Friday, November 12, 2021

Waterloo signs on to Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education

A message from the University of Waterloo.

The University of Waterloo is pleased to join more than 40 other institutions of higher learning in becoming a signatory to the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education. The virtual signing ceremony takes place on Thursday, November 18, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

More than 3,000 representatives from higher education institutions in Canada assembled in 2020, for the National Dialogues and Action for Inclusive Higher Education and Communities. This forum resulted in the development of the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education: Principles, Actions, and Accountabilities.

“By providing a unified framework for confronting Anti-Black racism within higher education institutions in Canada, the Scarborough Charter complements cross-campus anti-Black racism initiatives being developed and implemented at the University of Waterloo,” said Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor. “Through the Scarborough Charter, we are honouring our commitment to making unbiased choices and being anti-racist in all aspects of our lives," President Goel said. “We are taking coordinated actions to dismantle systems that perpetuate racial discrimination and build a more inclusive and equitable society.”

As part of the University’s commitment to remove systemic barriers to equity and inclusion, for members of the Black community, the institution recently announced a cluster-hire initiative to appoint 10 Black tenure-track and tenured professors, who will contribute to Waterloo’s goal of nurturing a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusivity, through increased representation of Black peoples. 

“The University of Waterloo remains committed to creating a sustainable and supportive environment for our community,” said James Rush, Vice-President, Academic & Provost. “These initiatives are important steps to accelerating the progression of increased Black representation and inclusion across the University.” 

Some of the other initiatives implemented to help address racism and support inclusivity, include the recent appointment of Professor Christopher Taylor, equity strategist and anti-racism advisor, as Associate Vice-President of the newly formed Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-racism, and the offering of two Black Studies diploma programs, through the Faculty of Arts. Both programs, developed by members of the Black Faculty Collective, under the leadership of Professor Vershawn (dr.vay) Young, and with campus-wide consultations, will be offered in fall 2022.

“While Waterloo is making significant strides towards developing and maintaining a diverse, inclusive and equitable culture, we must continue to fast-track concrete, sustainable actions to combat anti-Black racism and advance inclusivity on our campuses,” Christopher Taylor said.

Members of the University community interested in attending the virtual signing of the Scarborough Charter can register before Monday, November 15, 2021.

Giving students the chance to grow and give back

This is the first in a series of announcements in support of National Philanthropy Day.

Waterloo Math student Edwin Yang knew he belonged at Waterloo but he worried about paying for his studies and finding a co-op job.

Thanks to the generosity of Waterloo alumni Brian and Janis Traquair, Edwin now has the financial support to immerse himself in university life, while gaining the skills to build the inventions he dreams of.

As we approach National Philanthropy Day on November 15, learn how the Traquairs are giving Waterloo students the freedom to learn and contribute.

Food to go - and go and go

By Brian Caldwell.

Two researchers at Waterloo Engineering have made the semi-finals of a multi-year contest to develop new food production technologies and systems to sustain astronauts on long space missions.

Chemical engineering professors Valerie Ward and Nasser Abukhdeir are among 10 entries still in the running in the Canadian edition of the Deep Space Food Challenge, which has a $380,000 top prize.

As semi-finalists, Ward and Abukhdeir have already won $30,000 for a proposed algae rack system that minimizes water and energy usage while cultivating highly nutritious microalgae for human consumption.

The contest – which is running parallel to a similar challenge sponsored by NASA in the United States – was created by the Canadian Space Agency and Impact Canada to encourage innovate ways of efficiently producing food both in space and on Earth.

Open to businesses and other organizations in addition to academics, it challenged entrants to fill in food gaps for four-person crews on three-year space missions with no opportunities to get fresh supplies.

The challenge stressed maximizing the output of palatable, nutritious, safe foods requiring little processing, with minimal inputs and waste, and potential applications in urban centres and harsh environments on Earth.

The semi-finalists must now build and demonstrate a food production prototype. Up to four finalists will receive $100,000 each next fall.

Ward said she had been thinking about how to cultivate microalgae with less water for a long time and came up with a low-cost solution with Abukhdeir that combines some old ideas in the field of biochemical engineering with a modern design and materials.

"Not only does this have promise for growing algae in space, but also for growing them in arid climates on Earth where sunshine is plentiful, but water is scarce," she said. "We are excited to have the opportunity to build our prototype and see how efficient our design can be."

The last round of the event will require the four finalists to scale up their projects over 12 to 18 months. The grand prize winner of an additional $380,000 is expected to be named in the spring of 2024.

Photo by Sindre Strom from Pexels.

Eco Summit 2021: youth leading the way for climate change

A message from the Sustainability Office.

The Sustainability Office invites all staff, students, and faculty to attend the 2021 Eco Summit: Youth Leading the Way for Climate Action on November 24 and November 25.

Each year, the Eco-Summit provides an update on campus progress toward sustainability goals, celebrates efforts across the campus community, and builds momentum for more action.

This year’s theme highlights the role for youth leadership on climate change. Climate change is here, and it is young people who will face the worst impacts. The University of Waterloo has shown that they play a critical role in supporting students and alumni youth changemakers in Climate Action by creating an environment which fosters support. In addition to a main event, Eco Summit 2021 will feature a panel discussion and networking session to highlight student and alumni climate changemakers and motivate other Warriors. 

To highlight campus initiatives and showcase UWaterloo’s youth changemakers, registration is now open on the Sustainability website:

• Eco Summit 2021: Main Event – November 24^th 10:00am-11:00am: The main event will look to highlight campus initiatives over the past year, launching the 2021 Sustainability Report, and issue certificates for the Green Office and Green Labs programs.
• Youth & Climate Action Panel Discussion - November 25^th 11:00am-12:00pm: The panel discussion will bring together, researchers, students, and alumni to discuss the important role youth play in Climate Action.
• Youth Changemaker Speed Networking Session – November 25^th 12:00pm – 1:00pm: This Speed Networking will bring together young people to meet with one another, learn from their experiences, and discuss how they take action for Climate.

W Store Essentials SLC to close and other notes

"The W Store Essentials currently located in the basement of the Student Life Centre will be permanently closing effective immediately," says a memo from Director of Print + Retail Solutions Ryan Jacobs that will be circulated to employees today. "We are grateful to WUSA for providing us with this great space for many years."

"Print + Retail Solutions is in the process of reviewing our master space plans and consolidating our retail locations to better serve the campus as we return to in-person delivery of campus services. Our primary goal, as always, is to enhance the student experience and provide the best possible support to our many campus partners."

"For up-to-date information about our locations and hours of operation, please visit wstore.ca. For questions related to this change in our operations, please reach out to me directly at rjacobs@uwaterloo.ca or via extension 35221."

Are you interested in transforming the local transportation system to achieve climate action? Explore solutions in sustainable transportation at the Transportation Hack for Health event that is being co-hosted by the Faculty of Environment, the Geographies of Health in Place Lab and St. Paul's GreenHouse on Friday, November 19 and Saturday, November 20.  January 21 and 22, 2022. Please note the new date of the event, which has been postponed.

Attendees are invited to participate in a discovery lab and learn about sustainable transportation, identify opportunities for local innovation, and pitch their ideas for funding. There are prizes available, namely:

• 1st Place: $1,200
• 2nd Place: $800
• 3rd Place: $400

Register online.

The Fusion 2021 conference: Advances and Emerging Opportunities in Financial Technology will take place Saturday, November 13. The Fusion Conference, established in 2004, merges knowledge from science, business, and technology fields through a unique theme each year, with FinTech being this year's focus.

The virtual event runs from 11:00 a.m. to 4:10 p.m. on Saturday.