Friday, May 24, 2024

Reunite, reminisce and celebrate at Reunion 2024

A message from Advancement.

We’re welcoming more than 1,000 alumni and friends back to campus Friday, May 31 and Saturday June 1 for Reunion 2024.

On Friday, watch the popular Rock this Town documentary at Princess Cinemas. It was produced by Betty Anne Keller (BA ’69) and brings to life the exciting history of rock music concerts in Kitchener-Waterloo from the ’60s and ’70s.

On Saturday, alumni can walk down memory lane by exploring activities across campus before the Black and Gold Luncheon at Federation Hall, where those celebrating 25-, 50-, 55- and 60-year anniversaries will be honoured.

Faculties and the University Colleges are hosting special events throughout the weekend including open houses, tours and receptions.

If you’re a member of the Waterloo alumni family, join us! Register now.

Exploring Canada's quantum future

By Alex Kinsella. This is an excerpt of an article that originally appeared on Waterloo News.

More than 190 researchers, leaders and policymakers gathered for the second annual Quantum Connections Conference on May 1 and 2 at the Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre. The conference built upon last year’s event with a focus on the potential impacts of quantum on business, government policy and security.

Dr. Norbert Lütkenhaus, executive director of IQC opened the conference by recognizing Canada's quantum community's global reputation and growth.

“As I thought about this conference, I reflected on our conversations last year and the conversations and events we’ve had since then.  This past year has only strengthened my belief that if you want to study quantum or start a business in quantum then you should be here in Canada,” Lütkenhaus said.

There have been numerous investments in Canadian quantum research and business in 2024, including $17.2 million in support for quantum projects from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, $7 million in investment to quantum projects at the University of Waterloo through NSERC Alliance grants and up to $14.9 million from the federal government in support for Quantum Valley Ideas Lab to accelerate the development and adoption of quantum science technologies.

“This is great progress and shows what we are capable of while working together to build a stronger quantum nation,” he said.

Following the opening remarks, Lütkenhaus was joined by Dr. Blake Johnson, Quantum Engine lead at IBM, for a fireside chat moderated by Kayleigh Platz, IQC’s director of communications and strategic initiatives.

The conversation looked at the state of today’s quantum industry and what the future has in store for quantum research and commercialization.

“Finding that sweet spot of product-market fit is crucial. It's when technology or an industry becomes integral, moving beyond the early adopter phase driven primarily by public and private investments to something more organic,” Johnson said. “Currently, we're at a critical juncture where we need to be careful not to get sidetracked by other technologies or external factors like economic downturns. To truly unlock the potential value for companies and the world, we must focus on achieving that product-market fit.”

The day’s first panel, Quantum + Business, discussed creating commercialization opportunities for quantum computing. The panel emphasized the need for Canada to create a comprehensive strategy to develop and promote quantum computing, including the importance of startup funding and early-stage strategic investments.

Dr. Donny Cheung, Google’s Health care and Life Sciences AI product portfolio lead for Google Cloud, said it is also important not to oversimplify the technology's potential or underestimate the challenges involved.

“It's like sitting in 1920 and trying to imagine what Tinder is like in the future. We don't know. We have some ideas of what impact quantum is going to have, but it is incredibly difficult to find that killer application,” Cheung said.

“Researching and developing real-world quantum solutions requires a quantum-ready workforce. Canada has the right ecosystem of post-secondary and research institutions and industry partners to build this workforce,” said Dr. Anindya Sen, acting executive director of the University of Waterloo Cybersecurity & Privacy Institute. “That's our Canadian advantage, and I don't think it's easily replicable in other parts of the world.”

The Law + Policy panel discussed understanding the legal and policy-making aspects of emerging technologies like quantum. During the conversation, Simon Hodgett, partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, expressed that quantum leaders need to consider the policy and ethical implications of quantum advancements.

“When we go to market with a technology, we're thinking about the policy, legislative and ethical implications of that technology. What are the negative implications that we're going to need to deal with that are unique to the technology? There are some really significant concerns about quantum that need to be dealt with, and I think artificial intelligence is blazing the trail for how to deal with policy and how to deal with the downsides of a technology,” Hodgett said.

Read the full story on Waterloo News

Waterloo will re-raise Pride flags at ceremony on June 3

Members of the University community are invited to a flag-raising event to kick off Pride Month celebrations on campus. "This event marks an important moment for our campus community as we re-raise two flags: the Intersex-Inclusive Progress flag and the Two-Spirit Pride flag," wrote President Vivek Goel in a memo circulated to campus earlier this week. "These flags are a symbolic gesture of our commitment to nurturing an inclusive and welcoming campus culture where all individuals feel seen, valued, and respected." Readers will note that the Pride flags have been flying on campus masts since June 2023.

The re-raising ceremony is set for Monday, June 3 from 8:45 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., with remarks beginning at 9:00 a.m. in H Lot near the University of Waterloo's south campus entrance, and, naturally, the main campus flagpoles.

"Flying the Two-Spirit Pride flag represents the intersection of National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month and signifies the University’s ongoing commitment towards indigenization across our campuses," President Goel's memo continues. 

Speaking at the event will be President Goel and members of the University's 2SLGBTQIA+ campus communities including speakers from the GLOW Centre and the Queer-Trans Alliance. There will be a special closing ceremony led by Myeengun Henry.

Muffins and cold beverages will be served for attendees and passersby, while quantities last. 

The Pride flag-raising event is one of several events taking place throughout June to celebrate Pride Month. Visit the Pride Month web page to learn more about Pride Month events, initiatives and resources. 

You @ Waterloo Day tomorrow and other notes

Thousands of future students and their families are expected to visit the University of Waterloo's campuses tomorrow for You @ Waterloo Day, which runs from 10:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m. at various locations. The event gives incoming first-year students an opportunity to learn more about the University and the services and amenities available to them. Attendees will tour campus and residences, speak with students and professors about programs and co-op, learn about scholarships, and discover the many supports on offers as they sample life at Waterloo with their families.

Also this weekend, Waterloo.AI and MAG Aerospace will be hosting a Wildfire Hackathon on Saturday, May 25 all day in Biology 1. "Wildfires present a challenge for forest management, threatening communities and destroying vast amounts of timber resources, resulting in costly losses," says a note from hackathon organizers. "The hackathon topic will be related to wildfire growth prediction. We will make available data covering several fires on the day of the challenge. A few days before the challenge, we will release a starter kit containing some data and starter code. We highly encourage teams to familiarize themselves with the data and code before the challenge."

From burning forests to burning rubber: parking lots on the University's East Campus will be temporarily turned into racetracks this weekend as the annual Waterloo Electric Vehicle Challenge gets underway on Saturday, May 25 (rain date Sunday, May 26). Hosted by Waterloo Engineering, the competition will feature high school students who have designed and built their own electric race cars in an endurance competition. There are 12- and 24-volt car classes, design awards to be won, and of course, the electric thrill of victory and the shock of defeat.

Also, just a heads up that Quest will be down for maintenance on Saturday, May 25 from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon. During this time Quest will be unavailable.

Looking ahead to next week:

There's still time to register for the 2024 Together | Ensemble Conference, billed as "Canada’s all-of-society conference" on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The conference will be held in-person on May 28 and 29 in Waterloo with the theme of "Innovation for the SDGs" and three streams of curated content:

1. AI and Emerging Technologies for Eco-Innovation;
2. Future Cities;
3. Sustainable Finance.

"Join us in-person and online to track progress, deepen commitments, and create new collaborations for the SDGs in Canada," says a note from Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Canada.

The Sexual Violence and Prevention Response Office (SVPRO) is hosting a "Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence" open session for all Waterloo staff and faculty on Tuesday, May 28 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. You can register for the session on Portal.

"This is a virtual open session to learn more broadly about sexual and gender-based violence and how to appropriately respond to disclosures," reports SVPRO. "All staff and faculty are welcome to register and attend."

If you have any questions, please contact taneah.ugwuegbula@uwaterloo.ca.

Don’t forget to enter the Faculty, Staff and Retiree Giving Program’s nesting season Canada goose art contest. "All current faculty, staff and retirees of the University of Waterloo are invited to download the partial image, let your imagination take flight (pun intended) and draw the most original, epic or hilarious Canada goose," says a note from Advancement. "Email your masterpiece (digital or scanned) to FSRgiving@uwaterloo.ca by 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29."

Finally, Information Systems & Technology (IST) has published the latest in its Atlassian Blog Series, entitled What's new in Atlassian: New Request Type Templates for Team-Managed Projects.