Thursday, November 24, 2022

$15.8 million awarded to six Waterloo research projects aimed at tackling climate change

The Government of Canada's Environmental Damages Fund, administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada, is allocating $15.8 million to six University of Waterloo research projects to identify solutions to environmental challenges.

Funded through the Climate Action and Awareness Fund (CAAF), the research supports building sustainable net-zero emissions in Canada by 2050.

"Scientific research underpins everything we do to fight climate change. This funding provides critical support, allowing government and academia to collaborate to explore practical and achievable climate change solutions. By leveraging our unique expertise, we can foster collaboration across disciplines, sectors, communities, and research bodies," said the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

The research stemming from Waterloo's projects will advance and extend existing collaborations among stakeholders, including municipal and community organizations, academic and federal science partners, researchers and trainees, to support climate change innovation and knowledge transfer.

The projects funded by CAAF are:

• Can-Peat: Canada's peatlands as nature-based solutions to climate change: Maria Strack, Geography and Environmental Management
• Measuring and Monitoring City and Municipal Level GHG Emissions Mitigation Effectiveness: Amelia Clarke, School of Environment, Enterprise and Development
• Mitigation of methane emission hot-spots from municipal landfills: Laura Hug, Biology
• Residential Development Impact Scorecard for the Environment (RISE): Michael Drescher, School of Planning
• Robust Decision Making Using Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways For Direct Air Capture Deployment in Canada: Eric Croiset, Chemical Engineering and Vanessa Schweizer, Knowledge Integration
• Solutionscapes – designing climate and water smart agricultural solutions in complex working landscapes: Nandita Basu, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth and Environmental Sciences

"It's critical for us to be working toward net-zero," said Dr. Charmaine Dean, vice president, Research and International at the University of Waterloo. "Using established and emerging strengths in fundamental and applied research, Waterloo is pushing boundaries to accelerate the transition to a climate-resilient, low-carbon sustainable society, and advancing the sustainable use and management of space, land, water, and energy on a global scale."

Nationally, the CAAF funding was part of Minister Guilbeault's $58 million announcement for research projects that will advance science and technology to combat climate change. Discovering solutions to environmental challenges impacting our world is a key priority at Waterloo. The recent launch of the Sustainable Futures initiative aims to make the University of Waterloo a global leader in sustainability research, education, and innovation to benefit the environment, economy, and society.

Waterloo releases 2022 Sustainability Report

A message from the Sustainability Office.

The Sustainability Office is excited to release the 2022 Environmental Sustainability Report, on behalf of the University of Waterloo.

This annual report traces through numerous actions and initiatives that have been completed over the past year in support of Waterloo’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy, the Shift:Neutral climate action plan, and other institutional sustainability commitments.

Over the past year, investments have been made in new energy and emission reductions projects, in new academic programs and research activities related to sustainability, and in new engagement programs for employees and students.

The report includes:

• Measurement of progress against all institutional targets and objectives
• Case studies of projects and initiatives
• Reflections on successes and areas needing further support
• Interactive data and methodologies online

“The annual report is an important step to continue building our accountability and momentum,” says Mat Thijssen, Director of Sustainability. “It is great to see activity happening in many locations across campus, but we need to greatly accelerate these efforts to align with our goals.”

All members of the campus community are encouraged to review the report, and reflect on ways in which we can all support further action.

The report is available on the sustainability website.

Consent Matters campaign launches

A message from the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SVPRO).

As part of the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence campaign, the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SVPRO) is partnering with the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region (SASC), Conestoga College, and Wilfrid Laurier University to address sexual violence on campus through a new campaign: #ConsentMatters. 

Led by UN Women, 16 Days begins on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and runs until December 10: Human Rights Day. Within Canada, this time also includes December 6, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

#ConsentMatters invites students, staff and faculty to take a stand against sexual and gender-based violence, and to show solidarity by wearing the 2022 t-shirt or purple clothing and sharing your messages of support towards a culture of consent.

How can you support 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence?

• Wear your tee or purple clothing during the 16 Days, post a selfie or group photo on social media, use the #ConsentMatters hashtag and #16DaysUW to share your pro-consent messaging with the campus community.
• Not on social media? No problem! Share your photos and your pro consent messages with us online.
• Didn’t order a t-shirt in time? Wear purple or pick up one of a limited quantity of free t-shirts on November 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the SVPRO booth in the DC foyer.
• Visit the website for more information and a full listing of events, including workshops, resource booths and information on the annual ceremony to honor the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. 
  Gender-based violence often feels very solitary and isolating. Wearing your shirt and sharing messages online encourages discussion and learning about the role we all play in creating safer campuses and communities. 

Learn more about 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

Position available: Assistant Vice-President, Research and International

A message from the Vice-President, Research and International.

The Office of the Vice-President, Research and International (VPRI) is seeking to fill the position of Assistant Vice-President, Research and International starting January 2023 for a three-year term (with the possibility of renewal).

Responsibilities

The Assistant Vice-President, Research and International will report to the Associate Vice-President, Research and International (AVPRI) and be part of the leadership team in the VPRI office. The role has two primary areas of responsibility, reflecting the changes in the AVPRI portfolio to incorporate research partnerships, research agreements, and government research collaborations due to an amalgamation of the portfolios of the AVP, Interdisciplinary and Sponsored Research (interdisciplinary, institutional and tri-agencies) and AVP, Enterprise Engagement (corporate, government and other partnerships) under a single Associate Vice-President. 

The responsibilities of the role are:

1. Initiating and supporting external research partnerships:

• Working with the Director, Research Partnerships to identify and catalyze new opportunities for research collaborations with faculty and industrial partners, including the development and promotion of large-scale sector-specific connector events; direct outreach to corporations; leveraging existing relationships, e.g. co-op, alumni
• Developing and supporting research collaborations with priority international organizations, including corporate partners

2. Facilitating and promoting interdisciplinary research initiatives:

• Supporting and coordinating with campus-wide stakeholders on interdisciplinary team research initiatives
• Developing and delivering interdisciplinary events and opportunities, aligned with the Waterloo at 100 Futures research clusters - mixers, collaborative space, seed grant competitions, student team challenges

Qualifications

Applicants to this role should be tenured faculty members who have held and been successful in leadership role(s) and:

• Have a strong research track record, prominently including industrial partnerships and interdisciplinary collaborations;
• Have extensive experience with external relationship building
• Are comfortable being in a visible role, and providing leadership within the University;
• Have excellent time management skills, including the ability to work with tight deadlines;
• Have a history of productive interactions with faculty, staff, and administrators, at all levels.

Applicants should submit a cover letter detailing their interest in this role, and CV (or summary of relevant achievements and experience). Material should be submitted via email to Bernard Duncker, Associate Vice-President, Research and International at bduncker@uwaterloo.ca; review of submissions will begin on Friday December 2, 2022.

Food is only an app tap away with Campus Order Up

A message from Food Services.

In today’s digital age and even more so after a near two-year long pandemic, we are constantly reliant on fast, seamless service to meet our day-to-day needs. Having been previously launched in 2019, UW Food Services has relaunched its mobile ordering app Campus Order Up after a short hiatus. On the app, customers can place their order in advance, pay by Credit Card or WatCard and pick up their food at the designated pick up location.

You can order from Brubakers Food Court in the Student Life Centre (SLC) which features: Quesada, Subway, Pita Pit, Shawarma Hub, Pizza Pizza, Teriyaki Experience, and Jugo Juice (NEW). You can also order from Rolltation from DC Bytes on the app and get a taste of Toronto’s sushi burritos and rice and/or salad bowls.

You can find the app on the AppStore and Google Play Stores and it is also available on the Campus Order Up website.

Faculty can get their questions added to regional survey; other notes

The University of Waterloo Survey Research Centre is offering the 2023 Waterloo Region Matters survey this spring for interested researchers to purchase space to field their own survey questions while sharing the cost of conducting the research with other parties. The due date to express interest in participating is January 23, 2023. Space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

More details can be found on the Waterloo Region Matters website. If you have any questions or require more information, please contact t22ly@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567 ext. 35071.

Faculty members may also be interested in a Virtual information session for Waterloo faculty: Collaborate 2 Commercialize (C2C) Program coming up on December 6.

"University of Waterloo faculty members are invited to an information session presented by Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) and NSERC Alliance where you will learn about the Collaborate 2 Commercialize (C2C) Joint Program," says a note from the Office of Research. "C2C drives the commercialization of IP by supporting collaboration between Academica and Industry. If you have an industry problem you want to solve and are interested in applying your research to a real-world challenge, join the virtual event on Tuesday, December 6, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and find out if this program is right for you." 

Please register to attend.

The Music Department's end-of-term concert series continues with the Balinese Gamelan ensemble's concert, which takes place Friday, November 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Knox Presbyterian in UpTown Waterloo.

Gamelan ensembles are primarily percussive instruments made of bronze and bamboo but may include drums, flutes, strings, and voice. An oral tradition taught and learned collectively, repertoire is transmitted in a group setting without the use of sheet music. The gamelan ensemble is directed by Balinese artist I Dewa Made Suparta.

The concert is free and open to the public.

There's still time to register for the Virtual Cooking Show for United Way on November 30. Attendees will join Chef Mark Meinzinger for a one-hour virtual cooking show and learn how to make three delicious appetizers in time for the holiday season. Register for the November 30 event. Registration closes at end-of-day Thursday (today). 

Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) and Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) have partnered to support grad work-integrated learning. You too can support the development of grad work-integrated learning opportunities by sharing your feedback in a series of Grad WIL focus groups. Apply by Friday, November 25 to join focus groups taking place in early December. All focus group participants will have $10 added to their WatCard as a thank-you for participating. Learn more about the Grad WIL focus groups.