Wednesday, June 28, 2023


Office of Research employee honoured for contributions to research management excellence

Leslie Copp, Director of Funding Agencies and Non-Profit Sponsors in the Office of Research receives her award at the annual CARA conference on May 15.

A message from the Office of Research.                                                    

An Office of Research staff member has received the 2023 Research Management Excellence Award from the Canadian Association of Research Administrators (CARA).

The award was presented to Leslie Copp, Director of Funding Agencies and Non-Profit Sponsors in the Office of Research at the annual CARA conference on May 15.

Established in 2018, the award recognizes an exceptional research project manager who has made outstanding contributions to research administration and management within a project, team, department or institution or a significant contribution to fostering project management excellence.

In their nominations, colleagues commented on Leslie’s support, passion, dedication, advocacy, mentorship, collaboration, and relationship building among her exceptional qualifications for this award. At Waterloo, Leslie interacts with the University’s senior leaders and faculty members to provide a critical perspective and support the research process.

“As a senior faculty member, I have benefitted from her wisdom in managing complex challenges emerging from large team-based applications,” said John Hirdes, professor in the School of Public Health Sciences at Waterloo. “Leslie is an authoritative, trusted, and reliable source of information and advice to all faculty members.”

Additionally, Leslie provides excellent leadership to her direct reports.

“Leslie’s leadership is unparalleled. She encourages our team’s creativity to develop innovative programming and leverages her extensive campus-wide network to ensure we have the connections, resources, and support to do so,” current and former colleagues wrote in the nomination.

Outside the University, Leslie has also built effective and long-lasting working relationships.

“CIHR, as a sponsor, respects Leslie and often asks her opinion and takes her opinions very seriously. She has had input into CIHR that has made lasting impacts,” says Diane Johnston, associate vice-president, Research and International Management Services.

Congratulations Leslie!

Waterloo leaps to new heights in QS World University Rankings

Waterloo signs at the University's south entrance, with tree blossoms in the foreground.

By Angelica Marie Sanchez. This is an excerpt of an article originally published on Waterloo News.

The University of Waterloo has been named as one of the world's top universities. Waterloo ranked 112 overall in the 2024 QS World University Ranking, a leap from last year’s place at 154. Waterloo also placed among the top five universities in Canada. 

QS evaluated approximately 1,500 universities around the world. In a new ranking indicator on sustainability, QS recognizes Waterloo as 36th in the world. The inclusion of this new indicator in the ranking reflects how students prioritize sustainability in their choice of higher education institutions.  

“Our place on the global and national scale is a testament to our exceptional community of students, researchers, faculty members, staff and University partners,” says Vivek Goel, president and vice-chancellor. “As we work to build a better and more sustainable future for humanity and the planet, Waterloo continues to exemplify its leadership in innovation and entrepreneurship, experiential education and excellence in fundamental and applied research.”  

Over the past two decades, the methodology for the QS World University Rankings have been evolving each year reflecting the growth in data availability and changing priorities of students. The QS World University Ranking includes three new indicators: international research network, employment outcomes and sustainability, drawn from new priorities of students while rebalancing the weight of the other existing indicators. 

Read the rest of the article on Waterloo News

GreenHouse social impact showcase tomorrow

Each term, United College’s social impact incubator, GreenHouse, hosts the Social Impact Showcase, which celebrates the work GreenHouse students have accomplished through their journeys of social innovation and entrepreneurship, while also providing an opportunity for students to acquire seed funding for their ideas through a pitch competition.

This term, the 29th Showcase will take place on Thursday, June 29 (hey, the 29th on the 29th!) from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the SDG Idea Factory on 2 King Street in Kitchener. Pitching will be:

  • Bio-Brick Labs (Adrian Simone, Rania Al-Sheikhly): Developing and manufacturing of environmentally sustainable building materials.
  • Battery Disposal Project (Josh Brent): A solution for responsible vape device disposal, involving designated collection bins in vape stores.
  • Turion (Mueli Mao): Growing sustainable, alternative protein using duckweed within an aquaponics system.
  • HeadFirst (Andrew Cordssen-David): Revolutionizing concussion testing with saliva based screening.
  • KaziBridge (Ernest Mwesigye): Connecting trade school graduates in Africa to businesses and individuals seeking quality and secure service.
  • Masana Beauty (Neha Grewal): Creating a self-cleansing makeup brush to help solve skin issues from the root cause.
  • MetaCycler BioInnovations (Nicole LeBlanc): Converting food waste into biodegradable materials to create a more sustainable future.
  • Merge2Own (Chinazom Uwaoma, Ernest Onuorah): Connecting individuals with similar interests to buy property together supported by ecosystem of partners.
  • Safi (Martin Turuta, Miraal Kabir, Daria Margarit): Providing East African farmers with an accessible pasteurization handle to clean their milk from any pathogens and prevent the spread of diseases.
  • Swish (Miswar Syed): Developing a cost-effective product to clean solar panels in a sustainable and economical way without the use of water or expensive cleaning robots.
  • WhereCafe (Nethy Sudswong, Bhavya Ashok): Empowering solo female travelers to travel the world safely by using AI to do the research for you.

Grants will be awarded from GreenHouse's Social Impact Fund, and the community has had a chance to vote for the People's Choice Award, which is worth $1,000 to the winning team. Check out the Peoples Choice Awards video submissions for details.

For more information visit the Social Impact Showcase website.

How to disrupt industries using generative AI

A Collision Toronto sign outside the convention venue.

By Stephanie Longeway. This is an excerpt of an article originally posted on Waterloo News.

“Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past eight months, you’ve heard about ChatGPT,” said Jimmy Lin, professor and David R. Cheriton Chair in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo.  

“It is the fastest growing consumer application in history reaching more than 100 million active users in less than two months. For reference, it took Tik Tok a whole nine months and Instagram two and a half years to reach the same threshold.” 

The historic growth in popularity and access to generative AI technologies like ChatGPT and Bard are quickly changing the way we work. Waterloo’s WatSPEED, hosted a masterclass at Collision 2023 to unpack the meteoric rise of ChatGPT, and other large language models (LLM) like it, to provide a strategy for entrepreneurs and business executives to unlock its transformative potential. 

Lin led the session alongside Joel Blit, professor in the Faculty of Arts. Blit said that the biggest lesson we can take from history about general-purpose technologies is that it “takes decades to truly feel their impact.”

But LLMs have been around for about 10 years, so “we are truly at an inflection point … it’s about to explode,” Blit added. 

Read the rest of the article on Waterloo News

CIHR Public, Community and Population Health Information Session coming up in July

Drs. Kwame McKenzie and Chris McLeod on the CIHR banner featuring a face mask.

A message from the Office of Research and the Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology.

You are invited to a CIHR Public, Community and Population Health (PH) Information Session on Tuesday, July 18 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The purpose of this virtual information session is to give potential applicants to the PH Peer Review Committees of the CIHR Project Grant program an opportunity to hear first-hand about the committee ‘culture’.

This session will cover what sort of proposals are regularly seen in the PH committees, what aspects are generally well-received by reviewers, what factors are considered particularly important, how the committees’ mandate is interpreted, and what types of proposals are transferred to or from other committees.

The chairs, Drs. Kwame McKenzie and Chris McLeod will be available to make comments on these issues and to interact with potential applicants on their questions.

Register today.

Update: security incident on campus

Earlier today there was a security incident on the University of Waterloo’s main campus. Three people have been injured and are receiving treatment. Waterloo Regional Police have responded and have made an arrest. There is no further threat to campus.

For those in Hagey Hall, please shelter in place until the Waterloo Regional Police arrive to escort you out. All classes scheduled in Hagey Hall this evening have been cancelled. Hagey Hall will be closed until tomorrow morning.

All other campus operations will proceed as usual.

Upcoming office closure

The staff from the Office of Indigenous Relations will be off-site attending a conference from Monday, June 26 to Wednesday, June 28. They will be delayed in responding to email inquiries.  

Link of the day

50 years ago: Live and Let Die

When and Where 

Warrior Recreation Registration for the spring term is now open.

Waterloo Warriors Youth Camps. Spring and Summer camps available for Boys and Girls ages 5-18. Baseball, Basketball, Football, Volleyball, Hockey and Multi-Sport and Games. Register today.

Fitness and Personal Training - Registrations now open for Personal Training and Small Group Training, as well as a Free Warrior Workout Program.

Student Health Pharmacy in the basement of the Student Life Centre is now offering Covid booster shots (Pfizer and Moderna) and flu shots. Call 519-746-4500 or extension 33784 for an appointment. Walk-ins always welcome.

2023 WACE World Conference, Wednesday, June 28 to Friday, June 30, University of Waterloo campus.

Food Truck Wednesday brought you by UW Food Services, Wednesday, June 28,  11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Arts Quad.

Indigenous History Month Graduate Student Panel, Wednesday, June 28, 11:00 a.m., Zoom.

In-Person International Student Mixer @ Graduate House Green, Wednesday, June 28, 1:30 p.m., Grad House Green.

Test of campus emergency communications system, Wednesday, June 28, 2:00 p.m. 

Special presentation on Learning Health Systems featuring Professor Steini Brown, Wednesday, June 28, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., EXP 1686 or online via Zoom. (Meeting ID: 919 1110 6750; Passcode: 200327)

Ozhawa Anung Kwe/Yellow Star Woman (Teddy Syrette): 2Spirit & LGBTQ+ Pride, Thursday, June 29, 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon, Faculty of Health Expansion Building, Room 1689.

29th GreenHouse Social Impact Showcase, Thursday, June 29, 5:00 p.m., SDG Idea Factory, 2 King Street Kitchener.

Rock Your Thesis 2: Starting to write, Friday, June 30, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Canada Day holiday, Monday, July 3, most University operations closed.

ICSN Canada Day Canoe Trip, Monday, July 3, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

UWCC Uncle Tetsu Bake Sale, Tuesday, July 4, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., SLC Marketplace.

Food Truck Wednesday brought you by UW Food Services, Wednesday, July 5,  11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Arts Quad.

Who are the supervisors, research groups and how to find one?, Wednesday, July 5, 11:00 a.m., Zoom.

Velocity $5K semi-finals, Wednesday, July 5 and Thursday, July 6, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., QNC 0101.

2SLGBTQ+ faculty and staff social, Thursday, July 6, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., LHS 1646.

Women’s Centre Rise Up with Words! Poetry Slam, Friday, July 7, 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., SLC Student Lounge.

Dissertation Boot Camp, Tuesday, July 11, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

SOMMeRS: Southern Ontario Medical MicroRobotics Symposium, Tuesday, July 11, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Engineering 7 second floor.

WUSA Student Life Tours, Tuesday, July 11, 12 noon to 2:00 p.m.

Introduction to Spoon carving (Green Woodworking), Tuesday, July 11, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

WUSA July Special General Meeting, Tuesday, July 11, 5:00 p.m., Student Life Centre.

Engineering Day 2023, Wednesday, July 12, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., CPH courtyard.

Food Truck Wednesday brought you by UW Food Services, Wednesday, July 12,  11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Arts Quad.

Part-Time Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) Information Session, Wednesday, July 12, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., online.

WUSA’s Ice Cream Social, Thursday, July 13, 12 noon to 2:00 p.m., SLC Patio.

2023 Consensus @ Waterloo trivia competition, Saturday, July 15, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

WUSA Student Life Tours, Tuesday, July 18, 12 noon to 2:00 p.m.

CIHR Public Community and Population Health (PH) Information Session, Tuesday, July 18, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., virtual. Register.

Systems Design Engineering Alumni Virtual Roundtables, Wednesday, July 19, 12 noon to 1:15 p.m., Zoom.

Velocity $5K Finals, Wednesday, July 19, 12 noon to 2:30 p.m., Theatre of the Arts.

When and Where to get support 

Check out the support listings for faculty, staff and students.

Positions available

On this week's list from the human resources department, viewable on the UWaterloo Talent Acquisition System (iCIMS):

  • Job ID# 2023-10520 - 2nd Class Stationary Engineer - Plant Operations, CUPE
  • Job ID# 2023-10453 - Director of Infrastructure and Safety - Dean of Engineering Office, USG 16
  • Job ID# 2023-10539 - Faculty Financial Analyst - Dean of Math Office, USG 10
  • Job ID# 2023-10545 - Associate Director, Communications and Marketing - Dean of Science office, USG 12
  • Job ID# 2023-10564 - Data Analyst - School of Accounting and Finance, USG 8
  • Job ID# 2023-10469 - Financial Officer - School of Accounting and Finance, USG 10
  • Job ID# 2023-10523 - Library Coordinator and Supervisor – Library, USG 7
  • Job ID# 2023-10252 - Manager, Student Communications - Office of the Registrar/The Centre, USG 10
  • Job ID# 2023-10538 - Marketing & Recruitment Specialist, Health - Office of the Registrar, USG 9
  • Job ID# 2023-10541 - Preschool Teacher – Psychology, USG 7
  • Job ID# 2023-10549 - Senior Systems Administrator – Library, USG 11
  • Job ID# 2023-10466 - Co-op Service Specialist - Co-operative Education, USG 5 – 6
  • Job ID# 2023-10525 - Lab Technician - Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering, USG 7
  • Job ID# 2023-10517 - Assistant Stores Handler – RR - Food Services, CUPE
  • Job ID# 2023-10567 - Assistant Supervisor - Food Services, USG 5
  • Job ID# 2023-10507 – Cook - Food Services, CUPE
  • Job ID# 2023-10509 - Food Service Assistant - Food Services, CUPE
  • Job ID# 2023-10518 - Food Service Assistant - Food Services, CUPE
  • Job ID# 2023-10510 - Food Service Support Person - Food Services, CUPE
  • Job ID# 2023-10514 - Food Service Support Person - Food Services, CUPE
  • Job ID# 2023-10522 - Kitchen Porter – RR - Food Services, CUPE
  • Job ID# 2023-10436 - Marketing & Communications Coordinator - Food Services, USG 7

Secondments/Internal temporary opportunities

  • Job ID# 2023-10550 - Residence Facility Coordinator - Campus Housing, USG 5
  • Job ID# 2023-10547 - Career Advisor - Centre for Career Action, USG 8 – 10
  • Job ID# 2023-10460 - Web Specialist - Dean of Mathematics Office, USG 6
  • Job ID# 2023-10537 - Early Career Liaison Librarian – Library, USG 10 – 13
  • Job ID# 2023-10557 - Manager, Marketing and Communication Strategy – Registrar’s Office, USG 11
  • Job ID# 2023-10531 - Safety Abroad Coordinator - Waterloo International, USG 8
  • Job ID# 2023-10566 - Student Advisor (Toronto East) - Co-operative Education, USG 8 – 9
  • Job ID# 2023-10527 – Chef - Food Services, USG 7
  • Job ID# 2023-10552 - Student Relations Officer - Dean's Office, Faculty of Health, USG 7
  • Job ID# 2023-10187 - Benefits Administrator - Human Resources, USG 7

Affiliated and Federated Institutions of Waterloo opportunities

https://uwaterloo.ca/careers/current-opportunities/affiliated-and-federated-institutions