Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Lecturer wins teaching innovation award

A continuing lecturer at the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering is the recipient of a national award for innovative teachers.

Carol Hulls is a winner of the 2016 Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) / Brightspace Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning. She is a founding member of the Engineering IDEAs Clinic at Waterloo. The initiative incorporates hands-on activities into all engineering programs at the University.

Hulls uses experiential learning in her classes, as well as other innovative techniques. Instead of a whiteboard or chalk board, she uses a tablet PC, and she records what she is writing on the screen and the audio of her voice so that students can see an idea as it’s developed and hear the explanation. She has also moved four hours of programming facts online so that the focus of her in-person lectures is on tackling programming design, not recitation.

“Faculty members who engage and inspire their students enhance the learning experience and play a key role in equipping Waterloo graduates with the tools they need to succeed,” said Ian Orchard, vice-president academic and provost at Waterloo. “Carol Hulls’ dedication to her students’ learning is commendable, and we are delighted that she is receiving this deserved recognition.”

Hulls says she is always willing to experiment with a new technique if it could potentially improve student learning.

"I want my students to be innovative engineers, willing to try new approaches and learn from failure to make a better design,” said Hulls, a Waterloo alumna who began teaching in the Faculty of Engineering in 1999. “In the lecture hall, lab, and also online, I welcome and practice innovation, only the goal for me is learning and having my students experience the joys of engineering.”

The awards ceremony will take place on June 23 in London, Ontario during the 2016 STLHE Annual Conference. Each of the five winners will receive a two-year membership in STLHE as well as $2,200 toward travel and registration costs for Brightspace’s annual users’ conference, FUSION 2016, and STLHE’s Annual Conference.

Office of Research moving to East Campus

"The Office of Research is moving from our long-time home in Needles Hall to the third floor of East Campus 5," says a note from the Office of Research. "To accommodate the move, our office will be closed Friday, June 3 and Monday, June 6."

"While we are working hard to minimize disruption to our normal business activities, access to email and telephone will be limited during this time. Thank you for your understanding and patience."

We look forward to welcoming you to our new space beginning June 7, 2016."

Medical conference celebrates the past while embracing the future

Leaders in community health care, technology, research and entrepreneurship will gather tomorrow to discuss the ways these areas intersect in medicine now and should in the future, while celebrating a milestone anniversary for one health-care facility in the region.

Waterloo Region MED TECH: Bridging the Gap 2016 is the inaugural conference presented by the Centre for Biotechnology and Bioengineering at the University of Waterloo, Grand River Hospital, Communitech and the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network (WWLHIN). It commemorates 100 years of health care at Grand River Hospital’s Freeport Campus, which is increasingly specializing in rehabilitative care, health innovation and research.

The one-day conference will feature presentations, discussions and three keynote addresses. Mark Wilson, senior vice-president, marketing at BlackBerry, will present a keynote on secure communication and collaboration in health care. William Charnetski, chief innovation strategist at Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, will present on the province’s innovation strategy. Dr. Sonny Kohli, a physician in internal medicine and critical care, is project lead for Cloud DX, a Kitchener company that is among the finalists for the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, worth $10 million. It is a competition to develop a real-world version of a Tricorder from Star Trek, a hand-held medical device that monitors and diagnoses several health conditions.

The conference takes place on Wednesday, May 25 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Grand River Hospital's Freeport Campus, located on 3570 King Street East. Attendees are required to register on the conference website.

Symposium to examine gender's digital dilemmas

The University of Waterloo will be hosting a colloquium on August 5 and 6 entitled Digital Dilemmas: Transforming Gender Identities and Power Relations in Everyday Life.

The deadline for registrations for this conference closes on July 15.

"The proliferation of digital technologies, virtual spaces, and new forms of engagement raise key questions about the changing nature of gender relations and identities within democratic societies," says the conference abstract. "Over one and a half days this colloquium will bring together scholars and graduate students to explore how our everyday leisure lives are being transformed by technology in ways that inform and challenge gender injustice for women, men, and transgender citizens."

Three digital dilemmas will be explored:

1. How do virtual voices influence issues at the intersection of gender and (in)justice?
2. How do innovative methodologies enable new insights into the social transformation of gender relations, digital cultures, and social justice?
3. How is digital technology shaping relationships between diverse citizens, communities and policy makers in the context of gender equity?

Keynote speakers for the event include Brittany Cooper of Rutgers University, who is the co-founder of the Crunk Feminist Collective, and Waterloo's own Aimée Morrison, co-founder of Hook and Eye: Fast feminism, slow academe.

A number of academic papers will be presented, covering feminist digital methods for social justice, the impact of digital culture on women and sport, and social media.

This conference is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the University of Waterloo, and the University of Bath, UK.

Interested in attending? Register online.

Monday's notes

The Wellness Committee is reporting that due to unforeseen circumstances there will be no Wellness Walk taking place this spring.

"We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding," says a note from the committee. "We encourage you to continue the walking challenge this spring and explore the campus."

While we're on the subject of wellness, UW Fitness is offering an early summer special on several small group exercise programs for Waterloo staff and faculty. Employees can take advantage of this private, on-campus facility under the guidance of certified staff.

• Learn To Spin program. Fridays from 12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m., June 3 to 24. Learn proper set up of the spin bike, training zones for cardiovascular exercise, and a variety of spin drills. 4 sessions in total for 45 min each week. Maximum number of participants is 8
• Nordic Pole Walking instruction. Tuesdays from 12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m., June 7 to 28. Poles provided for use in sessions. Learn proper technique for pole walking in small group format. 4 sessions in total for 45 min each week. These sessions will take place outdoors.  Maximum number of participants is 10.
• Effective Resistance Tubing Workouts. Fridays from 12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m., June 3 to 24. Tubing provided for use in sessions.  Learn how to use resistance tubing for an effective full body workout that is portable and inexpensive. 4 sessions in total for 45 min each week.  Maximum number of participants is 10.

Visit the UW Fitness website for more details including pricing, and call extension 36841 or e-mail fitness@uwaterloo.ca to register. These programs start early June so register soon as space is limited.

WatIAM administrators will be performing database migration on Wednesday, May 25 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. During this maintenance window, new accounts cannot be created, updates to existing accounts (including password changes) cannot be made, myPensionInfo access will be unavailable, and extract files will not be produced. Authentication services, on the other hand, will not be affected.