Thursday, February 1, 2024

The importance of Black History Month

A message from Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor.

It is difficult to put into words what it is like to walk the path where enslaved people once tread as they were about to be shipped to the Americas, at the site of what was described as the “gate of no return.” 

Late last year, along with a small delegation from the University of Waterloo, we toured Cape Coast Castle on the Gold Coast of Ghana as part of a trip to Africa intended to build pan-African collaborations. The castle is one of dozens along the West African coast established by European traders as part of the Atlantic slave trade. Not only did we learn about the past, but it was a powerful reminder of the on-going impact of this history on our world. 

February is Black History Month. It is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate the achievements and contributions of Black Canadians and their communities to our country. It is also an opportunity to reflect on ways to eradicate systemic racism in our institution and beyond. In collaboration with the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism, we work with our community to advance anti-racism and equity through evidence-based policies, practices and programs.

We continue to respond to the recommendations from the President’s Anti-Racism Taskforce and make progress on programs and initiatives to support and foster an equitable environment at University of Waterloo. We put in place new student opportunity funds to eliminate some of the financial barriers for Black and Indigenous students. This summer, the University of Waterloo’s Anti-racism Unit will launch the Sankofa Pathways to University (SPU) program, open to Canadian Black youth. This 7-week university course is titled “Taking B(l)ack History,” and focuses on Blackness, Black history, and Black futures. Upon successful completion of the course, students will earn a transferable university half-credit (0.5). Ultimately, we seek to put in place the resources and systems to ensure our Black students, faculty and staff thrive.

I would like to recognize the Black Faculty and Staff Collective for their leadership and insights in supporting this work. Christopher Stuart Taylor, Associate Vice-President, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism, and his team have also played an integral role in making these changes a reality. Above all else, it takes collective action on the part of our entire community to make these important changes.

In May, the University of Waterloo will join Wilfred Laurier University in hosting the 2024 Inter-Institutional Forum of the Scarborough National Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education. Waterloo is one of 40 higher education institutions who are signatories of the Scarborough Charter. Through the Charter, we are honouring our commitment to making unbiased choices and being anti-racist in all aspects of our lives. We are taking coordinated actions to dismantle systems that perpetuate racial discrimination and build a more inclusive and equitable society.

Black History Month is only one month a year. While it is an opportunity to reflect on our successes in building a more inclusive and equitable institution, we must remember that our commitments to anti-racism and equity are year-round. 

Addressing our global future with expert thought leaders

By Angelica Marie Sanchez.

“The world continues to face compounding major crises, and education and research are essential to ensuring society is equipped to tackle these challenges head-on,” said Vivek Goel, University of Waterloo’s president and vice-chancellor, in his opening address at the Global Futures 2024 launch event on January 31. 

Waterloo researchers and entrepreneurs are committed to finding and addressing the world’s most pressing challenges with a multi-disciplinary approach. Goel added that in order to achieve this vision, we must start by thinking globally and acting locally. 

This kick-off event welcomed more than 300 Waterloo staff, faculty and students, with an exclusive first look at the Global Futures 2024 publication and the Research Talks series. Featuring Waterloo researchers and entrepreneurs and their impact on our economic, societal, technological, sustainable and health futures, and their expertise on the implications that these five futures have for research, teaching and engagement.  

“At the core of these five futures is a concern for the future of humanity,” Goel said. “The Global Futures, aligned to our academic and research strengths, will help us to focus and co-ordinate our work across disciplines and organizational boundaries.” 

The theme of intersection between the five futures and the impact researchers and entrepreneurs have on our complex future was top of mind for the panel of speakers and the audience at the launch event.  

Read the full story on Waterloo News

CEE hosts Black History Month panel discussion

A message from Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE).

This February, Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) will help drive meaningful discussions around actions, tactics and strategies to build career paths for Black talent. The unit is hosting the second annual panel discussion entitled “Building career paths for Black talent” on Thursday, February 15, from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. The virtual event will explore:  

• The career journey of Black talent;

• Actions to cultivate inclusion and development in the workplace; and

• Strategies to build an equitable path together.

The event will begin with a welcome message from Ross Johnston, executive director, Co-operative Education, and hosted by Colleen Phillips-Davis, associate director of equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism. Panelists include Charlotta Carter, CEO GRI Technology Solutions; Derrick Raphael, CEO and founder of ICON Talent and Naomie Seh Abomo, Waterloo Civil Engineering co-op student.  

Register today for this free virtual event.

NATO DIANA and IDeAS information webinar

A message from the Office of Research.

University of Waterloo faculty members and staff are invited to a webinar on Monday, February 5, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. with Philippe Hébert, Director General of R&D Innovation for Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), to learn more about the Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program and NATO DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic).

There will be time at the end of the presentation for questions and they are encouraged.

Please register to receive a link for the webinar.

University of Waterloo IQC researchers awarded $9 million in funding for quantum innovation

A message from the Institute for Quantum Computing.

Congratulations to Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) faculty members Dr. David Cory, Dr. Thomas Jennewein and Dr. Chris Wilson, who have each received approximately $3 million in funding for advancing their research into the real-world applications of quantum technology.

This award, funded by the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program, is intended to stimulate ideas critical to innovation and rapid development and deployment of quantum technologies. Of the six projects from across Canada selected for funding, half of them are led by IQC researchers.

Cory, also a professor in the University of Waterloo’s Department of Chemistry, has been awarded $2,980,789 for the project Quantum Enhanced Navigation, QuNav. This project aims to develop and deploy advanced navigational tools for GPS denied environments. It uses quantum engineering to achieve greater precision and reliability leading to compact tools for dead reckoning. The project is dual use with potential applications to aircraft and submarine navigation and may even advance robotic surgery and logistics. This project supports early adopters and quantum researchers working together and includes partnerships with Quantum Valley Ideas Lab, MSubs Ltd., and CAE Inc.

Jennewein’s project, Reliable and Agile Quantum Key Distribution Networks and Beyond, has been awarded $2,999,436 through the IDEaS program. Partnering with EvolutionQ Inc., University of Calgary, RHEA Inc., Université de Sherbrooke, Stratotegic Inc., and QEYnet Inc., this project will expand on Jennewein’s team’s experience with long distance photon QKD experiments like QEYSSat.

“Our project will advance techniques for quantum secure communication over a network with moving and variable links, which means the resource allocation has to constantly be changed and adapted,” says Jennewein, also a professor in Waterloo’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. “The protocols and methods developed in this project will be applied to a demonstration network, and also considered in the context of a future quantum internet.”

Wilson’s project, Microwave Quantum Radar, has received $3,000,000. Alongside Qubic Inc., Zero Point Cryogenics Inc., and Carleton University, the team is focused on advancing quantum sensing.

“The IDEaS program is a very unique opportunity to bring together academia and industry into joint projects where we can work collaboratively for an important goal,” said Wilson, also a professor in Waterloo’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “We are very excited to be part of this opportunity and also very excited about the team we will be working with to develop real world applications of quantum sensing.”

Read the full story on the Institute for Quantum Computing's website