Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Ontario universities create fellowship to increase diversity in engineering and technology

This article was originally published on Waterloo Stories.

Six universities in Ontario have partnered to create a new fellowship to expand the pathways for Indigenous and Black students pursuing doctoral degrees in engineering to prepare for careers as professors and industry researchers.

Announced today, the Indigenous and Black Engineering and Technology (IBET) Momentum Fellowships address an urgent need to encourage and support the pursuit of graduate studies by under-represented groups. This lack of representation has hindered enrolment of Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) and Black graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs.

The partnership includes the engineering and math faculties at the University of Waterloo, and the engineering faculties at McMaster University, the University of Ottawa, the University of Toronto, Queen’s University and Western University. The IBET Momentum Fellowships will include funding support, and work to provide access to networking and partnership opportunities. Partner universities will tailor their structure and features to support student experience at their institutions.

“Seeing is believing,” said Mary Wells, Dean of Engineering at the University of Waterloo. “How can we encourage Indigenous and Black students to come to our nation’s engineering schools if they don’t regularly experience Indigenous or Black professors, teaching and undertaking research in the schools and programs we want them to attend? The IBET PhD Project is a step in the right direction to increase diversity in universities across Canada.”

The Momentum Fellowships are a central pillar of the new IBET PhD Project which aims to change the academic landscape within the next five to 10 years by increasing the number of Indigenous and Black engineering professors teaching and researching in universities across Ontario. The project will also create a pipeline of students who will increase diversity in Canadian technology industries as they enter the workforce with graduate degrees from STEM programs.

“We believe there are fewer than 15 Indigenous and Black engineering faculty members across Canada,” said Tizazu Mekonnen, Inaugural Director of the IBET PhD Project. “The partner universities share an understanding that greater diversity is needed among academic leaders in engineering and technology to reflect all populations and to ensure a full range of thought and problem-solving approaches.”

Fellowship recipients will receive $25,000 a year for four years as they pursue doctorate degrees and specialized engineering research. Interested Canadian students can apply directly to partner universities as part of the overall application process for doctoral programs.

Welcoming a new year with a term and new beginnings

A message from President Feridun Hamdullahpur.

I hope every member of the University of Waterloo community had a restful and safe holiday break. Having time to reflect on a challenging 2020 and prepare for a new year and a new term at Waterloo brought about more than planning for the future. I looked back, not only on the constant hurdles we faced as a community, but the successes we achieved – big and small – and those who made even the smallest of gestures of strength and kindness.

We all faced obstacles this past year we never thought we’d have to manage. It wasn’t just the resiliency of so many in our community that made me proud but the kindness of our students, our faculty members and our dedicated staff. We need to carry that dedication into 2021.

Heading into a time of new beginnings

The start of the New Year and a new Winter Term will offer new learnings, new challenges and new experiences. I understand it may feel like we are back to square one, back in a state of lockdown around the province and the uncertainty that this state creates, but please rest assured that we have learned a great deal over the past nine months of mainly remote teaching and continuing to research and work amidst this change.

One thing that will not change is our focus on teaching, research and fostering a culture of support. There are still discoveries to find, knowledge to acquire and new beginnings for us all. Waterloo marches on and I remain focused on the next term and beyond.

We recently announced the news that Dr. Vivek Goel has been named Waterloo’s next president beginning this July. As we begin a new year before Dr. Goel’s arrival, I am dedicating all of my time and energy over the next six months to continue guiding our community through this time of disruption while looking to the future of our University as well.

Priorities heading into a new year

My first priority in this new year is to guide the implementation of our new Strategic Plan. We have a dynamic and powerful plan for our institution, it has undergone subtle adjustments to incorporate the challenges and realities of a post-COVID world. This includes the wide-spread adoption and excellence in remote and hybrid teaching and learning, as well as overseeing the important work of the President’s Anti-racism Taskforce (PART). PART’s work is essential to our ongoing strategic commitment to fostering a welcoming and diverse community. The goals and activities of PART will certainly extend far beyond the next year, but these next several months will be important and transformative for our community. Progress on all ongoing implementations of the Strategic Plan will be communicated with our community in the near future.

It will also be a priority of mine to coordinate and execute on raising funds for strategic and key projects for the University. There are a number of initiatives underway across the institution and I am keenly engaged in appealing public and private funding sources to invest in our priority projects.

None of these priorities, however, are possible if our community is not safe. I will remain committed to working directly with our government and public health partners to keep our campus community safe in the coming months as we navigate through this next phase of the pandemic. The health and well-being of every community member is of great importance to me and this will not change.

We have left a difficult year in our modern history. Challenges remain but opportunities abound for Waterloo to take on. I am grateful to this community for being with me every step of the way. Good luck to every student, faculty and staff member on a prosperous term and I hope each of you stay well and stay safe in the weeks and months to come.

Innovating for global climate change at Waterloo

A message from Concept.

This term, University of Waterloo students will focus their research skills and innovative thinking to find new solutions for the global climate crisis. Concept, UWaterloo’s Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC³), and The Problem Lab are working together to offer the Climate Innovation Discovery Stream. This new program aims to introduce students to climate-related issues and empower them to discover and explore new solutions to help the world address the impending effects of climate change.  

This three-week program will connect interdisciplinary teams with top UWaterloo climate change researchers and industry experts to identify potential solutions for climate change related problems. The teams will dive into the science of their specific problem spaces, covering a variety of topics from: measuring and predicting how the climate is changing, reducing carbon emissions, adapting to increasingly common extreme weather events, and managing health impacts of climate change. 

No previous experience or background knowledge is required to join. All students and post docs who want to make an impact and be climate change leaders are invited and encouraged to participate. Visit the Concept webpage for more information and registration.  

Climate change will continue to impact the world for years to come, join the fight before it is too late. Join the UWaterloo community’s impressive climate change research community and be a change maker. Opt-in to the Climate Innovation Discovery Stream to help make a difference.  

Campus Wellness announces pandemic wellness management workshops

A message from Campus Wellness.

Campus Wellness is offering a new virtual workshop series for the Winter 2021 term called Managing Personal Wellness in a Global Pandemic. The series includes three one-hour workshops that can be taken in any order, and you can take one or all of them. The workshops include practical skills for to help you handle anxiety, low mood, and creating sustainable and achievable habits.

Motivating Yourself Through Habit Change

Learn about the habit loop, stages of change cycle, how to re-shape or change habits, strategies to increase motivation, overcome obstacles and increase chances for success; and relax using progressive muscle relaxation.

Alleviating Anxiety

This CBT and mindfulness-based workshop is designed to help you better understand anxiety, its causes, and the factors that maintain it. Throughout this workshop, we will introduce you to a number of strategies designed to alleviate anxiety in the moment, challenge your anxious thoughts, and change behaviours that maintain your anxiety. You will receive an in-depth handout with various strategies for you to try over the coming weeks, some which we will practice during the workshop.

Break Free From Low Mood

Learn about what low mood and depression are; including skills to better manage your low mood and depression and how to:

• alleviate low mood and depression in the moment
• challenge your depressive thoughts
• change behaviours that maintain low mood and depression using mindfulness, cognitive behavioural therapy, and self-compassion

Upcoming dates

• Wednesday, January 20, 2021 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Register on GoSignMeUp.
• Wednesday, January 27, 2021 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Register on GoSignMeUp.
• Wednesday, February 3, 2021 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Register on GoSignMeUp.