Tuesday, December 14, 2021

President publishes end of term video message

As 2021 ends much as it began, with challenges posed by COVID, President and Vice-Chancellor Vivek Goel has shared a message of light with the campus community.

"At Waterloo, our curious nature often leads us to harness the power of light – in our discoveries and everyday work and life. Light can help us explore the wonders of the universe, chart a new future for health, inspire learning and spark ideas. Light can mark the start of something exciting and power virtual worlds. Light illuminates the spaces where we study, work and connect with each other. Light and its power are all around. It symbolizes hope and illuminates the path ahead. It brings people together. As we come to the end of another challenging year, I hope that you are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Heading into the winter break, it is especially important to take care of yourselves and each other. I hope you will take the time to rest, rejuvenate...and look for the light."

"As you head into your end-of-term break during this winter season, I want to remind you that it is especially important to take care of yourselves and one another," President Goel writes. "The pandemic has presented many challenges and I urge you all to use this break for rest and rejuvenation. Our Waterloo community has demonstrated so much resilience during the past year. We have much to be proud of. I hope this video sparks good memories of the past year and I wish you health, happiness and light for 2022."

Waterloo physicists win major awards

This article was originally published on the Faculty of Science news site.

Congratulations to Professor Richard Epp for being awarded the 2021 CAP Medal for Excellence in Teaching Undergraduate Physics, and to Professor Roger Melko for being awarded the 2021 CAP/DCMMP Brockhouse Medal.

Epp, a continuing lecturer at Waterloo, is recognized for his accomplishments in teaching and commitment to physics outreach. He consistently receives high teaching evaluations from majors and non-majors here in the Faculty of Science and students commended his "Thinking Like a Physicist" series that replaced informal interactions during the pandemic lockdown. Through his teaching, he inspires his students to think like a physicist and embrace their passion for the field.

During Fall 2020, Epp was instrumental in the design and delivery of a radically-altered remote version of the University of Waterloo’s first-year Mechanics course for physics majors. This course engaged over 500 students in live group work twice each week involving materials based on physics education research or developed by Epp to connect Mechanics material to more advanced and exciting topics. There were no marks associated with tests or quizzes in the course. Instead, students were motivated towards genuine learning, building a peer support network, and maintaining their mental health.

"I am deeply honoured to be recognized amongst such an esteemed group of teaching-focused colleagues," says Epp. Receiving this award has sparked me into thinking about new ways I might help students, sharing my love and understanding of Physics to inspire them to do the hard work it takes to master this beautiful and powerful discipline."

The CAP Medal for Excellence in Teaching honours faculty members who have a comprehensive knowledge and deep understanding of their subject and who possess the ability to communicate their knowledge and understanding in such a way as to lead their students to high academic achievement in physics.

Professor Melko is recognized for his work on the theoretical understanding of many-body quantum systems through large-scale computer simulations. The theoretical tools developed by Melko’s group provide a new perspective on understanding of quantum condensed matter and have proven highly influential in areas such as quantum information, field theory, cold atomic matter, and artificial intelligence.

One of Melko’s most influential discoveries came in 2010, when he used intuition gleaned from quantum field theory to develop an innovative approach for evaluating entanglement entropies using quantum Monte Carlo simulations. This pioneering method is now broadly used in the theoretical and experimental study of quantum matter. It has had wide application, ranging from real materials in physics and chemistry, to cold atomic matter, to quantum information systems, to interacting quantum field theories relevant for high-energy physics and even quantum gravity.

"It's an incredible honour for me to receive this recognition from the Canadian physics community," says Professor Melko. I am grateful for the support of my many wonderful colleagues and collaborators, particularly the brilliant students and postdocs whose many contributions are acknowledged by this award."

The CAP Brockhouse Medal, which is sponsored jointly by the Division of Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (DCMMP) and the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP), recognizes significant experimental or theoretical contributions to condensed matter and materials physics. It is named in honour of Bertram Brockhouse, whose outstanding contributions to research in condensed matter physics in Canada were recognized by the 1994 Nobel Prize for Physics.

Both medals are awarded from the Canadian Association of Physicists, a professional association representing physicists and physics students in Canada, the United States, and around the world.

IST's Jan Willwerth to retire after 40 years at Waterloo

After 40 years at the University of Waterloo, Jan Willwerth will be retiring in March 2022.

Willwerth joined the University in September 1981 in the Secretariat where she assisted University committees, helped with policy writing, and created a Spires database.

"Perhaps a foreshadowing to her next career, she served on the newly created CCU, Computing Committee, and in January 1985 began work in the Department of Computing Services (DCS) as a database consultant," wrote Andrea Chappell, Director, Instructional Technologies and Media Services, in a message to IST announcing Jan's retirement. "There (or here, as DCS later merged with Data Processing and other groups, to become IST), Jan sported many hats, supporting WATFILE, MS Access, SQL, Fortran, UNIX/troff, IBM VM/CMS, Interleaf, WordPerfect, SAS and SPSS, and many other applications that have come (and gone) along."

"Similar to current Client Services liaison roles, DCS had computing consultants in offices across the Faculties. Jan was a roamer for two years, spending one afternoon per week in each Faculty except Math," Chappell writes. "This led to a year-long secondment to Arts, who liked her so much they kept her for 10 years. She continued as a database consultant and claims to have required her own “screwdriver kit for adjusting pins on hard drives and adding hard-wired lines”." 

"In 2004, IST lured her back to become a system administrator on the new Learning Management System (LMS); no, not yet D2L Brightspace, it was ANGEL then," Chappell writes. "She eventually became supervisor of a team supporting the LMS and other edtech services that she has ably handled to date. She has loved the role of helping instructors and students and working with her team and close associates in CTE and CEL, and many other departments. She gained the reputation (at least in our group) as both the gatekeeper for the LMS and the diplomat, dealing with the good (appreciative students, faculty members, and staff) and the difficult (occasional overly protective parents) with her ready laugh and compassionate attitude."

"Jan has always been ready for challenges, taking over leading the Learning Environment Operations (which she chairs), providing input on committees such as D2L advisory groups for Bongo and learning outcomes, and leading projects to investigate edtech. Jan shows commitment in all aspects of her work, and I appreciate and trust that she leads her area with excellence."

"Always up for some fun, Jan also chaired the Matthews Golf Classic for a quite a few years (which she finds funny because she has not been much of a golfer) and UW’s Corporate Challenge for 6 years in the 1990s (she even admits to breaking her foot skipping rope with flippers on … oh, to have that video)," Chappel writes. "She is close with and supportive of family and her many friends."

"I am privileged to have had Jan as such an integral part of ITMS as we have seen many changes together. Jan’s summary during a chat we had recently: ”It’s been an interesting job, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” The other saying Jan is famous for among those she’s worked with during many stressful days of support, “No-one died, everything else is manageable.” Jan has demonstrated that positive outlook every single day that I have known her."

"Please join me in wishing Jan the absolute best of everything she takes on as she retires from the University of Waterloo at the end of March 2022," Chappell's note concludes. "I know she will be very much missed."

Safety Office issues holiday lab shutdown memo

The Safety Office has sent its annual December Holiday Laboratory Shutdown notice to academic department health and safety coordinators and faculty executive officers.

The memo reminds departments to suspend all lab operations by Thursday, December 23, 2021 at 4:00 p.m., resuming operations no earlier than Tuesday, January 4, 2022.

The Safety Office also recommends the removal of hazardous waste from all labs. The last day for main campus hazardous waste pickup and drop off at the Environmental Safety Facilities (located in ESC/DWE/E6) is Tuesday, December 21. The ESC-150 waste facility will have extended hours for appointment bookings on Monday December 20 and Tuesday December 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The last day for Pharmacy appointment bookings is Monday December 20 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (extended).  For more information call x35755.

If not removed by the deadline, hazardous materials should be stored properly and in containment areas and lab employees should ensure that containers are closed or sealed. 

Compressed gases and gas supply lines to equipment should be shut off, and electrical equipment should be turned off and unplugged wherever possible. "This prevents damage to equipment due to power surges while reducing energy waste," says the Safety Office memo. "Ensure lab contact information is updated with names, phone numbers and addresses in a location accessible to emergency response personnel (e.g. inside of door), and provide emergency contact information to UW Special Constable Services via email (uwpolice@uwaterloo.ca). If applicable, include documentation on contents of sensitive freezers and refrigerators in the lab."

"Anyone approved to work in a lab during shutdown must have supervisor and departmental approval and adhere to the Working Alone Guidelines posted on the Safety Office website. Building access keys and named authorized persons must be arranged to be left with UW Police to be signed out only to those people that have specifically been authorized. If you have any questions about preparing your lab for shutdown contact the Safety Office at x35755."

Contact the Safety Office if you have any questions about the laboratory shutdown announcement.

GRADflix submission deadline and other notes

"Today is the deadline to register for the 2022 GRADflix competition," says a note from Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs. "Compete for a chance to develop your research communication skills, share your work with the UWaterloo community, and win cash prizes. To find out more, check out the GRADflix website and resources, or e-mail gradventure@uwaterloo.ca with any questions."

Athletics and Recreation has announced that Warrior Recreation registration for the winter term will open on Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. for intramurals and instructional programs. The registration deadline is January 17, 2022.

All other registration is ongoing.

This will include the following programs: Intramurals, Aquatics, Rock Climbing, First Aid, Fitness, Instructional and Personal Training. For more information visit gowarriorsgo.ca/winter2022.

PhD oral defences

Physics & Astronomy. Nitica Sakharwade, “An Operational Road towards Understanding Causal Indefiniteness within Post-Quantum Theories.” Supervisors, Lucien Hardy, Achim Kempf. On deposit in the Faculty of Science Graduate Office, PHY 2013. Visit the Thesis Submission Notices for details on requesting a copy. Oral defence Tuesday, December 14, 11:00 a.m.

Planning. Pedram Fard, “A Homogeneity-based Zone Delineation Model for Land Use and Transportation Interaction Analysis: Investigating the Case of Light Rail Transit (LRT) Development in Kitchener – Waterloo”. Supervisor, Jeff Casello. Available upon request from the Faculty of Environment, Administrator, Graduate Studies. Oral defence Friday, December 17, 9:00 a.m.