Monday, March 28, 2022

Remembering Professor Edward Lank

Professor Lank delivering a talk at the 2018 Cheriton Research Symposium.

A message from the Cheriton School of Computer Science.

We are saddened to announce that our dear friend, mentor and colleague Edward Lank, Professor at the Cheriton School of Computer Science, passed away on March 21, 2022 at the age of 49.

Professor Lank was born on November 28, 1972 and grew up in Ebenezer, a village northwest of Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island. He received an honours bachelor’s degree in physics in 1994 from the University of Prince Edward Island and a PhD in computer science from Queen’s University in 2001.

After completing graduate studies, Professor Lank worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. In January 2002, he began his academic career as an Assistant Professor at San Francisco State University in the Computer Science Department. While at San Francisco State University, he received a National Science Foundation Career Award, the Foundation’s most prestigious award that recognizes and supports the early career development of scholars destined to become academic leaders.

Professor Lank joined the Cheriton School of Computer Science as an Assistant Professor in June 2006. He was promoted to Associate Professor in July 2011 and to Full Professor in July 2018. With his colleague Michael Terry, Professor Lank co-founded Waterloo HCI, a university-wide consortium of faculty members and students who conduct research in the field of human-computer interaction.

Professor Lank’s primary research interests were in intelligent user interfaces; mobile, multi-touch and free-space gestural interaction; and movement and input modelling in interfaces. His projects included work in mechanisms for leveraging reject rates to increase the perceived reliability of recognition-based user interfaces. He explored the design of free-space gesture input languages such as motion gestures and mechanisms for treating motion gestures. He and his students explored techniques for predicting target locations in goal-directed movements such as pointing and speed profiles in constrained movements in interfaces.

Professor Lank was interested in all aspects of human-computer interaction. His work also explored persuasive technologies, sustainability, computer-supported cooperative work, usable privacy and security, sketch and diagram recognition, and human-in-the-loop information retrieval.

The consummate graduate advisor, Professor Lank placed the interests of his students foremost by providing guidance and encouragement so they could perform research at their fullest potential. His goal was to mentor students so they become individuals who conduct strong research and prepare papers as independent scholars and scientists.

From 2018 to 2021, Professor Lank held a Cheriton Faculty Fellowship, a prestigious recognition that supports the work of leading faculty at the School of Computer Science. He was also an Inria International Research Chair attached to Équipe LOKI at Inria Lille-Nord Europe in Villeneuve d’Ascq, France. Alongside his many research positions, he also served as Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies from 2011 to 2013 and as Associate Director from 2013 to 2015 at the Cheriton School of Computer Science.

Professor Lank is survived by his beloved wife, Michelle, and his loving daughters, Olivia and Charlotte. He rests at Maison du Funeraille, Mouvaux, France. A memorial service was held on Saturday, March 26, 2022. 

In lieu of flowers, Professor Lank’s family requests that donations be made to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation or to the Site federation France AVC.

We extend our deepest sympathies to Professor Lank’s family.

Read recollections and tributes from Professor Lank's colleagues

It's a date: Waterloo encouraged to adopt ISO 8601 International Date Format

A message from Information Systems & Technology (IST).

Currently, a mix of date formats is used across campus, leading to confusion when viewing the date, or making it difficult for system-to-system communication. For example, the date 03/05/2022 can be interpreted as March 5, 2022, or May 3, 2022.

In 1997, the Canadian Federal Government adopted the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 8601 standard, which sets out an internationally agreed upon way to organize dates, formatting them in descending order of Year, Month, Date (YYYY-MM-DD), using hyphens instead of slashes. This standard minimizes ambiguity around dates and allows systems and software to integrate more smoothly.

With the support of the Computing Technology and Services Committee (CTSC) and the University Committee on Information Systems and Technology (UCIST), Information Systems & Technology (IST) will be implementing the ISO 8601 date standard across systems to the extent possible. Changes and impacts to individual systems will be announced in the usual manner.

All IT administrators are encouraged to review the ISO 8601 standard and implement this change where conditions and resources permit. Visit the ISO website to learn more.

Q and A with the experts: Ukraine crisis reignites debate over Line-5 pipeline

Amid rising oil prices stemming from sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, the Canadian government is pressing Michigan to end its opposition to the transnational Line-5 pipeline. Waterloo professor Grant Gunn explains the environmental concerns regarding the pipeline being situated at the bottom of lakes that annually freeze over. 

What is the current dispute involving the Line-5 pipeline?

The clash centres around public concerns over the safety of the transnational 8km stretch of pipeline, referred to as the Line-5 pipeline, running underwater through the international Straits of Mackinac connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

The State of Michigan wants to halt the operation and revoke Enbridge's easement to use the lake bottom for its pipelines. This effort continues to fuel a legal dispute between Canada and the United States. At stake is the ecological health of the Great Lakes and a project moving 540,000 barrels of oil daily, which are increasingly in-demand given rising oil prices due to sanctions from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

What specifically do Michiganders fear about this particular underwater pipeline?

Besides the fact that every oil spill poses an immediate threat to every part of an aquatic ecosystem, Line-5 is in a somewhat unique position as the nexus of two ice-covered freshwater lakes. Since the lakes freeze over in the winter, our recent study explored the storage capacity of ice in the Straits, and what might happen if a spill were to occur at various levels of ice cover. 

Several models have already been developed to predict the amount of shoreline affected in a potential spill in open-water conditions. But our study examined the consequences of a spill happening when the Straits are totally frozen over. We worked out how oil could be stored beneath the ice. If such a spill were to happen, it would lead to complicated detection and clean-up strategies. So, there is some danger that if oil is released under ice, it would have an even more devastating impact on the environment than a spill in open water. 

What will determine if the pipeline will be shut down?

Following an incident involving a boat's anchor damaging the line, public pressure led Michigan's governor to temporarily order Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. to shut down the pipeline that supplies refineries in Sarnia, Ontario, and has moved to revoke the 1953 easement to operate the pipeline on the lakebed. Negotiators on both sides must consider that the Line-5 pipeline is currently 70 years old. Plans for a new tunnel project to enclose a replacement to Line-5 have been proposed to protect the aquatic environment in the event of a leak. But for now, that's only a plan. 

Political ideology and disinformation also play a part in how this will play out. In a parallel study of ours, we got a sense that not everyone was equally informed about the risks. There is a lot of disinformation in the debate. Ideological, social and cultural factors influence perceived risk to pipelines. Russia's war on Ukraine and the lack of supply of oil are likely to polarize decision-makers even more. 

Grant Gunn is an Assistant Professor in Geography and Environmental Management. His research aims to improve the retrievals of physical components of the Cryosphere, including permafrost (active layer thickness, timing of thaw/refreeze) and ice parameters in sub-Arctic and Arctic environments.

EDI-R Program Area Leads (PALs): Deadline to apply is April 14

A message from the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-racism.

We are recruiting 20 staff and faculty for the PALs program that aims to lead and facilitate culture change by embedding Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-racism (EDI-R) into the curriculum, programs, and units across the University of Waterloo.

About the program

The program aims to develop and support new and existing EDI-R leads to assist in a coordinated and centralized approach, embedding EDI-R within their units/areas. The PALs Pilot Program will take place over 12 months with formal support, training, and facilitation. However, participants will have the opportunity for self-directed content.

What are the time commitments?

Participants would need to be able to commit to:

• 60 percent of the Monthly Meetings (May 2022 - April 2023)
• 3 Formal trainings lead by the EDI-R team:  Jun, Sept, Nov (TBD)
• Complete self-directed learning, lead discussion activity for their department/unit

What are the benefits?

• Ownership in UWaterloo’s EDI-R journey
• Confidence in facing conversations in EDI when they arise
• Becoming an emotive and inclusive leader
• Collect Impact: together, we can drive cultural change from within 
• Micro-credential from the EDI-R office in
• Be first to the Consortium as we look to scale

Interested in becoming a PAL? The deadline to apply is Thursday, April 14 at 4:00 p.m. If you have any questions, or would like additional information on the program, please contact equity@uwaterloo.ca.

Senate meets today and other notes

The University's Senate meets today at 3:30 p.m on Microsoft Teams. Among the agenda items:

• A motion to approve revisions to the university jurisdiction and disclaimer language in the Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar and Graduate Student Academic Calendar;
• A motion to approve a major modification to the Diploma in East Asian Studies;
• A motion to approve revisions to the internal transfer credit regulation for the Faculty of Environment;
• A motion to approve the University's 2022/23 Operating Budget;
• A motion to approve the permanent online delivery of the two program intensive milestones for the Master of Digital Experience Innovation (MDEI), effective 1 May 2022;
• A motion to approve revising the graduate research fields noted on the application for M.Sc. and Ph.D. Pharmacy programs to include the following three research fields: Pharmaceutical Science; Pharmacy Practice and Health Services Research; Pharmacoepidemiology and Health Outcomes Research, effective 1 May 2022; and
• A motion to approve a new regulation regarding the awarding of posthumous degrees and certificates of enrolment, effective 1 May 2022.

President Vivek Goel will preside over an update on the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan theme of Strengthening Sustainable and Diverse Communities. Senators will hear from management who are leading specific initiatives under this theme.

The Senate agenda package is available on the Secretariat's website.

The University of Waterloo and the Centre for International Governance Innovation will host the “Toward a world-class heath data system” virtual conference on April 6 and 7. The virtual event will feature leading experts discussing the intersection between health data, digital health, and governance for the betterment of society and improved public health outcomes. The conference aims to inform and educate, while encouraging constructive dialogue. Participants will develop a summary document capturing key insights and recommendations for systemic change that will inspire innovators, students, health care workers, policymakers, and advocates working towards better public policy.  

The event will take place on April 6 and 7, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day; registration is free and open to all.