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20th annual Pow Wow coming up on September 23
This article was originally published on Waterloo News.
September 23 marks the 20th anniversary of the United College annual Pow Wow, ahead of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
This year’s Pow Wow celebration also represents the inaugural collaboration between the Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre (WISC) and the Office of Indigenous Relations (OIR).
“To witness the growth of this Pow Wow is so beautiful to see it as evidence of the strong growth in our Indigenous campus community at Waterloo,” says Jean Becker, associate vice-president of OIR. “I am in awe of the ongoing efforts of the staff from OIR and WISC who are harnessing their shared passions to create a special cultural experience for all who attend. I can’t wait to gather to dance, eat and visit.”
Gidinawendimin / Ska’nikú•lát Pow Wow is a cultural celebration that highlights Indigenous cultures through song, dance, arts and traditional food. When guests arrive at the Pow Wow, they are welcomed by the sound of traditional singing, drumming and dancers in colourful regalia. It will be an exciting time to see Indigenous craft and food vendor booths and an all-around celebration of diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis cultures.
The United College annual Pow Wow began in 2004 when Becker held the role of Aboriginal Student Counsellor at St. Paul’s University College, now known as United College. While Melissa Ireland, current director of OIR, was an undergraduate student and member of the Indigenous Student Association when she first started supporting the planning and execution of the Pow Wow.
As the Indigenous community grew on campus, WISC was created to be a friendly and safe space at United College where Indigenous students can connect with other Indigenous students and members of the Waterloo community. WISC continues to lead the planning of the annual Pow Wow, a non-competitive Pow Wow that has been held on the grounds of United College and at Waterloo Park.
Another significant change this year is that the Pow Wow will be held at an indoor venue, at the Columbia Icefield (CIF) Field House on Saturday, September 23, and will feature vendors, dancers and singers from the Region of Waterloo and beyond. WISC and OIR intends to have the Pow Wow to be a safe, welcoming and vibrant opportunity for Indigenous and non-Indigenous folks to gather and spend time with each other in a beautiful gathering of Indigenous celebration and ceremony.
Whether you have been to a Pow Wow before or this is your first time attending, there’s always something new to learn and it is also important to remember basic Pow Wow etiquette on how to attend and participate respectfully.
Gordon Nicotine-Sands: Pow Wow 101
On September 19th, the Office of Indigenous Relations will be hosting Gordon Nicotine-Sands: Pow Wow 101. The Presentation will focus on the origin of what is known as “Pow Wow" and how it came to be in North America and in the Great Lakes area. Nicotine-Sands will also talk about what you can expect when attending a Pow Wow, including drumming, singing, dancing and associated protocols.
You can learn more about the presentation and register on the OIR website.
All are welcome to attend the Pow Wow
Registration is not required, but a general admission fee of five dollars or a donation of a non-perishable food item is welcome at the door. Youth under 18-years of age or seniors 60-years and above are free to attend. Post-secondary students with a valid student card also have free admission. First Nations, Inuit and Métis people will not be charged entry.
2023 Robbins-Ollivier Award Committee seeks faculty members
A message from the Office of Research.
The Waterloo Awards Committee (WAC) is seeking faculty members from each of the six Faculties to join the internal adjudication committee for the 2023 Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity.
The University of Waterloo regards equity and inclusion as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. As such, we encourage applications from all members who may contribute to the diversification of the committee’s expertise and experience. We particularly encourage applications from faculty members in the four federally designated groups (women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, racialized people), 2SLGBTQ+, and other under-recognized communities. If applicable, we ask applicants to self-identify.
Appointees will have completed the Equitable Recruitment and Selection Training course in LEARN and will be familiar with Policy 69 – Conflict of Interest. For this adjudication committee, priority for committee member selection will be given to applicants who identify as members of under-recognized communities, such as 2SLGBTQ+, Indigenous, racialized communities, people with disabilities, women, and others.
Experience
Reviewers will typically have:
- Five years of experience as aa member of an academic community, whether at the University of Waterloo or elsewhere.
- An active tri-council or equivalent external grant.
- Experience in reviewing tri-council grants or serving on extramural grant review panels.
- Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion on campus and/or in community.
Duties
- Review sponsor guidelines and use evaluation criteria to determine the final project for submission to the sponsor.
- Attendance at Pre-meeting and Adjudication meeting
- Review up to 4 applications per committee member
- Provide written feedback, based on the evaluation criteria, to improve all internal candidate’s submission packages.
- Time commitment should be no more than 20 hours
To apply, please submit a brief statement (max 200 words) outlining your experience with equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus and/or in the broader community. Please submit this via email to the Waterloo Awards Team (awards@uwaterloo.ca) by September 15, 2023. Potential Reviewers will be contacted within one week of the closing deadline. The internal adjudication committee will meet the week of October 2 to 6, 2023.
Embracing change in Management Sciences
By Angie Docking. This article was originally published on Waterloo News.
Expanding upon its long legacy of excellence, the Department of Management Sciences at Waterloo Engineering has undergone an official name change to better encapsulate the unit’s distinctive, interdisciplinary approach to education within the engineering field.
The introduction of the department’s new name – Management Science and Engineering (MSE) – follows more than a year of discussions, meetings and town halls with students, faculty, staff, alumni and senior engineering faculty leadership.
According to Dr. Mary Wells, dean of engineering, the department’s new title not only better highlights the distinctive training engineering students receive, and the expertise of the department’s faculty members, but also better caters to the broader engineering community’s need for professionals with interdisciplinary skills.
“There is a growing demand for technically proficient engineers who can approach organizational problems with an interdisciplinary mindset, a human-centred perspective and a strong grasp of business principles,” says Wells.
“Renaming our MSE department provides greater clarity about the importance of the management science discipline within the greater context of our profession – and what our grads can do to better engineering teams worldwide.”
Interim department chair Dr. Mark Hancock is confident that the new department name will resonate with past, present and future students on the potential the department’s programs offer graduates and their employers.
“We’re confident it’s the right time to make this change, thanks to the invaluable feedback and enthusiastic endorsement of our MSE community,” says Hancock. “I really can’t thank the representative committee enough for doing the background work involved to ensure our numerous stakeholders were engaged in every discussion throughout the process.”
Building on its fifty-four-year legacy, the Department of Management Science and Engineering will continue to offer the same quality programs – including the management engineering undergraduate program, option in management science, master’s program in management science, and research-based MASc and PhD programs – that combine the use of analytical models, data science and behavioural sciences to address complex problems across the engineering profession.
Electrical and Computer Engineering Distinguished Lecture coming up and other notes
Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) is hosting the ECE Distinguished Lecture/IEEE EPS seminar on Wednesday, September 13, entitled "Soft Electronic and Microfluidic Systems for the Skin." Delivering the lecture is Professor John A. Rogers from Northwestern University where he is Director of the recently-endowed Querrey-Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics.
"The skin is mechanically soft and curved; modern electronic and microfluidic technologies are rigid and planar," says the talk's abstract. "Eliminating this profound mismatch in physical properties will create vast opportunities in man-made systems that can naturally integrate with the epidermis, for diagnostic, therapeutic or sensory function with important, unique capabilities that range from fitness/wellness, to sports performance, clinical healthcare and virtual reality environments. Over the last decade, a convergence of new concepts in materials science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and advanced manufacturing has led to the emergence of diverse, novel classes of 'biocompatible' electronic and microfluidic systems with skin-like physical properties. This talk describes the key ideas and presents some of the most recent device examples, including (1) wireless, battery-free electronic 'tattoos', with applications in continuous monitoring of vital signs in neonatal and pediatric intensive care, including active deployments in the most advanced hospitals in the US and clinics in multiple countries in Africa, (2) microfluidic platforms that can capture, manipulate and perform biomarker analysis on microliter volumes of sweat, with applications in precise hydration management in sports and fitness, including commercial devices featured on celebrity sports figures with Gatorade and (3) programmable vibro-haptic interfaces that create patient feedback and enhanced experiences in virtual reality environments."
"As a member of CURAC – the College and University Retiree Associations of Canada, the UW Retirees Association promotes learning opportunities such as this retirement seminar, "Are You Living Your Best Retirement Life," offered by two Dalhousie University retirees," says a note from the University of Waterloo Retirees Association. "The free Zoom seminar will be held on Wednesday, September 13, at 12:30 p.m. Interested persons should email Dr. Sue Hutchinson at theretiredyou@gmail.com to register."
WUSA's Welcome Week is officially underway with a slew of events on offer including a pancake brunch this morning from 9:30 a.m. to noon (while supplies last) on the SLC/BMH Green, and a trivia night in the SLC student lounge (formerly the Bombshelter) from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Other events include the infamous Sex Toy Bingo event at Fed Hall on Tuesday, September 12 with an all-ages show at 6:30 p.m. and a 19+ show at 9:00 p.m. Then the WUSA Carnival makes its return for two nights beginning Wednesday, September 13 from 6:00 p.m. to 12 midnight and on Thursday, September 14 from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on the BMH Green and M3 Green, featuring carnival rides, a midway, snacks, and a DJ.