Wednesday, December 6, 2023

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• As Waterloo observes the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women...
• ...Dean Mary Wells says it's time to humanize engineering
• ICES webinar coming up this month
• Professional Development program puts the "I" in Work-Integrated Learning
• Registrar's Office celebrates the career of Laurie Hanley
• WatITis conference marks 20 years and other notable notes

As Waterloo observes the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women...

Flags on campus will be lowered today as the University of Waterloo observes Canada's National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

On December 6, 1989, 14 young women were murdered in a gender-based act of violence at the École Polytechnique de Montréal. This day is not only an opportunity to reflect and honour the lost lives of those 14 young women, but to also consider and take action against violence that women in our communities face to this day.

The Faculty of Engineering will host a ceremony followed by a moment of silence at an event that runs from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Engineering 7's second-floor event space. Everyone in the University community is welcome to attend. Please register online.

...Dean Mary Wells says it's time to humanize engineering

By Dr. Mary Wells, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, and Suzanne Kresta, former dean of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. This is an excerpt of an opinion piece that runs in today's Toronto Star.

34 years ago, 14 women lost their lives because a man who had not been accepted into the École Polytechnique de Montréal was convinced that he had the right to kill women who had earned their place. This killing was an act of unprecedented violence against women and our profession. 

We are two deans of engineering faculties and we each have a daughter in engineering; We pause together on December 6 to remember this tragedy, celebrate the present and reflect on the future.  

In 1989, when we mothers were students, there were only 4,000 female undergraduate engineering students in the entire country, and they made up only 12 per cent of the undergraduate student population. Today, while we girls are also in the field of engineering, there are more than 22,000 female engineering students in Canada and they represent almost 25 per cent of students.  

Since 1988, the participation of women in undergraduate engineering programs has been 5.5 times higher. This is encouraging, but for real change to happen, more female graduates need to stay in the profession. As we commemorate, we must amplify the voices of our daughters and our shared dreams for the future of engineering. 

Read the full article on the Toronto Star.

ICES webinar coming up this month

A message from the Office of Research.

Looking to access quality health data to improve policy, healthcare, and health outcomes?

The Office of Research, in collaboration with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) North, is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, December 19, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Join us to learn more about the research opportunities, activities, programs, partnerships, and equity-informed approaches at ICES, a collaborative Ontario-based analytics and research network specializing in population-based health research.

Dr. Dave Savage, Site Director and Scientist at ICES North, and Josh Cerasuolo, Staff Scientist at ICES North, will present on and answer questions about the various ways to access ICES data such as becoming an ICES scientist, fellow, visiting scholar or student, collaborating with an ICES scientist, and using the data and analytic services.            

For more information and to receive the webinar link.

Professional Development program puts the "I" in Work-Integrated Learning

By Matthew King.

The Centre for WIL’s Professional Development (PD) program has evolved significantly since it was just a single WatPD course in 2006. Today, the PD program includes a suite of 15 online courses with content and embedded reflections that support students’ growth throughout their work-integrated learning journey. 

Last year, 93 per cent of students who completed the end of course surveys said they feel more prepared to use their skills in the workplace after completing a PD course.

“The thinking behind having students engage while on a work term is to allow them to make connections between the course content and their WIL experience,” says Lauren Broderick, Centre for WIL senior manager, work-integrated learning courses. “Students are then prompted to reflect on their experience and articulate their learning which ultimately supports them in becoming more future ready.”

Students seeing the connection

PD courses are designed intentionally to align with Waterloo’s Future Ready Talent Framework to help students identify and develop the skills they’ll need as they navigate the future of work. With PD courses on communication,teamwork and conflict resolution, students enhance a wide range of essential professional skills to prepare for their future. 

“I'm taking PD13: Research in the workplace for example, but research is a universal thing and a lot of the strategies you're using are the same, whether it be for your coursework, whether it be for like, the workplace,” says Hayden Wong, a Psychology student and PD teaching assistant (TA).

To support the operation of PD courses, the Centre for WIL hires 15 to 20 full-time co-op students as TA’s each term. Most of the students working with the Centre for WIL find themselves in the unique position of taking a PD course while simultaneously supporting another PD course. 

"As a TA, I see how students engage with the various learning opportunities. That got me thinking about how I complete my assignments when I’m taking a course myself,” says Wong. “I can see how this will be applicable to my own experiences moving forward.”

With students ultimately required to take four to five PD courses throughout their co-op journey, the courses are intentionally designed so students build on their skills and knowledge through reflection with each new course and work term.

“I think most students don't realize the significance and impact that the PD courses have until they’re beginning to engage in their work,” says Benjamin Bell, PD teaching assistant. “For me, from what I've heard, and what I've reflected on, a lot of the value really comes while you’re in the workplace, because you've been developing these skills and knowledge.”

“The goal is to provide students with engaging and relevant learning experiences that prepare them to develop and use their skills in the workplace, and ultimately, their future,” says Broderick.

Registrar's Office celebrates the career of Laurie Hanley

A message from the Registrar's Office.

The Registrar's Office legend know as Laurie Hanley is retiring! After 43 years of service Laurie Hanley is starting the next chapter in her life.

She began her career at Waterloo in June 1980 on contract in the Centre for Extended Learning. She moved to full-time on December 1, 1980, in the Registrar’s Office, so it is only fitting that her last day of workwas December 1, 2023!

Please join us at the Grad House, Upstairs Lounge on Tuesday, December 12 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. to celebrate Laurie!

WatITis conference marks 20 years and other notable notes

The annual WatITis conference is being held today in the Science Teaching Complex, and the community is celebrating the conference's 20^th anniversary this year. Conference keynote speakers include Jimmy Lin and Mark Crowley. As always, this is a valuable opportunity to learn about technology projects, systems, and initiatives underway in the University of Waterloo community.

The Statistical Consulting and Survey Research Unit is hosting a free data analysis workshop today entitled Analysis of Survey Data: 101 and Beyond presented by Dr. Christian Boudreau and Gradon Nicholls. The goal of this workshop is to provide insights into basic data analysis techniques and potential challenges of analyzing survey data using statistical software. If you have any questions or require more information about a consultation or project request, please contact Tony Ly at tony.ly@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567 ext. 35071. For general inquiries, please contact Brandon Yong at brandon.yong@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567 ext. 36689.

The Fall 2023 issue of the IST Newsletter is now available, according to a message from IST. "Learn about the new IT Services for Researchers site; get updates on the Endpoint Detection and Response, Learning Management System Review, and Digital Accessibility projects; register for upcoming IT training and information sessions; and more! Jump over to the IST Newsletter to learn more about what we’ve been up to this term."