Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Three Minute Thesis final competition today

With the faculty heats behind them, the finalists for the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) will compete today for the top Waterloo spot and the chance to represent our institution at the provincial finals.

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) final competition is being held this afternoon (Wednesday, March 20) from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Modern Languages Theatre of the Arts. The competition is open to the public, and attendees will have the opportunity to participate in the People's Choice award and vote for their favourite 3MT competitor using their smart device.

Winners will be announced at the competition after a short deliberation by the judges.

The 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) is a competition for research-based master’s and doctoral students at Waterloo. Competitors have 1 static slide and 3 minutes to explain the breadth and significance of their research to a non-specialist audience.

The first place winner receives a $1,000 prize and moves on to the provincial competition. The runner-up receives a $500 prize.

Celebrating ambitious students on National Co-op Week

This is an excerpt of an article originally published on Waterloo Stories.

March 18 to 22 is National Co-op and Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Week, and the University of Waterloo is celebrating its students’ experience-driven learning opportunities.

More than 22,000 students — approximately 55 per cent of Waterloo’s student population — are currently enrolled in co-op work terms. With the opportunity to develop professional skills by participating in four to six co-op terms, having access to a network of more than 7,000 employers and earning $33,000 to $90,000 — no one does co-op like the University of Waterloo.

Waterloo’s new EDGE program also supports students with real-world work experience. The experiential education certificate program allows Waterloo students in non-cooperative programs an opportunity to develop their professional skills, explore their career options and market themselves to employers.

During National Co-op and WIL week, students Aaron Buckle, Leah Drost and Amanda Truong are being recognized for their outstanding achievements and performance in the fields of experiential learning.

Leah Drost, Clinical Research Assistant

Leah Drost saw her first work term as an opportunity to step outside of her comfort zone. Having to learn new skills such as interacting with cancer patients and healthcare professionals, researching complex medical material and helping facilitate clinical trials were all new experiences for the health studies student.

“My very first day was very intimidating,” she says. “I was thrown right in to the role and I had to learn a lot — right away.”

In total, Drost ended up spending three work terms at the cancer clinic. The research she did on post-surgery radiotherapy for cancer that had spread to the bone was published in the Radiotherapy and Oncology medical journal. It also earned Drost the UWaterloo Faculty of Applied Health Sciences Co-op Student of the Year Award.

“I think my supervisor saw me as an investment,” she explains. “Both for my own future growth and for the growth of the research that we were doing.”

Drost insists that the responsibility she took on during her work term allowed her to achieve more than she expected.

Read the rest of the article on Waterloo Stories.

President's Accolades: going above and beyond

Each month, the Office of the President recognizes students, faculty, staff and alumni who go above and beyond. The President’s Accolades celebrate stories of dedication, passion and contribution from our University community.

Congratulations to the University of Waterloo community members currently being recognized from February:

• A team of School of Accounting and Finance students won the national EY Challenge in Toronto, besting all other teams from Canadian universities
• Three Waterloo graduate student researchers were named to the top entries of NSERC's Science, Action! Video contest
• A Waterloo eSports team placed 3rd out of 445 colleges and universities across North America in the Tespa Overwatch Collegiate Championships
• Arts alumnus Jessica Kuepfer has re-signed with Team New Balance to represent the athletic brand as a competitive tri-athlete.

Do you know of a member of the University of Waterloo community who stands out? Submit their story and it could be featured in a future edition of the President’s Accolades.

Nominations for next month’s edition are due by March 28.

Former Premier Dalton McGuinty gives campus keynote

The Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC3) is hosting a public lecture featuring former Premier of Ontario Dalton McGuinty today.

McGuinty, speaking in his current role as Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto School of Public Policy and Governance, as well as Carleton University’s School of Public Policy and Administration, will deliver an address entitled "Climate Change: Can We Win This? Be Honest."

"Our news is daily filled with reports of severe, weather-related events and disasters," says a note on the IC3 website. "Earth keeps getting warmer but the world remains cool to taking the necessary action to curb carbon emissions. Most of us now believe climate change is real. But shrinking denial has given way to growing despair. Can we win this fight? Honestly?"

McGuinty, a lawyer, served as Premier of Ontario, Canada from 2003 to 2013. During that time he led the Ontario Liberal Party to three successive election victories. Premier McGuinty established education, health care, the environment and the economy as his priorities.

Since leaving politics, he has actively pursued the study and teaching of leadership and is a champion of the strong foundational principles that today's leaders need to anchor them in the face of relentless change. 

McGuinty served as a Fellow at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and he is currently a Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto School of Public Policy and Governance, as well as Carleton University’s School of Public Policy and Administration. He is on the Board of Directors of Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. and Pomerleau Inc. He serves as Special Advisor to the CEO of D2L Corporation. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and Canadian University Dubai.

Heroic Minds live event and other midweek missives

A conference dealing with resilience, hope, and mental toughness will take place tonight at 7:00 p.m. in the Humanities Theatre.

“Redefining Toughness – Stories of Adversity, Resilience and Triumph” will feature Warriors hockey coach and mental health advocate Ben Fanelli, creator of the Heroic Minds podcast, which focuses on resilience in the face of adversity with an emphasis on sport. Six past guests from Fanelli’s podcast will share their stories in an open discussion with the audience.

The conference is free but registration is required. In addition, the event will be livestreamed.

Join author Christine Fader today from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the W Store | Course Materials + Supplies in South Campus Hall for an author event entitled "an Insider’s Guide to Getting into Medical School in Canada." Copies of Fader's book, Just What the Doctor Ordered, will be available for sale.

Have you had an experience with the Waterloo Content Management System (WCMS)? Then take a survey! The IST Web Development team is working on the next version of the WCMS (in Drupal 8) and is looking for your feedback to help inform prioritization of future development and enhancements. 

The survey should take 2-5 minutes and will be available until Friday, April 5 at 4:00 p.m. Participants will be required to log in with their WatIAM ID and password to access the survey.

Participation is voluntary and confidential. You can access the survey at https://uwaterloo.ca/web-resources/wcms-survey or visit the Web Resources website and click the “WCMS User Experience Survey” call to action button in sidebar of the home page. For any questions or concerns, please contact Tara Hillis, tara.hillis@uwaterloo.ca.

Here's today's Nutrition Month message from Health Services Dietitian Sandra Ace:

Today marks the tenth annual celebration of Dietitians Day in Canada. This day recognizes the hard work, commitment and expertise registered dietitians bring which helps to enhance health for Canadians of all ages. It’s also a good day to clarify myths about dietitians and what we do. One myth is that dietitians will tell you what to eat and what not to eat. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Dietitians provide tailored, practical advice so that our clients can gain the knowledge, skills and confidence to make their own food decisions in order to help them achieve their personal health goals. And we aren’t the “food police.” In fact dietitians enjoy all foods, even treats, and we help others learn how all foods can fit in a healthy eating pattern. Another misconception is that dietitians work mainly in hospitals and health care settings. While many do, dietitians are employed in diverse roles across many sectors, including industry, food services, government and, of course, in colleges and universities, including our own Faculty of Applied Health Sciences. 

I would also like to share a bit of information about our newest dietitian on campus, Nicole Pin, who is part of the UW Food Services team. Nicole’s primary focus is developing nutrition programming and promoting health and wellness for the student community. When she’s not on campus you’ll find her testing new recipes (and sharing them on Instagram!), hiking and travelling. For Nutrition Month, Nicole and the whole team at Food Services have been working hard to promote nutritious choices using a balanced plate. This campaign encourages the UW community to build their own healthy meal using a plate of ½ fruits and vegetables, ¼ grains and starches and ¼ protein. To learn more about balanced eating, check out UW Balanced Plate.

If you’re looking for additional food and nutrition information you can trust, UnlockFood.ca (formerly EatRightOntario.ca) is an award winning website with “expert guidance on everyday eating” brought to you by Dietitians of Canada. You’ll find tips, recipes, videos and interactive tools on a wide array of topics like budgeting, feeding infants and children, hearth health, digestion, food safety, food allergies, weight management, shopping and meal planning. You can also learn more about Nutrition Month 2019 or can find a registered dietitian if you are looking for someone who offers individual nutrition counselling.