Wednesday, October 19, 2022

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• Register for Tuesday's Research Talks about changing health disparities
• Waterloo recognizes academic and industry excellence with honorary doctorates
• 2021-22 Water Institute Impact Report launches
• Health Services offering flu vaccine clinic
• Centre for Career Action goes careering into season 2 of its podcast
• Reminder: order your Consent Matters t-shirts and other notes

Register for Tuesday's Research Talks about changing health disparities

A message from the Office of Research.

How do we change health disparities to ensure fair and equitable opportunities for everyone in the community to be healthy?

Join the next Research Talks on Tuesday, October 25, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. where a panel of experts will discuss factors that influence health and how we can work together to reduce health inequities for people in the region.

The speakers are:

• Leia Minaker, Associate Professor, School of Planning, University of Waterloo (Social determinants of health – what the research says)
• Ashnoor Rahim, Executive Director, KW4 Ontario Health Team (Social determinants of health in the health care system)
• Clare Wagner, Community Services Director, House of Friendship (Social determinants of health in emergency food systems)

This public event/panel discussion will take place at Abe Erb in Uptown Waterloo. Please register to attend.

Waterloo recognizes academic and industry excellence with honorary doctorates

By Jon Parsons. This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

Honorary doctorates recognize those thought leaders and influencers advancing society across a spectrum of disciplines. Our graduates can look to these people for inspiration as they prepare themselves for the future.

At Fall 2022 Convocation, the University confers honorary degrees on Dr. Claudia Klüppelberg and Gerry Remers. Find out more about these academic and industry leaders.

Dr. Claudia Klüppelberg

Dr. Claudia Klüppelberg received her doctorate from the University of Mannheim in 1987.  She is known for her fundamental contributions to extreme value theory and its applications to real-life problems. Her research interests combine various disciplines of applied probability theory and statistics with applications in biological, economic and technical risks.

In addition to more than 150 publications in scientific journals, Klüppelberg coauthored the book Modeling Extremal Events for Insurance and Finance, which is currently in its 10^th printing. She is a member of the editorial board of the Springer Finance book series, a Medallion Lecturer and an elected fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS).

“Dr. Claudia Klüppelberg is a prominent scholar in mathematical statistics and applied probability,” says Dr. Changbao Wu, professor and chair of the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science. “She is known for her fundamental contributions to risk analysis in finance and actuarial science. Her book Modeling Extreme Events for Insurance and Finance is highly impactful in the field.”

The degree Doctor of Mathematics, honoris causa, will be conferred on Klüppelberg at the Faculty of Mathematics ceremony on October 21, starting at 2:30 p.m.

Gerry Remers

Gerry Remers completed a BA at Wilfrid Laurier University, an MA in philosophy at the University of Waterloo and an MBA at York University. He is past president and chief operating officer of Christie Digital, a company synonymous with technological innovation and a leader in inclusion and diversity, where he served from 1994 to 2016. Christie Digital was a major factor behind Waterloo’s preeminence within the digital economy.

Remers has served on numerous local, provincial and national boards, including the Board of Governors at the University of Waterloo (2009-2016), who all benefitted from his commitment to community, innovation and human capital. In 2015, he was recognized with the Waterloo Region Record Barnraiser Award.

“Gerry is more than deserving of this honour,” says Sheila Ager, dean of the Faculty of Arts. “His commitment to human-centred innovation and global impact is exemplary of the Faculty of Arts and the University of Waterloo as a whole.”

The degree Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, will be conferred on Remers at the Faculty of Arts ceremony on October 22, starting at 10 a.m.

2021-22 Water Institute Impact Report launches

A message from the Water Institute.

The Water Institute is excited to share their 2021-22 Impact Report highlighting a cross-section of their members' innovative, interdisciplinary, and international accomplishments.
 
This new digital publication is designed to advance the Water Institute’s strategic mission of carrying out meaningful and impactful interdisciplinary research and education, and promoting knowledge exchange in addressing complex water challenges.
 
Articles reflect the rich diversity of research and initiatives taking place across the Institute.
 
Browse the report.

Health Services offering flu vaccine clinic

A message from Campus Wellness.

Seasonal influenza outbreaks occur in Canada from late Fall through the Winter months. If you are wondering whether or not to get a flu shot this year, the answer is a yes! According to the Region of Waterloo Public Health: “When there is a good match between the influenza strains in the vaccine and the influenza strains circulating in the community, the vaccine can prevent influenza illness in 50-80 per cent of healthy children and adults.” It does take about two weeks after flu vaccination for your immune system to develop protection against the influenza virus, so get yours early.

Getting the flu shot can be an effective way to maintain your health through cold and flu season. Avoiding the flu saves time and energy for more important things like work, attending class, or visiting family members who might be at high risk for flu complications.

Health Services is pleased to once again offer the flu vaccine through appointment only for UW Employees, Students (and students’ families if registered with the Family Health Clinic), Alumni and Retirees.

Those considered high-risk will be able to get their flu vaccine starting Wednesday, October 19. High-Risk Eligibility is as follows:

• All children 6-59 months of age;
• All pregnant individuals;
• Adults with chronic health conditions;
• Individuals over the age of 65;
• Indigenous peoples;
• Health care workers; and
• Household contacts of those who are at high risk.

Appointments will be opened up to all other UW-affiliated clients starting the week of November 7. Please call 519-888-4096 to make an appointment with Health Services.

Centre for Career Action goes careering into season 2 of its podcast

A message from the Centre for Career Action (CCA).

“Oh, my Waterloo, we're back again. Brothers, sisters, everybody sing. Gonna bring the flavour, show you how...with season 2 of the Career-ing podcast!

The Centre for Career Action created “Careering: a podcast about figuring it out” as a student-led opportunity to centre and amplify the career stories of Waterloo students and recent alumni. The podcast gives students a platform to share their work experiences, experiences they made in a part-time job, a co-op placement or volunteering in their community or on campus. New episodes will be released every two weeks, so make sure to bookmark the playlist on Soundcloud.

Stay up-to-date with what's happening in and around CCA by following us on social media @uwaterloocareer.

Reminder: order your Consent Matters t-shirts and other notes

"#ConsentMatters invites students, staff and faculty to take a stand against sexual and gender-based violence," says a note from the UWaterloolife team. "Show your support and solidarity by purchasing and wearing a consent matters t-shirt during 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence; a global initiative supported by the UN. $4 from each t-shirt sale goes directly to the Sexual Assault Support Center of Waterloo Region."

"Order your t-shirts by Monday, October 24to ensure that you don’t miss out on the opportunity for yourself and your team to show your support. During 16 Days (November 25 to December 10), wear your tee, post a selfie or group photo, tag #ConsentMatters and #16DaysUW and share your consent messaging with the campus community."

As the fall term continues to gain steam post-Reading Week, there's a real sense that campus life is returning to something that might not be quite back to normal but resembles the hustle and bustle of pre-pandemic days. For example, check out what's happening on campus just today. We've already covered tonight's Lectures in Catholic Experience featuring Dr. Tia Noelle Pratt at 7:30 p.m. and the Hagey Lecture featuring Antoni Cimolino at 8:00 p.m. But wait, there's more:

Today at 11:00 a.m., the Games Institute (GI) is hosting a Brown Bag talk by Sid Heeg, GI member and PhD student in the School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development, entitled Reap What You Sow: Refuting Misinformation about Farming and Farm Practices.

"How is farming disseminated by social media? What are the effects of campaigns put out by organizations like PETA? There has been much mis- and disinformation spread about farming and farm practices online, and as consumers, it is important we understand where and how our food is produced. This talk will take a look at common myths and lies spread about farming online and the ways in which we can all become smarter consumers."

Feel free to bring your lunch with you to eat during the talk, which will be held in the Games Institute in East Campus 1. Coffee and tea will be provided but we ask that you bring your own mug. This event, which takes place today at 11:00 a.m., will be hybrid and also available to watch through Microsoft Teams.

Conrad Grebel's latest Noon Hour Concert takes place today at 12:30 p.m. with Earthly Delights.

Juno-winning Duo Concertante (Nancy Dahn, violin and Timothy Steeves, piano) is an ensemble that has toured the world and produced 12 award-winning CDs. Their performance will feature Dawn Avery’s Iotsistokwaron:ion (The Stars), along with Canadian composer Ian Cusson’s “Garden of Earthly Delights” and works by Dallapiccola and Schubert, evoking the place where music and critical issues intersect. The free concert takeas place at 12:30 p.m. today and is open to the public. Check out https://uwaterloo.ca/music/events for further details.

Also today at 4:30 p.m., the Future Cities Initiative is hosting Dr. Colin Ellard, cognitive neuroscientist and Director of the Urban Realities Laboratory at the University of Waterloo to present the Urban Brain. In this Seminar Series talk, Dr. Ellard will describe approaches to understanding how cities work based on research traditions in experimental psychology and neuroscience. He will address important questions related to both health and city building, including how does a sophisticated understanding of how the visual system works help us to think about the way that we behave in cities? He will draw on his own research and experience that the time is ripe for closer collaborations between experimenters and theoreticians in the academic realm and practitioners on the ground, and that these efforts will help to build a more nuanced appreciation for the dialogue between city and brain and, very likely, result in more successful cities.

The event takes place in Arts Lecture Hall 113, with refreshments being provided in EV1 250 at 4:00 p.m. prior to the 4:30 start time.

Other things to keep an eye on:

Register for the XR Community of Practice: Extended Reality Technologies and Accessibility session: "Extended Reality (XR) technologies have great potential for enhancing teaching and learning, and are already being deployed in some courses at Waterloo," says a note from the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE). "However, there are challenges with XR technologies, including those pertaining to accessibility. In this session, representatives from the Centre for Teaching Excellence, the Centre for Extended Learning, the School of Computer Science, and Human Rights Equity and Inclusion will present on various aspects of accessibility as they pertain to the use of XR technologies in teaching and learning."

"Although this session is part of Waterloo's XR Community of Practice, everyone is welcome to attend," says the CEL. 

Registration is required (if this is your first time using GoSignMeUp, you will need to set up your account first). If you have changed roles at the University (e.g., graduate student to faculty) please update your "Participant Profile" in your GoSignMeUp account.

Employers hosting Virtual Employer Information Sessions (VEIS) this week include Vale Canada Ltd. Make sure to register through WaterlooWorks and check the calendar for any updates.

Finally, here's today's Keeping Well at Work Daily Inspiration:

Explore the right work life balance for you!

Take 30 minutes today to find the right work life balance for you using this great tool! Finding the Right Work-Life Balance - CSPS - CHWM 2022 (healthyworkplacemonth.ca).