Friday, September 30, 2016

Waterloo welcomes home alumni for Reunion 2016

The University of Waterloo will host alumni, staff, faculty, students and members of the community on Saturday, October 1 in celebration of Reunion 2016. 

Last year, more than 3,500 guests came to campus to revisit, reunite and relive their University experience for reunion celebrations.

Reunion 2016 highlights include:

• 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. - The AHS Fun Run at B.C. Matthews Hall. Run or walk around Ring Road to celebrate healthy and active living.
• 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Faculty open houses:
  • 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Math Reunion 2016 at the Bruce White Atrium and patio in Mathematics 3. Start the day with a pancake breakfast and open house, and finish the afternoon with the Amazing Math Race.
  • 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Engineering open house and tours at the Sedra Student Design Centre in Engineering 5.
  • 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Stress-Free Interactive tours and activities designed to help you learn like an environment student without the stress of exams.
  • 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Let’s Do Science! at Warrior Field to discover the wonders of science.
  • 1:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Grand opening of the new Applied Health Sciences building expansion at B.C. Matthews Hall.
  • 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Reconnect with Arts alumni and take a tour of the newly opened Hagey Hall Hub.
  • 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Grand opening of St. Jerome’s University building expansion and ribbon cutting.
• 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The 22^nd annual East Asian Festival at Renison University College. Experience the vibrant cultures of China, Japan and Korea with live performances, music, food and educational booths.
• 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Waterloo Warriors football game vs. Queen’s Golden Gaels at Warrior Field. Gates open at 12:00 p.m.

For a full list of events, visit the Reunion website. The events listed are family and kid-friendly.

International alumni are invited to join in the celebration by participating in Virtual Reunion. Online participation includes a Recapture Reunion Photo Challenge, a livestream lecture and virtual campus tours. Use #UWReunion to join in the social conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Waterloo, Thomson Reuters enter data partnership

Thomson Reuters and the University of Waterloo are joining forces to fuel breakthroughs in data science and develop the next generation of global entrepreneurial leaders.

“Thomson Reuters and the University of Waterloo are teaming up to support Canada’s global competitiveness as a leader in the knowledge-and-technology economy,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur. “Our organizations are united in our commitment to producing talent and technology to help realize the best possibilities of the Information Age.”

The wide-ranging collaboration is valued at over $20 million over the next five years and will include:

• The establishment of the Thomson Reuters-funded Research Chair in Data Cleaning from Theory to Practice. The chair is initially held by Professor Ihab F. Ilyas from the Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo, whose research is investigating new methods for storing, cleaning, and curating data. In this role, Professor Ilyas will continue focusing on integrating and curating data in an effort to overcome the problem of data silos, and help businesses make better use of their data.
• Thomson Reuters will provide students and researchers at the Faculty of Mathematics and the School of Accounting and Finance at Waterloo with access to Thomson Reuters Eikon, the powerful and intuitive next-generation solution for consuming real-time and historical data, enabling financial markets transactions and connecting with the financial markets community. Enhancing the education and access of more than 670  students,  Eikon provides students with the opportunity to apply financial theory to practice.
• Joint collaboration on the Problem Lab, an innovative new program run by Larry Smith, author and adjunct associate professor with the Department of Economics and the Conrad Centre at Waterloo. The Problem Lab helps students find and understand important problems—the critical, but often overlooked, first step of entrepreneurial innovation.
• Thomson Reuters Labs™ - Waterloo Region, will create four positions for undergraduate and graduate level Waterloo students (three co-op: UX design, data science, and startup engagement, and one PhD internship: data science). In addition, it will create a position for a full-time position for a master’s or PhD graduate.

• Further Thomson Reuters-University of Waterloo collaborations are in research of e-discovery, on three capstone projects for MBET and MDEI Masters programs, and Thomson Reuters sponsorship of the Waterloo Innovation Summit.

“We are proud to further our commitment to fostering Canadian innovation,” said Jim Smith, president and chief executive officer of Thomson Reuters. “Together with the University of Waterloo, we can empower the next generation of technology leaders with the tools and content they need to solve big data challenges with real-world applications."