Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Nine extraordinary individuals to be honoured at Spring 2024 Convocation

This is an excerpt of an article originally published on Waterloo News.

The University of Waterloo is proud to award a new group of honorary doctorates, the highest honour conferred by the University, at this year’s spring convocation ceremony.

Honorary doctorates are presented to inspiring individuals who provide exceptional service or leadership and those who have made outstanding contributions to their discipline. This year’s recipients have made significant global and societal impact through their personal experiences and fields in computing, mathematics, science and environmental studies.

“Our new honorary doctorates are an inspiration to our graduates and our University community as we celebrate their achievements and impact in their respective fields," says Dr. Vivek Goel, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo. "They are trailblazers and trendsetters, and will undoubtedly inspire our new graduates to make a positive impact on the world.”

Learn more about this year’s honorary doctorates and their accomplishments below.

Vinton Cerf

Dr. Vinton Cerf is widely credited as one of the "fathers of the internet," having co-developed the original suite of TCP/IP protocols and the architecture of the internet. He also contributes to global policy development and currently works as chief internet evangelist at Google. Cerf has received numerous awards, including the Turing Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour of the United States. He has also received numerous honorary degrees from universities including ETH Zürich and Yale University, and fellowships of learned societies in his field. Cerf received his bachelor's degree from Stanford University, and his master's and PhD degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles. Cerf will deliver a Public Lecture on June 11 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Humanities Theatre. Learn more and register.

David Cornfield (BASc ’85) and Linda Archer Cornfield

David and Linda Archer Cornfield are passionate advocates for education who believe in supporting initiatives focused on finding solutions for global challenges. David, who hails from Toronto, holds a BASc in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo. Linda, a Cincinnati native, earned her BS in Applied Science from Miami University and an MS in Management from MIT Sloan School of Management. Following successful careers at Microsoft, they chose to pursue their shared interests of sailing, curling, travel, philanthropy and technology ventures. Dedicated environmentalists, the Cornfields work aims to find pragmatic, sustainable approaches to better stewardship of the earth.

Rick Hansen

Rick Hansen graduated from the University of British Columbia and was the first person with a physical disability to graduate with a degree in physical education. He is best known as the “Man in Motion” for undertaking an epic 26-month, 40,000 km journey around the world in his wheelchair. Hanson is also a three-time world champion, nine-time Pan Am gold medalist, and six-time Paralympic medalist. He is the founder of the Rick Hansen Foundation, an organization committed to creating an inclusive world where people with disabilities are living to their full potential. The Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ (RHFAC) is the only program that rates, certifies and showcases accessible building based on their level of meaningful access for persons with mobility, vision and hearing disabilities. To date, more than 1,350 sites across Canada have been rated through the program. Hansen will deliver a Public Lecture on building an inclusive and healthy world without barriers on June 10 from 7-9 p.m. Register to attend in-person or online.   

Read the full article on Waterloo News

1,000 days of WatSPEED

A message from Sanjeev Gill, Associate Vice-President, Innovation, and Executive Director of WatSPEED.

This spring marks a significant milestone for WatSPEED as we celebrate 1,000 days in operation. As we reflect on this journey, I’m very proud of what our team has accomplished in a short time, including the launch of new programs, enhanced partnerships with industry, government, and academia, reputational impact through events, and much more.

We couldn’t have done these things without your support. We’ve worked with every faculty, in some capacity, and many ASUs since our inception. I’m very grateful to our entire campus community for your collaboration. Together, we have extended the reach of the University of Waterloo to professionals and executives.

Thank you for being an integral part of our journey thus far. I look forward to forging new paths together in the next 1,000 days ahead.

To ensure our Waterloo community has access to bleeding edge programming at the intersection of business and technology, we are excited to announce that Waterloo staff can access up to a 50 per cent discount on select WatSPEED courses and programs by emailing watspeed@uwaterloo.ca. To learn more about WatSPEED programs and courses, please visit our website.

Read more about 1,000 days of WatSPEED.

Renison publishes A Road Map for Student Belonging report

A message from Renison University College.

Recently, the Renison Student Experience and Housing team embarked on a series of consultation sessions and conducted a feedback survey to gather input from students from equity-deserving communities on the topic of student belonging. This important work was initiated thanks to the Racialized Students of Renison (RSOR) collective who delivered an impactful student panel discussion event in March 2023. The voices identified many gaps within the Renison community, including the desire for more inclusion-focused community space.

We are delighted to publicly share the feedback received from student consultation through the report, “Renison: A road map for student belonging”.

The report outlines key action items that the Student Experience and Housing department will begin its work on implementing immediately in the days and weeks ahead, in partnership and support from many areas across Renison. Visit Renison: A road map for student belonging to learn about these action items and view the complete report. The extensive report also highlights key themes and impactful quotes shared by students from equity-deserving groups at Rension, including 2SLGBTQIA+ students, mature students, neurodivergent students, Black, Indigenous and Racialized (BIR) students, as well as international students and English language learners. 

Overall, the feedback underscores the importance of creating an inclusive and supportive environment at Renison that celebrates diversity, fosters connection, and provides resources and support for all students.

Staff can learn to build their own CRAP at air purifier workshop

With wildfire smoke expected to affect air quality this summer and COVID-19 infections anticipated to rise this fall, indoor air quality at work is a concern for many. In recognition of Clean Air Day, we invite you to take part in a hands-on workshop that will teach you to build your own Corsi-Rosenthal Air Purifier (CRAP) for use in your workplace.

Build your own CRAP! is a free workshop for University of Waterloo staff, with all supply costs covered by the Staff Excellence Fund in support of healthy workplace initiatives. Attendees will learn how to make their own energy-efficient and quiet air purifier using computer fans and furnace filters, and will also learn from experts about the science and engineering behind clean indoor air.

There will be two iterations of this workshop and the first one is happening June 19 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Tatham Centre room 2218.

Register now to secure your spot!

All equipment will be provided. Registration is supported by the UWSA, but any questions can be directed to the project lead Angela Rooke (a2rooke@uwaterloo.ca).

Vote to support Health faculty team in clinical cardiovascular study

 A message from Kinesiology and Health Sciences.

Kinesiology and Health Sciences Drs. Jason Au, Marina Mourtzakis and Sheereen Haris are the only Canadian team in competition for a CardieX Arterial Research Initiative, making their case for $100,000 worth of SphygmoCor arterial monitoring equipment.

Together they pitched an idea for a clinical study on the cardiovascular consequences of cancer treatment and recovery by women with breast cancer engaged in exercise training with the Centre for Community, Clinical and Applied Research Excellence (CCCARE).

Chemotherapy and radiation therapy during cancer treatment increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, which has become the leading cause of death in breast cancer survivors. The Kinesiology team’s project aims to determine the impact of a supervised 12-week individualized exercise training program focused on arterial health, proposing that exercise training can be used as a powerful way to improve outcomes during cancer treatment. 

Please consider voting for the project on the competition website (voting closes June 10) and sharing the details with your networks. For additional details about this study, read the proposal featured on the CardieX website.