Thursday, August 4, 2022

Architecture students' victory spans the podium at national bridge contest

Owen Melisek and Silas Clusiau of the Waterloo School of Architecture took top spot in a national design competition with this pedestrian bridge, which they called Fire Bird.

This article was originally published on the Faculty of Engineering news site.

Students from the Waterloo School of Architecture swept the top three spots in a national contest to design a pedestrian bridge.

Owen Melisek and Silas Clusiau finished first in the Architectural Student Design Competition staged by the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction. They were sponsored by Professor Terri Meyer Boake.

Their winning entry, a vibrant orange bridge designed to represent the danger of forest fires due to climate change, earned them $8,000, plus $2,000 for Boake as the faculty sponsor.

Cindy Ma and Luna Hu finished second, while Jeffery Yau and Ernest Lee took third place. Nadia Cheng and Jessica Chan received an honourable mention. Boake also sponsored those three projects.

Students in the 2021-22 competition were challenged to design a bridge that would “establish a meaningful connection” and “draw attention and be the symbol of a link between an origin and a destination.”

It is the second straight year that Waterloo students have swept the contest, and the third year in a row they took the top spot.

Participants needed for contact lens study

A message from the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE).

The Centre for Ocular Research & Education is currently seeking children ages 7-12 to participate in a study investigating whether a contact lens can slow down myopia's progression (nearsightedness).

This new study will include 9 in-clinic visits over a 3-year timeline (total = 18 hrs). All study products will be provided by CORE. Study contact lenses must be worn for a minimum of 10 hours per day, 6 days a week, over the study period. In appreciation of your time, your child will receive up to $360 for study completion. Parking passes will be provided as required.

Visit www.COREstudies.ca/PROTECT for more info and registration.

All studies conducted at CORE have been reviewed and received ethics clearance through a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Board. If you’d like to be considered for other CORE studies, please create a participant profile and we will contact you based on eligibility: https://corestudies.ca/participate-in-research/.

Celebrating retirees from 2022's first quarter

On July 14 the Daily Bulletin announced a raft of retirements from April to July 2022, but an eagle-eyed reader pointed out that we hadn’t announced January to March 2022’s retirees. To correct that omission, here they are:

January 2022

• Ruth Witmer, who started at the University in 1985, retired as Account Co-ordinator from the the Co-operative Education Office;
• Nancy Chiang, who started at the University in January 1990, retired as Account Manager in Employment Relations at Co-operative and Experiential Education;
• Alice Kuzniar, who began working at Waterloo in July 2008, retired as a faculty member in Germanic and Slavic Studies;
• Carolyn Hansson, who started her career at the University in January 1996, retired as a faculty member in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering;
• Bryan Smale, who began working at Waterloo in August 1985, retired as a faculty member in Recreation and Leisure Studies;
• Sandra Detzler, who started at the University in December 1986, retired as Preschool Teaching Assistant in Psychology’s Early Childhood Education Centre (ECEC);
• Connie Weber, who joined Waterloo in September 1980, retired as Prospect Research Officer in Advancement;
• Christine Wagner, who began working at the University in May 2011, retired as Procurement Specialist, Research in Procurement and Contract Services;
• Sherry Hartung, who joined Waterloo in July 2013, retired as Administrative Coordinator in the Arts Computing Office;
• Jing Ouyang, whose career at the University began in November 1996, retired as Research Assistant in Kinesiology and Health Sciences;
• Gregory Frowd, who started at Waterloo in September 1988, retired as Controls Technologist in Plant Operations;
• David Rose, who began working at the University in January 2009, retired as faculty member in Biology;
• Kenneth Hadley, who started at Waterloo in September 1985, retired as a faculty member in the School of Optometry and Vision Science;
• Richard Culham, who began his career at the University in May 1984, retired as regular faculty in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering;
• Nelsey Torres Barrera, who started at the University in September 2016, retired as a staff member at Renison University College;
• Terrance McMahon, who joined Waterloo in November 1974, retired as faculty member in Chemistry;
• Rick Regler, who started at the University in July 1998, retired as Building Serviceperson I – Carpenter in Plant Operations;
• Linda McKessock, who started at Waterloo in June 2011, retired as Program Manager at the Canadian Index of Wellbeing in the Faculty of Health;
• Marina Simpson, whose career at Waterloo began in June 1999, retired as Research Assistant in the Centre for Ocular Research and Education (CORE);
• Susan Pallas, who started at the University in November 1974, retired as Manager, Research Finance in the Office of Research;
• Thomas Homer-Dixon, who joined Waterloo in July 1992, retired as faculty member in the Faculty of Environment; and
• Betty Graf, who started at the University in September 1970, retired as Principal Cataloguer in the Library’s Metadata and Catalogue Services department.

February 2022

• Kathy MacDonald, who began working at the University in May 2008, retired as Head, Information Services and Resources in the Library;
• Janet Coulter, who joined Waterloo in July 1984, retired as Undergraduate Advisor and Program Administrator in Kinesiology and Health Sciences;
• Jo Ann Chesher, who started at the University in January 1975, retired as Student Finance Services Associate in Finance – Student Financial Services;
• Joan Lam, who began working at Waterloo in June 1997, retired as Account Manager in Co-operative and Experiential Education;
• Ruth Witmer, who started at the University in February 1985, retired as Account Coordinator in Co-operative and Experiential Education;
• William Kovessy, who began working at Waterloo in April 2009, retired as Business Developer in Co-operative and Experiential Education;
• Carolyn Sedore, who started at the University in May 1986, retired as Administrative Assistant/Advisor in Math Undergraduate Admissions;
• Stephen Carr, who began working at Waterloo in January 1988, retired as Senior Computing Consultant in Information Systems & Technology (IST);
• Drew Knight, who joined the University in August 1980, retired as Director, Global Research and Strategic Alliances in the Office of Research; and
• Nancy MacNeill, who started at Waterloo in May 1980, retired as Lab Demonstrator in the School of Optometry & Vision Science.

March 2022

• Cindy Rempel, who joined the University in May 1978, retired as LMS/QA Specialist in the Centre for Extended Learning (CEL);
• Andrea Chappell, who started working at Waterloo in November 1988, retired as Director, Instructional Technologies and Media Services in Information Systems & Technology;
• Susan Lolle, who joined the University in August 2006, retires as faculty member in Biology;
• Bosco Leung, who started working at Waterloo in May 1988, retired as faculty member in Electrical and Computer Engineering;
• Gwendolyn Penner, who began working at the University in January 2018, retired as Online Learning Consultant in the Centre for Extended Learning (CEL);
• Minh Pham, who joined Waterloo in February 2008, retired as Stationary Engineer 2^nd class in Plant Operations;
• Mike Gore, who started working at the University in December 1985, retired as Information Technology Specialist in the Cheriton School of Computer Science;
• Sandra Laughlin, who started at Waterloo in April 1982, retired as Computer Consultant in Information Systems & Technology (IST);
• Paw Mo Gha, who joined the University in March 2012, retired as Custodian I in Plant Operations;
• Neil Thomson, who started at Waterloo in September 1981, retired as faculty member in Civil and Environmental Engineering; and
• Simone James, who began working at the University in March 2004, retired as Buyer in Procurement and Contract Services.

A belated congratulations on your retirement, everyone. Best wishes on the next leg of your life's journey.