Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Waterloo launches Sankofa Pathways to University program

By Tracelyn Cornelius.

The Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-racism Office (EDI-RO), in collaboration with the other units across campus, has launched the  Sankofa Pathways to University (SPU), an educational pathway program for Black youth ages 17 to 25, from the Waterloo Region, Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).  

The SPU, which commences late June, was conceptualized and developed by EDI-RO’s Anti-racism unit in conjunction with the Registrar’s Office. The initiative was developed to help Black youth who may be thinking about attending university, but because of pervasive systemic oppression, struggle to develop the confidence needed to succeed in these spaces.  

“Even though I was a high-performing student and an engaged leader in high school, I never felt that I could succeed at university,” says Jennisha Wilson, director Anti-racism unit. “Fortunately, I was given the opportunity to enroll in the Steps to University program at the University of Toronto, which allowed me to experience university first-hand and realize that I could be good at it. That experience of excelling in a university setting was life-changing and gave me the confidence needed to thrive as a Black woman.” 

The SPU is one of the recommendations of the President’s Anti-racism Taskforce Report and the Scarborough Charter, which both include strategies to identify and dismantle systemic barriers the Black community faces and empower them to thrive. 

“As a signatory to the Scarborough Charter, the University of Waterloo committed to developing programs and initiatives that remove barriers and foster Black thriving,” said Dr. Christopher S. Taylor. “By providing positive experiences to Black youth to increase the likelihood of them participating in post-secondary studies, the Sankofa Pathways to University is creating pathways for Black communities to flourish.” 

The SPU hopes to attract 50 students during the program's first year, which will run from late June to August 2023. Successful applicants will be enrolled in a free-of-cost university course titled “Taking B(l)ack History,” taught by Dr. Taylor and several Black guest lecturers, focusing on Blackness, Black history and Black futures.  

Tracy Williams-Shreve, a retired Black instructor, who taught Wilson during her transitional year at UofT, is a consultant for the SPU and will be a co-instructor for the online section of the course. The successful completion of the seven-week course earns students a half-credit that they can use toward future post-secondary studies. 

Several activities have been planned to provide a welcoming environment for the students, including an orientation session, campus tours, and a special graduation event, in addition to other events and activities.  

Do you know of a Black youth from Waterloo, Toronto and the GTA, who might be interested in enrolling in the Sankofa Pathways to University program? Please help us spread the word by sharing the SPU website with them.  Interested applicants can also email sankofa@uwaterloo.ca. Applications will remain open until midnight on May 31, 2023. 

The Anti-racism unit will also host a virtual SPU open house for interested students and families on Thursday, May 18, 2023, from 5:30 - 6:30 pm. Please register here to attend this information session.

Commercializing doctoral research with the Entrepreneurial PhD Fellowship

This is an excerpt of an article published on the Conrad School of Business and Entrepreneurship website.

Kelly Zheng has a lot on her plate. She’s a doctoral student at the University of Waterloo building a startup while also working towards a graduate business degree. It can be a balancing act, but she’s tackling it all.

Her PhD research in quantum machine learning for spatial temporal modeling can be difficult for many to wrap their heads around. This emerging, quantum-based branch of AI and machine learning allows large data sets to be analyzed in a fraction of time that a regular computer can manage.

The work has been noticed. Zheng was awarded the prestigious National Science, Engineering and Research Council of Canada's doctoral research scholarship. There are many possibilities for the application of this research, but Zheng is interested in how this could impact the world in a positive way. Taking these technological tools and putting them into hands that could benefit communities is what really drives her.

Her supervisors, mechanical and mechatronics engineering professors Dr. Roydon Fraser and Dr. Jesse Thé gave Zheng the support she needed to think about commercializing her research. And when she read about the Entrepreneurial PhD Fellowship, Zheng started to piece together how she could accomplish her goals.

“The knowledge that my supervisors were in my corner was a big reason that I felt comfortable to dream big,” she said.

As a recipient of one of the 10 fellowships offered to students across campus, Zheng is able to gain the business knowledge, skills and experience to help commercialize her research. The fellowship allows Zheng to take the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) program part-time and tuition-free, while she also works on her doctoral studies. She is also building a new venture, Costal Carbon, with co-founder Thomas Storwick.

Coastal carbon

Planting seaweed in oceans is an effective way of sequestering carbon and can in fact be many times more effective than tree planting. Companies can reduce their carbon footprint by purchasing carbon offsets such as seaweed planting, but there’s a problem.

Coastal farmers who sell the carbon offsets need to prove that the seaweed has been planted and is growing. Traditionally, this is done by sending divers into the ocean to physically measure the seaweed – a costly and often inaccurate method.

This is where Coastal Carbon comes in. Using satellite AI technology to measure trees on land is relatively straightforward, but measuring plant growth under water's reflective surface is much trickier. Zheng is using the past three years of her PhD research to provide a solution that allows clients to measure seaweed with just a few clicks of a mouse, saving time and money.

Meet Kelly and other fellowship recipients at our live session next Thursday

Read the rest of the article on the Conrad website.

Innovation Arena issues second call for members

A message from Marketing and Strategic Initiatives.

It’s an exciting time at the University of Waterloo as we make a second call for Members in Residence for the Innovation Arena – our newest collaboration space which will also serve as Velocity’s new home, with generous support from the City of Kitchener and the Government of Ontario. FedDev Ontario also continues to be an important supporter of Velocity.

Last fall, we received strong interest from public and private sector health innovators following our first call for Members in Residence.

Located in the heart of Kitchener’s Innovation District, renovation of the new 90,000 sq ft Innovation Arena is underway. With Velocity’s experience and leadership, this collaborative space will connect like-minded innovators who are transforming technologies into solutions and provide the supports needed to launch ambitious new ventures, create skilled jobs, and improve the health and prosperity of our community.

The purpose of the Innovation Arena is to:

• Amplify collaboration within Canada’s health tech sector and beyond,
• Expand Velocity’s footprint in the entrepreneurial ecosystem,
• Co-locate cross-disciplinary teams and ventures,
• Streamline commercialization pathways for businesses,
• Fast-track delivery of health technologies, and
• Support social and economic prosperity in Canada.

We ask that you share this second call for Members in Residence with your networks who are looking to advance health innovations and technologies, specifically:

• Those keen to assemble teams or systems to fast-track solutions for commercialization and/or health innovation,
• Organizations, big and small, seeking collaborations to develop new products or services, and
• Groups that provide care looking to challenge traditional approaches to health care delivery.

The deadline to express interest in becoming a Member in Residence at the Innovation Arena is June 30, 2023. You can find more information about the Innovation Arena and application process here.

W Store faculty and staff appreciation discounts and other notes

"As we get under way for the spring term, the W Store team wants to show their appreciation for the hard-working University of Waterloo staff and faculty who continue to support and promote a positive campus community," says a note from Print + Retail Solutions. "On May 18 and 19, UWaterloo staff and faculty are invited to enjoy 20 per cent off UWaterloo branded items in-store at W Store, located in SCH and W Store Essentials, located in MC."

No coupon code required. Any additional questions may be directed to the W Store team at wstore@uwaterloo.ca.

Employers hosting Virtual Employer Information Sessions (VEIS) this week and next week include Bettermode, Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan, Home Hardware, Formlabs, Oliver Wyman, Cooperative Education, International/Powering Change Award, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management, NimbleRX and Bloomberg. Make sure to register through WaterlooWorks and check the calendar for any updates.