Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Understanding the vision of Waterloo at 100

Yesterday’s Waterloo 100 President’s Forum was an opportunity for staff and faculty to hear from President Vivek Goel exactly how the vision document will help guide the University into an uncertain, yet promising, future.

Hosted as part of the 2023 Staff Conference, the President used most of his time on stage answering a wide array of questions related to the Waterloo at 100 vision, and how it will influence the direction we take as an institution in both the short, and long term.

So, just what's in the Waterloo at 100 vision? Here's a sample:

A vision for Waterloo at 100 

Who we are: We are a leading global research-intensive university, renowned for entrepreneurship and innovation, providing co-op and work-integrated learning at scale with impact. 

What we envision: A community of curious, collaborative, innovative and entrepreneurial problem-solvers and leaders who seek to understand and identify equitable and sustainable solutions for the future of humanity and our planet. 

To realize this vision, we will follow three guiding principles: 

• Rediscover unconventional: We will rediscover our spirit to be different. The world benefits more when we bring uniquely Waterloo strengths. 

• Lead globally, act locally: As we continue to address global challenges and make impacts around the world, we will also continue to contribute to our local surroundings through collaborative relationships.  

• Coordinate and collaborate: To unlock the full potential of our university, we will create a culture of co-ordination and collaboration both within and beyond our institution. 

Global Futures 

The future we imagine for humanity and our planet is at the core of the five Global Futures, which will help us to focus and co-ordinate our work across disciplines and organizational boundaries: 

• Societal Futures: How do we share and translate knowledge to positively advance society’s future and ensure that communities and everyone within them thrive? 

• Health Futures: How will we ensure everyone achieves optimal health and well-being? How can we redesign our health systems through technological advances, virtual care and health data applications? 

• Sustainable Futures: How will we enact the social, economic and geopolitical changes required to ensure a prosperous future for humanity and the planet? 

• Technological Futures: How will we lead the next technological transformation to ensure a safe and human-centered digital future? 

• Economic Futures: How do we create equitable and resilient local and global economies to lead us into the future? 

Each of these futures overlaps with the others and it’s in these intersections where Waterloo’s tenacity for identifying new opportunities, solutions and leading change will shine. 

We know we cannot predict the future, but we are confident about our ability to help shape it for future generations. By trying to understand the potential future scenarios, we can create the conditions to prepare our students, faculty and staff to be the leaders of the change ahead.

The journey to 2057 

We have bold ambitions for the impact we want to make on the world. To enable these goals, we need to look inward to focus, organize and forecast into the future how we work.  

Four forecasts will help us create the right environment for our community to thrive.  

Culture 2057: Who we are as an institution starts with our culture. We will be nimble and coordinate across disciplinary and organizational boundaries for the betterment of our university and our students. We will embrace decolonization, Indigenization, inclusivity, equity, and anti-racism into our organizational culture. We will ensure the physical and mental health and well-being of our students and employees and support them to achieve success in their personal and professional lives. 

Graduates 2057: Our goal is to produce uniquely Waterloo graduates who are transformed by their education to drive positive change in the world. Our graduates will be global citizens centred on humanity, the planet and equity, and connected to their local communities.  

Knowledge 2057: We will value knowledge that counts over being counted. We will not rely solely on traditional metrics of student achievement, faculty scholarship and teaching excellence. We will incentivize students and researchers to make positive changes in society. We will also assess students for their contributions to society and impact and we will find new ways to reward our community for their innovation, collaboration and collective impact in research and education.  

Campus 2057: We will ensure our campuses are financially and environmentally sustainable, and carbon neutral. We will make sure our campuses are decolonized, inclusive, equitable and accessible. Individuals of all abilities, backgrounds and identities should thrive through a deep sense of belonging.

We will also evolve our differentiators. Leveraging our strengths in integrating disciplines and working at the intersections, we can also be relied upon as innovators for social good. This theme will underpin the evolution of our differentiators as we leverage our strengths in innovation in STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – and commercialization of ideas. Our university will evolve our strengths by being more socially engaged, robust and relevant. 

By 2057: 

We will shape the future of co-op and work integrated learning by expanding opportunities for our undergraduate and graduate students and evolving our programming to keep pace with social, technological and economic change. 

Focusing on where we can make the most impact with fundamental and applied research, we will continue tackling global challenges that will benefit our world for generations. Unified by the Global Futures, we will work collaboratively across disciplines, organizational boundaries and with partners across sectors.  

We will continue to be bold innovators and leaders in entrepreneurship, adding pillars in social innovation and policy engagement aligned with the Global Futures. We will apply our innovative and entrepreneurial spirit in our own communities including our campuses, working with local stakeholders on transformational projects for the region and growing global companies that scale.  

We will be an active member of our surrounding community and strengthen our role in catalyzing and sustaining Waterloo region’s growth. We will be deeply embedded in the region’s social, economic, and cultural fabric, enriching the experience of students, faculty and staff who connect and contribute to local and global businesses and communities.  

To 2057 and beyond, we will continue to ensure we lead at being unconventional, to define new futures for the University and for humanity. 

What's next? 

We have a lot of work ahead, but every journey starts with one step. Our immediate goals to get us started: 

• A place for ideas: The Waterloo at 100 Incubator will help translate big and small ideas from the university and surrounding community to make this vision reality.  

• Evolving our values: To support the change we need to realize this vision of Waterloo at 100, we will start by revisiting our values to catalyze a culture shift to work more nimbly and collaboratively.  

• Aligning to Global Futures: We will collaborate and organize our activities in education, research and service more effectively around the areas of impact we seek to make.  

• A pillar for social and policy engagement: To create the impacts we seek in our Global Futures, we will build up our capacity for social and policy engagement that is more integrated with scientific innovation and technology. 

• Our planning and performance: We will evolve our internal processes to keep us on track with short-term priorities against this long-term vision.  

This is just the beginning. We look forward to working with the University community and our partners to achieve this vision.  

WatSPEED partners with prof for new AI-focused professional education programs

A message from WatSPEED.

After the overwhelming interest in their recent ChatGPT webinar, WatSPEED has partnered with University of Waterloo artificial intelligence (AI) expert, Dr. Jimmy Lin, to launch two new programs: 

Foundations of Large Language Models: Tools, Techniques, and Applications 

This program offers you a comprehensive understanding of text-based generative artificial intelligence (AI), including large language models (LLMs) and the tools behind ChatGPT. You’ll explore how they can be leveraged for natural language processing (NLP) tasks. Whether you're a data professional, developer, or programmer, understanding LLMs can help you build better NLP models, develop custom NLP applications, and optimize model performance. With a focus on practical applications and techniques, this course is perfect for anyone looking to apply NLP, machine learning, and prompt engineering to their work, and stay ahead of the curve in this rapidly evolving field. Learn more. 

Executive Sprint | ChatGPT and the Large Language Model Revolution 

In this three-part executive sprint, Lin will explain in business-friendly terms how LLMs work, separate hype from the reality of current capabilities, and share insights about the future of these technologies. You will also come away with a roadmap that can help you determine where, when, and how LLMs can be applied to your organization in a responsible manner. Learn more. 

Registration is now open for both programs, which start in May. Limited seats are available.

Vision Science Graduate Student Conference set for April 18

The annual Vision Science Graduate Student Conference will be held on Tuesday, April 18.

The schedule includes a full slate of graduate student presentations at the all-day event, and the last research seminar of the series, The Larkworthy Lecture, is planned to wrap up the day's events and will be followed by a reception.

This year's Larkworthy Lecture will be delivered by Dr. Mark Servos at 5:30 p.m. in OPT 347 and is entitled Development of SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance to support public health action. 

"We strongly encourage faculty and staff to attend as much of this conference as your schedule will allow," says a note from conference organizers. "You will be updated on research within the School and it is an opportunity to support our graduate students by attending the graduate awards presentation."

There will also be a GRAD Student Awards presentation and a Grad Flix Highlight featuring Drs. Stan Woo, Paul Murphy, and Kristine Dalton.

All graduate students are expected to attend this event. Register for the conference here, and if you have any questions, please contact vsgraduatecoordinator@uwaterloo.ca.

Showcase 2023: Call for Proposals deadline extended

A message from the Continuous Improvement, Change Management, and Project and Portfolio Management community of practice.

Do you have a project you are proud of? Did you contribute towards your department's productivity? Is there a change on your team or in your unit that went well, and you’d like to share?  We would like to hear from you!

The Continuous Improvement, Change Management, and Project and Portfolio Management communities are hosting our 4^th annual Showcase event on campus on Thursday June 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and are seeking your proposals.

We will assist you with your poster development, provide a template and guidance, as well as print your poster materials for you. As well, we have extended our deadline to Monday, April 24 at the request of several campus partners to collaborate on their submissions. So, if you have been thinking about a proposal but unsure about the timing, you just got more time! Past posters can be viewed on the Showcase event page.

Successful proposals for poster exhibits and flash talks will meet some or all the following criteria: 

1. Addresses projects or initiatives and the application of best practices in one or more of Continuous Improvement, Change Management, and/or Project Management. 
2. Is geared to employees as the primary audience. 
3. Promotes tools, methodologies, or practices others can use and apply and that are supported by the campus. 
4. Identifies clear learning outcomes and key takeaways. 
5. Focuses on innovations or emerging trends, practices, or knowledge. 
6. Offers a mix of information-sharing and engagement. 

About the Showcase

The Showcase is a free, in-person event that brings campus colleagues together to share best practices, successes, and connect. It will feature poster exhibits and poster flash talks—all centered around ideas and practices that contribute to continuous improvement, change management, and project management. The Showcase is open to all employees and students.

Please consider registering your poster proposal. Submissions will be reviewed and evaluated on the above criteria. You will be notified by April 28 whether your proposal has been selected. Please contact us if you have any questions.

The heat is on...for now, says Plant Operations

A message from Plant Operations.

The HVAC systems around campus are set into a heating or cooling mode on a seasonal change-over. The change takes several weeks with some substantial changes made to the HVAC units. The spring change to cooling typically happens around the weekend of Mother’s Day and is based on weather forecasts of a consistent daytime temperature of 20 degrees.

The upcoming week has temperatures projected to be around 20 degrees Celsius but the following week the temperatures will return to a more seasonable average. With this week’s fluctuation we will continue with our spring schedule and leave the campus on “heat mode” until we see a steady daytime high of 20 plus degrees and a night time low above 12 degrees.

FINCAPES project launches this week; other notes

The University of Waterloo is inviting members of the University community to the FINCAPES Project launch on Friday, April 14 in the Student Life Centre’s Black and Gold Room. 

FINCAPES is an international research and teaching project in collaboration with Indonesian partners on climate-change adaptation and mitigation strategies in the country. Jointly undertaken by the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Mathematics and Faculty of Environment, the project is funded by Global Affairs Canada and is a 5.5-year gender responsive initiative to help Indonesia build capacity to adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change and conserve biodiversity.  

FINCAPES, which stands for implementing agency for Flood Impacts, Carbon Pricing, and Ecosystem Sustainability will provide technical assistance and capacity building to help our Indonesian partners strengthen:  

• Quantification and modelling of climate change-exacerbated flood risks, and identification of strategies to mitigate related financial loss and damage   
• Conservation and restoration of peatland and mangrove ecosystems   
• Biodiversity conservation  
• Policy research to support the Government of Indonesia’s ambitious climate finance programs   

"At its heart FINCAPES is a multidisciplinary collaboration," says a note from the event organizers. "This exclusive launch is an opportunity to meet and connect with diverse members of the UWaterloo community who might want to learn more and get involved with the project. It’s also an opportunity to meet our Indonesian partners whose first-hand experience with the fight against climate change is the inspiration for the program."  

Event speakers include Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor, and Mark Giesbrecht, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics.

The launch event runs from 11:00 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. with a luncheon to follow.

And also this week FINCAPES is sponsoring its first event, on Thursday, April 13, entitled Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy.

"The Indo-Pacific region will play a critical role in shaping Canada’s future over the next half-century," says the event's background info blurb. "Encompassing 40 economies, over four billion people and $47.19 trillion in economic activity, it is the world’s fastest growing-region and home to six of Canada’s top 13 trading partners. The Indo-Pacific region represents significant opportunities for growing the economy here at home, as well as opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses for decades to come."

"The Indo-Pacific is rapidly becoming the global centre of economic dynamism and strategic challenge. Every issue that matters to Canadians—including our national security, economic prosperity, respect for international law, democratic values, public health, protecting our environment, the rights of women and girls and human rights—will be shaped by the relationships Canada and its allies and partners have with Indo-Pacific countries. Our ability to maintain open skies, open trading systems and open societies, as well as to effectively address climate change, will depend in part on what happens over the next several decades in the Indo-Pacific region."

Speaking at the event will be Audri Mukhopadhyay, Southeast Asia and Oceania Division 1-OSP Global Affairs Canada
Director, and Bessma Momani, Associate Vice-President, Research and International, acting as event host. The event runs from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in DC 1302.

For more information about the event, contact Jean Lowry 226-929-5616 or via email at jean.lowry@uwaterloo.ca, or Bill Duggan at 613-250-8652 or via email at bill.duggan@uwaterloo.ca.