Thursday, July 14, 2022

Inspiring the next generation of Black STEM leaders

By Claire Mastrangelo. This article was originally published in the Spring 2022 issue of Waterloo Magazine.

Black youth have opportunities to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through a new camp called STEMpowered.

Waterloo’s Engineering Outreach team created the camp in partnership with the Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region (CCAWR) and BrainSTEM Alliance, a network of STEM ambassadors led by award-winning social entrepreneur and engineer D’Andre Wilson-Ihejirika.

“I think it’s important for youth to see Black STEM professionals succeeding in their careers and enjoying what they’re doing,” Wilson-Ihejirika says. “There’s something to be said for being able to relate to a speaker or instructor – youth can be a little bit more themselves and they can see a path for themselves in STEM.”

Wilson-Ihejirika was helping the CCAWR build STEM programming when one of its board members, Trevor Charles, a Waterloo biology professor, connected her group to the Engineering Outreach team.

Scotiabank provides funding

The Scotiabank Future of Talent and Innovation Initiative funded the camp as part of a $1.04-million investment in the University community. The initiative supports engineering outreach for racialized elementary and high school students, along with the existing Women in Engineering (WiE) and Women in Computer Science (WiCS) programs at Waterloo. The investment also includes funding for research, innovation challenges and scholarships for students who are underrepresented in STEM fields.

“Building a more inclusive world is one 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 such as the University of Waterloo to help remove barriers to career advancement and make a meaningful impact on our communities.”

Systemic racism has created obstacles for Black professionals in STEM, leading to a lack of representation that deters young people from pursuing careers in those fields.

Camp is rewarding for everyone

Working with the Engineering Outreach team has been very positive, Wilson-Ihejirika says. “They’ve been able to provide a strong foundation for the work that allows me and my team to focus on supporting the Black mentors as they come through, which has been a lot of fun.”

She says the mentors are happy to join the camp, which is one of several new initiatives to increase equity in STEM at Waterloo. “Many of the mentors are one of few Black people in their fields, so they see the importance of the camp,” she says. “They like to encourage the next generation and share their work in a way that’s fun and exciting.”

Plans for summer camp are underway, with an aim to include new mentors from different STEM fields. Past mentors have shared their expertise in areas including marine biology, engineering, astrophysics and actuarial science.

“The kids don’t know that some of these disciplines exist, or that Black people work in them,” says Wilson-Ihejirika, who specializes in chemical engineering and data analytics. “I get to learn about new disciplines as well. It’s a lot of fun; I’m excited to introduce the youth to all of these aspects of STEM.” 

Learn more about the Scotiabank Future of Talent and Innovation Initiative – including its impact on current Waterloo students.

Using compost instead of nitrogen as fertilizer in Canada can slow global warming

A new study led from the University of Waterloo discovered greenhouse gas production is significantly less when biobased residues like compost replaces widely used nitrogen fertilizer during spring freeze-thaw events in cold temperate regions.

“In cold temperate regions like Canada, spring freeze-thaw events contribute significantly to greenhouse gas production which further exacerbates climate change,” said study lead Emmanuel Badewa, a PhD student from Waterloo’s School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability (SERS). 

“The premise of our study is that biobased residues, which are generated as the natural by-product of our lives and economy, have the potential to reduce global warming thanks to our highly variable spring freeze-thaw cycle—in Canada and across the temperate world.”

The research team from Waterloo and McGill University collected greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—during the spring from a pilot study at Elora, Ontario research station. The site was selected due to its three transient spring freeze-thaw phases—waterlogged, wet, and dry. 

“There is incentive for farmers in cold temperate regions that rely solely on nitrogen fertilizer for crop production to adopt biobased residues from food waste, biosolids from sewage sludges, digestate from plant materials,” said Maren Oelbermann, a co-author from Waterloo. “Also, the value of biobased residues is better than ever for farmers now that there are severe fertilizer shortages globally.” 

The study offers proof that climate change mitigation can be achieved through carbon sequestration and soil improvement with the knock-on effect of creating jobs in the agricultural sector. 

“As Canada takes steps toward a zero-waste future and aims to improve the circular bioeconomy, there is opportunity to utilize recycled organic waste from landfills as a sustainable alternative for farmers to boost their produce,” Badewa said.

The study, Spring Freeze-Thaw Stimulates Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Agricultural Soil, authored by Waterloo’s Emmanuel Badewa, Maren Oelbermann and Fereidoun Rezanezhad with McGill University researchers Chun Yeung and Joann Whalen, was recently published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science.

Celebrating recent retirees

Human Resources has announced that a number of faculty and staff have retired recently.

April 2022

• Gary Kosar, who joined the University in May 1991, retired as Main Project Coordinator and Design Inspector in Plant Operations.

May 2022

• Kevin Harrigan, who started at Waterloo in June 2002, retired as Lecturer, Stratford School of Interaction and Design and Business;
• Jorge Cruz, who joined the University in August 2001, retired as Storekeeper in the Faculty of Engineering Machine Shop;
• Robert Hartung, who started his career at Waterloo in July 1999, retired as Architectural Technologist/Design Co-ordinator in Plant Operations;
• Sandra Ace, who began working at the University in August 2005, retired as Registered Dietician in Campus Wellness/Health Services;
• Hong Lee, who started at Waterloo in September 2007, retired as Weekend and Evening Supervisor in the Library;
• Vicky Lawrence, who began working at the University in July 1984, retired as Administrative Assistant to the Chair in Systems Design Engineering;
• Brian Foerster, who started at Waterloo in September 2011, retired as Electrical Helper in Plant Operations;
• Jeanette Nugent, who joined the University in March 1981, retired as Associate Director, Graduate Admissions in Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs;
• Bernie Roehl, who started working at Waterloo in February 1981, retired as Lab Instructor/Software Specialist in Electrical and Computer Engineering;
• Lorna Rourke, who began her career at the University in December 2007, retired as Library Director at St. Jerome’s University;
• Filomena DaSilva, who joined Waterloo in September 2004, retired as Custodian in Plant Operations; and
• Mario Coniglio, who began his career at the University in June 1986, retired as professor in Earth and Environmental Sciences. Professor Coniglio served as Associate Vice-President, Academic from 2013 to 2019.

June 2022

• Ted Creese, who started at Waterloo in September 2011, retired as Weekend and Evening Supervisor in the Library;
• Joanne Wood, who began working at the University in September 1989, retired as Professor in the Psychology department;
• Jeff Mason, who started at Waterloo in March 1989, retired as Information Technology Specialist in Science Computing;
• Lawrence Folland, who joined the University in June 2003, retired as Technical Manager in the Cheriton School of Computer Science;
• Kim Schnarr, who started her career at Waterloo in March 2001, retired as Project Coordinator in the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing;
• Julianna Kostyan, who started at the University in January 2000, retired as Food Services Assistant in Food Services;
• Brett Graves, who began his career at Waterloo in June 2010, retired as Stationary Engineering 3^rd Class in Plant Operations;
• Adrian Pepper, who started at the University in January 1990, retired as Information Technology Specialist in the Cheriton School of Computer Science;
• Stela Cuc, who began working at Waterloo in November 2001, retired as EA-IRMS Isotope Technician in Earth and Environmental Sciences Isotope Lab;
• Wojciech Calujek, who started at the University in November 2000, retired as Electrician in Plant Operations;
• Tom Smith, who joined Waterloo in November 1981, retired as Building Serviceperson in Plant Operations;
• Michael Greulich, who began his career at the University in June 1994, retired as Mechanic I Refrigeration Group Leader in Plant Operations;
• Ka-Mee Law, who started working at Waterloo in September 2010, retired as Manager of Operations in Food Services;
• Olivia Feher, who joined the University in September 2005, retired as Client Service Representative in Campus Wellness; and
• Anita Charters-Amatruda, who started at Waterloo in August 2021, retired as Administrative Support Coordinator in the School of Optometry and Vision Science.

July 2022

• Sandra Shantz, who began working at the University in July 1988, retired as International Employment Specialist in Co-operative and Experiential Education;
• Denise Hay, who started at Waterloo in September 1984, retired as Graduate Program Administrator in Kinesiology and Health Sciences;
• Marlon Brown, who joined the University in February 1993, retired as Administrative Manager in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED);
• Marlene Epp, who started her career at Waterloo in December 1998, retired as a Professor at Conrad Grebel University College;
• William McCullough, who began working at the University in June 2012, retired as Mechanic I Insulator in Plant Operations;
• Jean Richardson, who joined Waterloo in July 2015, retired as a Lecturer, Science and Business and Earth and Environmental Sciences;
• Leonardo Melo, who started at the University in August 1996, retired as Custodian I Group Leader in Plant Operations;
• Peter Douglas, who began working at Waterloo in August 1986, retired as a Professor of Chemical Engineering;
• D. Nyle Nussli, who joined the University in February 2006, retired as Electrician in Plant Operations;
• Carol Truemner, who started her career at Waterloo in December 2005, retired as Senior Communications Officer in the Faculty of Engineering;
• Howard Armitage, who joined the University in July 1981, retired as Professor and Founder of the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business;
• Miriam Heynen, who started at Waterloo in March 1986, retired as Senior Research Associate in the Centre for Ocular Research and Education (CORE);
• Denise Redmond, who began working at the University in September 2014, retired as Lecturer at Renison University College; and
• Alexandra Oros, who joined Waterloo in June 1988, retired a Housekeeper in Plant Operations.

Congratulations to all our recent retirees and best wishes in retirement.