Editor:
Brandon Sweet
University Communications
bulletin@uwaterloo.ca
Reminder: Download the new UWaterloo safety app
On October 1, 2024 the University’s current safety app, WatSAFE, will be decommissioned and replaced by a new, comprehensive Emergency Notification System provided by the company Regroup.
Download the new safety app – Regroup Mobile – now.
All members of the University community are asked to download the Regroup Mobile app in preparation for the transition to this new ENS tool. For instructions on how to download the app, and for recommended settings, please see this new Knowledge Base article.
Both Regroup Mobile and WatSAFE will be used until October 1, 2024. On October 1, the WatSAFE app will be retired and no longer in use, and Regroup Mobile will become the officially supported ENS app for campus.
Please email ens@uwaterloo.ca with any questions or concerns.
Remembering Larry Lamb, Waterloo's ecologist extraordinaire
With files from Gary Nyp.
Retiree Larry Lamb passed away on July 17.
Lamb joined the University of Waterloo in 1969 to run the fledgling Faculty of Environmental Studies’ ecology lab at the behest of Dr. Robert Dorney. He served as an ecologist and adjunct lecturer in Environment and Resources Studies. While working at the University he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Independent Studies.
Off-campus, Lamb led a one-man crusade to promote alternatives to the traditional water-guzzling lawn so popular in North America, calling it a “very boring monoculture” and “evil.” He was described as a “leading authority on the topic of zeriscaping or naturescaping, a low maintenance, drought-tolerant garden form that replaces standard grass with a variety of other species” and, more succinctly, as a “lawn contrarian.” He bought a home in Kitchener and cultivated a “residential prairie” backyard as an environmentally-sound alternative. He was also an advocate for the preservation of prairie grasses and other plants indigenous to southern Ontario.
Such was his notoriety that he was invited by Lady Bird Johnson, former first lady of the United States, to visit her Texas ranch to advise on prairie gardening.
On campus, he was instrumental in the creation of the expanded Dorney ecology garden outside the Environment buildings, that featured pink granite and gneiss boulders and plants from northern Ontario, and consulted on several landscaping projects across the University, including the East-West Garden at Renison University College.
Larry Lamb, at left, with a group of Environment students on a field trip.
As part of his instructor duties he organized field trips for Environment students all over North America. He also led efforts to transplant campus plant life that would otherwise be destroyed by construction projects to greener pastures.
He joined the University’s 25-year club in 1994. Lamb retired in 2009, though he continued to teach and serve the University community for many years.
He was founding director and past-president of the Canadian Wildflower Society, and in 1997 received the Canadian Wildflower Society’s Conservation Award.
In 2019 he was awarded the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Trust Lifetime Achievement Award. He was a lifetime honorary member of Waterloo Region Nature. He volunteered at rare, a charitable research reserve in Cambridge.
The Lawrence Lamb Collection, made up of rocks and minerals that Lamb picked up on his many nature walks, is on display in the Earth Sciences Museum.
Check out this tribute published in the Waterloo Region Record.
Thursday's notes
This is a reminder that the deadline to submit a proposal to the Fall People, Process and Projects (P3) Showcase is Friday, August 9. The annual event is billed as an "opportunity to learn more about how different departments use tools and methodologies to achieve the most efficient processes and outcomes."
The showcase will feature poster exhibits and poster flash talks, all centered around ideas and practices that contribute to continuous improvement, change management, and project management.
The 2024 P3 Showcase will take place in-person on Wednesday September 25.
Human Resources has added another position available to its weekly listing, as follows:
- Job ID# 2024–12253 - Research Project Coordinator - School of Environment, Enterprise and Development, USG 7
Link of the day
It's International Cat Day today, but isn't every day international cat day?
When and Where
The Student Health Pharmacy (located in the lower level of the Student Life Centre) is offering flu shots with no appointments needed daily from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Call 519-746-4500 or extension 33784 for more info. COVID shots will be available on appointment basis only. You can register online at studenthealthpharmacy.ca.
Warriors Youth Summer Camps. Basketball, Baseball, Football, Hockey, Multi-Sport and Volleyball. Register today!
WatITis 2024 call for proposals, Saturday, June 15 to Friday, August 23.
Final examination period, Friday, August 2 to Friday, August 16.
Deadline to submit a proposal to the Fall P3 Showcase, Friday, August 9.
Ontario Mennonite Music Camp, Sunday, August 11 to Friday, August 23.
Perseids Sky-watching Party and Lecture: 30,000 Years of Looking Up! with Dr. Liza Sazonova of the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics, Monday, August 12, 7:30 p.m., lecture in OPT 347 and meteor-watching on Columbia Lake fields from sunset. Registration requested.
Postdoctoral affairs update: Information session for staff and faculty, Tuesday, August 13, 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon, MS Teams.
NEW - WISE Public Lecture, “The problem is global, but must be solved local” by John Avdoulos, President and Chief Executive Officer, Essex Power, Tuesday, August 13, 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., W.G. Davis Computer Research Centre (DC), DC 1302., in-person and on Zoom. Register today!
Invasive Species Pull, Wednesday, August 14, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., DWE parking lot. Register today.
Retirement celebration for Sue Koebel, Wednesday,August 14, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., University Club. RSVP.
New Faculty Teaching Days Spring 2024, Monday, August 19 to Friday, August 23, MC 2036.
WICI Speaker Series: Embracing Complexity in Sustainability Transitions with Dr. Enayat Moallemi, Monday, August 19, 10:00. a.m. to 11:30 a.m., DC 1302.
Deadline to get "Fees Arranged,"Tuesday, August 20.
Knowledge Gathering and Sharing Consultation Sessions: an open session for employees who wish to remain anonymous or protect their identities (e.g., cameras off; pseudonyms used), Wednesday August 21, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., virtual, Register .
New Writing and Communication Support Services for Grad Students: Focus Groups, Wednesday, August 21, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., online.
Co-operative work term ends, Friday, August 23.
PhD oral defences
Civil & Environmental Engineering. Mohammad Sina Jahangir, "Deep Learning-Based Probabilistic Hierarchical Reconciliation for Hydrological and Water Resources Forecasting." Supervisor, Dr. John Quilty. Thesis available via SharePoint - email eng.phd@uwaterloo.ca to request a viewing link. Oral defence Tuesday, August 13, 12 noon, E2 2350.
Biology. Norman Tran, “Structural and Functional Characterization of a Modular Immunoglobulin A Protease from Thomasclavelia ramosa." Supervisor, Dr. Todd Holyoak. Thesis held without public disclosure. Oral defence Tuesday, August 13, 1:00 p.m., Biology 1 Building (B1) Room 266 and remote.
Chemical Engineering. Lukas Bauman, "Photopolymerization based 3D printing of thermo-responsive hydrogel precursors." Supervisor, Dr. Boxin Zhao. Thesis available via SharePoint - email eng.phd@uwaterloo.ca to request a viewing link. Oral defence Thursday, August 13, 1:00 p.m., E6 2022.
School of Pharmacy. Ai-Leng Foong-Reichert, “Professional regulation in healthcare: Exploring trends, predictors, and the disciplinary action process for health professionals in Canada." Supervisors, Dr. Kelly Grindrod, Dr. Sherilyn Houle. Please visit the Faculty of Science Thesis Submission Notices website for details on requesting a copy. Oral defence Wednesday, August 14, 9:00 a.m., Pharmacy Building (PHR) Room 7007 and remote.
Chemical Engineering. Lian Han, "Antimicrobial Nanocomposite Prepared from Functionalized Cellulose Nanocrystals." Supervisor, Dr. Michael Tam. Thesis available via SharePoint - email eng.phd@uwaterloo.ca to request a viewing link. Oral defence Wednesday, August 14, 9:00 a.m., QNC 3402.
Upcoming service interruptions
Stay up to date on service interruptions, campus construction, and other operational changes on the Plant Operations website. Upcoming service interruptions include:
- MC to QNC Pedestrian Bridge temporary closure, Monday, June 17 to Friday, September 27, no access to bridge between QNC to MC due to construction.
- School of Pharmacy, Integrated Health Building, Avril Building fire alarm testing, Friday, August 9, 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., fire alarm will sound, building evacuation not required.
- University Club, Bauer Warehouse fire alarm testing, Friday, August 9, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., fire alarm will sound, building evacuation not required.
- Douglas Wright Engineering, Rod Coutts Hall, South Campus Hall, Carl Pollock Hall, Graduate House fire alarm testing, Monday, August 12, 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., fire alarm will sound, building evacuation not required.
- Central Services Building, General Services Complex, Commissary fire alarm testing, Monday, August 12, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., fire alarm will sound, building evacuation not required.
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ESC building electrical shutdown, August 24, 6:00 a.m. for 14 hours, building will be closed, all power to ESC will be shut down, elevators will not be functional.