Thursday, February 8, 2024

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• Shai Ben-David, Ian Goldberg named 2023 ACM Fellows
• Global Futures: Launching the future of secure communication
• Accessibility Workshop: Communications, Marketing and Events Invitation
• Office of Research hosting inclusive research webinar on February 27
• Apply for an International Research Partnership Grant by March 4

Shai Ben-David, Ian Goldberg named 2023 ACM Fellows

This is an excerpt of an article originally published on the Cheriton School of Computer Science website.

Professors Shai Ben-David and Ian Goldberg have been named 2023 ACM Fellows. The Association for Computing Machinery is recognizing Professor Ben-David for his contributions to and research leadership in machine learning theory, and Professor Goldberg for his contributions to the development and deployment of privacy enhancing technologies.

The Association for Computing Machinery is the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting computing educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field’s challenges. ACM Fellowships are conferred to the top one percent of the association’s members. This prestigious recognition indicates outstanding accomplishments in computing and information technology and exemplary service to ACM and the computing community.

This year the Association for Computing Machinery named 68 members across the globe as ACM Fellows for their wide-ranging and fundamental contributions in disciplines running the gamut of the computing field, including algorithm design, computer graphics, cybersecurity, energy-efficient computing, mobile computing, software analytics, and web search, to name a few. Fellows are nominated by their peers, with nominations reviewed by a distinguished selection committee.

“Congratulations to Shai and Ian on their being named ACM Fellows,” said Raouf Boutaba, Professor and Director of the Cheriton School of Computer Science. “Their recognitions are well deserved. Both are exceptional researchers whose pioneering and sustained contributions, mentorship of students, and service to the community have shaped and informed the direction of their respective fields within computer science.”

With Professors Ben-David and Goldberg’s nomination, 10 faculty members at the Cheriton School of Computer Science have been named ACM fellows. Previous recipients of this prestigious honour are Professors N. Asokan, Srinivasan Keshav, Ihab Ilyas, Ming Li, Jimmy Lin, J. Ian Munro, M. Tamer Özsu and Frank Tompa.

Read the rest of the article on the School of Computer Science website.

Global Futures: Launching the future of secure communication

In our increasingly digital and interconnected world, graduate students like Kimia Mohammadi constantly innovate to stay ahead of emerging security risks. She is part of a national team creating Canada’s first quantum satellite, currently scheduled for launch in 2025. The Quantum EncrYption and Science Satellite (QEYSSat) mission will be a demonstration of secure ground-to-space quantum communication.

“QEYSSat is a huge milestone for Canadian technology,” says Mohammadi, a PhD student in the University of Waterloo’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, and the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC). “It’s so satisfying to see my research play a role in the future of communication.”

Read how IQC research is supporting Canada’s first quantum satellite to protect tomorrow’s data/

Accessibility Workshop: Communications, Marketing and Events Invitation

A message from University Relations.

On March 4, all Waterloo communicators, event planners, and marketers are invited to join the half-day Accessibility Workshop.

Learn from accessibility visionary and inclusion leader, Sean Crump who will discuss the imperative for us to create more accessible and welcoming experiences within our work. Following his talk, you will hear from your Waterloo peers who will offer hands-on tactics and resources as we learn and grow together in this space of improving and implementing accessible best practices.

The workshop takes place on Monday March 4, 2024 at Federation Hall. Registration and networking begins at 8:30 a.m. with the keynote and workshop running from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 

Grounded in our core belief that we all belong, the University of Waterloo is committed to promoting equitable opportunities for all, including accessibility for persons with disabilities studying, visiting, and/or working at Waterloo. As a community, we value each other as individuals and strive to create conditions for everyone to flourish in the pursuit of excellence.

This workshop aims to provide an overview of inclusive communications, marketing, and event strategies. It is not comprehensive, but rather, it reflects our commitment to making positive progress on accessibility at Waterloo. We invite you to visit the Accessibility at Waterloo website for additional resources and training, and to view the University’s Multi-Year Accessibility Plan.

Office of Research hosting inclusive research webinar on February 27

A message from the Office of the Vice-President, Research and International.

The Inclusive Research Team is hosting Inclusive Research Tools: Identifying Barriers webinar on Tuesday, February 27 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

A question that often comes to the Inclusive Research Team from researchers is “what are the top three things I can do to embed EDI into my work?” Join us for this session which will help researchers understand potential barriers that may exist in their research program, project and/or teams and will provide ideas for concrete and tangible actions to address them. Please register hereto receive the Zoom link to participate.

About the Inclusive Research Resource Hub

The Hub is a resource library of important documents focused on EDI to support the UWaterloo community as they integrate EDI into their research designs and teams. The Hub was created as part of the Inclusive Research Team’s commitment to ongoing development and capacity building to support equitable and inclusive research practices.

This month’s feature highlights a resource from the Universite de Sherbrooke: Overview of Challenges Facing Designated and Marginalized Groups.

Upcoming Webinars

• The Foundation: Building Inclusive Research Teams on Thursday, April 18 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. 
• What is GBA+ Anyway?: An Introduction on Thursday,May 16 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

Apply for an International Research Partnership Grant by March 4

A message from the Office of Research.

International Research Partnership Grants are internal seed grants designed to provide Waterloo researchers with resources to develop new innovative international research collaborations (e.g., NSERC Alliance International Grants, NFRF International Grants, Horizon Europe Pillar 2 Grants). Collaborators can be from highly ranked institutions known for high-quality research or leading universities from low- or middle-income countries (LMIC). Projects must have potential for leveraging external funding from Canadian and international funding programs.

Read more about this funding and how to apply.