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Registration opens today for Keeping Well at Work 2021
A message from Organizational and Human Development (OHD).
In this day and age, is it even possible that our work can be part of our personal wellness? With the amount of time we dedicate to work – thinking about it, preparing for it, travelling for it, in addition to the time we’re working – it must.
This October, Organizational and Human Development (in partnership with the Healthy Workplace Committee) will explore what it means to Keep Well at Work with two focused conference days for UWaterloo employees on October 13 and 19, along with sharing daily wellness inspiration on the Daily Bulletin and OHD’s Twitter feed @OHDuwaterloo.
Keynote speakers
Keeping Well at Work (KW@W) 2021 will open and close with two powerhouse Keynote speakers:
Anthony McLean has delivered hundreds of inspiring talks across Canada, the US and Australia on diversity, anti-racism, and mental health. His research-backed tools and actionable strategies leave his audiences inspired to bring their best every day.
As KW@W’s opening Keynote, on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at 10:30 a.m., Anthony will tackle The Intersection of Mental Health and Anti-Racism. Register.
Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe described as one of the most sought-after, engaging, thought-provoking, and truly transformative international speakers and scholars in her field, Dr. Robyne is a multi-award-winning psychology and education instructor who specializes in resiliency, navigating stress and change, and personal wellness.
Join Dr. Hanley-Dafoe, KW@W’s closing keynote, on Thursday, October 19 at 1:30 p.m. when she’ll speak to the timely topic of Everyday Resiliency in Ever-Changing Times.
This year’s virtual conference workshops and daily inspirations will cover topics about nutrition, mental health, physical well-being, wellness through an equity lens, community and campus wellness and overall personal health.
Registration opens today, September 21 at 12:00 noon.
Questions? Connect with Organizational & Human Development.
Dean of Environment Nominating Committee to begin consultations
A nominating committee has been constituted under the terms of Policy 45 is now in place and has begun the process of identifying Dean Jean Andrey’s successor.
"Over the coming weeks, committee members intend to consult broadly," writes James Rush, vice-president, academic & provost in a memo circulated to Faculty of Environment employees and students. "Your input and feedback will be very important in shaping the position profile and informing the direction of the search."
Dean Andrey's second term as Dean of Environment runs to June 30, 2022.
Members of the Faculty of Environment are invited to consider the following questions and provide input and feedback:
- What are the issues, challenges and opportunities facing the Faculty of Environment?
- What are your aspirations for the Faculty in the next five years?
- What advice do you have for the search committee as to the background, credentials, qualifications and leadership style that should be sought in the next dean?
- Do you have any suggestions as to individuals to whom the committee should speak about this opportunity?
Members of the Faculty of Environment are encourages to convey their views on matters concerning the deanship in writing to Mike Grivicic, associate university secretary (mgrivicic@uwaterloo.ca) or to any member of the nominating committee no later than October 8, 2021. Your feedback will be held in confidence within the committee.
Dean of Environment Nominating Committee members
- James W.E. Rush, Vice-President, Academic & Provost (chair), provost@uwaterloo.ca
- Sheila Ager, senior faculty member from outside Environment, sager@uwaterloo.ca
- David Billedeau, graduate student, dbbilledeau@uwaterloo.ca
- Neil Craik, faculty member, ncraik@uwaterloo.ca
- Jennifer Dean, faculty member, jennifer.dean@uwaterloo.ca
- Peter Deadman, faculty member, peter.deadman@uwaterloo.ca
- Brad Fedy, faculty member, bfedy@uwaterloo.ca
- Rob Gorbet, faculty member, rob.gorbet@uwaterloo.ca
- James McCarthy, staff member, james.mccarthy@uwaterloo.ca
- Juli-Ann Perkins, staff member, juli-ann.perkins@uwaterloo.ca
- Jenna Moon Frankie Phillips, undergraduate student, jmfphillips@uwaterloo.ca
- Nancy Worth, faculty member, nancy.worth@uwaterloo.ca
- Mike Grivicic, associate university secretary, mgrivicic@uwaterloo.ca
- Laverne Smith, executive search consultant, waterlooenvironment@lavernesmith.com
Celebrate International Education Week from November 15 to 19
A message from Waterloo International.
International Education Week (IEW) is an opportunity to recognize and promote the value of international education, experiences and collaboration. It celebrates outbound activities, internationalization at home, and is intended to bring global conversations to campus. This year, the University of Waterloo will celebrate IEW from 15-19 of November, showcasing international education through a variety of programs, events, collaborations, debates, discussions, and an array of activities. Please join Waterloo International in celebrating our international students, staff and faculty at home and let’s experience the world together.
Interested in hosting an event for International Education Week? Waterloo International is currently seeking interest from student groups, academic support units, departments and faculties interested in hosting international education-themed event during this week. Please contact Aisha Shibli for more information and to register your event on the IEW calendar of events. Interested parties are advised to submit their proposed events to Waterloo International before November 1, 2021.
As planning continues to unfold, and we start to book events in celebration of international education, please continue to check the Waterloo International – International Education Week webpage for the lineup of events.
New tools and resources available for persons living with dementia
By Eugenia Xenos Anderson.
Many things change when a person is diagnosed with dementia, but one thing that doesn’t have to is the ability to exercise.
Dementia-Inclusive Choices for Exercise (DICE) is a cross-Canada research team, led by the University of Waterloo, that has developed a new series of tools and resources to help exercise providers create inclusive programs and spaces for people living with dementia and support their knowledge and confidence to continue or begin exercising.
The team is made up of 29 people from 10 organizations, including researchers, persons with dementia, care partners and 10 community organizations from Nova Scotia to Northern British Columbia.
“Exercise has important benefits to physical, mental and social well-being for people living with dementia,” says Laura Middleton, a Kinesiology and Health Sciences professor who leads the group. “People living with dementia who take up exercise have improved functional abilities day to day. This may be the result of several direct benefits, including improved aerobic fitness, better balance and mobility, increased strength and, less conclusively, increased cognitive function.”
Middleton says there are also important social benefits to exercise, especially when it is done with others. “People living with dementia receive encouragement and social support from their instructor and peers. They feel a sense of community and inclusion. As a result of improvements during exercise, they can also feel more confident in all aspects of life. For those who have been active earlier in their life, exercise can help maintain their sense of identity despite dementia.”
Middleton assembled the DICE research team after collaborating with the Alzheimer Society’s Minds in Motion program. She realized that no one program is sufficient to meet the preferences and needs of a diversity of people living with dementia. “Our goal for the Dementia-Inclusive Choices for Exercise project is to make more community and clinical exercise programs accessible and inclusive. That way, people living with dementia can choose a program that is close to them and aligned with their needs, goals and preferences for exercise programming.”
DICE provides training modules that educate and train exercise providers to understand and meet the physical activity needs of people living with dementia. This includes education about the rights of people living with dementia to inclusion in exercise and physical activity programs, the benefits of physical activity, physical activity recommendations, approaches to communication, exercise program delivery and planning, as well as facility design and the diversity of dementia (such as age of onset, abilities and challenges).
“The most profound change for exercise providers is the realization that their actions affect the ability of people living with dementia to participate,” Middleton says. “People often think that participation is only based on the abilities of the person living with dementia. This isn’t true!”
She says small things – from altering the environment (by reducing noise, using clear signage and removing mats or carpets, for example), to tweaking exercise delivery through simple, clear communication or altering how providers demonstrate, give feedback or pay attention to their clients – can enable people living with dementia to participate in their communities.
“In the end, people living with dementia have a right to benefit from health care and rehabilitation through exercise and to participate in sports, recreational and other leisure activities in their communities. This is a right supported by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability.”
To access the training modules and videos, please see Dementia-Inclusive Choices for Exercise.
Postdoc Awareness Week continues and other notes
A message from Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs in support of National Postdoc Appreciation Week.
Today, as part of National Postdoc Appreciation Week, we are proud to showcase Xia Han and Tariq Aziz. Follow these links to their profiles if you want to learn more about them and the work they do.
Xia Han is a postdoc with the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science in the Faculty of Mathematics. She joined the University of Waterloo in September 2020, and has been working with David Landriault and Ruodu Wang as supervisors. Her current research focuses on issues within the field of quantitative risk management.
Tariq Aziz has been a postdoc in the Faculty of Science since 2018. He works in the Ecohydrology Research Group, developing methods and tools to better inform policy-makers of the benefits of using natural resources sustainably. His work is motivated by a desire to improve water quality and enhance public support for important sustainability initiatives.
Are you also a postdoc doing important work here at the University of Waterloo? If so, please Share Your Story with us so that we can add you to our collection of People Profiles celebrating the contributions of other amazing postdocs in the UWaterloo community.
Postdoc fact of the day: Postdoc population growth
University of Waterloo is home to nearly 400 postdoctoral fellows and has seen a 33% increase in the number of postdocs since 2016. Over half (56 per cent) of all our postdocs are international. We are proud to welcome such an incredibly diverse group of exceptional scholars.
Speaking of awareness, here are some other bits of campus info:
The University of Waterloo Place (UWP) southeast parking lot (accessible off Seagram Drive) will be closed from Friday, September 24 until Monday, September 27, according to Plant Operations.
The latest in the Noon Hour Concert series, Pandemic Polka, is set for Wednesday, September 22 at 12:30 p.m. online and will feature the Full House Brass. Full House Brass consists of five versatile and creative brass players: two trumpets, one French horn, and two trombones. This concert will feature arrangements of dance music, including waltzes, tangos, polkas, a soft shoe, and more.