Wednesday, January 8, 2025

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• Undergraduate-graduate student team wins poster competition at fluid dynamics conference
• Cinematic theatre production opens the door to Cell 92
• Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy celebrates retirement of Jatin Nathwani
• Wednesday's notes

Undergraduate-graduate student team wins poster competition at fluid dynamics conference

This article was originally published on the Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering website.

Connor Pryce, a 4A MME student, won the Student Poster Competition at the 2024 American Physical Society’s Division of Fluid Dynamics (APS-DFD) conference, the largest international event in Fluid Mechanics—held in Salt Lake City, Utah.  

What makes this accomplishment even more significant is that Pryce, an undergraduate, beat out 161 submissions from graduate students across the world, including those from other prestigious institutions such as CalTech, Cambridge and MIT. 

“It’s a huge honour. I’m very grateful to have the opportunity and support from Dr. Zhao Pan,” says Pryce. 

The poster was based on a paper written by Pryce (as lead) and Lanyu Li, a 2nd year PhD student in the Pan Lab, as well as Dr. Jared Whitehead, a mathematician at Brigham Young University.  

The work started when Pryce took Dr. Pan’s ME 303 course on Advanced Engineering Mathematics and expressed interest in the topic. Then, Pryce started to work in the Pan Lab in the Summer of 2023. Dr. Pan showed Pryce an idea, and he got to work on it by reading a few papers and a PhD thesis. He had regular discussions with Dr. Pan and collaborated with Li to get data in order. Within two terms of working in the Pan Lab, Pryce finished the research and was able to publish in Experiments in Fluids, a leading journal in the field, due to Pryce's hard work.   

The work itself is very technical, and Pryce had the curiosity and the courage to learn advanced mathematics far beyond common engineering curriculum and to try and find a solution by thinking out of the box.  

Li expresses gratitude for the role he played in generating validation data for this research and is proud of the work they were able to complete, saying, “Winning the competition was a tremendous honour.” He also gives a shoutout to his lab and the recognition it brings to his team’s dedication and hard work. 

Dr. Pan is very proud of his students: “It is not common for undergraduate students to lead such technical research in my field, but with hard work and determination, Waterloo Engineering students like Connor can pull it off." 

Pryce proposed the primary algorithm, which he says “felt like the obvious way forward. The technique was simple in principle, and for what we were trying to accomplish, it seemed like a perfect fit.” 

“Within our group,” says Dr. Pan, “we call this method Pryce regularization. Pryce not only figured out this seemingly straightforward yet long-overlooked method that no one has done before when he was a 3B student but also mathematically proved when and why the method works. You usually don’t expect this level of heavy lifting from an undergraduate student.” 

It’s great to see continued innovation from our students and the passion they bring to their studies. This proves that you can do anything you set your mind to. Congratulations Connor, Lanyu, and team!   

Cinematic theatre production opens the door to Cell 92

Justin Poole portrays Dietrich Bonhoeffer in “Bonhoeffer: Cell 92,” during opening week at Eastern Mennonite University. (Photo by Jerry Holsopple)

Conrad Grebel University College is hosting a performance of Bonhoeffer: Cell 92, which is billed as a "cinematic theatre production" created by Jerry Holsopple and Justin Poole.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and theologian, was a leading spokesperson for the Confessing Church, the Protestant resistance to Hitler and National Socialism. He was eventually arrested and executed. In the eighty years since his death, his books have continued to be influential. In recent years, Bonhoeffer’s legacy has become polarized as people who support Donald Trump and those who oppose him, both claim this theologian as an inspiration for their views. This play focuses on the final period of Bonhoeffer’s life, and promises to be thought-provoking and inspiring.

"Much has been written about Bonhoeffer’s philosophical writings and life and much has been speculated about his involvement in the German opposition movement against Hitler and the Nazi regime," the creators write. "Using a variety of primary sources, including letters, diaries, and eye witness historical accounts, this play examines the tensions between Bonhoeffer’s pacifistic ideals and his moral obligation to protect the oppressed by engaging in conspiratorial activities. Although this is largely a biopic about an historical figure, audiences will see multiple parallels between Bonhoeffer’s time and our own."

Performances take place on Friday, January 10 and Saturday, January 11 in Conrad Grebel's Great Hall. General admission is $10, with students and seniors paying $5. Tickets are available online.

Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy celebrates retirement of Jatin Nathwani

A message from the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE).

Professor Jatin Nathwani, who is both the founding Executive Director of the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE) and a prominent faculty member with the department of Management Science and Engineering (MSCI) at the University of Waterloo, has spent his career focused on shaping the future of sustainable and affordable energy.

WISE recently celebrated the illustrious career and duly earned retirement of Professor Nathwani. A visionary leader and dedicated scholar, Dr. Nathwani's contributions have left an indelible mark on the academic community and beyond. His pioneering work, passion for sustainable and accessible energy solutions, and unwavering commitment to mentorship have inspired countless colleagues and students alike. The celebration served as a heartfelt tribute to his dedicated service, highlighting not only his professional achievements but also the many personal connections he cultivated throughout his career at Waterloo.

Jatin’s journey here at University of Waterloo has been exceptional. From the very beginning, his passion for clean and sustainable energy has been evident in his lectures, research, talks, and the multiple initiatives he has championed. Long before the world became fully aware of the urgent need for sustainable energy solutions, Jatin was already at the forefront, researching and advocating for a greener and accessible energy future. His forward-thinking leadership in energy transition, policy, and innovation has opened the door to pioneering research and transformative solutions.

As the Founding Executive Director of WISE and the inaugural Ontario Research Chair in Public Policy for Sustainable Energy, Jatin has led multiple research initiatives in the domain of clean and sustainable energy securing $40 million and developed numerous partnerships with key stakeholders both in the public and private sector. He launched the Affordable Energy for Humanity (AE4H) – A Global Change Initiative in September 2015, which has had a profound impact on both academia and industry around the world, through a global consortium of researchers and practitioners committed to ending energy poverty through the sustainable and accessible deployment of clean technologies.

At his retirement celebration, Professor Nathwani was presented with a plaque by Dr. Claudio Cañizares, the current Executive Director of WISE and the Hydro One Endowed Chair in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department, in recognition of his invaluable contributions to the field of energy. The award acknowledged his groundbreaking work, innovative research, and unwavering dedication to advancing sustainable and affordable energy solutions. The presentation of the plaque served as a fitting tribute to a career defined by excellence, passion, and many outstanding contributions.

Wednesday's notes

Speakers at the event include Dr. Laura Mae Lindo, Dr. Dax D’Orazio of the University of Guelph, and moderator Dr. Emmett Macfarlane.

There is still time to register for the next event in the Antagonism and Intimidation in Academia Speaker Series, "Freedom of Expression and Inclusive Engagement."

In this first event of 2025, panelists will explore the tensions between freedom of expression and protection from harm, and the antagonisms inherent in drawing expressive limits. "Discussion will focus on the possibility of having a principled approach and on how centres charged with doing equity, diversity, and anti-racism work can be empowered to help us better understand what rests at the core of an institution's duty of care," says a note from event organizers.

The event takes place on Thursday, January 16 in E7-2409 beginning at 3:00 p.m. with a reception to follow from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The event will take place in-person and online.

The Keeping Connected: An Evening of Indigenous Storytelling event takes place tonight from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in EC5 1111 and online.

Hosted by the Library, the event features two 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.

Today marks five years since the crash of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 in Iran on January 8, 2020. On a scheduled international passenger flight from Tehran to Kiev, the Boeing 737-800 was shot down by missiles by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) three minutes after takeoff from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport. Everyone on board the flight was killed.

Victims of the tragedy included members of the Waterloo community: PhD students Marzieh (Mari) Foroutan of the Faculty of Environment and Mansour Esnaashary Esfahani of the Faculty of Engineering, as well as Engineering alumnus Mojgan Daneshmand, her husband Pedram Moussavi, a former post-doctoral fellow in the Faculty of Engineering, and their children, and School of Optometry and Vision Science alumnus Dr. Neda Saddighi.

The University established the Mari Foroutan Memorial Graduate Scholarship and the Iranian Student Memorial Engineering Fund in memory of the victims.