Friday, December 20, 2024

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• Ho, ho, hold on just a little longer, folks - it's the last day before the holidays

• What's open and closed on campus over the holidays

• What to expect in the early days of 2025

• Professors Robert Mann and Guenter Scholz retire from Physics and Astronomy

• You're invited to Keeping Connected: An Evening of Indigenous Storytelling

• Thanking 2024's Daily Bulletin contributors

• A final word for a quiet time...what's that all about?

Ho, ho, hold on just a little longer, folks - it's the last day before the holidays

It's almost the most wonderful time of the year, off-campus and on. The examination period wound down yesterday, most students are going home for the holidays, and campus is about to settle in for a long winter's nap to close out 2024.

And what a year 2024 has been. A year of encampments, of economic uncertainty, of senior leadership change announcements, and changes to both smoking and parking on campus.

And while the University isn't burning bridges, it did close three of them, two temporarily—the bridge from CPH over University Avenue and the bridge between Mathematics 3 and Mathematics & Computer—and one permanently, the multilevel bridge between the Davis Centre and Math & Computer. These closures, however, were in service of the new buildings that the University broke ground on this year - a student residence on Parking Lot A and the long-awaited Math 4 building at the nexus of the Davis Centre, MC, and M3.

So, it’s the last day of work for most of us on campus. Here are the highlights:

For employees on the monthly pay cycle, today is payday, which should come in handy for those of us doing last-minute Christmas shopping. Employees on the biweekly pay schedule were paid on Friday, December 13. For a sneak peak at 2025's pay dates, whether you're paid biweekly or monthly, check out the Human Resources website.

Library locations were on extended exam hours until Thursday, December 19. Today, as well as Thursday, January 2, 2025 and Friday, January 3, 2025, the Library will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Library locations will be back to regular hours as of Saturday, January 4, 2025. Check the Library’s hours calendar for additional details.

Food Services operations are mostly shuttered, with Brubaker’s, DC Bytes, The Market at UWP, Tim Hortons – DC, Browser’s Café, CEIT Café, Chatime, Jugo Juice – CIF, Jugo Juice – SLC, Liquid Assets, ML’s Diner, Mudie’s, REVelation, Rolltation, South Side Marketplace, Starbucks HLTH, Tim Hortons – ML, Tim Hortons – EC5, and Tim Hortons – SCH already closed for the rest of the year.Check the locations and hours page for more details.

If you need a coffee on campus today, Starbucks – STC is open from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Tim Hortons – SLC is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The ECEC children’s program closes today at 11:30 a.m. and will re-open on Monday, January 6, 2025 with regular hours. 

The Waterloo location of the Waterloo Eye Institute (Unit C, 419 Phillip St.) closes at 1:00 p.m. today and reopens at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

The Kitchener location of the Waterloo Eye Institute (10B Victoria St S) closes at 3:00 p.m. today and reopens at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

Print + Retail Solutions outlets are open today for normal operating hours.

Athletics facilities are open today.

Campus Housing holiday hours can be found on the Campus Housing contacts and hours website. 

The Campus Housing Office in REV South closed at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 19 and will re-open at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

Front Desks at MKV, REV, UWP and V1 will close after 10:00 a.m. today. The CLV Front Desk will remain open until midnight on Friday, December 20 and will have the following modified holiday hours starting Saturday, December 21:

• Open December 21, 22, 23, 29, and 31 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
• Closed December 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 30.

Central Stores is closing at 4:00 p.m. today, and reopening on Thursday, January 2, 2025. Central Stores has been picking up items destined for Canada Post and processing them as usual to avoid a backlog.

Campus Wellness will close today at 4:00 p.m. until Wednesday January 1, 2025. “During the break, Campus Wellness phones and emails will not be monitored, and documents will not be processed,” says a note from Administrative Coordinator Victoria Alderson. “Should support be required over the holiday break, please visit our after-hours support page.”

“Please note for the holiday shutdown that due to winter weather conditions, utilities (especially electricity) may be affected,” says a memo from the Safety Office circulated to laboratory employees. “It is a general rule that all laboratory processes be designed to safely survive a service failure. During the holiday shutdown this is particularly important.”

The Safety Office has a handy Lab Temporary Shut-down Checklist for people preparing their labs for the shutdown. All lab operations should be suspended by Friday, December 20 at 4:00 p.m., resuming no earlier than Thursday, January 2, 2025.

If you do happen to have a lab incident:

• Report failures of equipment or physical plant to Plant Operations at x43793;
• If the lab or building has been without power, allow the lab exhaust systems to operate for at least 2 hours before entry to lab or building; and
• Contact the Safety Office or UW Spill Team through UW Special Constable Service at 519-888-4911 or x22222 if you need emergency assistance related to hazardous materials spills.

If you have any questions about preparing your lab for shutdown contact the Safety Office at ext. 35755.

The Centre in Needles Hall will be open until 4:30 p.m. today.

Special Constable Services will begin locking up campus buildings at 4:30 p.m. today. Buildings with electronic locks will be similarly shuttered. Acting Director of Special Constable Services Mike Becks would like to remind the campus community that all buildings will be locked during the holiday break.

What's open and closed on campus over the holidays

First, a reminder about a good piece of holiday news – in October the Provost announced that the University will be closed for an additional paid holiday on Monday, December 23. Employees who are required to work on this day will receive additional compensation in line with Policy 38 and relevant collective agreements. So the University’s holiday closure period will run from Saturday, December 21 to Wednesday, January 1, 2025, with operations resuming on Thursday, January 2, 2025. The co-op work term begins on Monday, January 6, 2025, with winter term classes and lectures also set to begin on Monday, January 6, 2025. Until then, here's what's going on, or in most cases, what's not going on: 

The School of Architecture, the School of Pharmacy, and the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business will follow the main campus's holiday shutdown.

Velocity’s Innovation Arena follows the University’s holiday closure schedule and will be closed to the public from Monday, December 23 to Wednesday, January 1, 2025.

As for Print + Retail Solutions, W Store SCH and W Print will be closed from Monday, December 23 to Wednesday, January 1, 2025.

W Store Essentials will be closed Friday, December 20 to Friday, January 3, 2025.

Athletics facilities will be closed from Saturday, December 21 to Wednesday, January 2, 2025. Check the facilities hours page for more details.

The School of Architecture’s Riverside Gallery is open to the general public on a modified schedule over the holidays:

• Monday, December 23 and Tuesday, December 24, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, December 25 and Thursday, December 26, closed
• Friday, December 27 to Tuesday, December 31, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, January 1, 2025, closed.
• Thursday, January 2, 2025, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

At United College, Watson's Eatery will be closed for regular service starting on Saturday, December 21 after breakfast service, which will run from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., and will re-open for regular service on Sunday, January 5, 2025 for dinner service.

“Quest will remain available during the holidays, subject to unplanned outages,” says a note from Information Systems & Technology (IST). “System issues arising after 4:30 p.m. on Friday, December 20 will be addressed after 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 2, 2025.”

Snow removal on the main campus over the holiday period will be limited, according to Dennis Araujo, Manager, Operations in Campus Serviceswithin Plant Operations. "Grounds staff will respond to snow events when deemed necessary," is the official word, priority areas such as the ring road take precedent and Grounds staff will be on call to do winter maintenance of emergency routes on campus when requested by either Special Constable Services or Central Plant.”

Plant Operations requests that pedestrians and campus travellers observe the signs marked on trails and other travel paths around the campus stating that there is no winter maintenance and that all use is at their own risk.

All parking lots will be open and free throughout the holidays, except for lot D under Needles Hall and the Early Childhood Education Centre (ECEC) lot at the Psychology, Anthropology, and Sociology (PAS) building. Gates to the lots around campus will be raised and open as of 4:00 p.m. on Friday, December 20 and will remain that way until 3:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

A major exception to the campus shutdown is the Student Life Centre. Scott Pearson, Facility Operations and Membership Manager of the SLC, writes that the building will be open throughout the holiday season, as always. The Turnkey Desk (519-888-4434) “will be staffed 24 hour a day with friendly Turnkeys to provide assistance to those who stay on campus,” says Pearson. The exception to the exception of course, is the Turnkey location in the Davis Centre, which will open on Monday, January 6.” 

"Only the Ring Road and Turnkey doors will be open during the holiday shutdown, however the building is open for student use, all other entrances will be exit-only,” Pearson writes. “This will start at 3:00 p.m. on Friday December 20 until 5:30 a.m. on Thursday January 2, 2025.” 

Most of the SLC's businesses will shut down entirely throughout the break including Lifetouch Photography, Tim Hortons, Brubakers, Flock Stop, Student Health Pharmacy and Campus Physio.  

CIBC will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on December 24 and 31. The branch is open on December 23, 27, and 30 for regular hours (9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) The branch is closed on December 25, 26 and January 1, 2025. Regular hours will return on Tuesday, January 2, 2025.

GO Transit will continue to service campus throughout the shutdown. Full ticketing and travel information is online or available at the Turnkey Desk. GO Transit will operate on a Saturday schedule on December 25, 26 and January 1, 2025. Service is free on the entire GO Transit system starting at 7:00 p.m. on December 31 until service ends for the day.  No ticket is required. 

Grand River Transit will continue to service campus throughout the shutdown.  For specific holiday schedules please visit GRT’s website. 

What to expect in the early days of 2025

With the winter term not kicking off until Monday, January 6, 2025, there will be a few more quiet days as employees return to campus in January for a short week that begins Thursday, January 2, 2025.

Regular CLV Front Desk hours will resume in the winter 2025 term at 8:00 a.m. on January 1, 2025.

Winter 2025 move-in for undergraduate students will begin at noon on January 2, 2025, and end on January 6, 2025. Graduate students can move into CLV as of 8:00 a.m. on January 1, 2025.  

Front Desks at MKV, REV, UWP and V1 will re-open on Thursday January 2, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. and will resume regular business hours. 

• The Front Desks at REV, UWP and V1 are open 24/7.
• The Front Desks at CLV and MKV are open 8:00 a.m. to midnight, daily.

The Physical Activities Complex and Columbia Icefield Arena reopen at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

Food Services operations will open in stages, with Mudie’s in Village 1 open on Thursday, January 2, 2025 from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Friday, January 3 and Saturday, January 4, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., The Market at UWP open on Friday, January 3 and Saturday, January 4, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., REVelation in Ron Eydt Village open Saturday, January 4, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The remaining food outlets will open on Monday, January 6, 2025, as students return to campus for the winter term.

Campus Wellness will open at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday January 2, 2025.

The Centre in Needles Hall will be open on Thursday, January 2, 2025 and Friday, January 3, 2025 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Regular hours commence on Monday, January 6 through Friday, January 10 – 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

IST Service Desks in the Davis Centre and Dana Porter libraries on Thursday, January 2, 2025 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Service desks will be available virtually from Thursday, January 2, 2025 onward from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and will resume regular operating hours across the board on Monday, January 6, 2025 from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The ECEC children's program will re-open on Monday, January 6, 2025 with regular hours.

Professors Robert Mann and Guenter Scholz retire from Physics and Astronomy

By Vanessa Parks. This article was originally published on the Faculty of Science news site.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is saying goodbye to two long-serving faculty members. Robert Mann and Guenter Scholz retire January 1. Both have been with the department for more than 37 years. To mark the occasion, Robb and Guenter reflect on their careers and time at Waterloo.

Robert Mann

What motivated you to pursue a career in academia, and how did you choose your specific field?

I have always liked learning about things, whether scientific, sociological, literary, or theological. When I first learned as a child that one could do this as a career, I thought, “that’s for me (if I can get such a job)!” I gravitated toward the sciences primarily because I like exploring questions that have definite answers. I particularly liked calculating, and so I moved into theoretical physics and mathematics. 

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during your career, and how did you navigate them?

One big challenge that I experienced was when I became chair. The department of Physics (soon to become Physics and Astronomy) was undergoing massive changes: large faculty vacancies due to retirements, the birth of Perimeter Institute and IQC, and the double-cohort year of 2003 when Grade 13 was eliminated. At times, I was dealing with half a dozen things at once. It was both exhilarating and exhausting! 

What was your most surprising research finding over your career?

One is that quantum entanglement — that mysterious feature of quantum mechanics that makes two things entwined when they would otherwise be distinct — is degraded by gravitational effects. Put simply, the behaviour of a quantum computer will notably change if gravity is strong (like near a black hole), modifying how quantum information can be used to do various things, like coding and communication.  

The other is that black holes behave like systems in a chemistry lab. Pretty much any chemical phenomenon — melting, freezing, superfluidity, polymer-type behaviour, and more — will happen to a black hole under the proper conditions.  In other words, once someone someday figures out how to put gravity and quantum physics together — the theory they get should tell us how we get this “black hole chemistry.”

Guenter Scholz

What motivated you to pursue a career in academia, and how did you choose your specific field?

I don’t think there was a particular motivation, other than I’ve always asked “how?” and “why?” This led me to university and then to academia as a career.

What are your plans after retirement, and are there any projects or interests you’re looking forward to pursuing?

I’m looking forward to following up on hobbies in electronics, specifically audio, as well as travelling with my wife to revisit neglected friends and neighbours in Canada and abroad. I also hope to stay active and involved by tutoring science courses. 

What achievements are you most proud of, both in your research and in your mentoring of students and colleagues?

In terms of my research, I’m most proud of the seminal work I did in the 70s regarding different aspects of a then-novel type of secondary battery cathode of layered transition metal dichalcogenides. These battery types have now become mainstream in various forms of the lithium-ion battery. I revisited this work in the 90s when inducing superconductivity in these same materials via room temperature electrolytic intercalation. 

I also hope to have inspired at least a few of the many thousands of students I’ve lectured, particularly those that were motivated to attend the 8:30 a.m. winter classes!

You're invited to Keeping Connected: An Evening of Indigenous Storytelling

A message from the Library.

The University of Waterloo Libraries invites you to a captivating evening of Indigenous storytelling on January 8 either in person or online with Bomgiizhik (Isaac Murdoch) of the Great Lakes and Goombine (Richard Scott-Moore) of the Southeast coast of Australia to our main campus. These fascinating storytellers will share traditional songs and stories, while highlighting the spirit and connections Indigenous people share across the globe.  

This event is open to all Waterloo students, employees, retirees, alumni and the local Indigenous and ally community. Please register to help us facilitate attendance. 

Thanking 2024’s Daily Bulletin contributors

Throughout 2024, I have had the privilege of working with many talented people across campus and beyond who have written material for the Daily Bulletin and who have helped keep the campus community informed about life at the University of Waterloo. 

Here is 2024's honour roll:

Tasbiha Ansari; Jean Becker; Kathy Becker; Jody Berringer; Emily Brant; Jenna Braun; Charlotte Danby; David DeVidi; Fram Dinshaw; Rachel Doherty; Michael Dorr; Jasmin English; Jennifer Ferguson; Jordan Flemming; Natasha Forth; Sarah Fullerton; Carrie Gabla; Jennifer Gillies; Vivek Goel; Naomi Grosman; Michelle Hollis; Karen Kawawada; Micaela Kelly; Nicola Kelly; Matthew King; Alex Kinsella; Scott Kline; Stephanie Longeway; Milana Madzarac; Val Maloney; Claire Mastrangelo; Darren McAlmont; Paul McGrath; Eleanor McMahon; Katie McQuaid; Christine McWebb; Ria Menon; Jiho Mercer; Vanessa Parks; Urja Patel; Emma Pavlovich; Joe Petrik; Harminder Phull; Mayuri Punithan; Chris Read; Jacinda Reitsma; Elizabeth Rogers; Melodie Roschman; Angela Rooke; Jim Rush; Angelica Marie Sanchez; Regina Ashna Singh; Kathy Smidt; Cameron Stirrup; Sean Thomas; Zoe Tipper; Sam Toman; Chantal Vallis; Kami Vaniea; Valerie Vaz; Zoey Wadsworth; Rebecca Wagner; Jack Weatherson; Hana Whatmough; Melanie Will; Becky Wroe; and Christie Zeb.

My apologies if I have missed giving someone a byline. In addition, I would like to thank communications staff in the Faculties, departments, academic support units, committees, and other organizations who have contributed material to the Daily Bulletin this year without credit.

At the end of the day, the Internal and Leadership Communications team is here to amplify the many voices on campus that contribute to the daily life of the University. We wouldn't be able to do it without you.

A final word for a quiet time...what's that all about?

Those of you who have been on campus for a while will recognize the poem that is placed in the Daily Bulletin sidebar every year, but those of you who are newer to campus might not know what it is or from whence it came. It is signed with the initials "CAR", the sign-off of the Daily Bulletin's founding editor Chris Redmond, who was at the helm of this publication from its inception in 1993 until November 2011, when yours truly took over editing duties.

Chris began publishing this poem, initially without a title, on the final Daily Bulletin of the working year in December 1993 and made it an annual occurrence - the last Daily Bulletin of December would feature the poem, which was given the title "A final word for a quiet time" in 2006. So it's one of the Daily Bulletin's oldest traditions - predating the Link of the Day, the When and Where listing, and just about every other idiosyncrasy that's crept into the website's DNA over the last 31 years.

In December 2011, my first end-of-the-year as editor, I paired the poem with a sketch of a University of Waterloo candle created by campus artist Frank Esch, and continued the tradition every December thereafter.

I think the poem's message still resonates after more than three decades - this season, whether it's sacred or secular, whether it's a time for family, friends, food, or a final sigh of reflection and relaxation as the year comes to a close, is many things to many people, but however we mark the season, we mark it as members of a community. For my part, I'll enjoy a snifter of port at Christmas and think of all of you as I do so.

And so, as we turn the page on 2024, one last piece of poetry, albeit paraphrased: a thank-you to all, and to all a good night.