Friday, January 28, 2022

Scotiabank Future of Talent and Innovation Initiative invests in diversity

Students participate in a 2019 Women in Computer Science event.

By Claire Mastrangelo. This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

Diversity in STEM is expanding with help from one of Canada’s largest financial institutions.

With a contribution of $1.04 million to the University of Waterloo, Scotiabank is creating a variety of scholarships for students who are underrepresented in STEM fields. The awards include an entrance scholarship for women in computer science, a graduate scholarship for Latin American students in data science and two scholarships for Black and Indigenous students — one at the undergraduate level and one for students in the Master of Mathematics Teaching program.

The Scotiabank Future of Talent and Innovation Initiative also supports engineering outreach for racialized students in Grades 1 through 12, including Black and Indigenous youth, along with the existing Women in Engineering Initiative and Women in Computer Science (WiCS) outreach program.

“On behalf of the entire University of Waterloo community, I would like to thank Scotiabank for this visionary investment,” says Vivek Goel, president and vice-chancellor. “As a global leader in STEM education, we know that diversity propels innovation and meaningful change in our world. With this initiative, Scotiabank and Waterloo are encouraging groups who may have felt excluded from STEM to bring their boldest ideas to our campuses and create the future they want for themselves, their communities and the world.”

As part of the initiative, Scotiabank will sponsor events that challenge students to solve urgent industry problems, including issues related to data science and software engineering. Funding for the Artificial Intelligence Institute will support the AI for Social Good program, which calls on researchers to deliver solutions to complex social problems using artificial intelligence.

“Building economic resilience and inclusion are two of Scotiabank’s top priorities,” says Meigan Terry, senior vice-president, chief social impact, sustainability and communications officer at Scotiabank. “We are proud to work with academic institutions across our international footprint such as the University of Waterloo to help remove barriers to career advancement and make a meaningful impact on our communities.”

The Scotiabank Future of Talent and Innovation Initiative reflects the financial institution’s commitment to improve access to education for young people. It also builds on an ongoing partnership with the University of Waterloo that includes support for scholarships, research and teaching facilities. A longtime employer in Waterloo’s co-operative education program, Scotiabank has hired more than 3,000 students since 2004, in roles ranging from financial analysis to marketing to cyber security.

“Without partners like Scotiabank, Waterloo could not deliver the quality of education for which it is known,” says Goel. “We are proud to work with partners to tackle the world’s biggest challenges, and we are excited to see what this initiative will help our next generation of STEM leaders to accomplish together.”

Waterloo people awarded Minister's Awards of Excellence

By Megan Lambe.

Four members of the University of Waterloo community are being honoured with a Minister’s Award of Excellence for their noteworthy contributions.

The 2020 awards were created to acknowledge the inspiring work of Ontario’s faculty and staff in the early stages of the pandemic. The tradition continues this year, with the addition of categories that recognize the work of Ontario’s postsecondary institutions.

This year approximately 675 nominations were received. “One of the most impressive parts of the Awards of Excellence is the number of submissions from colleagues, peers and students who were eager to showcase the work of faculty, staff and graduate students at our schools,” says The Honourable Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities.

The winners are:

Dr. Heather Hall (Faculty of Environment) and Dr. Mark Servos (Faculty of Science) in the category of Everyday Heroes. The Everyday Heroes award recognizes faculty and staff who stepped up and made a difference during the pandemic and the 2020/2021 school year.

Dr. Heather Hall grew up in Northern Ontario, where much of her personal and professional interest focuses. Her research interests include innovation and economic development policy, planning and practice in rural and northern regions and the impacts of new technologies in the mining and agricultural sectors. Dr. Hall recently led a project in partnership with the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation examining Rural Canada & COVID-19 to understand the impacts and responses for economic recovery. She is a member of the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation and the Chair of the Research Advisory Board for the Northern Policy Institute.

Dr. Mark Servos is a Canada Research Chair in the Department of Biology, specializing in Ecotoxicology and Integrated Water Resources Management. Near the start of the pandemic, Servos shifted his lab’s focus to the surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, co-leading the effort for wastewater surveillance implemented in communities across Canada, including in our campus residences. Wastewater testing detects the presence of fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 that are shed by both asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals in wastewater.

Angela Pause (Faculty of Engineering) in the category of Equality of Opportunity. The Equality of Opportunity award recognizes faculty and staff who have excelled at opening postsecondary education to marginalized and underrepresented groups.

Angela Pause is the senior writer for the Faculty’s advancement team as well as a Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) student. As part of her MBET studies, Angela created Hive Mind Tutoring, which connects Grade 10 - 12 students struggling in advanced functions, calculus, chemistry and physics to Waterloo Engineering undergraduate students for free individual or group sessions. Pause also led the writing efforts for the 2021 launch of the country’s Indigenous and Black Engineering Technology (IBET) PhD project that has grown to include 12 Canadian engineering and architecture programs with 16 IBET Momentum Fellows and 24 mentors registered from across the country. 

Lucas Wen Tang (Faculty of Engineering) in the category of Rising Star. The Rising Star award recognizes grad students or faculty under 35 and already making a difference in education, inspiring students, or conducting innovative research in the postsecondary education sector.

Lucas Wen Tang is a mechanical engineering master’s student who co-founded Lumos, a company which looks to improve human well-being through sleep technology and neuroscience. Lucas was a part of one of two teams that successfully competed in the Concept $5K pitch competition, where they secured funding for Lumos. Lucas and his three undergraduate team members represented the University of Waterloo in the 2021 Canadian Engineering Competition (CEC) and won the inaugural research and entrepreneurship award.

Congratulations to these exceptional recipients, and the work you do in the Waterloo community.

In the Room Where it Happens

by Ashitha Mantrawadi. This article was originally published on the Conrad Grebel University College website.

Through the Arts First program, the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Arts provides a wide spectrum of courses each term with an emphasis on developing inquiry and communication skills. First-year students have an opportunity to explore a variety of topics based on a professor’s expertise, with each course taught in a small seminar setting where students build social awareness and ethical engagement. These courses are often a gateway to learning about potential majors students might pursue, including Grebel’s programs such as Music, Peace and Conflict Studies, Mennonite Studies, and Religious and Theological Studies.

This winter at Grebel and the University of Waterloo, Music Professor Kate Kennedy Steiner is teaching a course on the Tony Award-winning musical sensation Hamilton, inspired by the life of Alexander Hamilton, a founding father of America. With Professor Steiner’s expertise in musical techniques and interest in American history, she takes an innovative approach by teaching communication skills through a musical lens.

“In my own research on medieval music, I examine the techniques composers used to create sacred biographies of the heroes of their day – saints,” explained Professor Steiner. “I think music plays a fundamental role in presenting biographies as models for the present day. I thought that the musical Hamilton would be a great, accessible way to examine this, even for students who don’t have any music study background.”

To communicate and share her research, Professor Steiner is taking a unique approach to bring social awareness to her students by analyzing the political history of America. “The course is actually about learning how to communicate effectively, but I think Hamilton has a lot of important topics to consider, such as nationalism, race, and musical genre,” expressed Professor Steiner. “And of course, you have to admit that Lin-Manuel Miranda has used music and poetry to communicate very effectively.”

Analyzing musical styles and genres used for history-telling provides students with a renewed perspective on history as well as music. As a final project, students will imagine a Canadian musical with the biography of a historical figure, while researching and applying a broad spectrum of musical genres. Combining Lin-Manuel Miranda’s revolutionary Hamilton, with Professor Steiner’s musical and historical expertise, this course is an engaging way to develop communication skills.

Conrad Grebel University College aids students in developing unconventional thought processes through community-based learning environments. Learning with and from others is one of Grebel’s specialities.

Hybrid work and technology guidelines for Winter 2022

A message from Information Systems & Technology (IST)

To support University employees who will be working both in the office and remotely during the Winter 2022 term, Information Systems & Technology (IST) has updated the hybrid work and technology guidelines. 

Read more about the recommended meeting guidelines, information on augmenting rooms for hybrid meetings, work equipment guidelines, and secure computing practices. Guidelines may be added throughout the term as necessary. 

Additional resources

• Work from Home (WFH) Guidelines
• Staying connected while working remotely
• Privacy and Remote Meetings

Any questions or concerns can be submitted to the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or ext. 44357.

Ushering in the Year of the Tiger and other notes

On February 1, 2022, people around the world will be celebrating the Year of the Tiger on the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. Given the time difference the University of Waterloo will be kicking off its observance a little early this weekend, with messages of support and celebrate to the members of our community locally, in Asia, and elsewhere who are observing the lunar new year, which is also known as “Chinese New Year” or “Spring Festival” depending where you are and who you're with.

Traditional observances take place over 15 days of celebration, ending with the Lantern Festival.

According to Chinese astrology, people born in the Year of the Tiger are natural leaders, who walk and talk assertively and inspire respect. Locally, the Lunar New Year is among the holidays that Waterloo's city council has included in its fireworks bylaw, alongside Canada Day, Victoria Day, and Diwali. Observers are permitted to set off fireworks one day before and after the holiday, with a time limit of 11:00 p.m.

And so, on behalf of the Daily Bulletin: Xīn nián kuài lè (Mandarin for “happy new year”) and Gong hei fat choy (Cantonese for “wishing you great happiness and prosperity”).

The KW4 Ontario Health Team (OHT) has put together a sign-up form for volunteers interested in supporting frontline workers in local hospitals, long-term care, retirement homes and shelters. Please note: volunteer roles are those completed on your own time and outside of regular working hours.

• The sign-up form to participate as a volunteer can be found online.
• Once you have submitted your form, someone from KW4 Ontario Health Team will be in touch with you on next steps.

"While we appreciate everyone's willingness to lend a helping hand, we'd like to remind you volunteering is not guaranteed," says a note from the KW4 OHT. "We are currently trying to accumulate numbers to get a better sense of where individuals can and should be stationed."

If you have any questions in the interim, please email info@kw4oht.com.