Wednesday, July 6, 2022

Faculty of Environment bids fond farewell to Dean Jean Andrey

This article was originally featured on Waterloo News.

On July 1, 2022, the Faculty of Environment said farewell to Jean Andrey, fondly called Dean Jean, our esteemed dean of eight years. The whole community wishes her the best in her retirement as we reflect on all her accomplishments and contributions to the Faculty.

Dean Jean, as she is affectionately known, began contributing to the Faculty of Environment in 1983 while pursuing a PhD in geography. Growing up she never imagined herself as an academic. But, despite these (very) early doubts, her impact on academia was bigger than she could have imagined.

Dean Jean’s research interests include determining the implications of climate change for transportation infrastructure and operations, as well as hazards and risk assessment. Her research has been a significant contribution to the field with over 4,000 citations. She received the President’s Award for Outstanding Service/Leadership to the Canadian Association of Geographers in 2016.

More than just a researcher, she was also well-known around campus as Professor Andrey, a highly regarded teacher and mentor. In 1995 Dean Jean was awarded the Distinguished Teacher Award, and she gained the respect of her students thanks to the mix of learning methods used in her courses, as well as her energy, enthusiasm, and humour.

“The greatest impact her teaching has had on me is that I will look a little deeper in whatever I am doing to get a more conclusive answer/solution," says alumnus Brian D., (BES. ’95) “She is a role model that all of us will strive to be like in our future work.”

Not only is Dean Jean an academic mentor but she is an inspiration to women and girls everywhere. As a daughter to a mother who had to stop school at age 12 just because she is a female, Dean Jean never let this put a stop to her dreams. In 2012, she won the Women of Waterloo Region Award. In a nomination letter, Marilyne Jollineau, professor of Geography at Brock University called her the most outstanding and most influential teacher she ever had.

Under Dean Jean's leadership, the Faculty of Environment emerged as a national hub for climate action, sustainability solutions, flood adaptation and powerhouse of environmental research. The Faculty witnessed a doubling of Canada Research Chairs, a 40 per cent increase in research funding, and 25 per cent increase in graduate student enrolment.

“I know that this is the last time that publicly I get to tell you what a thrill and honour it has been to be a UW professor for 33 and a dean for eight years,” says Dean Jean. “And not just any Dean – but the Dean of the Faculty of Environment! As you know, I have engaged with both my head and heart, and I am so proud of the Faculty.”

From mom to academic to professor to dean (and Tigger) there no limit on of titles, accomplishments, or lives she inspired in her 33 years as a professor here at The University of Waterloo.

As a final goodbye, and to solidify Dean Jean as a part of the Faculty of Environment forever, a scholarship has been made in her honour — the Jean Andrey Environment Leadership Scholarship.

It’s been said the sign of a leader is that people feel more hopeful after working with this individual than they were before. Dean Jean is leaving the Faculty of Environment with an abundance of hope for the future. We congratulate and wish her good luck in the next chapters of her life.

You can watch the special tribute to Professor Jean Andrey.

Getting new students Waterloo Ready

A message from the Student Success Office.

You can expect to see some new and friendly faces on campus this week, as the Student Success Office and all six faculties prepare to welcome thousands of incoming undergraduate students and their supporters to campus during Faculty Ready Days: 

• Health Ready: Wednesday, July 6, 2022 

• Arts Ready: Thursday, July 6, 2022 

• Engineering Ready: Saturday, July 9, 2022 

• Environment Ready: Tuesday, July 12, 2022 

• Science Ready: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 

• Math Ready: Thursday, July 14, 2022 

These hybrid events provide undergraduate students with a head start at preparing for September and the year ahead, meeting key faculty and staff members, and establishing relationships with peers.  

Faculty Ready Days are just one element of the Student Success Office’s (SSO) new student transition (NST) strategy. Through NST programming, we aspire to build students’ sense of belonging; establish students’ relationships with peers, faculty, and staff; and ultimately create environments that support success.  

NST strategies have been developed to address the unique needs of both undergraduate and graduate populations. This year’s programming considers the impacts the pandemic has had on students’ learning, supports equity-deserving populations, provides important resources for international students, and fosters a vibrant and engaged student community. To achieve these outcomes, programming spans webinars, live streamed events, LEARN module content, and/or in-person opportunities.  

If you're interested in joining us in welcoming our newest Warriors and their supporters to campus, consider wearing a Here to Help sticker during these events. More volunteer opportunities to welcome new students will be shared in early August. 

New role enhances Indigenous presence in Science

A message from the Faculty of Science.

Today, Savannah Sloat steps into the role of Manager, Indigenous Science Initiatives. The new position will identify systemic and systematic changes that move beyond Truth and the Reconciliation Calls to Action and develop a Faculty of Science-specific response and long-term vision for Science. 

Sloat is an Indigenous woman with mixed ancestry. Her father is Lenape and Haudenosaunee, born and raised on the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve, and her mother is descendent from Scottish settlers in the Waterloo region.

"I am excited to be joining the Faculty of Science in this new role that supports Indigenous education and community development," says Sloat. "I am passionate about experiential learning and supporting the recruitment and retention of Indigenous students. I look forward to making a positive impact in the Indigenous student experience at UWaterloo."

Sloat brings her lived, professional and academic experiences along with a passion for supporting Indigenous peoples and practices.

She is a student affairs educator with nearly ten years of experience in training, development, strategic planning, curriculum design, student retention project management and program administration. Before joining Science, Sloat worked in the Office of Research as the Project Manager, Indigenous Initiatives.

In her new role as Manager, Indigenous Science Initiatives, Sloat will be a support and advisor to senior Science Leadership and act as the Science liaison with Indigenous communities. She'll advise researchers on Indigenous Ways of Knowing and on Indigenous research themes, methodologies and practices. 

Key initiatives of the role include: the development of an action plan for the Indigenization of the Science curriculum; creating a more inclusive environment for Indigenous students and faculty; and enhancing the recruitment of Indigenous undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty. 

Additionally, Sloat will develop a communications strategy and online resources to grow awareness of Indigenous initiatives and issues as well as create an Indigenous presence in the Faculty of Science, including a dedicated space for Indigenous Science students.

“I am thrilled to welcome Savannah Sloat as our new Manager, Indigenous Science Initiatives," said Bob Lemieux, Dean of Science. "Savannah will play a critical role in integrating Indigenous cultural awareness in the Science curriculum and student experience, and in creating a welcoming and supportive environment for Science Indigenous students.”

This position was recommended by the Faculty of Science Indigenous Working Group in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada findings and calls to actions.

Welcome Savannah!

Low-income Canadians are nearly four times more likely to die from opioids than the rich

This article was originally featured on Waterloo News.

A new study reveals a connection between poverty and opioid-related hospitalization, emergency department visits and deaths in Canada. From 2000 to 2017, Canada's poorest residents were 3.8 times more likely to die of opioid-related causes than Canada's richest residents. 

The study by University of Waterloo researchers is the first to examine the connection between socioeconomic status and opioid incidents at the national level in Canada and to explore the trend over nearly two decades. Researchers used three comprehensive national databases and census data to determine the correlation between areas' income levels and opioid-related health issues.

"Opioid-related harms are at a crisis level in Canada," said Wasem Alsabbagh, a pharmacy professor at Waterloo and lead author of the study. "Opioid-related hospitalizations in Canada have increased by more than 50 per cent from 2007 to 2017. In Ontario, emergency department visits more than doubled. We explored the trends between socioeconomic status and opioid harms so that we can better understand how to address the opioid crisis."

The researchers processed information from Statistics Canada and examined the postal codes associated with all reported opioid-related deaths, hospitalizations and visits to emergency departments. They found that the lower the income of an area, the greater the number and rate of opioid-related harms.

From 2000 to 2012, Canadians in lower-income areas were 4.3 times more likely to be hospitalized and 4.9 times more likely to end up in the emergency department than those in higher-income areas. For opioid deaths, the gap between low-income and high-income Canadians dying of opioid use narrowed, but a substantial gap remains. By 2017, Canadians living in the lowest income areas were still almost 2.5 times more likely to die of opioid-related causes. 

"For many, socioeconomic status is a result of past experiences – families, neighbourhoods, education and other earlier life events, in addition to current access to material and social resources that help individuals cope with challenges," Alsabbagh said. "Often, we see low socioeconomic status in concentrated geographic areas where there is poorer access to resources. In addition, psychosocial factors, such as feeling marginalized or enduring discrimination and social isolation, can have an effect. By drawing the link between low socioeconomic status and opioid harm, we can design policies that more appropriately serve the needs of our communities."

The study was recently published in the journal Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada.

Wednesday's notes

The proposal deadline for the WatITis conference has been extended until Thursday, July 7.

The annual WatITis conference will be held on Wednesday, December 7, 2022. "This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about University of Waterloo systems and technology," says a note from conference organizers. "This year our keynote speakers will follow the theme of ‘IT Sustainability’ and as such, we welcome general systems and technology speaker proposals in addition to speaker proposals related to the topic of sustainability. We encourage and invite all staff members at UWaterloo to actively participate as a speaker, panel participant, or poster presenter."

If you are interested in presenting at WatITis, please submit a brief synopsis of your presentation idea to the WatITis call for papers site. If you have any questions, please contact Pavol Chvala or Dana Mohapl.

Employers hosting Virtual Employer Information Sessions (VEIS) next week include Nulogy Corporation. Make sure to register through WaterlooWorks and check the calendar for any updates.