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Student Success Office releases its 2019-2020 Year at a Glance report
A message from the Student Success Office (SSO).
Continually asking ourselves ‘what would this look like through the student lens?’ has resulted in the impactful and intentional evolution of Student Success Office (SSO) programs and strategies. We offer targeted programs and initiatives that transform the Waterloo student experience and we are excited to share the highlights of the 2019-2020 fiscal year in our first edition of our Year at a Glance report.
The insights from this fiscal year demonstrate Waterloo’s commitment to international students, student wellness, academic success, staff training, and the importance of building connections between the student and the campus community.
“This year was a milestone year for all of us, filled with successes and challenges that would not have been possible to achieve and navigate without the support of our campus partners,” said Pam Charbonneau, director of the SSO. “We appreciate the many ways our partnerships with the campus community have helped us to support students and create a positive student experience, and we look forward to continuing our collaborations in the coming year.”
From providing new undergraduate and graduate students with a strong transition to Waterloo and increasing the availability of immigration consulting appointments, to engaging the student body in the 2019 Student Communications Survey, the SSO is positively impacting the student experience at Waterloo.
The Tie that binds: a legendary pink tie reappears after three decades
This article was originally published on the Faculty of Mathematics website.
Almost as mysteriously as it disappeared 36 years ago, University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Mathematics’ giant 85-foot Pink Tie has made a return.
The unofficial symbol for the Faculty, the Pink Tie, first appeared outside the Mathematics and Computer Building, which was officially opened in 1968.
According to the Legend of the Pink Tie, it was the subject of sabotage and was eventually nicked in 1984 by an organization calling itself The Tie Liberation Organization.
“A gentleman reached out via our general info email address and said he found what appears to be a very large pink tie in his father’s basement,” says Rose Penner, business manager for the Mathematics Society. “His father, who lived in London, passed away, and he had no idea how long the Pink Tie had been in the basement.”
However, the email sender’s brother, speaking under terms of anonymity, provided a bit more clarity on how the Pink Tie ended up in his family’s possession.
“My time at Waterloo was in the mid- to late ’80s when the second and then the third Pink Ties were in use on the Math and Computer building,” read an email reply.
The second tie referenced in the email was a 40-foot by 11-foot replacement that was promptly purchased by the Mathematics Society after the first Pink Tie vanished. This second tie survived for less than two years before it was defaced with paint by a group dubbed ‘The Engineers’.
A third Pink Tie was put into use in 1989 and displayed on the MC building during the Faculty’s orientation week.
“The Engineers never lost interest in the tie, and had even successfully “tie-napped” the third Pink Tie,” the Waterloo alumnus reveals. “This time, rather than damaging it, they kept it entertained, bringing it to certain social events and sending notes every few weeks. After a couple of months, it was returned unharmed.”
Following the tie’s return, the Faculty of Mathematics students established a Tie Guard, which kept 24-hour watch during Orientation Week. The Tie Guard is now a permanent fixture every Orientation Week and has evolved into a central information point for incoming math students.
The third tie lasted more than 20 years until heavy rain and a windstorm destroyed it in 2010.
“It was during these years that I was contacted by an individual who had stored the original cloth Pink Tie from the early days,” the Waterloo alumnus further disclosed. “The damage to the tie, however, could not be repaired, and there were questions about whether the original tie could be preserved or should be cut into small souvenirs and handed out to students.
“Because preservation was in question, I held onto the tie at the time. It went into storage at my parents’ house, always intending to return it when conditions were favourable for preserving it as best possible. In the past couple of years, my brother became the best conduit to return the original tie to Waterloo.”
In 2011 the Faculty unveiled a fourth Pink Tie displayed in the Mathematics 3 building each Orientation Week.
The Faculty of Mathematics Orientation team intends to display the original Pink Tie and incorporate it into future orientation events. Students and alumni are encouraged to submit fun ideas of how they would like to see this done to mathorientation@uwaterloo.ca.
Students take on physics problems with first annual Schrodinger's Hack
Schrodinger's Hack founders Bethany Bouchard, Tim Whittaker, Anya Forestell and Jyler Menard.
It’s been a crazy-paced week for over 100 keen physics students who dove deep into the world of hacking to compete in the University's first annual Schrodinger’s Hack.
The free event which ran from October 23 to 30, was created by current Waterloo physics students Bethany Bouchard, Tim Whittaker, Anya Forestell and Jyler Menard. The team hoped to provide students with a fun opportunity to test problem solving skills and collaborate with others over a week-long physics project.
“Teams consisted of 2-4 members and competed on a physics related projected using programming, creativity and technical knowledge,” explains Bouchard, “teams were split between beginner and experienced to equal the playing field based on skill level.”
The hackathon was also a unique opportunity for more than students as planners hoped to encourage meaningful connections between industry and research leaders in physics with the students outside of the classroom environment. Companies that signed on as sponsors, guest speakers, mentors and judges included Perimeter Institute, D-Wave, TRIUMF, Riot Games, D2L and the Canadian Space Agency.
“About 32 teams participated,” says Bouchard, “We had our closing ceremonies Sunday night and by the end of the event there were 12 final projects submitted.” Finished products were voted on by science alumni, industry leaders and UW staff and faculty.
Categories for Schrodinger’s Hack included: Ingenious Idea, Cleanest Code, Beyond the Bench, Helping Hand, Complex Conundrum, and Fan Favourite.
“Being given the opportunity to judge the submissions to Schrodinger’s Hack was a rare pleasure,” says Brian McNamara, chair of physics, “I am inspired by the novel ideas and the sophisticated coding solutions our Physics & Astronomy students developed in such a short period of time. The video depictions were fantastic. I can’t wait to do this again next year, hopefully in person rather than on Teams.”
Indeed, planning for Schrodinger’s Hack 2021 has already begun, with a newly assembled organizing team already in place ready to build on this year’s success. For the moment, however, Bouchard can reflect with a sense of pride and accomplishment on the past week, “I saw students who were invested in their projects, who worked through hurdles together, and who were learning new skills regardless of their previous experience.” She takes a moment to let that sink in and smiles, “It was incredibly inspiring and impressive, and resulted in fantastic final projects!”
List of Winners
Beginners:
- 1st Place: Team 6B- ExoVis, offers an educational simulator for an exo-planet finding method using redshift and blueshift
- 2nd Place: Team 12B- Models the spectra of hypothetical life in Venus's atmosphere
- 3rd Place: Team 17B- Created a Climate Change Model by taking a look at how sunlight interacts with the atmosphere
Experienced:
- 1st Place: Team E3- Looked at quantum state tomography by using variational quantum circuits
- 2nd Place: Team 9E- GENZ Thrusters, used a custom particle simulator and a genetic algorithm to determine the best shape for rocket thrusters
- 3rd Place: Team 17B- Created a Climate Change Model by taking a look at how sunlight interacts with the atmosphere
For more information about the Schrodinger’s Hack, and how to get involved in future events, visit https://www.schrodingershack.com/.