Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Helping girls in Ghana lead the charge in mathematics and technology

Program participants Dzesisenu Yetorgbe Adzomani, Georgina Amoasi, and Lois Agbemavi.

By Lisa Kabesh. This article originally appeared on the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing website.

The Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC) has partnered with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) to support their innovative Girls in Mathematical Sciences program.

The nine-month program brings young women together from across Ghana’s 16 regions to dive deep into how math and technology can solve big problems — in Ghana and across Africa. Driven by the goal to empower talented female secondary-school students to lead cutting-edge research and innovation in the years to come, the program connects participants with international scientists, university educators and industry leaders.

“AIMS has helped me to realize that mathematical approaches can provide a vast array of solutions to the same problem," says participant Georgina Amoasi. "This idea has become an integral aspect of my education.”

The CEMC has lent their support with the expertise and experience the organization brings with its long tenure of mathematical and computer science outreach education. Ian VanderBurgh, the CEMC's director, led 10 sessions focused on problem-solving and Serge D'Alessio and Judith Koeller each led an intensive master class. The CEMC’s Comfort Mintah led fireside discussions with six other women from different fields to introduce participants to the wide array of education and career paths available to them. All four members of the CEMC team committed to mentoring participants throughout the nine-month program.

Mintah was impressed with the students’ development: “I didn’t even know what I wanted to be in high school. After the Girls in Mathematical Sciences program, the students were excited about careers in data analysis and engineering thanks to the program. It helps students see amazing opportunities for their potential at an early age.”

Senior high-school student Dzesisenu Yetorgbe Adzomani explained that the program pushed her “to develop an inquiring mind and strong curiosity about science and nature,” which she plans to bring to bear on the study of architectural engineering. “I believe that greatness comes from the desire to do extraordinary things,” she added, and said that she is “driven to strive for greatness and to pursue the AIMS goal of becoming the next Einstein.”

Georgina Amoasi, a participant from the central region of Ghana, said: “AIMS has helped me to realize that mathematical approaches can provide a vast array of solutions to the same problem.” Her current interests lie in improving decision-making with data research and technology. Georgina is planning a career in data analysis; other students foresee studies in physics in their futures, while others aspire to work in fields like the health sciences.

As part of the program, participants met online each month through much of 2021, where they developed creative, meaningful problem-solving skills and made connections between mathematical sciences and the real world. Two week-long, in-person residential components allowed students to tackle team projects and build deeper connections with their instructors and mentors.

Lois Agbemavi, another student participant, summed up the program neatly: “For girls in STEM, I believe that AIMS is definitely where ability meets opportunity.”

Critical Tech Talk interdisciplinary series continues tomorrow

A message from the Faculty of Arts.

This Thursday, Critical Tech Talk presents Discriminating Data: A Conversation with Dr. Wendy Chun, Director of the Digital Democracies Institute. This is the second event in a joint UWaterloo-Communitech series of honest talks about innovation.

Dr. Wendy Chun.

When we observe rage-fuelled fights online, many of us might wonder about the role technology plays in the background. In her most recent book, Discriminating Data, Wendy Chun reveals how polarization is a goal – not an error – within big data and machine learning, and how these elements encode discrimination to create agitated clusters of comforting rage.

Dr. Chun is Simon Fraser University's Canada 150 Research Chair in New Media in the School of Communication and Director of the Digital Democracies Institute. She studied both Systems Design Engineering and English Literature at the University of Waterloo.

“What do the Freedom Convoy and Neil Young’s boycott of Spotify have in common?” asks Dr. Marcel O’Gorman, host of the Critical Tech Talk series. “They are both part of a broad campaign of polarization and hate-breeding facilitated by the logic of social media platforms. This is precisely the topic of Wendy Chun’s timely, sophisticated, and eye-opening research.”

O’Gorman will moderate a conversation with Dr. Chun and two respondents: Dr. Brie Wiens (post-doctoral researcher, Communication Arts) and Queenie Wu (fourth-year undergraduate, Systems Design Engineering).

Critical Tech Talk is produced by the Critical Media Lab and its founding director Dr. O’Gorman (Department of English). This free series is a collaboration between co-sponsors Communitech, the Office of Research, and the faculties of Arts, Environment, Engineering, Health, Math, and Science at the University of Waterloo.

Register to join Critical Tech Talk 2 online, February 10 at 7:00 p.m.

Remembering Ernest Holmes, Waterloo's Dean of Research

The Office of Research has announced that Ernest “Ernie” Holmes, retired faculty member and former Dean of Research has passed away.

Holmes graduated from the University of Bristol in obtained his Master’s in Metallurgical Engineering and a PhD in Physical Metallurgy from the University of Toronto. Before joining the University of Waterloo in 1964, Professor Holmes was on staff at Orenda Engineers in Malton, Ontario, the University of Nottingham and the University of Toronto. His research focused on the purity of metals.

Holmes joined Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering in 1964 as Secretary of Faculty Council and administrative officer and was named Professor and Associate Dean of the Faculty in 1966. He was also one of the original Tutors in the University’s Student Village residence.

Holmes was involved in the establishment of the Waterloo Research Institute in 1967 and, in 1974, was named Director of Research Administration, a position which was later renamed Director of Research in 1981. He served as Associate Dean of Engineering for seven years, during which time he was particularly interested in the various aspects of university, industry and government interface. In 1984, he was appointed Dean of Research, a post he would hold until 1988.

The Waterloo Research Institute was folded into the Office of Research Administration under Holmes’s directorship in 1974. The Office of Research Administration, the forerunner to today’s Office of Research, was the liaison between campus researchers on one hand and government departments and agencies, business and industrial organizations on the other. The next decade saw marked development in industrial contract research, a continued development of business arrangements, concern with transfer of technology from the University and its application. Holmes was active in efforts to attract advanced technology industry to Waterloo Region, including Hewlett-Packard and NCR. The Office of Research Administration was renamed the Office of Research in 1981 by outgoing President Burt Matthews.

Holmes also served on the Board of Governors for Conestoga College, and was a member of the City of Waterloo’s Economic Development Committee.

At the time of his retirement in 1988, Holmes was focused on the development of an industrial research and technology park on the University’s north campus, a long-running strategic initiative that would eventually come to fruition 15 years later.

The position of Dean of Research was eventually renamed Vice-President, Research, then Vice-President, University Research. The position is now known as Vice-President, Research and International.

In retirement, Ernie and his wife Judith found a life of adventure with overland travel expeditions in South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe, hiking, camping, and trekking in the Andes, the Atlas and the Himalayas to name a few locations, with a few desert detours for good measure.

“I think that it is important to acknowledge that Ernie Holmes played an extremely important role in creating the innovative entrepreneurial and intensive research environment that has shaped the Waterloo experience,” writes University historian Ken McLaughlin. “Among other notable achievements it was Ernie Holmes who introduced the ownership of intellectual property policy that has become a hallmark of our University.”

Professor Holmes was a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario, the International Society for Technology Assessment, the Society for Research Administration, the Canadian Association of University Research Administrators, the American Society for Engineering Education and the Association of the Scientific Engineering & Technological Community of Canada (SCITEC).

He is survived by his wife Judith, four children and grandchildren.

Hacking hockey for the future

This article was originally featured on Waterloo News.

How can we create a fun, immersive viewing experience for NHL fans using 5G technology? That was the question 50 University of Waterloo students were looking to answer during a week-long hackathon hosted by Sportsnet and Rogers.

The 2020 Sportsnet Hockey Hack tasked students to work alongside mentors from Concept — Velocity's experiential innovation hub at Waterloo — to come up with innovative solutions that would change the way millions of NHL fans watch and engage with live games both inside and outside the arena.

Students from the winning teams were invited to progress into an incubation phase and work with senior project managers at Rogers and Sportsnet to create a prototype and pitch it to the Product team. Offering a valuable opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience, and also for Sportsnet and Rogers who were able to tap into young talent and innovative thinking.

“The Sportsnet Hockey Hack, powered by Rogers 5G, was an incredible example of the strength of our partnership with the University of Waterloo, and our collective ability to bring together bright minds and innovative ideas,” says Neel Dayal, senior director, Partnership and Innovation at Rogers Communications. “We were energized by the creative and smart thinking that came from the students at the event, and we look forward to building on key concepts to advance Canada’s 5G roadmap.”

Hands-on learning to prepare the future workforce

More than an opportunity for hockey enthusiasts to get their hands on a goldmine of player data from Sportsnet, the hackathon provided a chance for students to work together with industry professionals on innovative tech products and services.

“Interacting with the product directors and project managers at Rogers and Sportsnet and the Concept coaches taught us a lot about product development, expanding our skills beyond our own fields of expertise. We also learned a lot of transferable skills from each other. It was a large time commitment, but it was definitely worth it,” says Rachel Li, currently in her third year of Computer Science.

For Accounting and Financial Management student Ryan Trainor, the experience allowed him to expand his skillset and better prepare him for work in Canada's booming technology sector.

“I would absolutely do it all over again if I could. It was one of the most formative experiences of my undergrad. It shaped my own professional development, forcing me to think about what really engages me and how I can find meaningful work in roles going forward,” says Trainor, a third-year student with the School of Accounting and Finance. “The skills I gained have already benefited me during my other co-op roles, especially how I diagnose and understand problems, work through them, and approach communicating and taking on responsibility beyond my role. It’s been incredibly valuable.”

Pushing yourself outside your comfort zone

Other students like Mathew Maradin, a first-year student at the time of his participation, wasn’t sure he’d have much to contribute as a freshman but was pleasantly surprised by the transferable skills he brought to the table. The opportunity to push himself outside of his comfort zone led him to learn from others working at a higher level and expand his network, both rewarding experiences that paid off during his future co-op and school terms.

“We all had different ideas of what it would be like going into the Sportsnet Hockey Hackathon, but this was beyond any of our expectations,” says Maradin, now second-year Engineering student and a hackathon winner. “Working with high-level people from Rogers, Sportsnet and Concept was an incredible opportunity to expand our skills. For anyone unsure about joining a hackathon or the Concept Discovery Stream, go for it. It’s an opportunity to push yourself out of your comfort zone.”

Trainor agrees and encourages other students looking to push themselves and develop new skill to sign up.

“For any students that are unsure about joining a hackathon or the Concept Discovery Stream, I was in a similar situation. I almost didn’t apply because I didn't have a lot of coding experience,” Trainor says. “Turns out: You don’t need to code. There is a role for everybody to play. I focused on the business side: product development, design and pitching to stakeholders. I even picked up some technical skills along the way, so it was more than worth my time.”

Providing opportunities on campus and beyond

Waterloo was one of the first Canadian campuses to benefit from 5G technology. Building on this partnership with Rogers, the University now has an autonomous bus that operates off the new network and is continuously looking for opportunities to develop talent as the world operates more digitally. The hockey hackathon was a great example of combining technology and talent in an industry that continues to be significantly interrupted by the latest hurdles of the pandemic.

Wednesday's notes

The Noon Hour Concert series continues today with Music for 1, 2, and 3. 

This concert will feature Judith Davenport (viola), Peter Shackleton (clarinet) and Anna Ronai (piano) playing an intriguing mix of music by composers Alan Hovhaness, Max Bruch, and Rebecca Clark. 

"The trio by Bruch is especially lovely," says a note from the Music Department. "By pairing the rich, mellow colours of the clarinet and viola, Bruch gives us a set of short miniatures full of lyrical melodies and romantic harmonies."

The concert will be released as a Youtube Premiere today at 12:30 p.m. 

Tomorrow at noon is the Ujima Black History Month research and learning event focused on Black experience in Canada.

Hosted by Akua Asare-Anim, International Recruitment Specialist in the Registrar's Office, the event will feature talks by Nancy Eleanor Reeves, Associate Director, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-racism on equity and social work, Dr. Clive Forrester, Department of English Language and Literature, on Caribbean language and culture in Canada, and Aaron Francis, PhD candidate in Global Governance on Vintage Black Canada.

No sign-in or registration is required to view the livestream event on MS Teams, which begins at 12 noon on Thursday, February 10.

Employers hosting Virtual Employer Information Session (VEIS) next week include Thomson Reuters, RJC Engineers, Flipp, and FDM Group. Make sure to register through WaterlooWorks and check the calendar for any updates.