Monday, November 9, 2020

Research Talks presents Curing the COVID-19 Pandemic

A message from the Office of Research.

Day to day life has changed for everyone. Vaccine development, physical distancing, and overall health are top of mind for government, people, and business as the search to cure the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Find out how two Waterloo researchers along with speakers from the World Health Organization and Public Health Agency of Canada are contributing to the current global efforts. This online panel presentation and Q&A for Waterloo staff, faculty, and students will examine risk, resilience, and public wellness on Tuesday, November 17 (11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.).

Please register to receive a link to Research Talks and hear from:

Katherine DeLand (Trust and community engagement): As the senior health advisor in the Office of David Nabarro, WHO Special Envoy for COVID-19 Preparedness and Response, Katherine will discuss developing trust and engaging the community in the response to COVID-19.

Heather Hall (Understanding recovery needs and resilience for rural Canada): Heather is an assistant professor and Director of the Economic Development and Innovation Program at Waterloo. She will provide a better understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on rural communities across Canada and the innovative ways in which rural communities, businesses, and other organizations are responding to these impacts.

Plinio Morita (The role of the Internet of Things and mHealth in a pandemic): Plinio is an assistant professor with the School of Public Health and Health Systems (cross appointed with Systems Design Engineering) at Waterloo. He will discuss how IoT and mHealth technologies have been used to help better understand the impact of the pandemic on our population.

Nick Ogden (Predicting what comes next: Modelling the pandemic): As a senior research scientist and director of the public health risk sciences division within the National Microbiology Laboratory of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Nick will describe predictive modelling of COVID-19 within PHAC to model scenarios for the epidemic and effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions on transmission.

When friends become founders on the front line of climate change

Dominique Souris (BES ’16, MA ’18) (left) and Ana González Guerrero (BES ’15) (right) co-founded the Youth Climate Lab (YCL) in 2017.

By Natalie Quinlan. This story appears in the fall issue of Waterloo Magazine.

Business experts often warn against building a venture with your friends.

Dominique Souris (BES ’16, MA ’18) is glad she missed that lesson because now she’s leading a global organization fighting climate change with her longtime friend Ana González Guerrero (BES ’15).

The pair co-founded the Youth Climate Lab (YCL) in 2017 after González Guerrero responded to a Facebook call-out from Souris. That call-out turned into a conversation over drinks at a campus pub and now the friends are supporting projects that reach thousands of people in almost 80 countries.

The pair have been refining their aspirations and friendship since they both began their studies at Waterloo a decade ago. “I’ve always had a dream to work with friends,” Souris says. “It really comes down to respect and separating your ego from what you’re doing – focusing on the impact.”

YCL, which works to accelerate youth-led policy, projects and business, has collaborated with more than 30 partners around the world.

Co-founders inspired by co-op jobs

Both women credit their success to co-op education jobs in the private sector, academia, government and the non-profit sector. Participating in the United Nations’ Conference of the Parties (COP), an international gathering of leaders and young climate activists, was also a game-changer.

“That was a big moment for us,” González Guerrero says. “COP is super hectic. There are thousands of people in a tiny city with not a lot of accommodations, especially when you’re a non-profit with no budget staying in a small AirBnb, where Dominique and I were sharing a couch.”

Souris adds, “It was the first time we were travelling together; sleepdeprived together and hangry all of the time. You learn a lot about a person going through that. When we left COP, I thought, ‘This is my co-founder for life. I realized that we were building something really special.’”

Building a global venture has meant they’ve had to be agile problem-solvers. “At Waterloo, I learned that there are problems everywhere, at all scales, and you may want to solve all of those problems, but it won’t be feasible,” Souris says. "You have to decide what abilities, strengths and passions you bring to the table – and that’s where you direct your energy.

W Store upgrades POS system to improve contactless shopping experience

A message from W Store.

W Store is in the process of upgrading their point of sale system to further improve their in-person shopping experience. One component of the hardware upgrade focuses on prioritizing contactless payments at checkout. As of December 1, 2020, older versions of WatCard with a magnetic stripe that require the card to be swiped for payment will no longer be accepted at any W Store, W Store Essentials or W Print location.

Faculty, staff and students with a WatCard issued prior to August 2017 will need a new WatCard to enable contactless payments. To get a new WatCard, book an appointment for an in-person visit to the WatCard office, located on the lower level of the Student Life Centre. You will need to bring your current WatCard to your appointment in order to receive a free WatCard update.

For more information about WatCard, please contact the WatCard Office by email at watcard@uwaterloo.ca or by phone at 519-888-4567, ext. 32751.