Friday, November 1, 2024

Previous | Next

• Building Inclusive Research Capacity webinar will review the Decolonial Rs of Research
• Mathematics breaks ground for new building
• Save the date for the 2024 Hagey Lecture: Decoding meaning in Indigenous design
• Staff Association reveals new logo, welcomes new president and directors
• Halloween hijinks and other spooky segments

Building Inclusive Research Capacity webinar will review the Decolonial Rs of Research

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

The Indigenous Research Team is hosting The Decolonial “R’s” of Research: Principled Approaches to Engaging Indigenous Communities on Friday, November 29, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Indigenous communities often experience extractive research methods when they are approached by non-Indigenous scholars from western post-secondary institutions. While there has been a shift in understanding and research ‘best practices’ in recent years, it is also important to highlight that Indigenous scholars and community advocates have long championed a principled approach to working with Indigenous communities.

This presentation will cover highlights of deceptively simple concepts theorized by Indigenous scholars for community-engaged research projects—known as the “Decolonial “R’s” of Research”—and together, we will consider their expansive meanings and implications in a typical university-based research project lifecycle. 

Please registerto receive the Zoom link to participate.

Inclusive Research Resource Hub

The Hub is a resource library of important documents focused on EDI, Accessibility, and Indigenous Research to support the UWaterloo community as they integrate these considerations 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 created by the Indigenous Research Team: Building Respectful Research Relationships with Indigenous Communities.

Upcoming webinars:

• What is GBA+ Anyway? An Introduction, Monday, December 9, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Resources:

• Inclusive Resource Hub
• Our website

For more information or questions, please reach out to Indigenous.Research@uwaterloo.ca.

Mathematics breaks ground for new building

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

Donors, alumni, faculty, staff and students gathered on October 28 to celebrate the official groundbreaking for Mathematics 4 (M4), the new Faculty of Mathematics building that begins construction this fall.

The five-storey, 120,000 square foot building will serve as the heart of the mathematics district on campus, and include increased classroom space, labs and a cutting-edge eco-friendly server room, called the Green Room.

“As the University of Waterloo works to lead Canada in technological, social and environmental innovation, the Faculty of Mathematics will be an essential part of that work,” says Dr. Mark Giesbrecht, dean of the Faculty of Mathematics. “Mathematics 4 will advance green computing and the data revolution while empowering researchers and students in mathematics, computer science, data science and statistics.”

Dr. Vivek Goel connected M4 to the University’s larger Waterloo at 100 vision. “The facility will help Waterloo harness its expertise in technology to revolutionize health care, address the climate crisis, create a more equitable society, protect our data and privacy and drive economic prosperity,” he said. “M4 will bring together researchers from across the University and encourage new collaborations and synergies at the intersection of disciplines.” 

The crowd looked on as Goel, Giesbrecht, Dr. Mina Arashloo, assistant professor in the Cheriton School of Computer Science and Catherine Dong, a Math undergraduate student and member of Senate, scooped shovelfuls of dirt while wearing hard hats in the Faculty’s signature hot pink.

Read the full article on Waterloo News.

Save the date for the 2024 Hagey Lecture: Decoding meaning in Indigenous design

Join us on Tuesday, November 12 at 7:00 p.m. at Federation Hall for this year’s Hagey Lecture presented by Wanda Dalla Costa, AIA, FRAIC, LEED A.P., principal architect at TAWAW Architecture Collective Inc.

TAWAW is a design-research firm dedicated to advancing Indigenous architecture. Our current research centers on the meaning found in original structures – the tipi, hogan, longhouse or wigwam - which we have come to understand as a microcosm of a larger world. Each project we undertake, offers behavioral, social and ideological meanings, that we integrate into contemporary form. Our work is not about replicating traditional designs but about understanding the meanings they hold, to bring meanings forward, making culture visible, but also stable. Join us as we explore the work of encoding and decoding Indigenous environments.  

The Hagey Lectures is Waterloo's premier invitational public lecture series since 1970, hosted by the Faculty Association of University of Waterloo and co-sponsored by the University. Named after the University's first president, the Hagey Lectures are a free, annual series of lectures intended to challenge, stimulate, and enrich not only the faculty, staff, and students, and all members of the community.

Register now to get your free tickets!

Staff Association reveals new logo, welcomes new president and directors

A message from the University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA).

The UW Staff Association (UWSA) held its 2024 Annual Meeting on October 24 and released its 2024 Annual Report this week.

A meeting recap on the Association’s website features answers to questions received at the meeting and a summary of decisions and announcements—including the election of new president-elect Alyssa Kuron and directors Kosi Ike-Orji, Kenneth Berry, Gail Bender, and Matthew Grant.

Members heard from outgoing UWSA president Yessenia Guerrero about the association’s work over the past year, and from incoming president Lisa Habel about plans for the upcoming year and the Association’s new look, featuring a logo that represents its work amplifying staff voices, celebrating members, and helping staff grow and thrive. Lisa takes office November 1.

The UWSA Annual Report provides a look back on accomplishments and activities from 2023–24, membership data, member survey results, and more.

The UWSA represents all USG staff on campus and is funded by member dues. Find out about member benefits and how to join on the UWSA website.

Halloween hijinks and other spooky segments

"The Communications, Engagement and Digital Experience team in Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) communications carved a Warrior pumpkin," writes Lisa Brackenridge in CEE.

"The Math Undergraduate Office ran a “Trig or Treat” event open to all math undergraduate students including software engineering and CFM," writes Alison Zorian of the Faculty of Mathematics. "Students received a stamp card and a treat bag. The stamp card had a clue on the back that led them to a location in the math undergrad world (e.g. DC library, MUO, tutoring centre). At each station they received a stamp on their card and a treat. There were six stops. Students could bring their completed stamp back to the 3^rd floor and were entered into a draw to win a set of iPods and one of eight $25 Watcards. There was also a costume contest for those undergrad students who wished to participate that was judged by Gru and the Minions (a.k.a. Dean Mark Giesbrecht and some of the Dean of Math Office staff.)

Shifting gears slightly from spooks to sport, Warriors Basketball will be having their home opener games tonight against Carleton. The women's game is at 6:00 p.m. and the men's game is at 8:00 p.m. at Carl Totzke Court (PAC). The first 25 people to arrive will receive a Sweet Lou's Cookie coupon. In addition, RBC is bringing Three Point Thrills back - one lucky student could win tuition for a term. It's also Alumni Day and Camps and Minor League Day, so youth wearing their basketball jersey will receive free admission on-site (limited quantities available).

The School of Architecture is celebrating the 20th anniversary of opening the doors to its Cambridge location with a weekend filled with exciting events and activities, including:

• Arriscraft Canada Brick Speaker Series with Rosa Chang (BES '96, BARCH ’99), moderated by Camille Mitchell (MArch ’09, BArch ’06), Friday, November 1, 6:30 p.m.;
• a Community Day Open House on Saturday, November 2 that runs from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Both of these events are free and do not require registration.

In addition, the Ron Sims Purchase Prize Exhibition, 1987-2024 is on display in the School's Riverside Gallery, curated by Rick Andrighetti and Waterloo Architecture Retrospective Exhibition is also on display at the School of Architecture, curated by Professor Rick Haldenby and Professor Robert Jan van Pelt.

On Saturday, November 2, the School will host a 20^th Anniversary Evening Reception at 6:00 p.m. Limited space is available so please register in advance. The registration fee includes dinner and refreshments provided by the Cambridge Mill. Free parking is available onsite.