Wednesday, May 6, 2026

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• Panel session on enhancing research impact in the policy arena planned for June 4
• Power the next era of transportation with the Future in Motion Network

• At 105 years old, Violet Sykes is still reaching for the stars

• Waterloo Centre for German Studies issues book prize shortlist

Panel session on enhancing research impact in the policy arena planned for June 4

A message from the Office of Research.

University of Waterloo faculty, staff, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows are invited to a panel session on enhancing research impact in the policy arena. The in-person panel session with researchers and government policy experts will explore how policy is created and influenced inside government with the intent of developing practical strategies to increase research uptake and impact in the policy sphere.

The session was organized to support Waterloo researchers interested in engaging with government and policymakers and mobilizing their knowledge in the public sphere. Topics to be discussed include how policy is created in government, what information (and in what from and when) is most useful for researchers to share in policy processes, and the best ways to engage policymakers to increase research uptake and impact.

The panelists are:

• Chris Derksen, Director, Climate Modelling Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada
• Blair Feltmate, Head of Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, University of Waterloo
• Chris Harold, Director, Primary Health Care, Ontario Ministry of Health
• Trevor Swerdfager, Practitioner in Residence, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo

The event will be held on Thursday, June 4, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. An informal networking session will follow the panel session. Please register by May 21 as seating is limited.

Power the next era of transportation with the Future in Motion Network

A message from the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics.

As the United Nations launches the Decade of Sustainable Transport, the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics invites researchers to join the Future in Motion (FIM) Network — a Global Futures Initiative created in partnership with the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research, the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy, and the Region of Waterloo.

FIM connects research, industry, and community partners to advance solutions for sustainable transportation. The network brings together five interdisciplinary working groups in workforce sustainability, materials and manufacturing, finance and governance, sustainable energy, and simulation and modelling technologies. Groups meet bi‑monthly and collaborate on new research initiatives, public webinars, a student competition, and other projects that can make a measurable impact on the transportation sector.

Want to get involved?

Faculty from across the University can register for the FIM Networkon the WISA website. New members will receive invitations to working group meetings and an in-person planning and update session in June.

Join the FIM Network today.

At 105 years old, Violet Sykes is still reaching for the stars

By Sharon McFarlane. This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

On April 30, residents of Luther Village on the Park stepped into the cosmos without leaving home. The retirement home hosted the Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics (WCA) to an afternoon that paired cutting-edge astrophysics with an immersive journey through space inside Waterloo’s portable planetarium, the Astro-Bubble.

The visit was sparked by an extraordinary milestone. Violet, a Luther Village resident, recently marked her 105th birthday. After visiting WCA in December 2025, she left with a deepened curiosity about the universe and a clear desire to keep learning. That curiosity became the catalyst for bringing the Centre’s outreach programming directly to her and her neighbours’ home.

The featured lecture was delivered by Avery Broderick, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. His talk, “Resolving the Lives of Black Holes,” offered a window into one of the most significant scientific achievements of recent years. Drawing on his work with the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration, Broderick shared how astronomers captured the first image of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way.

“It’s always very gratifying to engage with audiences that are excited about astronomy and astrophysics, and an honour to be able to participate in such an extraordinary milestone,” said Broderick.

The event drew a full audience, including residents, family members and some University of Waterloo retirees and alumni. The strong connection to the University was evident throughout the afternoon. “I was amazed by the many stories people shared about their connections to the University of Waterloo specifically and science more generally,” Broderick said.

Following the lecture, Broderick and Graham Murphy, Associate Dean of External Affairs in the Faculty of Science, presented Sykes with a signed photograph of Sagittarius A*. The image reflects the international effort behind the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT)and recognizes Sykes’s enthusiasm for astronomy.

Guests were also invited to experience the Astro-Bubble. The inflatable planetarium is part of WCA’s outreach program and has delivered more than 500 shows since launching in November 2022 to engage school-aged audiences throughout Ontario. At Luther Village, it offered residents the opportunity to explore the night sky, learn how astronomers study the universe, and observe galaxies, nebulae and black holes in an interactive setting.

“It was a fantastic experience to see the residents looking around at galaxies and black holes, asking questions, and taking in the incredible sights from our Universe,” said Roan Haggar, Outreach Coordinator with WCA. “It reminds us that the sense of wonder and discovery isn't unique to any group of people. It is something we can all take part in.”

Residents responded with enthusiasm and appreciation. Many shared that they had never experienced anything like the Astro-Bubble before. Others took time to speak with members of the Faculty of Science and the Science Advancement team, reflecting on their own connections to Waterloo and their interest in current research.

For Sykes, the event reflected a lifelong commitment to learning. “Never stop observing, learning and being curious,” she said. “It adds zest to your life, for all the days of your life, even at 105.”

The visit highlights the Faculty of Science’s commitment to outreach, community engagement and lifelong learning. It also demonstrates that curiosity about the universe continues to inspire across generations.

Learn more about Dr. Avery Broderick and his research, WCA and their community outreach programs including the Astro-bubble.

Waterloo Centre for German Studies issues book prize shortlist

A message from the Waterloo Centre for German Studies (WCGS).

The Waterloo Centre for German Studies (WCGS) is pleased to announce the shortlist for its annual Book Prize.  

Established in 2018, the WCGS Book Prize recognizes first-time authors whose scholarly work contributes substantially to our understanding of any aspect of German-speaking society. The prize foregrounds good writing, scholarly relevance, originality, and the ability to reach audiences beyond universities.

The variety and scope of the seven shortlisted books is a testament to the dynamic intellectual curiosity that is a hallmark of German studies. This is an academic discipline that explores diverse issues, questions, and ideas spanning and intersecting with other fields such as history, politics, literature, film, and cultural studies.

This year’s shortlist, celebrating books published in 2024, is another reminder of just how active and engaging German studies can be.  

The finalists are:

• Adam Bisno - Big Business and the Crisis of German Democracy. Liberalism and the Grand Hotels of Berlin, 1875 - 1933 (Cambridge University Press) 
• Stephanie Galasso - Genre, Race and the Production of Subjectivity in German Romanticism (Northwestern University Press) 
• Alice Goff - The God Behind the Marble. The Fate of Art in the German Aesthetic State (Chicago University Press) 
• Michelle Lynn Khan - Foreign in Two Homelands. Racism, Return Migration, and Turkish-German History (Cambridge University Press) 
• Katya Motyl - Embodied Histories. New Womanhood in Vienna, 1894-1934 (University of Chicago Press) 
• Douglas Pretsell - Urning. Queer Identity in the German Nineteenth Century (University of Toronto Press) 
• Johannes Wankhammer - Creatures of Attention. Aesthetics and the Subjects before Kant (Cornell University Press)

 The winner, who receives a CAD $3,000 prize, will be announced later this month.