’s program, which ran from May 31^st to June 18^th, 2021. The summer school covered a wide range of program topics, including climate modelling and projections, climate change risk management, the role of green and grey infrastructure in water supply, water and food security in Indigenous communities, and many more. Daily lectures and interactive discussions were led by 18 professors, who included leading experts from all six Waterloo faculties and members from both the WI and IC3. This was the second edition of the summer school and the first to be offered virtually.

Sarah Burch and Roy Brouwer presenting in a summer school session on June 18.

“The WI was delighted to partner with IC3 to deliver this innovative and important summer school” says Roy Brouwer, executive director of WI. “While lacking the in-person interaction of our inaugural edition, the benefits of offering a virtual program offered unique access to young scholars from across the globe to participate and gain valuable knowledge and experience. We are looking forward to growing this highly interdisciplinary summer school in the years to come and increasing Waterloo’s global impact.”

The summer school was aimed at graduate students and practitioners, and offered participants a variety of unique lectures on interdisciplinary approaches to water security challenges in urbanized watersheds due to climate change. By incorporating a dynamic group of faculty members from across research disciplines, the program equipped participants with a wealth of knowledge in a diverse range of topics, showcasing the intersections of climate change and water security.

“Water security is deeply interwoven with our changing climate in a multitude of ways, making it even more important to apply fundamentally interdisciplinary thinking to these challenges” explains Sarah Burch, executive director of IC3. “The summer school offered students access to an incredible range of skilled and thoughtful experts, all of whom connect science to practice as they address pressing sustainability problems.”

About the Water Institute

Ranked among the top water research institutions in the world, the Water Institute is a leader in water research and education.

Distinguished by its commitment to facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration, inspiring innovation, and building international partnerships, the Water Institute is tackling some of the most complex water challenges of our time.

About The Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change

The Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC3) is the focal point for climate change research, training and knowledge mobilization at Waterloo.

IC3 is an interdisciplinary hub with 100+ Waterloo faculty researchers, students, and scientists from partner institutions and government agencies. The centre is also home to several research sub-centres, including: Polar Data Catalogue, Canadian Cryoshperic Information Network, and Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation.

It's all about community and working together

By Miriam Rusu. This article was originally featured on the Faculty of Arts news site.

Switching from Science to Arts might sound terrifying to some students, but that’s exactly what May Nemat Allah decided to do after her first year of undergraduate studies. While she had enjoyed studying drama in high school, she initially chose to focus her university career on another area of interest: chemistry and biology. Yet theatre remained close to her heart, and she had a happy accident of stumbling upon the University of Waterloo’s Theatre and Performance program.

“When I realized I wanted to pursue a career in theatre, I was worried that I would not feel welcomed or like I belonged in the Faculty of Arts,” May reflects. “How lucky I am to have been proven so wrong.” Graduating this week with her BA Honours Co-op, and with the Theatre and Performance program’s 2021 award for top performing student, she says, “It made sense to be where I knew I was going to be happier.”

A love for ensemble work

The collaborative nature of theatre fuels May’s passion for the discipline. “The thing about theatre and what I love most is that it’s all about ensemble, it’s all about community and togetherness,” she explains. Through most of her program, May concentrated on the stage management side of theatre, her core area of interest. Many of her courses and experiences focused on production management, particularly the role of the stage manager. “Theatre is amazing, but the backstage is where it’s at for me. The show can’t stand without its legs, and I always think that technical production is the legs. We’re the rock, the support, the foundation.”

She describes the shared experience of ensemble work. “We had this moment where we would all sit in our starting positions and wait for the first cue. In that moment of quietness, the anticipation was filled with this feeling of love and appreciation that we all held together. I think that feeling is electric, and I loved being a part of it.”

Mentoring and amazing opportunities

Now working at the Stratford Festival for the summer, May says a particularly influential person in her developing career is Janelle Rainville, director of production and Theatre Operations. “Janelle has pushed me in so many directions that led to amazing opportunities. She’s the reason why I applied to become a production assistant in Stratford. She’s the reason why I applied to NTS (National Theatre School) for the next step of my education. She’s been such a light in my life and such an amazing mentor.”

This is especially evident in the opportunity May had as a conference assistant for SMArts (Stage Managing the Arts), a professional development conference organized by Janelle for stage managers, technical directors, and production managers across the country. May’s role— assisting in organizing courses and meetings, creating contracts, and developing social media assets — allowed her to improve on a variety of her skills and knowledge of stage management. Her experience with SMArts exposed her to invaluable work-integrated learning alongside the courses in the Theatre and Performance program, all of which built confidence for her current role as a production assistant for the Stratford Festival.

Pandemic theatre

COVID-19 has caused significant disruption, and theatre is no exception. May knows this first-hand. “Working in theatre during the pandemic, things are changing so fast. It gave me a new appreciation for what it means to be adaptable and to look at things positively rather than obsess over the possibility of failure.”

The pandemic brought about an opportunity for May to perform too. With the very limited number of students allowed on campus during the winter 2021 term, the program’s production required the team to double and triple up on roles — which for May meant she was both an actor and the assistant production manager (APM). The livestreamed play, carried away on the crest of a wave by David Yee, explored the stories of people around the world who were impacted by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. “It’s a really beautiful show that makes a very explicit point of talking about stories about people of colour. If there was any show that I was going to work as an actor on it would be this one,” she says.

For May, the opportunity to perform both as an actor (shown in the banner photo above) on stage and an APM offstage was indispensable. “I really did benefit from having that experience and having such kind leadership from Professor Andy Houston, the director, and Janelle. Having them both guide me through what it means to be an assistant production manager and what it means to be an actor was a full experience — I learned so much in one semester that I never expected I possibly could because of the pandemic.”

Creating theatre for marginalized voices

This fall, May will start her next chapter at the National Theatre School in Montreal, specializing in Production Design and Technical Arts. “It’s my dream to become someone who can support the creation of impactful theatre, accessible theatre and theatre that decentralizes Western voices and centralizes marginalized and unheard voices. I think I can really do that as I learn more.”

Reflecting back on her undergraduate studies, May emphasizes the importance of putting yourself out there: “I think it’s really easy in university to let things happen and go with the flow. University experiences can be more fruitful if you want them to be and if you put in the effort. That’s entirely what the Theatre and Performance program at UWaterloo is all about.”

Watch May's love letter to the Theatre and Performance program: 

Campus EcoMap project will harvest data on green space management

Have you ever taken a walk around the University of Waterloo? On that walk, have you noticed the ways in which people use the natural spaces on campus, like the Arts Environment Garden or Village Greens? Before the pandemic, at any given time, there was likely someone carrying out monitoring or management activities in these natural areas. It wasn’t unusual to see Environment students measuring snow-depth, monitoring air temperatures or wading into Laurel Creek. Nor was it uncommon to see grounds crew weeding, mowing, or deadheading.  

A lot of environmental data are collected on the University of Waterloo campus, but unfortunately, these data are not always tracked in a meaningful way or made accessible to decision-makers. There is no central listing of the roles, responsibilities or jurisdictions of people who look after natural areas. In short, it’s hard to tell who does what. That also makes it difficult for the University to make ecological decisions and track its sustainability objectives, because we lack the baseline data to know where to start.

Supported by the Sustainability Action Fund, the Environmental Stewardship: Campus EcoMap project is a student-led initiative working to clarify the “who does what” question and help track data collection. The project goal is to improve communication and strategic decision making about sustainability initiatives on campus.  

To realize this vision, the students running the Environmental Stewardship program require significant collaboration and stakeholder input. As a first step, the team is developing a map, called the Campus EcoMap, to create a publicly accessible inventory of campus natural and semi-natural areas, management activities and stakeholders who care about them. 

If you manage, maintain, or monitor natural or semi-natural areas on campus, and want to contribute to the EcoMap project, please consider filling out the Natural Areas Management Survey. Your opinions about the management of natural and semi-natural areas, including gardens, will help the team identify important natural areas, understand management activities, and fuel project-based learning. 

The survey will be available through Qualtrics until June 25, 2021. 

You can find the survey on the Natural Areas Management Survey – Campus EcoMap website.