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Building Inclusive Research Capacity webinar will review the Decolonial Rs of Research
A message from the Office of the Vice-President, Research and International.
Reminder: The Decolonial “R’s” of Research: Principled Approaches to Engaging Indigenous Communities webinar will take place on November 29th. Are you planning to attend?
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 register to receive the Zoom link to participate.
Inclusive Research Resource Hub Feature
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, 2024, Time: 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Please register to receive the Zoom link to participate.
Resources:
For more information or questions, please reach out to Indigenous.Research@uwaterloo.ca.
Orchestra@UWaterloo celebrates two decades of musical excellence
By Tasbiha Ansari. This article was originally published on the Conrad Grebel University College website.
“In 2004, when we started Orchestra@UWaterloo, we had a conductor, Erna Van Daele, and a concertmaster, new faculty member Romy Shioda, but really nothing else — no budget and no rehearsal space. Luckily, Catharine Scott, Associate Provost of Human Resources and Student Services, was willing to support me — a computer science prof with the unlikely ambition to manage an orchestra,” says Anna Lubiw, one of the professors who started Orchestra@UWaterloo.
Now, two decades later, the Orchestra is preparing for its 20th anniversary concert and has been part of the University of Waterloo Music Department, managed by Conrad Grebel University College, since 2017. “Our first open rehearsal at the Humanities Theatre in September 2004 attracted more than 100 players. There are so many extraordinarily talented people at the University of Waterloo for whom music is a passion but not their career,” says Lubiw. “Taking the orchestra from a wishful dream to reality depended on the support of many people. It was fun to interact with people from across the campus.” she said. “The orchestra was also incredibly hard work, and I remember transporting borrowed percussion to every rehearsal in the early years.”
“The Orchestra@UWaterloo began as an ensemble for students, staff and faculty from across the university to play orchestral music regardless of their discipline,” said Mark Vuorinen, Chair of the Music Department. Orchestra players get a 0.25 credit and are often from STEM subjects.
The current Conductor and Director of the Orchestra is Daniel Warren, who has conducted and played with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Canadian Chamber Ensemble. He is working with students to prepare a memorable anniversary concert which will include a piece the orchestra played during the very first inaugural concert, Academic Festival Overture by Brahms. “Brahms composed this piece when he was awarded an honorary doctorate in philosophy. He cleverly incorporated several popular university drinking songs into the composition. It sounds very beautiful, and students were laughing but maybe the professors weren’t,” says Warren. He also noted that “One of our studio instructors, Laurel Swindon, will be performing a concerto, which is something we don’t often do.”
Kavya Srinivasan (bottom right) plays the violin at the March 2024 orchestra concert.
“For the concert, we have five major pieces that we’re playing, of which, my favourite piece would be the one by Tchaikovsky,” says Kavya Srinivasan, third-year student and concertmaster (lead violinist). “Dan has been a big influence. He always makes a lot of jokes and tells stories about the pieces, which makes them a lot more relatable. It’s a really fun environment to be in, and I look forward to orchestra rehearsal every week.”
“We are grateful to the founders of the Orchestra, who, twenty years ago, had the foresight to create an ensemble that any member of the university community could be part of,” says Vuorinen. The Music department is also thankful to Associate Provost Chris Read for the support he gives to the Orchestra.
Community members are invited to the 20th Anniversary Concert of the Orchestra@UWaterloo, which will be held on Saturday, November 23, at Knox Presbyterian Church in Waterloo at 7:30 p.m.. Admission is free and the concert will feature: Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Overture, Verdi’s Overture to Nabucco, Smetana’s The Moldau, Reinecke’s Concerto for Flute, and Academic Festival Overture by Brahms.
Join staff and students to celebrate two decades of exceptional talent, dedication, and musical excellence.
Provost postdoc programs seek the next cohort of Scholars
A message from Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA).
The Provost’s Program for Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholars and the Provost Program for Black and Indigenous Postdoctoral Scholars are now accepting applications for the 2025 cohort!
The Provost’s Program for Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholars provides funding to emerging scholars who are prepared to engage in cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research at the University of Waterloo. The program aims to grow the culture of interdisciplinary research at the University and provide an opportunity for the next generation of researchers to solve global challenges through innovation that can only be achieved by approaches beyond disciplinary boundaries. Zachary McKendrick’s research exemplifies the innovative and boundary-crossing work that the program seeks to foster. McKendrick’s research is at the intersection of virtual reality, drama, and Human-Computer Interaction and provides unique opportunities to engage in hands-on projects across disparate domains. This results in enhanced collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving skills for a rapidly growing new medium. McKendrick’s research requires expertise from diverse fields, encouraging collaboration between researchers from the arts, engineering, computer science, and other disciplines.
The Provost’s Program for Black and Indigenous Scholars reduces barriers for Black and Indigenous scholars in a supportive environment that fosters inclusivity, a sense of belonging, and a culture of engagement. The program directly aligns with Waterloo’s strategic plan to build sustainable and diverse communities, specifically, the Program advances Indigenous initiatives and promotes a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusivity for all, improving the representation, participation, and engagement of equity-deserving groups within our community. Bobby Bigby, a current scholar in the program, focuses her research on Indigenous tourism. Bigby is interested in working alongside Indigenous and Tribal communities, including her own, to explore and document how tourism can be a vehicle for resurgence. This includes (re)connecting people to traditional culture, community, and Country (living lands, waters and non-human kin).
Each award in these programs is valued at $70,000 per year and a one-time research fund of $5,000. You can learn more about the research currently underway in these programs as well as information for applying on the Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs website. Applications are due December 2, 2024 by 9:00 a.m.
Friday's notes
Flags across campus have been lowered today to mark the death of Waterloo employee Jeff Lappin, who passed away on October 25. Lappin was Business/Systems Analyst in the Finance department and had worked at the University since 1982 in a variety of roles. Today would have been his 63rd birthday.
The Elements: Chamber Choir end-of-term concert takes place on Sunday, November 24 at 3:00 p.m.
The feature piece is a four-movement work by award winning Canadian composer Katarina Gimon called Elements. The movements are appropriately entitled Earth, Air, Fire and Water. There will also be works by Palestrina, Saint-Saens and Sydney Guillaume. This 30-voice choir is directed by Mark Vuorinen.
The concert will be held at St. John the Evangelist Church, 22 Water Street in Kitchener. Tickets are available at the door, $5 students/$10 general.
The Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) Society at Conrad Grebel University College is holding their annual Make a Difference (MAD) holiday market on Saturday, November 30.
The event is dedicated to supporting the youth served by oneRoof Charitable Organization by bringing together community members and local vendors to raise awareness and funds for youth in need. The event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will feature shopping, music, food and drink. There’s a suggested $2 donation at the door, but otherwise entry and parking will be free.
The Int'l Spouses group will be holding a Christmas Cookie Baking event on Monday, December 2 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Mackenzie King Village (MKV – East) residence kitchen in the Tutoring Room. Registration is required.
Int'l Spouses is a group for spouses/partners of UWaterloo international students, post-docs, visiting scholars, and faculty/staff.
Information Systems & Technology (IST) has published the latest post in the Atlassian blog series entitled Optimizing Incident Management Workflows in Jira Service Management.