Thursday, December 5, 2024

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• Engineering to host remembrance ceremony tomorrow
• 10 years of Giving Tuesday impact!
• Turning evergreen dreams into reality
• Math professor wins AMS's Ciprian Foias Prize in Operator Theory
• Lectures in Catholic Experience presents A Muslim Theologian Teaching at a Catholic University
• Remembering Al Douglas and other notes

Engineering to host remembrance ceremony tomorrow

A message from the Faculty of Engineering.

Canada changed forever on December 6, 1989, when 14 women were murdered in a gender-based act of violence at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal.

To honour those women, the Faculty of Engineering will host a ceremony followed by a moment of silence observing Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on Friday, December 6.

We encourage everyone to come together with Engineering as a way to remember, reflect and respond while honouring those 14 women and everyone whose lives were forever changed by this tragic event.

The remembrance ceremony takes place Friday, December 6 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Engineering 7's second-floor event space.

Everyone is welcome to attend - please register.

10 years of Giving Tuesday impact!

A message from the Office of Advancement.

Thank you for being part of something incredible! This Giving Tuesday, we raised an amazing $126,000 thanks to 225 generous donors! It’s a reminder that when our UWaterloo community comes together, there’s nothing we can’t achieve.

With this latest Giving Tuesday campaign, we celebrate 10 years of donor-driven change across our campuses, and what a journey it’s been. Over the years, your Giving Tuesday gifts have transformed young lives, fueled discoveries and shaped the future. I can’t thank you enough for joining us on this journey. 

I hope our students, faculty and researchers can count on your continued support when we launch our first-ever UWaterloo Giving Day next May 15! We’ll share more information in the New Year, so watch your inbox and social media.

Turning evergreen dreams into reality

This is the latest story from Waterloo magazine's fall digital issue.

The Hope Christmas Tree Farm, founded by Rebecca and Dan Hope (BES ’97) is a cherished holiday destination. It is a place where families gather to select the perfect tree and create lasting memories.

But, behind this picturesque farm is a story of resilience, passion and a deep-rooted love for the land, embodied by its owners.

The idea of owning a Christmas tree farm was seeded during their university days. After helping at a farm in the Guelph area for a couple of seasons, they were inspired to create their own magical place where families could build memories. After starting a family, they took a leap of faith and bought a small farm. A decade later, they planted their first grove of trees and officially opened in 2020.

The Hope family demonstrates what it takes to build a haven of happiness, tradition and sustainability. Together, they have created a legacy that truly embodies the spirit of the season.

Explore their journey to create a farm that brings joy and sustainability to the holiday season in the Waterloo Magazine.

Math professor wins AMS's Ciprian Foias Prize in Operator Theory

This article was originally published on the Faculty of Mathematics news site.

Matthew Kennedy, a Professor in the Department of Pure Mathematics, has been awarded the 2025 Ciprian Foias Prize in Operator Theory by the American Mathematical Society (AMS). Kennedy has been honoured for his wide-ranging and innovative work on group C*-algebras, according to the citation.

His paper "An intrinsic characterization of C*-simplicity,” on which the award is based, is the culmination of earlier work in collaboration with Kalantar, Breuillard, and Ozawa. The methods introduced in this work, namely an operator-algebraic theory of boundaries, have subsequently found applications in the study of more general classes of C*-algebras and to dynamical systems.

"I am deeply honored to receive the 2025 Ciprian Foias Prize in Operator Theory," Kennedy says. "I am thankful to all of my collaborators, and especially to my good friend Mehrdad Kalantar."

Read the full article from the American Mathematical Society to learn more. 

Lectures in Catholic Experience presents A Muslim Theologian Teaching at a Catholic University

A message from St. Jerome's University.

On January 9, 2025, the Lectures in Catholic Experience at St. Jerome’s University will host Dr. Amir Hussain, a professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University, the Jesuit university in Los Angeles. His topic, “A Muslim Theologian Teaching at a Catholic University,” will draw on his experience and career at both public and private Catholic universities to highlight the connections between Islam and Christianity.

At a time of increasing polarization, disengagement, and disenchantment in both the Church and the world, this year’s theme for the Lectures in Catholic Experience, “Solidarity in a time of Solitudes,” Dr. Hussain’s lecture will demonstrate the potential of interfaith dialogue on university campuses. Dr. Carol Ann MacGregor, vice president academic and dean at St. Jerome’s notes, “Dr. Hussain is a highly regarded and dynamic speaker who frequently shares his scholarly expertise with public audiences. We are fortunate to have him back home in Canada speaking on this important and timely topic.”

Dr. Hussain has served as president of the American Academy of Religion in 2023 and was the editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion from 2011 to 2015. He was an advisor for the television series, “The Story of God” with Morgan Freeman, and regularly appears on the series, “Ancient Aliens, History’s Greatest Mysteries” with Laurence Fishburne, and “The UnXplained” with William Shatner. The author or editor of six books, he has also published over sixty book chapters and scholarly articles about religion. His most recent book "One God and Two Religions: Christians and Muslims as Neighbors," will be published by Fortress Press in February 2025. 

The free event will take place on St. Jerome's campus in Notre Dame Chapel on Thursday, January 9, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. and will be live streamed for people who cannot attend in person. Please register for the event, as space is limited.

Remembering Al Douglas and other notes

Waterloo retire Allan Douglas passed away on November 25. Al joined the University of Waterloo in March 2003 as an Electrician in Plant Operations and retired in September 2022.

"Al was an integral part of this institution for nearly two decades, bringing professionalism, knowledge, and passion that has impacted many of us, faculty and staff alike," writes Jason Ballantyne, Supervisor, Electrical Services in Plant Operations. "Throughout those years, Al was a consistent presence, offering support to colleagues."

He loved motorcycles and animals alike - former colleague Derik Arndt recalls he and Al sharing heartfelt stories about their miniature schnauzers.

Douglas retired in September 2022 after a 40-year career as a Master Electrician.

The Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute (CPI) is holding a public lecture today entitled Ontario's Bill 194 and Forthcoming Changes to Provincial Cybersecurity and AI Governance that will feature remarks by Christopher Parsons, Manager, Technology Policy at the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

"On May 13, 2024, the Ontario government tabled Bill 194, Strengthening Cyber Security and Building Trust in the Public Sector Act, 2024," says the talk's abstract. "Schedule 1 of the legislation would establish a series of regulation-making powers to govern cybersecurity, artificial intelligence technologies, and children's use of digital technologies. Schedule 2 would strengthen some privacy protections and modernize some of the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner’s (IPC) powers."

"This talk focuses on the cybersecurity and artificial intelligence elements of Bill 194. It begins by explaining the intent, and contents, of the legislation. It then turns to the key recommendations the IPC has raised concerning the legislation. The talk concludes by discussing how the legislation may be leveraged in the future to govern AI technologies and to enhance cybersecurity protections that protect Ontarians' personal information."

The lecture takes place from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in East Campus 5's Enterprise Theatre(EC5-1111).

The University of Waterloo Retirees Association (UWRA) holiday reception takes place today from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the BMH Health Expansion 2^nd floor lobby.