Tuesday, May 19, 2026

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• Take the scenic route to campus this spring
• The clock is ticking — UWaterloo Giving Day is only 48 hours away!
• Scholarship, endowment honour the legacies of Nancy-Lou and Palmer Patterson
• Notes on a Tuesday

Take the scenic route to campus this spring

A message from Sustainable Transportation. 

Though winter continues to make encore appearances, spring is officially here: and with it, the chance to enjoy more time outdoors. You might have considered trying an active mode of transportation to get to campus but have a lot of concerns and questions. We’re here to support you! 

Main campus is located right along the Laurel Trail, which is part of the Trans-Canada trail and a scenic and accessible route for commuting or recreation. Many people who travel by bike to campus appreciate the chance to explore the surrounding area. You can find nearby on-road and off-road cycling and walking routes easily using Google Maps or Apple Maps – just toggle on the walking/cycling icons instead of driving to plan your route. The City of Waterloo has lots of helpful resources to help you learn to ride confidently. 

If you’re biking to campus, there are many open-air free bike racks available, as well as secure paid bike parking options like our bike room, bike cage, and bike lockers. To deter theft, learn the proper steps to lock your bike and register your bike for free with Project 529, a global bike registration and recovery program now active in Waterloo Region. Registration helps Waterloo Region Police Services better locate your bike if stolen. You can enhance your security by putting a free, QR-coded shield on your bike. Pick one up by visiting the WUSA Bike Centre (SLC) or Special Constable Services (COM) with your bike or contact us. Learn more at one of our upcoming registration rallies. 

Another riding option is the Neuron e-scooters and e-bikes which have returned to the Region. Get started by downloading the Neuron app and creating an account with your Waterloo email address. Watch in the app for discounts specific to Waterloo employees and students coming soon. If you’re curious about cruising with Neuron, join us for employee demo days on the Laurel Trail by east campus on May 20 and 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. No experience needed, just hop on and glide (we’ll help you get rolling)!

Traveling by public transit can help you avoid the hassle of navigating traffic and give you some down time to study or enjoy the view. As part of the University’s TravelWise membership, Waterloo employees receive 15 per cent off both Monthly Passes and Stored Value. You can use the GRT trip planner to help you plan your trip. As a hybrid option, you might choose to take your bike with you on public transit in the morning and bike home. Both GRT buses and the LRT can carry bikes, and some routes permit e-bikes. 

Trying something new doesn’t mean changing your routine. You might use a new mode of travel one day in the week, or even just once this month. No matter what route you choose, spending more time outdoors can improve your health and help you feel more connected to your community and surroundings. If you’re interested but have additional questions, let us know.

The clock is ticking — UWaterloo Giving Day is only 48 hours away!

A message from the Office of Advancement.

With just two days left in our UWaterloo Giving Day campaign, the energy is unmistakable.

From now until May 21, eligible gifts up to $1,000 can be doubled while funds last, meaning your generosity can spark even more possibilities for our students.

And if you’re looking for a sweet way to join the excitement, you can still order hand-crafted Giving Day cookies for your team or department, thanks to our amazing partners at Food Services. It’s a tasty way to spread the Giving Day message across campus.

Let’s make these final 48 hours count. Together, we can help launch ideas, strengthen learning and build what comes next at Waterloo. Every contribution helps move us forward.

Scholarship, endowment honour the legacies of Nancy-Lou and Palmer Patterson

Professors Nancy Lou Patterson and E. Palmer Patterson.

This article was originally published in the Faculty of Arts' "Arts & Letters" newsletter.

Francesca (Fanny) Patterson remembers playing in Laurel Creek as a child with her siblings when her parents worked on campus in the 1960s: “There were not so many geese then!” she recalls. Those parents were E. Palmer Patterson II and Nancy-Lou Patterson: two professors whose awe-inspiring energy wove important threads into the story of the brand-new University of Waterloo.

To help keep their work alive on Waterloo’s campus, last year Fanny established the Dr. E. Palmer Patterson II Graduate Scholarship in Indigenous Histories and endowed the longstanding Nancy-Lou Patterson Award for Works on Paper.

The Pattersons left Seattle for Waterloo when Palmer accepted a position teaching history at St. Jerome’s College in 1962. At Waterloo, Nancy-Lou quickly found her feet and in 1964, became the first curator of the Gallery of the Performing Arts in the Modern Languages Building; by 1968, she had founded Waterloo’s Department of Fine Arts. Shortly after, Palmer published the first comprehensive academic history of Indigenous peoples in Canada, and the following year Nancy-Lou published one of the first surveys of Indigenous art in Canada.

Fanny recalls her parents “endlessly discussing their work”: getting ready in the mornings, sharing lunch on campus. Both Pattersons cared deeply about social justice.

Palmer spent decades studying the Nisga’a Nation’s first contact with missionaries in British Columbia. He also wrote school textbooks on Indigenous histories and led a teach-in in protest of violence during the Biafran War. Nancy-Lou was a beloved mentor with a striking presence. Over the years, she taught the 100-level Introduction to World Art to thousands of students, ensuring that Fine Arts had an impact on the wider campus. She published on a wide range of subjects, including Mennonite art, Indigenous art and the Inklings. They retired together in 1992. In 1993, Nancy-Lou became the first woman to be granted the title Distinguished Professor Emerita at Waterloo. Today, her sacred and secular public works in stained-glass and fabric can still be seen all over Waterloo Region, including the stunning stained-glass windows in Conrad Grebel University College Chapel.

“Nancy Lou Patterson was my advisor, and because of her I went on to complete my fourth year and then to teachers’ college,” said George Turzanski (BA ’73). “It changed my life and I will be showing my appreciation by supporting the Fine Arts department."  

Fanny hopes the two awards can help to continue that legacy of changing lives by supporting the study of Indigenous histories and fine arts at Waterloo in the names of her two extraordinary parents. “You do it from love, and it feels like a present you can give them,” says Fanny. “It’s a way to celebrate and honour my parents by helping to continue the work they did. You put it out there, and then you get to have the fun of seeing what happens next.”

Notes on a Tuesday

A short week begins today, with Food Services operations, the Libraries, Athletics and Recreation facilities, and Print + Retail Solutions locations open as usual on campus. 

The Waterloo Climate Institute is inviting instructors to Take Teaching Outdoors! today from 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It's an immersive half-day interdisciplinary workshop that is designed for professors across disciplines that blends practical guidance with hands-on engagement, including a guided bus field trip to local sites. Participants will meet in the EV3 lobby.

The Velocity Innovation Open House takes place tonight from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the SLC's Black & Gold Room. Attendees will chat with representatives from Velocity and other groups including Math Innovation, Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, GreenHouse, Grebel Peace Incubator, Future Cities Institute, the Library, LBIH Black Innovation Hub and Socratica. 

Finally, a reminder that intramural registration closes today at 1:00 p.m.