Wednesday, November 13, 2019

AVP International re-appointed for three-year term

Ian Rowlands has been re-appointed as Associate Vice-President, International for a three-year term, effective January 1, 2021. He has held the role since 2016.

The announcement of his re-appointment was made by Charmaine Dean, Vice-President, Research and International. Since Professor Rowlands is taking a one-year sabbatical leave from January 1 to December 31, 2020, a search for an interim Associate Vice-President, International has begun.

In the announcement, Professor Dean described the valuable international perspectives Professor Rowlands provided during the development of Waterloo’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan and his role in implementing a high-level vision for international partnerships that has enhanced the University’s standing on a global scale.

Over the last three years, Professor Rowlands has raised the profile of internationalization in key areas of strategic importance to Waterloo by representing the University internationally and supporting inbound and outbound delegation visits. As leader of Waterloo International, he has promoted international collaborations and opportunities for faculty, staff, and students, guided the stewardship of international agreements, and managed Waterloo’s international travel safety and security programs.

As a professor in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, he spent two decades teaching and conducting research in the areas of energy policy, environmental governance, and corporate sustainability. He also served in various administrative roles over the years including two appointments as an Associate Dean.

Before joining Waterloo in 1998, Professor Rowlands was a researcher at the United Nations Collaborating Centre on Energy and Environment in Denmark (1996-97) and a lecturer in International Relations and Development Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science (1991-96). He was a Visiting Fellow at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute in Italy (2003) and held visiting positions at The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the UK Department for International Development (2010). His work has been published in many journals, and he has served on a number of national and international advisory boards.

Professor Rowlands holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of London (London School of Economics and Political Science) and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Science from the University of Toronto.

Exhibit considers life and death in the era of drones

The Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement will launch its latest Grebel Gallery exhibit, “The Cultural Life of Drones: KW Drone Dialogues” with a reception at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 14. Created by Sara Matthews, Associate Professor in Global Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, this exhibit explores the myriad of ways in which drones are embedded into our everyday lives, as well as our ideas about the kinds of life and death that drones make.

Matthews employs installation and documentary photography in this site-specific exhibition as a way of generating dialogue about the logistics and practices associated with drone technologies in the Waterloo region. “The intent,” says Matthews, “is to create a conversation about the ways in which drone technologies contribute to the making of culture and how these relations might be apprehended via an aesthetic lens.” This multimedia installation transcends the boundaries of traditional art, inviting community members to explore their assumptions about the use of drones.

Located in the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement at Conrad Grebel University College, the Grebel Gallery provides a space for artists and community members to craft, record, map, and perform stories of peacebuilding. The Centre itself serves as a hub for innovative peacebuilding organizations such as Project Ploughshares.

One of Ploughshares’ Senior Researchers, Branka Marijan, was interviewed for the exhibit, lending her expertise in military and security implications of emerging technologies to Matthews’ conceptual framing. “This exhibit empowers ordinary citizens to question the growing normalization of certain uses of drones, including surveillance and military applications,” says Marijan.

This exhibit will run until April 24, 2020.

Indigenous artists to perform Songs in the Key of Cree

A message from the Faculty of Arts.

The Indigenous Speakers Series invites you to a performance of acclaimed Cree playwright Tomson Highway’s Songs in the Key of Cree.

The cabaret-style performance is a compilation of songs written by Highway over the past 30 years and drawn from his many musicals including The (Post) Mistress and Rose. Captivating vocalist Patricia Cano will be joined by three musicians, including the virtouso fiddler player Nathan Halcrow from Cross Lake First Nation in northern Manitoba. The show also incorporates music and storytelling from Highway’s new full-length Cree musical, Lynx Lamour Goes to Nashville, which has been developed to support langauge revitalization work taking place in First Nations communities across the county. “The loss of language represents the loss of part of the world’s soul,” says Highway in a film that documents the project which will be screened as part of the November 19 event.

This performance is connected to the SSHRC-funded Faculty of Arts-based Indigenous language revitalization project Songs in the Key of Cree, which connects the Cree concepts of achimoowin, ayamoowin, and paapoowin (language, story-telling, and laughter). The project incorporates community-based research into the history of language loss and resurgence, and contributes to the development of multi-media language and cultural materials in partnership with the Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre, the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre, and the University of Waterloo. In May 2019, Professor Susan Roy and MA student Emma Smith of the Department of History joined Highway and the artists on the project’s tour to northern Manitoba First Nations communities. The tour offered performances as well as theatre and beadwork workshops with youth. Highway intiated the project to encourage Indigenous youth to use their language in any way they can.

"Indigenous languages are critically endangered throughout the world," says a statement from the event organizers. "This is more than a loss of words and laughter: Indigenous languages embody sets of relationships and ways of being in the world that are powerful, transformative, and sometimes very funny. The Songs in the Key of Cree performance highlights the global importance of Indigenous languages. Please join us for this engaging afternoon of song and the Cree language!"

The event takes place on Wednesday, November 19 at 4:00 p.m. in the Theatre of the Arts.

A 1DayStand Against Smoking on Campus and other notes

Did you know that while smoking rates have steadily decreased in Canada, they still remain highest among young adults compared to other age groups. The University of Waterloo Peer Health Educators will be hosting a 1DayStand display about a smoke-free campus in the SLC Marketplace area by Brubakers on Wednesday, November 13 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

"The 1DayStand challenges people to not smoke or vape cigarettes on campus for one day," says a note from the event organizers. "Students, staff, faculty and visitors can sign the pledge campaign to encourage University of Waterloo to adopt a 100 percent Smoke-Free Campus policy. A smoke-free campus benefits the entire campus community, by providing students, faculty, staff and visitors a healthier environment, a safer environment, and a decreased risk and exposure to secondhand smoke. Let’s continue to be a socially responsible community leader! Speak up, take action and help to make our campus smoke free." 

For more information, visit SmokeFreeCampus.ca.

And here's a friendly reminder from your Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association. "Our Stock the Bank Challenge began on Monday and runs until November 29. Departments have until November 18 to sign up! It’s not too late to round up your co-workers and accept the challenge. Food and monetary donations are awarded a point value, with the winning team taking home a $50 gift card to Sobey’s, the never-before-seen Golden Can, and of course, bragging rights! So, form your on-campus team today, choose your captain, and sign up now. Check out everything you need to know and share our event with your greatest competition."

Wondering who’s on that list so far?  

WUSA, Renison, Writing and Communication Centre, Co-operative Education (CEE) - Operations Team, Library, SSO, Clinical Psychology Graduate Program, Office of the President, Print + Retail Solutions, Math, Office of Research, Athletics and Recreation, Biology  

"The competition is fierce – and growing!" says WUSA. "Throw your department name in the ring and join the fun for a good cause."