Wednesday, February 5, 2025

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• Learn how to engage with campus supports with the Accessibility Ally Network

• Rise of the Cobots: Velocity startup sees robots supporting human-centric health care

• New roles expand Indigenous wellness on campus

• No need to touch grass with new campus bridge and tunnel navigation app

• Wednesday's notes

Learn how to engage with campus supports with the Accessibility Ally Network

A message from the Campus Accessibility Team.

Staff and faculty are invited to join the first meeting of the Accessibility Ally Network to learn more about how they can engage with the Office of the Associate Provost, Campus Support and Accessibility.

As part of the Disability Affinity Program, the Accessibility Ally Network builds space for those with accessibility mandates or ambitions, academic areas of expertise, and/or lived experiences with disability to collaborate and exchange knowledge. Monthly, virtual meetings showcase educational presentations and campus projects to facilitate learning and collaboration.

The first meeting of the Accessibility Ally Network will occur on Tuesday, February 11, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and feature presentations from representatives of Campus Accessibility, AccessAbility Services, Employee Health and Accommodations, Conflict Management Office, and the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office. Following these presentations, a panel discussion will provide opportunity for Accessibility Ally Network members to ask questions about how these departments can support members’ in owning accessibility in their own environments and how we can all work together to advance a culture of accessibility.

Learn more about meeting times and register for the mailing list to receive virtual meeting links at Disability Affinity Program. Connect with the Campus Accessibility Team at aoda@uwaterloo.ca with any questions.

Rise of the Cobots: Velocity startup sees robots supporting human-centric health care

This is one of several articles featured in the 2025 Global Futures: Innovation Update.

Waterloo alumni Nima Zamani (BASc ’14, MASc ’18), Tim Lasswell (BASc ’14, MASc ’17) and John Van Leeuwen (BSc ’81) co-founded Cobionix and are on a mission to optimize health care through autonomous collaborative robots, or cobots.

The Velocity company are developing cobots that assist health-care professionals by automating routine and time-consuming tasks.

“Cobots, short for collaborative robots, are designed to work alongside humans in shared environments, enabling seamless collaboration and support,” Zamani says. “Health care is inherently human-centred, and our focus is on supporting professionals by handling repetitive tasks, allowing them to spend more time on critical patient care.”

Cobionix’s flagship cobot, Codi, is specifically designed for tele-assisted ultrasound procedures, helping to address labour shortages in the health-care system. “We want to ensure that even the smallest details enhance patient experience while delivering high-quality medical care,” Zamani explains.

This innovative solution seeks to provide a much-needed resource for overburdened health-care providers, especially in rural, remote or underserved areas. Better access to health-care services through automation reduces the need for patients to travel long distances for essential care.

With Codi, Cobionix is taking important steps to enhance health-care delivery, making quality care more accessible across Canada and beyond.

Read more on the Global Futures website

New roles help expand access to Indigenous wellness on campus

A message from Campus Wellness.

Campus Wellness is thrilled to welcome two remarkable individuals to the team: Dr. Sarah Connors, Indigenous Naturopath and Brad LeBarron, Indigenous Student Wellness Navigator.  Both Sarah and Brad bring unique perspectives and an unwavering commitment to enhancing well-being and advancing reconciliation on our campus. Their presence represents a meaningful step forward in creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for our students, and we are excited to see the positive impact they will undoubtedly have on our campus community. 

We invite you to join us in the Health Services building reception area on Monday, February 10, 2025, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. for a special celebration in their honour. The event will feature the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, drumming, and a heartfelt welcome speech. It’s an opportunity to come together as a community, honour Indigenous traditions, and show our support for Sarah, Brad, and the continued journey of reconciliation. Mark your calendars and register to join us!

Details about the services Dr. Sarah provides can be found on the Student Medical Clinic landing page.  

Students can book an appointment with Dr. Sarah by calling Campus Wellness at 519-888-4096 and selecting ‘1’ for Health Services, or by visiting the Health Services building to schedule at the reception counter. Dr. Sarah takes a holistic approach to health, addressing both mind and body through a diverse range of services, including acupuncture, botanical medicine, homeopathic and natural remedies, clinical nutrition support, healthy lifestyle counselling, and reiki therapy. Her personalized care empowers students to achieve overall well-being by integrating natural and preventive health strategies. More than just a healthcare provider, Dr. Sarah creates a safe and welcoming space where students can embrace their authentic selves and find the support they need. Appointments are available to all students within our community.

No need to touch grass with new campus bridge and tunnel navigation app

Travelling across campus this time of year is often a challenge what with the recent wintry weather, but now there’s a new way to get where you need to go without shivering in the cold.

Enter WATisGrass – an app that calculates and guides users along the shortest possible indoor path between two buildings. Created by Waterloo students Ricky Qin and Manasva Katyal, the app has received thousands of views since its launch last September.

Behind the scenes, WATisGrass utilizes existing campus bridge and tunnel connections (such as the SLC-MC bridge) along with Dijkstra's algorithm to model the University and compute an optimal route. In addition, users can also select their starting and ending floors.

“Most buildings have an entirely indoor path between them but in some cases (in particular, travelling between the south part to the rest of campus), such path does not exist and the algorithm minimizes the time spent outdoors instead,” says co-developer Ricky Qin.

Features such as building accessibility and location detection are currently in development.

Check out the mobile-friendly site or download the Android App.

Wednesday's notes

Soprano Elizabeth Lepock, one of the performers at today's concert.

The Noon Hour Concert series continues this week with Ariel: The imprisoned spirit flies free. Soprano Elizabeth Lepock, clarinetist Peter Shackleton, and pianist Anna Ronai will be performing Ariel: Five Poems of Sylvia Plath by Ned Rorem, Three Vocalises by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Sonata for Clarinet & Piano by Francis Poulenc. And in case you were wondering, no, this concert is not affiliated with Disney.

The concert takes place at 12 noon in the Conrad Grebel Chapel. Admission is free.

The Office of Research will be hosting a virtual Pivot-RP training session on Monday, February 10 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.via MS Teams. To attend, please fill out the registration form.

"This training session will go over how researchers can use Pivot-RP to find and track funding opportunities specific to their research needs," says a note from the Office of Research. "This session will be recorded and made available on UWaterloo’s Pivot-RP support page, except for the live Q&A session. If you can’t attend, please feel free to browse through the resources on our support page and stay tuned for notices of future training sessions."

Do you have personal items in need of repair? 4RepairKW is hosting weekly drop-in sessions this term on Tuesdays and Thursdays in E7 1401. The sessions are organized as follows:

• 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. - Building, Troubleshooting, and Repairing Computers and Computing Devices (desktops, SBCs, and SoCs); and
• 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. - General household items, small electrical items, and free access to a suite of tools for DIY repairs or projects.