Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Designing smart and climate-savvy cities at the next Research Talks

A message from the Office of Research.

How do you plan and finance smart and sustainable cities? How does land use and public transit play a role? And how can flooding be better managed?

These are the questions Waterloo researchers and local experts will explore at the next Research Talks – a panel discussion and public event examining smart infrastructure and sustainability.

The event will be held at the THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener on Monday, February 3 (6:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.). Following the session, attendees are welcome to chat with one of panelists and/or visit the newly opened exhibit, ALARM.

Please register to attend as seating is limited.

The panelists are:

• Kathy Bardswick (Canadian Institute for Climate Choices): Planning and financing smart and sustainable cities
• Jeff Casello (School of Planning): Land use and how transit facilitates compact urban development
• John Cicuttin (Region of Waterloo): Building a strategic network of connected transit
• Elizabeth English (School of Architecture): Amphibious housing for sustainable flood adaptation

Upon registering for Research Talks, attendees can choose to take part in the optional Ride the ION with a Researcher departing from the University campus. Research Talks panelist Jeff Casello will provide commentary enroute to THEMUSEUM via Waterloo’s new light rail transit system.

Research Talks is a regular series hosted by the Office of Research and supported by the Research Support Fund.

Interim Dean of Mathematics starts today

Professor Kevin Hare begins his term as interim dean of mathematics today.

Hare joined the University of Waterloo in 2004 in the department of Pure Mathematics, becoming full professor in 2015. He was Director for the Centre of Computational Mathematics from 2015 to 2017, and has held the role of Vice Dean for the Faculty of Mathematics from 2018 to the present. Professor Hare's areas of research focus include work in Number Theory and Fractal Geometry.

"Kevin is well-respected in the Faculty of Mathematics for his knowledge and collaborative approaches to working," the provost wrote in a memo circulated to campus on Friday, January 10. "He is well-positioned to continue the important work of the faculty."

Professor Hare will occupy the post for the period beginning January 21 to June 30 or until such time as a new dean is appointed through the search process already underway. Hare succeeded Professor Stephen Watt, who served as dean from 2015 to 2020.

Latin American Film Festival begins this week with free screenings

Still from Even the Rain which will open the Spanish and Latin American Film Festival. 

The Latin American Film Festival, which kicks off this week, is the result of a collaboration between the Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies, the Kitchener Public Library, and Pragda and the Spanish Film Club, and is sponsored by the Government of Spain. It explores the complex and oppressive shared heritage of the colonial experience in Latin America, and traces the historical evolution of the sociocultural forms created by colonial power. Each film offers a particular postcolonial critique of these power structures and examines alternative epistemologies that highlight the dynamic creativity of Latin America.

The following films will be screened with free admission during the festival:

1. Even the Rain  

When: Tuesday, January 21 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Kitchener Public Library, Main Branch, 85 Queen St.

2. Delicate Balance 

When: Wednesday, February 5 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Kitchener Public Library, Main Branch, 85 Queen St.

3. Neruda 

When: Wednesday, February 26 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Kitchener Public Library, Main Branch, 85 Queen St.

4. Post-Mortem 

When: Monday, March 9 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Kitchener Public Library, Main Branch, 85 Queen St.

5. Ruben Blades is not My Name  

When: Monday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Kitchener Public Library, Main Branch, 85 Queen St. 

The film Even the Rain opens the festival with an exploration of colonial exploitation that establishes direct links to present-day conflicts in a way that helps reduce the perceived historical distance of conquest, and more importantly its significance and influence in the globalizing present. The feature documentary Delicate Balance responds to some of the central tensions raised by Even the Rain and explores a politics organized around human life as its cardinal value. The filmmakers apply this Latin American perspective to non-Latin American cases showcasing the value of these ideas for making sense of global situations.

Films centered around the figures of Pablo Neruda (Neruda) and Rubén Blades (Ruben Blades is not my Name) showcase the creative power of Latin American artists in the face of their native realities, and finally, Post Mortem was selected to delve more deeply into the world of political violence in the Hispanic world and understand the social processes that societies deploy to cope with traumatic pasts.     

The Spanish Film Club series was made possible with the support of Pragda, and the Embassy of Spain in Washington DC, Spain-USA Foundation. Special thanks to the Secretary of State for Culture of Spain.

Each screening will be followed by a Q&A session led by Professor Mario Boido.

It’s not necessary to reserve a spot, but the Kitchener Public Library has a registration page where you can reserve tickets.