Tuesday, September 29, 2015

A Red Letter Day kicks off campaign for United Way

A message from the United Way campaign.

Today marks the launch of the University of Waterloo’s United Way campaign and we’re seeing red all across campus!

When you see red on campus today, share a photo on Twitter or Instagram with #UWUnitedWay.

Check your mailbox starting today for your pledge form and learn about all of the ways you can donate.

United Way fundraising events will be taking place throughout the month of October and we encourage you to check our events listing often to see all of the different ways you can participate in the campaign.

The goal of the month-long campaign is to raise $260,000 in support of the United Way of Kitchener Waterloo and area. 

Schlegel Chair shares strategies for managing nutritional vulnerability

Interested in learning about research that can improve the quality of life for older adults suffering from poor nutrition and food intake?

Schlegel Research Chair in Nutrition & Aging and Kinesiology Professor Heather Keller will discuss solutions for families in managing nutritional vulnerability by improving meal quality, mealtime experience, and meal access at the next lunch hour session of Research Talks on Friday, October 2.

Please register as seating is limited. Feel free to bring your lunch – light refreshments will be provided. 

Research Talks is hosted by the Office of Research to provide an opportunity for staff, students, and faculty, to learn more about research underway at Waterloo.

Professors join Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars

Three professors from the University of Waterloo are among the new members of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.

Members have reached a high level of achievement at an early stage of their careers. They represent the emerging generation of scholars and leaders in science and the arts in the country.

"The University of Waterloo is home to talented researchers making world-changing discoveries at all stages of their careers," said Feridun Hamdullahpur. "I am looking forward to seeing what these remarkable individuals achieve in the years to come and congratulate them on this tremendous honour."

The Waterloo researchers among the incoming members of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists are:

Karen E. Collins, Department of Drama and Speech Communication, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Arts

• Karen E. Collins has cemented her international reputation in the field of game sound studies. Her research into the affective and experiential impact of interactive sound and music in games, and her vital contributions to the technical enhancement of interactive audio has enabled a level of sophistication in game audio impossible only a few years ago. Collins’ research is not only advancing scholarship but also having a significant societal impact. She has participated in numerous industry collaborations, has published game-audio software, and holds a patent for hearing impaired-accessible gaming technology.

David Hammond, School of Public Health and Health Systems, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences

• David Hammond is one of the world’s preeminent experts in tobacco control and nutrition labelling. He has helped international governments shape and advance critical public health policies. In addition to preparing reports for the US Surgeon General and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Hammond has drafted guidelines for the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and testified at the European Parliament on the new tobacco products directive. He is among the top 10 most published authors in the field of tobacco control.

Zhou Wang, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering

• Zhou Wang is internationally recognized for groundbreaking work in perceptual image and video quality assessment and visual perception-based image and video processing, and is one of the most frequently cited authors in these areas.  His award-winning publications have received high numbers of citations by academic researchers and industrial practitioners, making him among the world’s most frequently cited authors in the field of image processing.  His paper on structural similarity (SSIM) method has led to a paradigm change in perceptual image quality assessment and processing.

There were 48 new members named last week. This year's induction ceremony will take place on November 27 in Victoria.

Students experience entrepreneurialism in South Korea

Five Waterloo students recently travelled to the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Seoul, South Korea for a one-week entrepreneurship conference and boot camp.

The Global Entrepreneurial Energy camp ran from August 17 to 21. Attending were Alex (Quan) Lin of Science, Samiya Hirji of Environment, Linna Zheng of Mathematics, Hong Yan of Engineering, and Rachel Thompson of Applied Health Sciences.

The Waterloo students joined 20 other conference delegates from KAIST, Denmark Technical University (DTU), Technion Israel Institute of Technology, and École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. Student attendees were drawn from undergraduate and graduate levels.

Funded by the Korean government, the conference featured several speakers, primarily CEOs from a number of industries across the energy and environmental sectors, including biotech. Other activities included lectures and company visits. The students were also mixed into groups and were asked to develop and present a product.

The five students were each awarded a $1,000 travel bursary to help with their travel costs.