Monday, April 25, 2022

Register for Tuesday's online Research Talks about post COVID-19 health system decision-making

A message from the Office of Research.

Interested in how COVID-19 has impacted decision-making within the Canadian health system? To learn more, don’t forget to register for the spring 2022 Research Talks online event taking place on Tuesday, April 26 from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. "Health system decision-making in a post COVID-19 Canada" will feature keynote presentations from Helen Angus (Public Health Ontario) and Peter Wallace (Munk Institute of Global Affairs and Public Policy), and a moderated panel discussion with Dr. Sacha Bhatia (Ontario Health), John Hirdes and Anita Layton (University of Waterloo), and David O’Toole (Canadian Institute for Health Information).

Please register to receive a link to take part in this event.

Research Talks is supported by the Research Support Fund.

A win-win for both Waterloo students and Rogers

By Stephanie Longeway. This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

When Jonah Eisen signed up for the Sportsnet Hockey Hack in his final year of his master’s program, he set his future career path in motion.

Eisen was drawn to the week-long hackathon hosted in collaboration with Rogers Communications because it combined his favorite interests — sports and telecommunications. He saw a chance to gain real-world experience in applying his theoretical research to the 5G wireless network, and it was there that he met Rogers’ director of innovation and partnership, Neel Dayal.

“It was a great experience participating in the Hockey Hack. I remember hearing Neel and his colleague speak at the hackathon and being impressed by the level of engagement that Rogers team creates with its partners,” Eisen says.

After the hackathon, Eisen and fellow participants were presented an exciting opportunity from Rogers to apply to an open employment call with the company. Eisen jumped at the chance and is now a Technology Masters Grad — a full-time position that allows new talent at Rogers to explore their future career interests at the company through four six-month rotations across different units in the organization. And on his first rotation, Eisen had the opportunity to work on Dayal’s team.

“Looking back on my first impression of Neel and Rogers, it’s still surreal to me that I’m now a part of their team.”

For Eisen, the skills and connections gained through the hackathon at Waterloo helped kick start his career after graduation. And for Rogers, it helped the company tap into dynamic, young talent.

Partnership that connects talent

In December 2019, Rogers Communications became a founding partner of the University of Waterloo’s Gateway for Enterprises to Discover Innovation (GEDI), a central place for companies to access the full potential of Waterloo’s research, talent and entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Sportsnet Hockey Hack is just one example of how this partnership has taken off and been a true win-win for Rogers and Waterloo students and researchers.

The partnership enabled Waterloo to become one of the first 5G smart campuses in Canada and provides research opportunities anchored in this next-generation network. It also connects Rogers with world-leading researchers and young, dynamic talent to help fulfill the need for skilled employees to lead future innovations.

“At Rogers, we’re shaping the future of 5G technology in Canada, and we need smart minds and new ideas to help us lead the way,” says Neel Dayal, senior director of Partnership and Innovation at Rogers Communications. “The students we’ve met through our work with the University of Waterloo are engaged, innovative and capable, and the opportunity to connect, learn from, and hire talent as a direct result of our partnership has been incredible.”

Matching skills to meet businesses solutions

Rogers helped match Eisen to the role and right business areas. The unique rotational nature of his role allows him to “try-on” different projects on four different teams to help enrich his skillset and provide a diverse experience.

“I was really happy with the whole application process. I met with a recruiter who suggested roles that matched my research area and skills in telecommunications to find the best fit,” Eisen says. “As a new grad, it’s hard to read a job description online and picture yourself in it or understand how that would translate to your day-to-day work. Meeting with the recruiter and the team leaders really helped me to see myself in the role.”

Natalie Gaudet had a similar experience in her final year of the Master of Digital Experience Innovation (MDEI) program. 

“Rogers was an industry partner of the MDEI program. They had taken on a group of students to support an innovation project as part of our industry capstone project during our final semester,” Gaudet says. This industry integration is a standard part of the program and lets students connect their classroom learning and research with real-word problem solving. “I was really intrigued with Rogers when I heard their pitch. It was compelling to see how Rogers as a leading Canadian technology and media company is leveraging digital innovation to advance 5G.”

A co-ordinator at the MDEI program shared a similar open employment call opportunity with the group that specifically connected the program’s focus and training with the skills Rogers was looking for.

Gaudet is now a Rogers employee and works full-time in the Rogers 5G Create Lab on a four-term rotation. Although new to the role, she feels prepared and able to make meaningful contributions to her team. “I’m applying the methodologies and toolkit of skills I learned in my MDEI program in my job every day.”

Being an industry partner with Waterloo has opened a door to Rogers to connect to the programs and students who are developing the digital skills they’re looking for to grow their business. For students like Eisen and Gaudet, they’ve been able to apply their in-class learning to create business solutions and gain valuable industry experience.

2022 Summer School promises to be a watershed event

The University of Waterloo's Water Institute and Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change have announced that their 2022 Summer School “Climate Change and Water Security in Urbanized Watersheds: An Interdisciplinary Perspective” is now open for registration.

Hosted by the Water Institute and the Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC3), the summer school is aimed at graduate students and practitioners who are passionate about learning more about applying interdisciplinary approaches to water security challenges in urbanizing watersheds under climate change.

This uniquely designed, three-week virtual program will offer participants talks and discussions by leading water and climate change scholars in three modules:

• Climate Change and Water;
• Climate Change and Land Use; and
• Climate Change and Water Security.

The program will run for one hour each weekday and offer insight into the use of interdisciplinary approaches. It will provide curated learning materials, improved skills and knowledge, and a certificate of completion.

Check out the full Summer School program online.

Remembering Convocation Winds conductor Harry Currie and other notes

Local author, journalist, educator and overall musical mainstay Harry Currie has died at the age of 90. 

A fixture in Waterloo Region's musical circles since 1975, Currie was best known on campus as the conductor of the Convocation Winds, an orchestra that provided processional music at the University of Waterloo's Convocation ceremonies from 1980 to 2018. A tribute article in the Waterloo Region Record has been published, and you can read Harry's Waterloo News profile that was posted online as he hung up his Convocation Winds conductor's baton in 2018. There is also a tribute page on Facebook, fittingly entitled But They'll Never Believe Me: the Life and Times of Harry Currie.

Alumni Relations and the Faculty of Mathematics are kicking off the Data + Event Series with the first installment, Data + Climate, on Tuesday, April 26 from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. on Hopin. At each themed event, attendees will "explore how data can help us solve today's greatest problems and see the world in a dramatically new way."

Attendees will hear from a panel of subject matter experts working in the labs, companies and communities driving change with data. Panel discussions will be moderated by a member of the Waterloo community who has specialized knowledge of the event's theme.

"How do we use data to understand that our climate is changing, and that humans are responsible?" ask the event organizers. "In this event, we'll be considering the use of different data streams (climate modelling, satellite and aircraft measurement and surface observation) in emerging climate science. We will also explore how data and models are being used to develop solutions."

Panelists include moderator Chris Fletcher, Associate Professor Department of Geography and Environmental Management, and Associate Chair for Graduate Studies; Dave Bailey (BMath ‘91), Associate Scientist, Climate & Global Dynamics Lab, National Center for Atmospheric Research; Dr. Ray Nassar (PhD ’06), Atmospheric Scientist - Environment & Climate Change Canada; and Andrea Scott, Associate Professor and Associate Chair Undergraduate Studies, Systems Design Engineering.

There's still time to volunteer for this spring's Convocation. "With 18 ceremonies taking place from June 11 to 18, we need over 200 volunteers to make it a success," says a note from Community Relations and Events (CRE).

Staff, faculty and students are encouraged to get involved, and managers are encouraged to promote this opportunity to their teams; there are many different roles and shifts available, providing new professional development opportunities and the chance to grow your network across campus. Training and meals are provided.

Want to learn more and sign up? Visit the convocation website for role descriptions and available shifts.

The Safety Office and Plant Operations will be conducting fire drills for most academic and administrative buildings on campus on Wednesday and Thursday this week, with a rain date of Friday, April 29. Remember fire drills?

The Safety Office would like to remind faculty and staff that when the fire alarm in their building goes off, they are required to evacuate. Check out the Safety Office's generic building evacuation procedures, and check in with your department or unit's fire warden to stay updated on procedures for your particular workplace.