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Fall 2022 message from the president
This is the latest post on President Vivek Goel's blog.
For me, September brings a sense of optimism. Despite the challenges our world faces from an on-going pandemic, economic strife, and geopolitical unrest, I feel optimistic when I look at the important work that our students, faculty, and staff undertake every day. Their hard work is leading towards innovations that will change our world for the better.
Over the past several months, our community has come together to participate in a visioning exercise entitled Waterloo at 100. Through consultations with a variety of stakeholders, we are seeking to answer the question: what do we as an institution aspire to become by our 100th anniversary in 2057?
Learn more about the process, and how you can get involved at uwaterloo.ca/president/waterloo-100.
Whether you are a returning student or new to our campuses, I encourage you to explore and find ways to build connections and a sense of community.
I am often asked what advice I give to students, and it is this: ask questions and be inquisitive. Don’t be afraid of asking for help.
The University of Waterloo works hard at providing our students with an exceptional experience which includes resources and supports related to academic success and overall health including mental health. Don’t hesitate to access these resources should you need them.
Resources and support are available at uwaterloo.ca/campus-wellness/
We continue to work diligently to ensure a safe environment for our community, and to give our students the best experience possible.
We are tracking local and provincial health indicators to ensure our operational decisions continue to be informed by the latest data. Furthermore, we are in constant contact with public health authorities and other institutions so that the most up-to-date information is readily available.
To find the latest University of Waterloo updates and safety guidelines visit uwaterloo.ca/coronavirus.
I encourage our entire community to enter this academic year with enthusiasm, empathy, and a willingness to explore and collaborate. Working together, our community can accomplish great things.
Catching up with Velocity Fund Winner Iris Redinger
This article was originally published on Waterloo News.
We caught up with Iris Redinger (BAS ’21), a recent Waterloo grad from the Waterloo School of Architecture. This summer, she was competitively selected as one of five winners of the Mitacs Entrepreneur Award for her startup Material Futures that uses biotechnology to reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry.
Redinger founded the company as a Waterloo undergrad in 2018 and was supported by several campus entrepreneurial programs including winning the Velocity Fund $5K, the Norm Esch Entrepreneurship Award and the Engineer of the Future Fund. We asked her about some of her best moments as a student and what advice she would give to the new cohort starting this fall.
What is your fondest memory as a Waterloo student?
During my first co-op semester, I worked for Professor Philip Beesley, who runs a prominent installation and design studio in Toronto. I was tasked to work on a collaboration project with Iris van Herpen, a well-known Dutch fashion designer. There was another student tasked on the project too, and I remember the feverous excitement we shared working on dresses for her runway collection. We got very lucky to be assigned to this work, and I think we did a good job. The dresses were shown at Paris Fashion Week and subsequently were shown at an exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum. I will always remember how I felt when my friends and family saw my work on display, and the memories I have working on that collection will last a lifetime.
What inspired you to launch Material Futures while you were a student?
Throughout my undergraduate degree, and especially during my co-op semesters, I found that I wanted to spend time exploring my own ideas and interests! I felt scared admitting to myself that I was more excited about my ideas and interests that (often) lay outside of architecture than the projects my professors believed would inspire the next generation of architects. I always had a few side projects on the go, and many were related to fashion and textiles. Material Futures came from an idea of mine to use microorganisms as a source of textile colorants instead of using petrochemicals, and I felt that it was an idea that should be shared with the world.
There is never a “right time” to launch a business but being a Waterloo student at the time was extremely advantageous and gave me access to the technical and business resources I needed to bootstrap my original idea, which I am now commercializing.
Keeping up with your studies and a business sounds challenging — how did you find balance?
I’m extremely fortunate that being a multitasker is one of my natural gifts. However, I needed help filling the technical and business gaps in my knowledge that are necessary to running Material Futures as a successful business. I reached out to family, childhood friends, new friends I made on co-op, professors, peers, and people on LinkedIn! I hired a team of researchers, and some of the leading experts across Canada. I continue to build a network of allies that fill in the knowledge gaps and provide ideas, solutions, and occasional reality checks. This network of people made it possible for me to balance everything successfully.
What advice would you give our new first-year students who might also be inspiring entrepreneurs?
I truly believe there is nothing more powerful than a great idea. A great idea not only answers a need for others, but also a need within yourself. Value your ideas. Follow them and visualize where they might lead. Give special attention to the ones that elicit excitement and passion. If you have that type of reaction, I advocate that you should explore it. I wish you all the best on your journey!
CORE seeks study participants without dry eye to test new prototype contact lenses
A message from the Centre for Ocular Research and Education (CORE).
The Centre for Ocular Research and Education (CORE) is currently recruiting soft contact lens wearers for a study evaluating the performance of new prototype contact lenses, with a focus on improving comfort. Participants need to be at least 18 years of age and they will receive $110 for 5.5 hours of their time over five study visits.
CORE is in need of a few asymptomatic (non-dry eye) participants in order to complete this study. Participants must be habitual wearers of soft contact lenses (for at least 3 months) and generally do not experience dry eye symptoms.
For more information regarding this study visit corestudies.ca/OTTER_1
All studies conducted at CORE have been reviewed and received ethics clearance through a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Committee. To be the first to know about new CORE studies, make a participant profile at https://prescreen.uwaterloo.ca/star_tracker/index.php/volunteers.
Pop-up booster clinic on campus next week
Region of Waterloo Public Health returns to campus next week with a pop-up booster clinic for those seeking a COVID-19 booster dose.
Operated by the Region and supported by Health Services, booster doses are available to anyone in the Waterloo community who meets the provincial eligibility requirements. No appointment is required.
The booster clinics will run on Wednesday, August 31 from 9:15 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. in the Student Life Centre basement area (the old W Store Location).
Please bring your enhanced vaccine certificate with you if you have one, or any alternate documentation of previous COVID-19 vaccines from within Ontario, out of Province, or out of country.
If you have questions please email coronavirus@uwaterloo.ca.