Monday, February 12, 2024

A modern Bard's retelling of the Iliad

By Jiho Mercer. This article was originally published on the Music department's website.

On Wednesday, February 28, Chicago-based musician and Classics degree holder Joe Goodkin will be bringing the awe-inspiring tales of Ancient Greece to Conrad Grebel University College’s Noon Hour Concert Series. Performing as a modern-day Bard, Joe has previously toured the United States, performing his unique one-man folk opera retelling of Homer’s Odyssey. Now, Joe has moved his sights to Homer’s other epic: Iliad. Joe will perform a 17-song adaptation of the classic tale and transport his audience to the Ancient Greek battlefields filled with the horror, grief, and love of the Trojan War.  

In preparation for composing this retelling of the Iliad, Joe conducted multiple interviews with American war veterans to portray an accurate perception of the realities of war. Through these interviews, Joe’s version of Iliad sees war as a collection of short, quiet stories that are stitched together on the battlefield. “I felt closer to the characters, closer to being able to tell their stories truthfully,” he remarked. Joe has also performed at Veterans Affairs hospitals as part of recreational therapy for veterans experiencing PTSD and other war-related traumas. Sung from the perspective of Greek historical legends like Achilles, Joe will bring his insights of the realities of war to University of Waterloo Music students, UWaterloo faculty and staff, and other interested community members.  

Joe’s performance is part of the Noon Concert series offered by the UWaterloo Music Department at Conrad Grebel University College. The concerts are free to the public and present performances of local and international talent. Concerts take place on most Wednesdays, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., in Grebel’s Chapel from September to March, 140 Westmount Road North in Waterloo. This concert is produced together with UWaterloo’s Classical Studies Department. 

Read more on other upcoming Noon Hour Concerts.

Waterloo researcher recognized for promising osteoarthritis research

This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

Dr. Nikolas Knowles, a researcher in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, has received a Stars Career Development Award from Arthritis Society Canada in recognition of his research on improving early detection and treatment of shoulder osteoarthritis (OA).

The Stars Career Development Awards offer robust support for the early career progression of promising researchers in the arthritis community. The program rewards emerging academics with a three-year funding commitment of $375,000, matched with an additional three years of funding by the researcher’s host institution.

“Shoulder osteoarthritis is poorly understood, primarily due to the large variation in symptoms at early disease stages, and a lack of knowledge among biomechanical and imaging features across stages of the disease,” said Knowles.

“Recent advances in biomechanical and imaging technologies now allow for significant advancements to early disease characteristics that may allow for improved diagnosis and early treatment before reaching end-stage. My research will use these technologies and OA knowledge to provide strategies to significantly improve healthy pain-free years for individuals across the spectrum of shoulder OA, from at risk-populations, to those with established OA.”

Knowles, who joined the University in 2022, also received a grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) this past August.

Make a paw-sitive difference this Valentine's Day

By Rebecca Wagner.

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than by lending a helping paw to our furry friends?

Drop by United College for Bake for the Animals, a bake sale in support of the Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth and show your love for animals by picking up some delicious homemade goodies. Here's a sneak peek: gingersnaps, strawberry cream cheese pastries, cupcakes, and more!    

• Date: Wednesday, February 14, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (or until goodies last!)
• Location: United College (190 Westmount Road), front entrance

Items will also be collected from the KWSP Humane Society Donation Wishlist (i.e. pet food, litter, toys) and can be dropped off at the reception desk at United College until March 8.

Chapters of Change: Anti-racism & Conversations

A message from Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association.

Join us in a reading and conversation with professor and author Eternity Martis on her book They Said This Would Be Fun  on Wednesday, February 28 at 1:00 p.m. in the SLC Black & Gold room. They Said This Would Be Fun  is a powerful memoir that explores the author’s experiences as a Black woman navigating the predominantly white and privileged environment of a Canadian university in southwestern Ontario.   

They Said This Would Be Fun  has been named one of Indigo’s “Best Books of 2020,” and is an Audible and Apple pick for one of the “Best Audiobooks of 2020” and has recently won the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Non-Fiction.

Learn more about the event and RSVP. We look forward to seeing you there!