Friday, June 3, 2022

A passion for hands-on education

Sanjeev Bedi (centre) works with students in the IDEAs clinic at Waterloo Engineering.

By Brian Caldwell. This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

The founding director of a busy clinic for hands-on learning at Waterloo Engineering has been honoured as a “trailblazer” by a national engineering organization.

Sanjeev Bedi, a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering with a deep belief in the power of experiential education, is the 2022 winner of a Medal of Distinction in Engineering Education awarded at a gala in Toronto this week by Engineers Canada.

Instrumental in the creation of the IDEAs clinic and holder of the NSERC Chair in Immersive Design, he is one of six engineers and engineering students recognized for excellence and work that will have a lasting impact in Canada and the rest of the world.

'The chance to learn by doing'

“Sanjeev Bedi believes that to be a great teacher you need to give students the chance to learn by doing,” Engineers Canada said in a summary on its website. “You need to give them the kind of hands-on opportunities that will build confidence and expand their understanding. Bedi is a passionate educator who has inspired thousands of students throughout his career.”

Nominated by peers and colleagues, the organization said, the six award winners are shaping the world through engineering education, academic research, community involvement, the advancement of women in engineering and the creation of solutions to pressing challenges.

The IDEAs clinic in Engineering 7 hosts two-day Design Days events for all 14 programs at Waterloo Engineering, giving 2,000 students hands-on learning experiences each year.

Meant to augment the co-op program, Design Days give students open-ended problems to solve. To succeed, students must define the problem, then design, build and validate a solution to it.

Award winners are 'leading examples'

Bedi was also recognized for innovation and ingenuity beyond the classroom, including volunteer work that has had a tangible impact in India.

One of his proudest achievements was motivating a team of students to build a computer-controlled machine to help low-income young people in India by producing table legs for sale to support their families.

“These award recipients are leading examples of how engineers work collaboratively to better our world,” Engineers Canada said in a media release. “From incremental improvements to revolutionary new solutions, engineers are at the forefront of innovations that make our lives better, safer, and more productive.”

Go back in time with a special celebration for alumni

A message from Alumni Relations.

This weekend, Alumni Relations will celebrate milestone anniversaries with alumni around the world. In recognition of those celebrating 25^th, 50^th and 55^th anniversaries, the Office of Advancement has worked with Creative Services and the Library to create a special anniversary experience for graduates of 1967, 1972 and 1997.

View the immersive experience to go back in time on Waterloo's campus.

Plant Operations presents new educational waste video series

A message from Plant Operations.

Plant Operations, Environmental Services is pleased to announce their new, educational video series on waste management and diversion at UWaterloo. Environmental Services aims to have the videos properly showcase their projects to the UWaterloo community and further promote the University’s sustainability and Shift: Zero waste goals.

The University of Waterloo is aiming to divert at least 60 per cent of campus waste from landfill by 2025, and 90 per cent of waste by 2035 (zero waste).

This video series has been led by the department’s co-op students. The first video in the series shows a brief overview on the university’s waste goals, and covers topics like waste diversion, waste streams, and zero waste. We also get to see where waste goes after it is thrown away on campus, which helps us visualize the sheer volume of waste our campus community generates.

Environmental Services is currently working on the next video in this educational series, where the co-ops will interview their fellow students on what they know about waste management and diversion on campus and promote the new Shift: Zero Waste Sorting guide.

View the first video and learn more about the Shift: Zero waste goals on the Plant Operations website.

Event will consider diverse perspectives on drug decriminalization and legalization

A message from the Faculty of Health.

As major drug law policy changes are being considered and implemented in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere, policy makers, health-care professionals and politicians need access to all relevant research.

The School of Public Health Sciences is hosting a lecture and panel discussion to allow for the full and transparent consideration of challenges, possible unintended consequences and concerns as we consider drug policy reforms. Policies must be evidence-based and effective, and they must be in the best interests of those who continue to suffer from the ravages of drug addiction.

This event will showcase the learnings from the Portuguese National Strategy, which involved a massive shift from a focus on law enforcement to prioritizing addiction treatment and prevention. Immediately following this discussion, several Canadian addictions researchers and clinicians will share their research and experiences. The panel will be moderated by health journalist André Picard.

The event takes place Tuesday, June 7 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. online or on-campus. Students, faculty and staff are welcome. Please register in advance.

Games Institute to host postmortem on Cap and Trade Simulator project

The Games Institute will be hosting a brown bag event that will feature a discussion about the Canadian Cap and Trade Simulator Project created by PhD candidate Alex Fleck and Dr. Jason Grove.

Canadian Cap and Trade Simulation (CCTS) is a serious game/simulation designed to teach undergraduate Chemical Engineering and Environmental Studies students about carbon tax and trade systems in Canada.

At the event, Fleck and Grove will talk about the CCTS and how it works, as well as their experience in the process of game design and interdisciplinary collaboration in academia fostered by the Games Institute. This event will be a hybrid event held in-person at the Games Institute's Collaboration Space and virtually via Microsoft Teams. 

The event takes place on June 16 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please register via Eventbrite.

Climate change and water security summer school kicks off; other notes

The Water Institute and the University of Waterloo’s Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change have welcomed over 60 students to the 2022 offering of the three-week virtual summer school, “Climate Change and Water Security in Urbanized Watersheds: An Interdisciplinary Perspective.” The participants are graduate students and practitioners from a variety of fields and organizations.

They tuned in from across Canada, from Iqaluit to Montreal to Edmonton, as well as from around the world including Brazil, Germany, Indonesia and the USA, and will continue to do so from May 30 to June 17 to engage with water and climate change scholars in three modules:

• Climate Change and Water
• Climate Change and Land Use
• Climate Change and Water Security

"We would like to extend a warm welcome to our 2022 cohort," says an announcement from the Water Institute. "As we know, climate change poses significant and increasing risks to water security in urban settings. Addressing this complex challenge requires collaboration and the incorporation of expertise across various disciplines. Our hope is that this year’s summer school provides students with those connections and an opportunity to improve their skills and knowledge."

Information Systems & Technology (IST) has announced that Pat Kadwell, supervisor of the physical security team in the Technology Integrated Services group, has retired.

"While I’m sad to see him leave, Pat’s 21 years of dedicated service at the university have made this a well-earned retirement," wrote Matthew Verlis, Manager, TIS (Enterprise Infrastructure) in a message circulated to IST colleagues. "Pat joined IST back in May of 2001 and worked in the telephone services team along with Bruce Bender reporting to Greg Cummings."

"In November of 2006 when IST assumed responsibility for the installation and maintenance of security devices and access control campus wide a new team was created: ‘IST physical security’. Pat became the first, and up until today, only supervisor for the physical security team. In his time supervising the physical security team Pat oversaw the consolidation and expansion of security systems and access control on our campus.  He has been involved in designs and discussions for CCTV, alarms, and access control for buildings campus wide and has worked closely with plant operations, the special constables, and our faculty partners."

"Pat will be remembered as a committed, hardworking and friendly colleague who was always available for our clients and worked closely with them to achieve their goals, writes Verlis. "Please join me in wishing Pat good health and enjoyment for his retirement."

Pat’s last day at work was May 31, 2022.