Thursday, December 9, 2021

WaterTalk takes place today

As part of the Water Institute's WaterTalks lecture series, Taher Kahil, Group Leader of the Water Security Research Group at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg, Austria, presents "Global water security under changing socio-economic and climate conditions" today at 10:00 a.m. Register now.

Water security is essential for sustainable development, underpinning almost all types of economic activity— from agriculture to manufacturing and energy—as well as human health and biodiversity. However, global water security is currently being threatened by growing demand for clean water and increasing uncertainty about water availability. This talk will present advances in integrated modeling of water resources and describe findings related to global water availability and demand assessments under future socio-economic and climate scenarios, their environmental and socio-economic impacts, and potential solutions to enhance global water security.

Dr. Taher Kahil is the group leader of the Water Security Research Group at IIASA. His research interests are in the areas of integrated biophysical economic modeling for basin-scale water policy analysis, the economics of water allocation and water quality, and evaluation of adaptation policy interventions to global changes in water and agriculture. Dr. Kahil leads the development of the large-scale hydro-economic modeling framework (ECHO). He has published over 40 publications including peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and policy briefs. Dr. Kahil is a topic editor at the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (MDPI) and associate editor at Frontiers in Water (Frontiers).

Researchers awarded $10 million for global tobacco study

The University of Waterloo is one of the lead institutions in a five-year, $10 million (U.S.) international study funded by the United States’ National Cancer Institute.

The multi-centre study will evaluate the behavioural and long-term health impact of different regulatory approaches to e-cigarettes and other new nicotine products among youth and adults in seven countries.

The market for tobacco products has expanded rapidly in the past decade as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and other new nicotine products are now available in addition to cigarettes and cigars. Countries around the world have taken different approaches to regulating these new products, with some governments encouraging smokers who can’t quit to switch to these products, and others adopting more restrictive policies, hoping to reduce use by non-smoking youth who might become addicted to them. 

The five-year study builds on the work of the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC Project), which for nearly 20 years has conducted research on the impact of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)—a health treaty adopted by over 180 countries aimed at reducing the global harms of tobacco use. The ITC Project has conducted studies across 31 countries, building the evidence base to support FCTC policies, including health warnings, tobacco taxes, clean indoor air rules, and plain/standardized packaging.  

Geoffrey Fong, founder and chief principal investigator of the ITC Project, is co-leading the grant’s national cohort studies of adult smokers, vapers, and dual users (for example, those who both smoke and vape) in the U.S., Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea—countries that have very different approaches to cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and other new nicotine products, such as heated tobacco products. 

“Governments all over the world need data to guide evidence-based approaches to regulate tobacco products,” said Fong, professor of psychology at Waterloo. “To date, there has been mostly speculation about the impact of policies on e-cigarettes and other new nicotine products. This project allows us to compare the behavioural and potential future health impacts of different regulatory strategies being carried out in different countries with great potential to inform evidence-based approaches to e-cigarettes and other new nicotine products.”

David Hammond, professor and University Research Chair in Public Health in the School of Public Health Science at Waterloo, will lead a survey of youth in the U.S., Canada, and England that examines trends in smoking and vaping among youth who smoke and those who have never smoked. 

“Understanding the use of these products among both youth and adults is critical to understanding which policies are the most effective in decreasing tobacco use and curbing youth uptake of e-cigarettes,” Hammond said. “The timing of this project is ideal since policies are still evolving in Canada and other countries.” 

Waterloo will also lead the data collection design and management across the study sites under the direction of Distinguished Professor Emerita Mary Thompson and professor Changbao Wu, both of the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science.

“The project will put Waterloo and our collaborators at the forefront of methods to examine changes in patterns of use of various nicotine products over time and to compare data across countries with very different policy approaches,” Thompson said.

Other collaborating institutions include Medical University of South Carolina, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, University of South Carolina, King’s College London, and University of Melbourne.

Changing the world by investing in talent

By Beth Bohnert. This article was originally featured in Waterloo Magazine.

Nicole Pitre (BMath ’17) became a sales engineer, ignoring those who told her that women can’t do math. Now, she’s a role model to other women in tech. Emily Pass (BSc ’19) is a PhD candidate at Harvard University where she’s deepening our understanding of distant stars. And new grad Colin Daly (BSE ’21) envisions a future where virtual and augmented reality become tools for discovery and healing.

These three Waterloo alumni are also recipients of one of Canada’s most prestigious academic awards for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students: the Schulich Leader Scholarships. Now in its 10th year, the program empowers people to fulfill their ambitions and, in doing so, make an impact on the world.

A solution for urgent problems

The Schulich Leader Scholarships are the result of a gamble by Canadian business icon and philanthropist Seymour Schulich. In 2011, Schulich invested $100 million to create the program, convinced that the best hope for solving Canada’s most urgent problems lies in emerging STEM leaders.

“Over the last decade, the Schulich Leader Scholarship program has helped hundreds of talented young minds pursue their passions and dreams of an education and career in STEM. This next generation of talent is already creating a tremendous impact in Canada and globally. Students like Nicole Pitre, Emily Pass and Colin Daly from the University of Waterloo set a shining example of what the future has in store,” says Judy Schulich, executive vice-president of The Schulich Foundation.

Every year, the program awards scholarships of up to $100,000 each to 100 entrepreneurial-minded high school graduates who are entering STEM programs at select Canadian universities. The awards encourage students to choose coursework, extracurricular activities and co-op terms unfettered by financial constraints, says David Goodman, vice-president at The Schulich Foundation.

“The scholarship gave me the freedom to pursue astronomy research opportunities that weren’t necessarily the best-paying but fit my interests,” Pass says. During one of those research terms, she developed technology that allows scientists to measure the size and orientation of an object passing through space.

Pitre, a member of the inaugural class of Schulich Leaders, says, “I would not be where I am now if not for Waterloo Math and The Schulich Foundation.” Receiving the scholarship gave her the confidence to try new things, including her first computer science course.

Meeting other high-achieving women in the class helped Pitre realize she did indeed belong in math. Today, she has a successful career at a software company in Germany, and mentors students in the scholarship program. “There’s 10 years’ worth of inspiring Schulich Leaders now, people from so many different places and backgrounds,” Pitre says. “It reminds us that STEM is for everyone.”

Growing a global network

Since 2012, Waterloo has ranked first among the scholarship program’s 20 university partners for number of candidates and qualifying applicants. As a result, the foundation recently increased the number of awards for incoming Waterloo students from four to 10. As the global network of Schulich Leaders grows, graduating students are reaping career benefits.

“We’re already seeing alumni with their own startups recruiting other Schulich Leaders because they know the program is a great source of talent. Dozens of Fortune 500 companies are also beginning to tap the network,” Goodman says.

Access to that network helped Colin Daly land a role as a software engineer at Google. He dreams of founding his own startup one day, perhaps one that uses virtual reality in new ways. “Everyone dreams of being teleported,” Daly says. “But a real breakthrough would be to develop practical ways to use virtual reality in surgery or space exploration.”

Goodman says: “The program allows students to thrive in unimaginable ways. At its core is the belief that you can change the entire world by changing the life of a young person.”

Judy Schulich says, “At a time when our country and our world needs it most, these future thought leaders, innovators and inventors will help shape Canada’s future prosperity and chart new frontiers of discovery. The Schulich family is deeply impressed with the fulfilling experiences Waterloo provides Schulich Leaders – past, present, and future – and we look forward to continuing this wonderful partnership into our second decade.” 

Meet Waterloo's Schulich Leaders.

Notes as the examination period begins

Let's all pause and pour out a little egg nog, apple cider, or hot chocolate for the students who will be writing their final exams beginning today. The examination period runs from December 9 all the way to Thursday, December 23. Students can view the fall 2021 final exam schedule (PDF), which was last updated on December 7, or check Odyssey for their personalized exam schedule.

This term, for online courses, exams will only occur online, while for on-campus courses, exams may occur in-person, but in classrooms as opposed to the Physical Activities Complex. All exams will adhere to physical distancing guidelines as set out by public health authorities.

In recognition of this no-doubt stressful time, Athletics and Recreation is promoting Free Exam Fitness from Monday, December 6 to Friday, December 17. Registration and an active membership are required to take advantage of the opportunity. You can register on the Free Exam Fitness site.

Additionally, Athletics is looking to give out free boxes of Takis Chips on a first-come, first-serve basis. "If you are interested, send an email to athcpmk@uwaterloo.ca and include how many boxes you would like to receive," says a note from Athletics. "Pick up location will be office #2221 in the PAC Athletics and Rec office."