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New shape makes TIME's Best Inventions of 2023 list
Professor Craig S. Kaplan stands in front of a wall of hat-shaped einstein tiles in the newly renovated Computer Graphics Lab in the Davis Centre, the building that houses the Cheriton School of Computer Science. Photo courtesy of Joe Petrik.
By Joe Petrik.
Earlier this year, Cheriton School of Computer Science Professor Craig S. Kaplan and his international colleagues David Smith, Joseph Myers and Chaim Goodman-Strauss discovered a single shape that tiles the plane — an infinite, two-dimensional surface — in a pattern that can never be made to repeat.
Now, that shape has been chosen by TIME magazine as one of the best inventions of 2023.
Of the new list, TIME’s editors write: “The result is a list of 200 groundbreaking inventions (and 50 special mention inventions) — including the world’s most powerful supercomputer, a game-changing entertainment venue, and a new shape — that are changing how we live, work, play, and think about what’s possible.”
The shape is known to mathematicians as an aperiodic monotile or an "einstein", a pun that takes its name from the German words "ein" and "stein" that mean "one stone".
Also called the hat by the researchers because of its resemblance to a fedora, the shape tantilized mathematicians, tiling enthusiasts and the public alike, solving a nearly 60-year-old problem in tiling theory, a branch of mathematics that explores geometric shapes that cover a plane without overlaps or gaps.
“It’s an honour to be included in TIME’s list,” says Professor Kaplan. “It’s a rare privilege to have been involved in research that doesn’t just represent an important step forward in what we know about the mathematical universe, but has also captured the public’s imagination. I can only hope that our work will continue to inspire new ideas in mathematics, art, science and engineering.”
WatSPEED welcomes Microsoft as the title sponsor for Tech Horizons
A message from WatSPEED.
Microsoft Canada has signed on as the title sponsor for WatSPEED’s upcoming Tech Horizons Executive Forum, a one-day event happening on November 8 in Toronto that aims to support senior business leaders as they navigate the strategic opportunities, and potential perils, presented by emerging technologies.
“We’re thrilled to have Microsoft as the title sponsor for the Forum,” said Sanjeev Gill, associate vice-president, innovation and executive director, WatSPEED. “This collaboration builds on Waterloo’s foundation of academic excellence and strong ties to industry, and this fusion of academia and industry insights will help ensure that attendees are equipped with the strategies they need to lead with responsibility into the future.”
Joining the Forum’s impressive list of speakers are John Weigelt, chief technology officer, Microsoft Canada and Erin Chapple, corporate vice-president, Azure products and design, Microsoft, who will bring their expertise to thought-provoking sessions focused on technology and innovation leadership, and responsible AI. They will accompany other industry luminaries and academic experts to present a future-focused view of our technology horizon and explore what senior leaders need to consider if they want to maintain a competitive edge in today’s disruptive world of work.
“WatSPEED’s Tech Horizons Executive Forum provides a significant opportunity for industry leaders to come together and explore the ever-expanding ways for emerging technologies to improve people’s lives,” said John Weigelt, chief technology officer, Microsoft Canada. “As we pursue the benefits, it’s just as important to ensure proper guardrails are in place. We look forward to joining other leaders on November 8th to further this conversation.”The event will include sessions focused on emerging technologies like generative AI, cybersecurity and cryptography, and sustainability and clean tech, along with talks on tech leadership, digital transformation, how technologies are reshaping the world, and more.
To learn more about the event, or to register, please visit the Tech Horizons website.
The Wicked Problem of Precarity: Living in an Unpredictable World
A message from Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.
As part of the University’s strategic plans to develop talent for a complex world and focus on interdisciplinary scholarship, a team of PhD candidates will come together in winter 2024 to design, develop and offer a course related to contemporary Wicked Problems. The course will be offered to upper-year undergraduate students from across the University to create a community of scholars, sharing different perspectives from the PhD candidate instructors and the learners in the classroom.
The pilot course, offered in spring 2024, will focus on the Wicked Problem of Precarity: Living in an Uncertain World. We know there are brilliant doctoral researchers across the University who are immersed in studying precarity from interdisciplinary perspectives, addressing research on poverty, homelessness, housing scarcity, and food insecurity, all of which are contributing to a future defined by precarity. Many of these researchers may also welcome the opportunity to be part of an interdisciplinary teaching team that will provide undergraduate students with a classroom experience where the academic content spans disciplinary boundaries. We encourage PhD candidates to apply – details found on The Wicked Problem of Precarity: Living in an Uncertain World website. The deadline to apply is Monday, November 13.
Associate Vice-President, Academic seeks candidates for pan-University academic leadership role
A message from the Associate Vice-President, Academic (AVPA).
The Office of the Associate Vice-President, Academic (AVPA) is seeking to fill the position of Chair of the Undergraduate Communications Requirement Group (UCRG), starting May 1, 2024 for a three-year term (with the possibility of renewal).
The UCRG includes representation from every Faculty, from the academic units most heavily involved in the delivery of UCR courses, and from relevant Academic Support Units. Its role is to sustain and expand on the success of the UCR by serving as a mechanism for the cooperative and collegial evolution of communication instruction at the University of Waterloo, advising University leadership and Senate bodies on the academic appropriateness of the various mechanisms for delivery of UCR in different Faculties and departments, and by playing an appropriate role in “governance” when required.
Applications are due November 29.
Check out the list of qualifications and responsibilities on the AVPA website.
Wednesday's mostly musical notes
The Noon Hour concert series scheduled for today with Women in Song has been rescheduled to November 15th. This free concert will feature music composed and performed by women, focusing primarily on the romantic era, but verging into contemporary and living composers. Soprano Rebecca McKay (right) and pianist Jodie van der Heide will present pieces by Alma Mahler and other composers. The concert will take place November 15 at 12:30 p.m. in the Conrad Grebel Chapel. Admission is free.
While we're on the subject of music, the Spiritus Ensemble, conducted by Ken Hull, Professor Emeritus at Conrad Grebel University College, begins their 15th season with Bach Vespers for Reformation Sunday, on Sunday, November 5 at 4:00 p.m. at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Kitchener. Admission is free, with donations requested. See www.spiritusensemble.com for details.
Meanwhile, the DaCapo Chamber Choir, conducted by Leonard Enns, Professor Emeritus at Conrad Grebel University College, begins their 25th season with My Spirit Sang All Day on Saturday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, November 12 at 3:00 p.m. at Trillium Lutheran, Waterloo. See www.dacapochamberchoir.ca for tickets and details.