Wednesday, March 29, 2023

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• University opens call for honorary degree nominations
• Inaugural Waterloo @ The Intersections demonstrates power of student voices
• Celebrating outstanding supervisors
• Global Engagement Seminar showcases student projects on April 5
• Reminder to Register for the 15th Waterloo Staff Conference
• Library presents its 2022 annual report

University opens call for honorary degree nominations

A message from Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor.

I am pleased to announce that the University of Waterloo has moved to an open, annual call for honorary degree nominations. I invite all members of the University community to submit nominations for honorary degree recipients for 2024. An honorary degree is the highest honour conferred by the University. Through the conferring of honorary degrees, the University of Waterloo seeks to recognize outstanding achievement, whether academic or through service to society. These achievements are celebrated at Convocation where they inspire those in attendance and, in particular, our newly graduating students. Complete nomination packages should be submitted by 31 May 2023 to the secretary of the Senate Nominating Committee for Honorary Degrees, c/o Secretariat, NH 3060 or secretariat@uwaterloo.ca.

Guidelines for the awarding of honorary degrees, including selection guidelines, procedures, and considerations to make in assessing a candidate's qualifications, and details on what to submit in a nomination package can be found on the website for the Senate Nominating Committee for Honorary Degrees. You are also welcome to contact the committee secretary for more information and assistance.

The committee will consider a broad range of achievement in exceptional service or significant contribution to the university, the community, the nation, or the world, in areas that include research and scholarship, the arts, business, and professional and voluntary service.

Nominations can be made for individuals from Canada or abroad, whose presence will bring honour and distinction to the University of Waterloo and whose achievements will be seen as important and exemplary to the graduating students. The University embraces and appreciates diversity and wants to ensure a diverse pool of candidates who will be seen to aligned with the diversity of our student body and community. Nominations should consider how candidates align with the strategic priorities of the University. With the community's input we can continue to recognize deserving individuals whose achievements the University would be delighted to celebrate and honour.

Thank you in advance for your contribution to this important tradition.

Inaugural Waterloo @ The Intersections demonstrates power of student voices

A message from the Student Success Office (SSO).

On March 22, the Student Success Office (SSO), Waterloo Undergraduate Student Assocation (WUSA), and the Graduate Student Association (GSA) held the first Waterloo @ the Intersections event. The inaugural “On Belonging” was a thought-provoking and engaging event with the over-arching goal of bringing together the Waterloo community to discuss one important question: How has the experience of community shifted for you, for me, for us since the pandemic began? 

The event took place in the Black and Gold room, Student Life Centre (SLC), and had a fantastic turn-out of over 70 active attendees including staff, students, and community members from the Waterloo and surrounding region. Attendees watched two intriguing community speakers, Fallon Farinacci, speaker, survivor, and advocate for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls; and TK Pritchard, SHORE Centre Executive Director, and six live student performances, each of the six exploring different aspects of “On Belonging” through poetry, music, and spoken word.

The Student Success Office (SSO) is proud of the students for embracing the opportunity to amplify their voice, share powerful and emotive stories, and create a space for all different Waterloo community members. It is truly the students themselves, through their vulnerability and authenticity, who created an atmosphere of community and safety. This encouraged and allowed attendees to reflect on their own experiences of belonging, both positive and negative, in this time of change.  

Throughout the event, students felt safe sharing their own stories which sometimes included feelings of a lack of belonging. These experiences were shared with the community speakers one-on-one post-presentation, with peers in smaller facilitated group discussions, and with the community through adding sticky notes to a large board answering the question “where do you feel like you belong”? Answers included “queer spaces”, “volleyball team”, “with my found family”, and more highlighting the diverse and unique ways students find belonging on campus.  

“On Belonging truly showcased the power of art and conversation in promoting a sense of community and ultimately, equity,” said Jazz Fitzgerald, Manager, Student Equity, “The student performers’ creativity and passion inspired and challenged attendees to think deeply about not only their own community, but others’ experience of community as well. Thank you to all the participants for taking part in co-creating such a beautiful space.” 

We hope this event will continue to be a demonstration of the power that comes when student’s ideas and perspectives are centered.  

Overall, the success of the event has resulted in the Equity and Community team at the SSO exploring new Waterloo @ the Intersections events for the fall 2023 term. Take some time to participate in a short survey and let us know what important topic of community we should explore next at Waterloo. 

Celebrating outstanding supervisors

By Chantal Vallis, Melodie Roschman and Brian Caldwell.

Professors from three faculties at the University of Waterloo have been recognized for their outstanding supervision of graduate students.

Dr. Jonathan Li, Dr. John Long and Dr. David McKinnon are the 2022-2023 recipients of the Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision, an annual distinction bestowed by Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs in collaboration with the Graduate Student Association.

Nominations and adjudication for the awards are based on submissions by former graduate students, who rate and reflect on their experiences with faculty members.

Dr. Jonathan Li is a professor of geography and environmental management and head of the Geospatial Intelligence and Mapping Lab.

Over the past 16 years, he has established an international reputation for his research in urban remote sensing and geospatial data science and become a sought-after supervisor.

His record of graduate supervision includes advising 11 PhD students and 43 master’s students to completion, while sitting as a committee member for many more, both at Waterloo and other institutions. He has also supervised five postdoctoral fellows. 

Li’s students describe him as an impressive role model who inspires them to high levels of achievement. He is a kind and compassionate advisor who is active as a mentor and networker, while being patient and generous with his time. 

With his guidance, graduate students under Li’s supervision have a very strong record of publication in top-tier international journals and attendance at prestigious conferences, and have received awards for their thesis work from the Canadian Remote Sensing Society. Many have gone on to impactful careers at universities and research institutions around the world.  

Dr. John Long is a professor of electrical and computer engineering who holds seven US patents and has published more than 75 journal papers and 136 conference publications, most of which he co-authored with his graduate students.

He has supervised 62 master’s students and 26 doctoral students, is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for his research in microchip design and served as founding editor-in-chief of the IEEE RFIC Virtual Journal for eight years.

Long has always promoted independence in his graduate students, while encouraging a culture of student-centric research ownership. Many former students hold high positions in industry and academia.

“I try to give all of my students the resources they need and freedom to pursue their research ideas as far as they can take them,” he said. “This requires patience, being approachable and taking a hands-off approach when managing projects that are running well.”

His mentoring and support have extended well past graduation, with one former graduate student commenting that “I never lost contact with him.”

Dr. David McKinnon is a professor of pure mathematics. Since joining the Faculty of Mathematics in 2001, McKinnon has participated extensively in university life, serving first as associate dean, undergraduate and now as chair of Pure Mathematics.

McKinnon is passionate about teaching, as evidenced by his receipt of the Faculty of Mathematics Award for Distinction in Teaching in 2008 and the University’s Distinguished Teacher Award in 2017. He especially enjoys finding fun and effective ways to create better math education, such as the recent Teach-Off he helped organize.

McKinnon finds the time to supervise an unusually high number of graduate students for a pure math professor, with 10 PhD students and 25 master’s students to date – one of the most prolific supervisors in department history.

“David McKinnon was extremely encouraging and generous with his time, always available to meet whenever I asked,” said Robert Garbary, one of his former graduate students.

“Each graduate student is different,” McKinnon said, “and my central philosophy has always been to treat them all like responsible adults that are worthy of my support and respect.”

Global Engagement Seminar showcases student projects on April 5

The Global Engagement Seminar is delighted to invite members of the University of Waterloo community and friends and colleagues from beyond campus to join the 2023 Desmarais Family Summit on the evening of Wednesday, April 5.

The Summit is a public, interactive exhibition where students from the interdisciplinary Global Engagement Seminar share insights from their research projects on this year’s theme,  Energy at a Crossroads: Society, Technology, Environment, Health.

Our Summit will start with land acknowledgements at United College’s Ceremonial Firegrounds at 7:00 p.m. We will then gather in Alumni Hall (United College) for a keynote address by Catherine Abreu, followed by student presentations. Everyone is welcome to stay for refreshments and conversations with students and course instructors.

About the keynote speaker

Catherine Abreu is the Founder and Executive Director of Destination Zero and an advisor on Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body. She has deep roots in Canadian environmental organizations, and is nationally and internationally recognized as one of the leading voices advancing climate justice and a transition from fossil fuels.

About the 2023 Global Engagement Seminar

This year Waterloo students from across the University worked together to identify possible paths forward through the challenges we face globally in ensuring equitable and sustainable access to energy. Students were encouraged to take creative risks beyond their disciplinary comfort zone and embrace innovative and collaborative problem-solving. Guided by co-instructors Dr. Angela Carter (Political Science) and Dr. Magdy Salama (Electrical and Computer Engineering), the students also drew upon experiences and insights from six external mentors, the Jarislowsky Fellows. Our Fellows, who were drawn from the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, and who had worked with diverse national and international organizations and bodies including with First Nations, shared their experiences and provided first-hand insights into the technical, regulatory, health, political, economic, and social contexts which will help determine future solutions.

We hope you can join us. Please register to join the Global Engagement Desmarais Family Summit, on Wednesday April 5, 2023. If you have any questions about this event, please email Rebecca Zehr.

Reminder to Register for the 15th Waterloo Staff Conference

A message from Organizational and Human Development (OHD).

The 15^th annual Waterloo Staff Conference is returning on April 11 and 12, 2023, to bring our community together once again for an unforgettable in-person experience on day one and continue virtually on day two. This inspiring event offers exciting opportunities to meet new members of our Waterloo community and learn through engaging workshop sessions brought to you by your campus colleagues.

We are thrilled to offer an incredible lineup of keynote speakers, as well, including bestselling author Neil Pasricha, an interactive session with Juice Inc, and award-winning speaker Cassie Holmes. And that's not all – we have an inspiring feature presentation, “President's Forum: Waterloo at 100,” where you'll hear from President Vivek Goel on this remarkable project and long-term vision for the University.

“Like many other areas, professional and personal development was disrupted by pandemic. It is wonderful to see that the Waterloo Staff Conference is offering both in-person events and online learning this year.  It’s the perfect opportunity for development,” says Michelle Hollis, Interim Chief Human Resources Officer, “and I encourage you to explore attending a keynote or workshop as part of your professional and personal development plan.”  

Registration is currently open, though spaces are limited for certain workshops. Here are a few concurrent sessions that you don’t want to miss:

1. The Power of Volunteerism at Waterloo: Get Involved!
2. Do you write ANY academic papers? Zotero is our friend and can be your friend too!
3. Am I copying right? How copyright comes into play as a staff member?

We are excited to connect with you both in-person and virtually in this wonderful opportunity to learn, grow, and connect with your colleagues. Get ready to be a part of something unforgettable!

For more information, visit Waterloo Staff Conference or email us at ohd@uwaterloo.ca.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Library presents its 2022 annual report

A message from the Library.

The Library invites you to discover our 2022 Annual Report, where you will find compelling stories showcasing how the Library is situated at the heart of the academic journey for students, faculty and scholars across disciplines. 

The report articulates Library accomplishments in three strategic areas – catalyzing learning and research, engaging with our community and strengthening our expertise and services – and highlights the Library’s role in providing anywhere, anytime resources and services that support the advancement of learning, research and scholarship at Waterloo. 

You can view the report now at https://bit.ly/LibAnnualReport22.