The Daily Bulletin is published by Internal and Leadership Communications, part of University Communications
Contact us at bulletin@uwaterloo.ca
Submission guidelines
Working for scale: Students earn $700K in grants for lab-grown fish research
Kevin Shen (left) and Rikard Saqe (right) leveraging AI to analyze data sets in the lab.
By Sarah Fullerton. This is an excerpt of an article originally published on Waterloo News.
Two students from the faculties of Science and Mathematics are exploring new ways to bring cultivated seafood to the table. Kevin Shen (BCS ’24) and Rikard Saqe’s idea to apply computational modelling to understand how fish cells grow and transform, has earned them more than $700,000 in grants from the Good Food Institute (GFI), Mitacs and New Harvest to scale their research efforts.
Shen is a Master of Science (Biology) student and a recent graduate in the Computer Science program, while Saqe is completing his undergraduate studies in the Faculty of Mathematics with hopes of pursuing a Master of Science afterwards. Throughout their undergraduate degrees at Waterloo, the two students completed co-op placements where they used AI and machine learning techniques to analyze large data sets. Their shared skill sets and passions led them to pursue bioinformatics, a field where they could tackle the complex problems of animal welfare and food security. Shen and Saqeb elieve that applications of AI are just starting to be explored and they are eager to be involved in these efforts.
"Climate change and food security are two of the biggest challenges we face as a society,” Shen says. “Alternative proteins and cellular agriculture use far less land and water, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional meat products."
Their research is supported by grants and the guidance of Dr. Brian Dixon, a professor in the Department of Biology at Waterloo and a Canada Research Chair in Fish and Environmental Immunology, Dr. Brian Ingalls, a professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics, and Dr. Nguyen Vo (PhD ‘15), a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University. The students aim to establish a scientific basis that could contribute to the large-scale production of cultivated foods, specifically fish. These research goals were developed within the Waterloo Alt Protein Project design team, part of a global network of more than 60 student-led organizations supported by the GFI.
Read the full story on Waterloo News
Test of the campus emergency communication system scheduled for tomorrow
A message from Information Systems & Technology (IST).
Information Systems & Technology (IST) will be testing the University’s campus-wide emergency communication system on Wednesday, August 7 at 10:45 a.m.
What is the impact?
Emergency communication channels being tested include:
- Tweets to @UWaterloo and @WatSAFEapp;
- WatSAFE mobile app;
- The ‘WatSAFE Desktop Notification’ on-screen pop-up for desktops and laptops; and
- Portal alerts and push notifications.
Messaging
The message displayed will read “TEST of the UW Emergency Notification System. During an actual emergency or threat, you would receive instructions. No action is required.” More information regarding the emergency would be available at alert.uwaterloo.ca.
Approximately 15 minutes after the test activation message is sent, a deactivation message will display, “The test of the UW Emergency Notification System is complete.”
In the event of a real emergency during this test, please contact Police Services at 519-888-4911, or ext. 22222.
Be sure to install the WatSAFE app on your device and WatSAFE Desktop Notification tool on your desktop/laptop to receive this test message, and more importantly, to stay informed of campus emergency situations. Visit the WatSAFE website for more details.
Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk via the IST Help Portal.
WCC hiring grad peer tutors and other notes
"We’re hiring UWaterloo graduate students to join our dynamic peer tutor team at the Writing and Communication Centre (WCC)," says an announcement from the WCC. "WCC peer tutors coach their peers to meet a wide range of writing and communication goals during daytime appointments at the Write Spot (South Campus Hall 219) and the Dana Porter Library, and during evening online appointments from their home. All WCC tutors are trained to support peers by identifying areas of growth and next steps for an assignment or communication task. Students often return to work with peer tutors regularly and provide positive feedback about the many meaningful impacts on their academic progress."
Read the full posting and find out how to apply on the WCC"s Current Opportunities page.
GreenHouse reports that Social Innovators in Training is back. "Apply by August 12 to be part of our Fall term cohort," says a note from GreenHouse. "You will get the chance to be part of a team of innovators, and learn from experienced entrepreneurs to build your own venture or project."
New Faculty Teaching Days Spring 2024 are coming up from August 19 to 23, according to an announcement from the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE). "We are pleased to offer a range of workshops designed to build and enhance teaching skills and provide ongoing support to new faculty," says the note from CTE. Workshops take place in MC 2036.