Tuesday, April 22, 2025

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• Harnessing solar for research and community impact
• Transforming lives and communities through co-op
• Lectures in Catholic Experience welcomes New York Times bestselling author Greg Boyle
• Tuesday's notes

Harnessing solar for research and community impact

By Chantal Vallis. This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

Earth Day is recognized annually on April 22. This year’s theme, Our Power, Our Planet, invites everyone to unite behind renewable energy, to triple clean electricity by 2030. As people around the world celebrate the planet today and recommit to climate action, we pause to reflect on the ways the University of Waterloo is making advancements to improve energy literacy and conservation on campus.

Since its construction, solar panels have been a key feature of Environment 3 (EV3). When they were installed a decade ago, they produced 67,000 kW-hours per year, roughly the amount to power seven homes. It was one of several features that led to EV3 being recognized as the first LEED^® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certified building on an Ontario campus.

With support from a Canada Foundation for Innovation grant, additional solar panels and brand-new measurement equipment were installed this past year. It was part of a revitalization project that was overseen by Dr. Paul Parker and Dr. Ian Rowlands in the Faculty of Environment, and Dr. Costa Kapsis in the Faculty of Engineering. Now, this work is bringing fresh research opportunities to benefit both campus and community.

Enhancing energy literacy in our community

With the new measurement equipment up and running, Environment researchers and students are exploring how to use it to enhance energy literacy among EV3 occupants and visitors. A survey conducted by students in the course GEMCC 690: Climate Change Projects is gathering insights on what data might inspire sustainable behaviours. This work is not just theoretical—it’s paving the way for a planned interactive display in EV3 or a web-based tool that could help building users learn about energy production and consumption patterns.

“Depending on the time of day, the Ontario power grid is more or less carbon intensive,” explains Ian Rowlands, professor in the Faculty of Environment. “We are hoping an energy literacy project like this will help our building occupants and visitors think about their usage, like when they plug in their phone or laptop. If they are cognizant of those lower carbon times or solar production times, perhaps it will inform when they plug in.”

Enhancing energy efficiency

Where Environment is taking the lead on projects dealing with energy literacy, Engineering is looking at performance. The solar energy system at EV3 includes a decade-old rooftop canopy, an equally aged vertical façade array, and now a brand-new installation featuring bifacial solar panels. Unlike traditional panels, bifacial modules generate electricity not just from sunlight striking the front surface, but also from reflected sunlight that bounces off EV3’s white roof and hits the back of the panels, giving them an extra efficiency boost. This unique setup allows researchers to compare the performance of older systems with newer technology under real-world conditions. They're analyzing how the older panels have degraded over time – typically around half to one per cent loss per year – and observing how factors like snow, cloud cover, and seasonal sunlight angles affect electricity generation.

“The façade system often performs better in winter because it’s vertical, avoiding snow buildup and capturing low-angle sunlight. These insights help create more accurate models for predicting solar energy production, while also powering parts of the EV3 building. It's a powerful example of how campus infrastructure can support both sustainability and cutting-edge research,” Kapsis says.

By tackling both human behavior and improving the technical side of renewable energy, these research teams are advancing the energy transition that our society needs unequivocally. But time is of the essence. In Ontario we are witnessing an increased demand for electricity because of the growth of data centers and AI, the electrification of transportation and heating, but also because of an increased desire to attract new industry to Ontario. It's expected that demand for electricity will grow by 75 per cent over the next 25 years.

“To get a sustainable future, we need an energy transition,” says Rowlands. “Sustainable Development Goal 7 points us to how we can achieve that energy transition, which includes renewable energy, but also includes energy efficiency and energy conservation measures, as part of a portfolio approach.”

At the University of Waterloo, diversifying our energy supply with renewables is a cornerstone of our sustainability strategy. As we reflect on our power and our planet this Earth Day, this solar panel project serves as a reminder that renewable energy is not just a wise environmental choice – it’s an opportunity to innovate, educate and engage communities in shaping a sustainable future.

“Using our roof spaces as sources of low carbon electricity demonstrates to students and community partners that the energy transition is practical as well as possible,” the researchers say.

Transforming lives and communities through co-op

By Beth Bohnert, Office of Advancement. This is an excerpt of an article originally published on Waterloo News.

Students often dream of working in another country where they can explore a new culture while growing their skills. However, salaries for co-op positions abroad may not cover the costs of flights and housing, making these roles inaccessible for some students. 

Fortunately, Waterloo donors recognize the value of a work term abroad. Through gifts of all sizes, they are helping more students access international and non-profit opportunities they might not otherwise consider. The resulting co-op experiences can transform the lives of both students and the communities they work in.

Build tomorrow. Invest in co-op students. Amplify your impact on Giving Day!

In the winter 2025 term, University of Waterloo Math students Rewa Shukla and Bruce Wu worked in Thailand for Inclusive Education Foundation (InEd). The non-profit organization helps to provide access to education to nearly 200,000 migrant children whose families have fled violence and political instability in neighbouring Myanmar.

The need is pressing. More than half of all migrant children in Thailand don’t go to school, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. InEd works with families, youth and teachers in various ways, from helping families enrol their children in school to creating training and resources for migrant teachers. 

Funding from the Steele Family Foundation’s Change makers in co-op program made Bruce and Rewa’s work terms possible. The program enables the University’s co-operative education program to offer meaningful co-op opportunities with the Foundation’s partner organizations — non-profits like InEd that are eager for Waterloo talent but may not have the budget to hire. Thanks to the Foundation’s investment, Rewa and Bruce received financial support to develop their skills, explore careers in the non-profit sector and make a difference for hundreds of kids. 

Thanks to donor support, Waterloo Math students Rewa Shukla and Bruce Wu spent a rewarding co-op term helping improve access to education for migrant children in Thailand. Here, children are enrolling in school at a migrant learning centre.

Read the full article on Waterloo News.

Lectures in Catholic Experience welcomes New York Times bestselling author Father Greg Boyle

A message from St. Jerome's University.

On May 15, St. Jerome's University is honoured to welcome Father Gregory Boyle, SJ for the last Lectures in Catholic Experience of this academic year for a talk entitled “Cherished Belonging: The healing power of love in divided times.” Father Boyle, a Jesuit priest, has dedicated his life's work to gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry programs by creating Homeboy Industries - the most extensive program of its kind. In 2024, Boyle was awarded the United States’ highest civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for his work.

“St. Jerome’s University is proud to welcome Fr. Greg Boyle for the Lectures in Catholic Experience,” said Peter Meehan, president and vice-chancellor. “I know that his experiences from the communities he has served will offer us both insights and hopefulness as we look to build a more human and a more compassionate world.”

Fr. Boyle is the author of the 2010 New York Times-bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship (2017) and The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness (2021). His latest book, Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times(2024),  is the subject of his talk at St. Jerome's in May. He challenges us to embrace the roots of Christianity's origins as a way of life, not as a belief system, act with radical compassion and kindness in our everyday interactions with one another and recognize our collective obligation to people on the margins.

This free event will take place on St. Jerome's campus in the SJ2 Atrium Centre on Thursday, May 15, 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.

Tuesday's notes

The Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation (WICI) and the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience are co-hosting an event today entitled "Social Capital as a Catalyst for Place Transformation: Theoretical Frameworks and Practical Implications."

"This presentation explores how social capital can be harnessed to support place transformation," says the event website. "Despite its recognized importance, social capital remains poorly understood due to fragmented definitions and theories. By framing it as a form of capital, this talk presents a unified framework that clarifies how elements like trust, networks, and norms enable collective action. Drawing on examples such as walkable neighbourhoods, the presentation explores how social capital both drives and is reshaped by transformative initiatives. The implications for policy are significant, highlighting the need for context-sensitive strategies that enhance both individual and collective dimensions of social capital while avoiding simplistic assumptions that “more is always better.” Practical strategies are offered for building context-sensitive, effective social capital interventions to support lasting community change."

Delivering the presentation is Tristan Claridge, the Director of the Institute for Social Capital, a small independent research, consulting, and training organization working to advance the concept of social capital. 

The event takes place this morning from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Applied Health Sciences Expansion Building Room 1686 and online via Zoom.

"Staff and Faculty are invited to join the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism for an insightful presentation on the challenges and best practices for collecting and interpreting data about queer, trans, and non-binary communities," says a note from EDIRO, who has recently updated the event details to include the fact that it will be held both in person and online. "We’ll explore what constitutes "queer and trans" data, the issues associated with "straightwashing" and "ciswashing," and how to critically analyze survey and questionnaire results. Plus, we’ll share key recommendations for ensuring safety, anonymity, and confidentiality in data collection, storage, and reporting."

The event takes place on Wednesday, April 23 from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. in the EDI-R office on the second floor of EC5 and also online. "Register today! Bring your lunch and join this important conversation!"

The Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (CSFFA) has announced the finalists for the 2025 Aurora Awards, and included in the list is Theatres at Waterloo employee James David Nicoll.

Nicoll is nominated in the "Best Fan Writing and Publication" category for his long-running James Nicoll Reviews website.