The Daily Bulletin is published by Internal and Leadership Communications, part of University Communications
Contact us at bulletin@uwaterloo.ca
Submission guidelines
Waterloo's Top Stories for 2022, Part One: Winter Term
This past year brought new challenges but also new opportunities to celebrate. As we close out 2022, we can look back and feel proud of the contributions of our Waterloo community, from on-campus initiatives and events to world-leading education and research.
From a return to in-person celebrations to health and technology breakthroughs, let's look back on some of the year’s highlights. This list of trending stories is just a small sample of the real-world impact our students, alumni, researchers and staff are making.
Winter 2022
How science improved the health of millions worldwide
Professor Geoffrey Fong was awarded the Order of Canada for his role as chief principal investigator of the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project. He leads a team of more than 150 researchers across 31 countries to fight the number one preventable cause of death.
Olympian skating prodigy makes Waterloo proud
Madeline Schizas, a student in the Faculty of Environment, competed at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. In her first Olympic appearance, she lifted Canada to fourth from sixth and recorded a personal best of 69.60 points in the women’s short program portion.
Climate change threatens the future of the Winter Olympics
While we celebrated our athletes, a new study from Professor Daniel Scott found some alarming news about the future of the games. Research showed that failure to dramatically reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases might limit where the Olympics can be held as winter changes across the Northern Hemisphere.
Five Waterloo programs rank in the top 50 globally
In April, the 2022 QS World University Rankings by Subject were released, and Waterloo ranked in 29 of 51 featured subject areas, including five subjects in the top 50 and 12 subjects in the top 100.
Stay tuned for Part Two: Spring term on Tuesday and Part Three: Fall Term on Thursday this week.
CUPE to represent sessional instructors
Last week the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) applied to the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) to become the sole representative of sessional instructors at the University of Waterloo.
A vote was held from December 14 - December 16, 2022 which resulted in the majority of sessional instructors voting in favour of unionization.
A number of roles have yet to be classified under this new labour relations framework, and clarity for those roles will be announced as soon as possible.
Please contact Stephanie Oliver-Guppy in Human Resources with any questions you might have.
Starting a new chapter
By Megan Vander Woude. This article appears in the fall 2022 issue of Waterloo Magazine.
Meighan Bell (BA ’06, BSW ’07) was keenly aware of how difficult establishing new connections is as an adult when she moved back to the Toronto area after eight years in London, England.
“Coming home in my mid-30s, everyone was just at a different stage.”
Then Bell saw a call for volunteers from her local University of Waterloo alumni chapter and she knew it could be a great opportunity to meet new people. “I think alumni have a natural bond because we share a university experience … You can reminisce about campus, but it also gives you the opportunity to network.”
Located in 12 cities around the world, Waterloo alumni chapters offer experiences, events and opportunities for local alumni. Bell points to recent events like a Blue Jays game and a trip to the Toronto Zoo as examples of how alumni can socialize while supporting their city.
Waterloo alumni in NYC
Already well established in New York City, Hugh Sandler (BA ’03) began attending chapter events to reconnect with Waterloo and learn from its experts: “I’ve always thought that Waterloo is on the cutting edge,” he said. “It’s really focused on innovation and future-oriented thinking, and that really appeals to me.”
Today, Sandler is on the chapter’s executive team, where he helps build engagement with fellow alumni through social and educational events. Recently, they teamed up with another alumni group in New England to host a virtual event with Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland. More than 600 alumni registered for the hour-long talk with the award-winning Waterloo physicist.
“New York cuts two ways,” he explains. “When you’re holding events, you’re competing with this very competitive entertainment space. But on the flipside, New York is an interesting and dynamic place that attracts great people.”
Alumni who join in chapter activities meet enthusiastic people, some new to the city, who want to get out in their local community.
Toronto's alumni mentorship program
That’s exactly what Toronto chapter executives had in mind when they launched a mentorship program in June. The pilot program matched 30 pairs of seasoned professionals and young graduates. They set goals together and worked through a structured program meant to bring high value to both parties. For now, it’s open to alumni who identify as female, but the chapter hopes to expand the offering in the future.
“I think it’s really important to give back to the next generation,” Bell said. “To give new grads help and get them set in their career really benefits the Toronto community as well.”
Waterloo alumni groups can be found everywhere, beyond the 12 chapter locations. In August, Waterloo alumni gathered for a networking lunch at The Chapter Café in Taipei, Taiwan. The event was hosted alongside a University of Toronto alumni group.
While the mentorship program is unique to the Toronto area, all alumni chapters offer some form of professional development and mentorship. Sandler notes that co-op students are always welcome at chapter events in the city: “They very well may be future New York alumni. So obviously, it’s important to make sure that they know we’re here and ensure we’re providing opportunities that are useful to them.”
The chapter opened a new career opportunity for Sandler as well. In the spring 2022 term, he became an instructor in Waterloo’s Department of Sociology and Legal Studies. It’s a new, rewarding experience for him, and a great opportunity for students to learn from a practicing attorney.
“You never really know how things are going to play out,” he said. “You can’t always predict what the point of going to an event or making a new connection will be. Things have a weird way of working out.”