Monday, January 27, 2025

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• Join the Health Innovation Challenge with Velocity and Grand River Hospital
• Winter term resources from the Student Success Office
• Remembering Distinguished Professor Emeritus Jiří Čížek
• Monday's notes

Join the Health Innovation Challenge with Velocity and Grand River Hospital

A message from Velocity.

Ready to revolutionize healthcare? Join the Health Innovation Challenge, a dynamic 10-day experience where University of Waterloo students team up to tackle real-world healthcare challenges! Hosted by Velocity in partnership with the Grand River Hospital Foundation. There are $15,000 in cash prizes up for grabs.

The details

Who: All University of Waterloo students! No technical background needed!
What: A two-week challenge to flex your creativity and problem-solving skills  
When: February 3 to February 14
Why: Your ideas could redefine the future of healthcare innovation!

You don’t need a team and you don’t need technical expertise, but you do need a passion for problem-finding and solving. 

What’s in it for you?

Team up: Collaborate with fellow students to tackle real-world problems in 3 problem spaces:

• Streamlining Environmental Services (EVS) Operations: The hospital’s Environmental Services (EVS) team is seeking to enhance the efficiency and coordination of daily room cleaning and discharge operations to support improved patient flow and reduce delays.
• Innovating Patient Mobility Aids: Advancing Care for Bariatric Patients and Individuals with Fragile Skin Conditions - This challenge invites innovative solutions to improve mobility aids for bariatric patients and those with fragile skin conditions, addressing safety, comfort, and usability for both patients and caregivers.
• Enhancing Patient Education and Communication: The Grand River Regional Cancer Centre’s Health Literacy & Patient Education program aims to improve the quality of patient education materials and communication processes to enhance the overall patient experience.

Make friends: Connect with like-minded peers and grow your network.

Learn from the best: Gain insights and mentorship from healthcare industry experts across Ontario.

Innovate: Discover groundbreaking ways to solve pressing healthcare challenges.

How can you be part of it?

The kick-off event will be held on Monday, February 3 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the SCH Cafeteria.

Info and team formation session: Dive into the problem spaces, challenge schedule, prizing, and everything you need to get started.

Food and refreshments: Enjoy a light dinner while meeting your team and gearing up for the challenge!

Register now.

Winter term resources from the Student Success Office

Whether a student is new to campus, upper-year or working towards a graduate degree, they’ll benefit from accessing the Student Success Office’s (SSO) one-to-one support, workshops and on-demand resources. Here’s what’s available this term.

• If a student you know is struggling with time management, motivation, or study techniques, encourage them to attend Shift Happens: Adapting your Academic Strategy.
• Refer students to free drop-in tutoring for ECON 101 and CHEM 123/125, or to Tutor Connect for other courses
• Academic Student Support Day connects students with select Waterloo services. They’ll find our peer success coaches coaching there, among other important resources. 
• Just in time for midterms, the SSO and AccessAbility Services will co-host virtual Study Strategies and Test Taking Strategies workshops.
• Encourage students to get involved by registering for the Community Leadership Certificate.
• Students can always access resources at their own pace through the SSO website.

Remembering Distinguished Professor Emeritus Jiří Čížek

This article was originally published on the Faculty of Mathematics website.

We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Jiří Čížek, distinguished professor emeritus of applied mathematics, who died on December 24, 2024, in Toronto. He was 86.

Čížek was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czechia) on 24 August, 1938, to Václav Čížek and Jiřina Čížková, both physicians. An avid reader and mathematics student from an early age, by 17 Čížek had mastered algebra and calculus at the level of a university graduate. He began collaborating with lifelong mentor Jaroslav Koutecký in 1955, and published his first two papers with him in 1956, the same year Čížek graduated from high school.

That year he enrolled in the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University in Prague, researching kinetic currents and earning his master’s degree there in 1961. He then began doctoral research at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (now the J. Heyrovský Institute), graduating in 1965. His research into quantum chemistry and the many-body problem – particularly his proposed use of coupled-cluster methodology for the study of electronic correlation effects in atoms and molecules – laid the groundwork for numerous developments in quantum chemistry over the following decades.

Following the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion, he moved to Canada with his family and joined the University of Waterloo’s young Applied Mathematics department. He was cross-appointed to the Department of Chemistry in 1973, and throughout the years also served as an affiliate professor at the University of Florida in Gainesville and an adjunct professor at Charles University in Prague. At Waterloo, he supervised or co-supervised six M.Sc. and M.Math. and thirteen Ph.D. theses, and collaborated with numerous post-doctoral researchers, visiting scholars, and colleagues.

A globally recognized researcher in quantum chemistry, Čížek is most well-known for introducing Coupled Cluster Theory to describe electron correlation in atoms and molecules. He authored or co-authored more than 175 papers throughout his career, and received numerous prestigious awards including an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship and the Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist Award (1994).

“Jiří Čížek had an illustrious scientific career and was without doubt one of the giants of intellectual life in the history of Waterloo’s Department of Applied Mathematics,” says Hans De Sterck, chair of the Department of Applied Mathematics. “A number of my colleagues here in the department have known him as a great researcher, teacher, colleague, and friend, and he will be greatly missed.”

Čížek was a member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He retired from the University of Waterloo in 1996, receiving the title “Distinguished Professor Emeritus,” but continued for years in his work as an adjunct professor at Charles University.  

Čížek met his wife Ludamila Zamazalová while in graduate school. The pair married in 1963, and remained inseparable until her death in 2008. “Without her,” Čížek said, “I would finish very badly when I was young.” The couple had two children: Petr, a town and regional planner, and Katerina, an award-winning documentary filmmaker.

Čížek died on Christmas Eve, surrounded by family. His ashes will be interred at the family grave in Prague in a private service.

Senate meets today and other notes

The University's Senate meets today at 3:30 p.m. in NH 3407 and on Zoom. Among the agenda items:

• A motion to approve major modifications for plans in civil engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and mechanical and mechatronics engineering, effective May 1, 2025;
• A motion to approve major modifications to the Master of Development Practice Plan, effective May 1, 2025;
• A motion to approve a major modification for a new specialization plan in applied mathematics, effective September 1, 2025;
• A motion that Senate gives first reading to amendments to Senate Bylaws 1, 2, and 3 that deal with decoupling the Senate's governance year from the University's fiscal year;
• A motion that Senate approves amendments to Policy 33 - Ethical Behaviour that brings it into harmony with the provincial government's Bill 166 anti-racism/anti-hate directive;
• A motion to approve an amendment to the Constitution and By Laws of the Science Faculty Council and Assembly;
• A motion to approve Graduate Studies Academic Calendar changes, effective January 1, 2025; and
• A motion to approve the appointments for the Distinguished Teacher Awards and for the Amit & Meena Chakma Award for Exceptional Teaching by a Student committees.

Senate will also hear the Annual Report of the Office of the Vice-President, Research and International.

The motions and supporting documents can be found on the Secretariat's website.

The registration deadline for Map the System is coming up on Friday, January 31.

"The Map the System research competition is a great way to untangle a complex issue you care about and present the dynamics visually," says a note from co-ordinator Theresa Edge. "It can complement your current research, work or volunteering and you can participate individually or in teams (including at least one student or recent graduate). The research happens in February and March, followed by campus finals with cash prizes in April, national finals in Banff, and global finals in Oxford. Community partners are currently looking for teams to explore food security for international students, the decline of local media, justice system navigation for marginalized communities, barriers to academic success for newcomer elementary school students, and sustainable food options on campus. If any of these topics intrigue you or you have further questions, reach out to Campus Lead Jordan Li at mapthesystem@uwaterloo.ca."

Information Systems & Technology (IST) has published the latest in the Atlassian blog series entitled Create Confluence Whiteboards Directly from Your Jira Backlog.