Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Waterloo marks 15 straight years as top research university

By Angelica Sanchez. This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

The University of Waterloo has been designated Research University of the Year among Canadian comprehensive universities by Research Infosource Inc. for the 15^th consecutive year. 

Waterloo’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Vivek Goel, says the University’s research excellence stems from its continued focus on empowering its students, faculty, and community to seek out solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. 

“As an institution, we’re committed to being bold and creative in our teaching and research to ensure a stronger and healthier tomorrow,” Goel says. “Waterloo researchers excel in fundamental and applied research conducted in a unique environment that integrates experiential education and entrepreneurship. Our research advances society with impact across the economy, advancing the use of emerging critical technologies with application in areas such as sustainability and health with local and global impact.”    

Waterloo’s consistent ranking as Canada’s most comprehensive research university is a testament to the University’s strategic priority to strengthen global connections and advance research for sustainable solutions in our evolving world. 

Waterloo also ranked first for research income and corporate research income among Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities in the comprehensive category and second for not-for-profit research income in the same category. 

“We are delighted that Research Infosource has once again recognized Waterloo’s research excellence among Canadian comprehensive universities,” says Charmaine Dean, vice-president of Research and International at Waterloo. “It is a true reflection of the dedication of Waterloo researchers and their pursuit of global change to build a more sustainable future for humanity.” 

Research Infosource’s Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities rankings are based on a balanced set of impact measures that distinguishes exceptional achievement in research income and publishing research in leading scientific journals. 

Registration for annual Staff Conference now open

Join the 15^th annual Waterloo Staff Conference on April 11 and 12 – a must-attend event for all University of Waterloo staff.

We are thrilled to bring our community together again in person on day one of the conference and to offer virtual ways to connect on day two. This year's conference will feature an exciting lineup of keynote speakers including best-selling author Neil Pasricha, an interactive keynote with Juice Inc., and award-winning speaker Cassie Holmes. Additionally, we will have a series of expert-led workshops. We cannot wait for everyone to come together in-person and virtually this year so don’t miss out on this incredible event.  

Register for the Waterloo Staff Conference on Portal and get ready for a truly unforgettable experience.

Nominations are open for the Employer Impact Awards

Are you a unit within the University that hires co-op students? Do you work with other exceptional organizations that hire our students? If so, consider submitting a nomination for this year’s CEE Employer Impact Awards. 

Employer Impact Award recipients receive: 

• Acknowledgement of the award displayed on a plaque in the Tatham Centre. 
• A video highlighting the organization’s industry excellence and the contributions of co-op students.  
• Recognition at the awards ceremony. 
• A recognition package including a physical award. 
• A suite of digital assets (including badges, images and content) to use on the web, social media, ads and in email signatures. 
• Story features on the University website and social media 
• The deadline to nominate is Friday, March 17, 2023, at 4:30 p.m. ET. 

30 student teams to take the stage at Velocity's $5K semi-finals

Thirty student teams from Arts, Math, Science, Health and Engineering faculties are preparing to take the stage and pitch at Velocity’s $5K semi-finals for their chance to advance to the flagship finals event later this month.

After receiving a record number of applications since in-person events resumed, an experienced panel of entrepreneurs chose the student teams — 15 pitching each night — to compete at the semi-finals held 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., March 15^th and 16^th at QNC 0101.

Held every term, the Velocity $5K pitch competition sees early-stage student ventures pitch live for a chance to win one of four $5,000 awards.

Each semi-finalist will have just three minutes to present their idea and convince a new panel of judges that it has potential and viability to succeed. Only then will they move on to the final round.

The top eight teams from the two rounds will return to the stage for the finals on March 30th and four teams will take home $5,000 in grant funding to help grow their ambitions and innovative business ideas.

Take a look at the Winter 2023 finalists

Remembering Dr. Paul Karrow

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences is mourning the passing of Dr. Paul Karrow. He was a founding member and the first Chair of the Department. Karrow passed away on February 5, 2023 at the age of 93.

Karrow, a sedimentary geologist, was one of the “Grandfathers” of Quaternary Geology. He was widely known for his contribution to the field of geological sciences and was most recognized for mapping the great lakes area.

Born in St. Thomas, Ontario as the only child of an RCMP family, Karrow moved frequently. He earned a BSc from Queens University (1954) and a PhD in Geology from the University of Illinois (1957).

He worked for the Ontario Department of Mines before joining the University of Waterloo in 1963. He was hired as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering to teach geology. Two years later, in 1965, the Department of Earth Sciences was founded and Karrow became the first Department Chair. 

“Paul Karrow was there at the very beginning of our department in 1965, as its first chair," said Mario Coniglio, Department Chair. "In the decades that followed, he continued to be an enormous influence on our department’s research and teaching directions. His fingerprints are all over our enduring success.”

Karrow's research focused on the Earth's Quaternary history - the most recent 2.6 million years of Earth's geologic history. He was a prolific writer and published more than 200 articles. He is the leading authority on Quaternary stratigraphy and history - in the Great Lakes region, Toronto’s Interglacial and glacial deposits, and glacial Lake Algonquin, just to name a few.

He blazed a new trail for the “hard-rock-focused” Ontario Department of Mines to map the overburden (or sediment layers on top of southern Ontario’s bedrock), driving every road and stopping every kilometre or so to dig, examine and test the sediment - creating detailed surficial geology maps.

Throughout his work, Karrow blended and connected academia and industry. He created the Pleistocene Discussion Group and mapped numerous areas in southern Ontario that still provides the foundational knowledge needed to understand groundwater, resources like aggregate, and for building and planning.

He left the Ontario Department of Mines and joined the University of Waterloo because he wanted to teach. He taught Earth 440 – Quaternary Geology for decades, training countless students. Dr. Martin Ross took over teaching the course and reflects on the impact Karrow had.

"He was so kind to invite me along to take part on these field trips as I would be starting to teach that course the following year. It was a great opportunity for me to learn from the ‘Master”," said Ross. "While the field trips and scientific knowledge have evolved over the last 15 years, I still integrate several things I learned from him and pass that knowledge onto the new generation of Earth Sciences students. I am so glad we were able to overlap and interact a little bit."

Continue reading about Dr. Paul Karrow's accomplishments

Open Education Week Series: Marking Open Education Week and SDG Week

By Michelle Angkasa. This article is one of a series celebrating Open Education Week, brought to you by the Open Scholarship Committee. 

March 6 to 10 marks both Open Education Week and SDG Week at the University of Waterloo.

Open Education Week, launched by Open Education Global, highlights success stories of open education. This is one of the pillars of open scholarship that comprises of digital tools, resources, and practices. These aim to advance equity and accessibility by improving the effectiveness and reach of education.

SDG Week is a national campaign led by UBC, SDSN Canada, and Colleges and Institutes Canada. During this week, universities and colleges around the country organize workshops, panels, and other events to promote awareness of and engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

Common to both initiatives is the goal of democratizing knowledge: making education easily accessible to everyone to achieve equity. In particular, SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) link directly to the goals of Open Education Week. Global shifts caused by the pandemic, climate change, and advancing technology fundamentally change the way we learn and interact with the world. To meet the challenges of today, accessible education on societal issues is paramount.

Integrating sustainability into teaching and learning at UWaterloo

At the Sustainability Office, we recognize that open education and the SDGs are related to our work with sustainability on campus. To face the climate crisis, we need everyone to get involved. At the campus level, this means bridging disciplines so everyone, regardless of their academic background, can contribute to solutions. At the community level, accessible knowledge empowers people to make personal lifestyle changes and advocate for system-wide change.

There are nearly 700 courses with likely connections to the SDGs at the University of Waterloo and more than 360 faculty members conducting research on the same. Waterloo's inaugural Sustainable Development Goals Report, released in April 2022, provides more information about Waterloo's progress and directions.

More recently, the Centre for Teaching Excellence has been working to integrate sustainability into courses through hosting a design cafe and an Assessment Showcase for instructors.

The student-led Sustainability Literacy Initiative is another group pushing for sustainability to be embedded into the curriculum more broadly.  

As co-chair Ceileigh McAllister explains, Comprehensive sustainability education for all undergraduate students would help ensure that our graduates remain competitive and impactful members of the workforce. The far-reaching implications of environmental and social challenges require that sustainability transforms from a disciplinary study to a value system or ideology that underpins decision-making and knowledge across fields. Learn more about the group’s proposed Sustainability Literacy requirement.

Resources: podcasts, books, workshops, and more

During Open Education and SDG Week, we encourage you to explore different types of sustainability education.

The Sustainability Office offers the Sustainability Certificate, an introductory course on sustainability topics and campus efforts. The free course can be taken individually on LEARN or as a department.  

You can also peruse the many free websites that offer mass open online courses (MOOCs), such as Coursera, EdX, or LinkedIn Learning (which is free for UW students and employees). Take a course on a topic of your interest: climate science, ESG investing, clean energy, sustainable fashion, regenerative agriculture, etc.

There is also a wealth of high quality online media tackling climate topics. Check out Our Changing Climate on YouTube or the How to Save a Planet podcast. If you like to read, “All We Can Save” and “How to Be a Climate Optimist” offer hopeful perspectives on the environment. The University of Waterloo Climate Institute’s Illuminate simulation game is a great way to test climate solutions.

If you’re looking to begin or develop your environmental advocacy, organizations such as the Climate Justice HUB, Fossil Free University, African Climate Alliance, Youth Climate Lab, and Generation Green offer free, online workshops.