Friday, October 28, 2016

Conference focuses on histories of education

The Canadian History of Education Association's 19^th Biennial Conference is taking place this week in Waterloo.

The Canadian History of Education Association/Association canadienne d’histoire de l’education (CHEA/ACHÉ) is Canada's national, bilingual association that promotes the study of the educational past, and its membership is comprised of academics, teachers, museum educators, local historians and university students.

This year's conference theme is Teaching Nation? Histories of Education and the Politics of Commemoration. It addresses such timely issues as reconciliation education and history education methods.

"As we approach Canada’s 150^th birthday, CHEA/ACHÉ attendees will explore how education has been or currently is a conduit for the commemoration or counter-commemoration of history," says a note from the conference organizers. "It is the first time that this conference will be held in Waterloo with its President Kristina Llewellyn, a faculty member in the Department of Social Development Studies."

The conference will be held at the Delta Waterloo from October 27 to 30. Conference details, including a draft program, and a link to online registration, is available on the CHEA/ACHÉ website Online registration is still open. 

Environment alumnae named to Top 30 Under 30

This article was originally posted on the Faculty of Environment news site.

Each year Corporate Knights magazine recognizes exceptional young Canadians shaping our sustainable future. The Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders list highlights activists, entrepreneurs, students and professionals from across Canada and around the world. This year approximately 80 nominations were received and three Faculty of Environment alumnae were among those who came out on top.

“These three young professionals exemplify the next generation of environmental leaders,” says Jean Andrey, dean of the Faculty of Environment. “Their achievements reinforce the responsibility we have here at Waterloo to harness student energy and passion to make the world a better place; giving them the skills, confidence and tools to be the future generation our planet needs."

Dana Decent, 26

In the few short years since graduating from the Environment and Business program, Dana Decent has acquired an impressive breadth of experience across the non-profit, private and academic sectors. She worked as Operations Coordinator at Sustainability Colab, a non-profit organization that supports networks of local businesses in setting and achieving sustainability targets. As a Sustainability Analyst for Sunlife Financial, she led the submission of sustainability rankings, including the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Decent now works as the Manager for the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation (ICAA) in the Faculty of Environment, a national applied research center that focuses on mobilizing practical and cost-effective solutions to address climate change and extreme weather events. Passionate about translating complex information into tangible and results, Decent began a new challenge this fall, enrolling in the Masters of Sustainability Management program, to study the health impacts of flooding.  

Tahnee Prior, 27

2015 Trudeau Scholar, Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar, and Doctoral Candidate at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, Tahnee Prior researches how to design resilient institutions for rapidly changing and complex environments, like the Arctic. Her highly interdisciplinary doctoral work draws on complexity theory, environmental law, and the broader field of global governance. Aside from her Ph.D. work, Prior is a team member on the Finnish Academy research project  Human Security as a Promotional Tool for Societal Security in the Arctic (HuSArctic); a research assistant working on EU-Canada Arctic Strategies; and a contributing author to the Arctic Resilience Report (2016). Prior sits on the Board of the Thousand Network, a global community of young change makers who excel and collaborate across their respective fields, and is currently a Visiting Researcher with the Arctic Futures Initiative at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Laxemburg, Austria.

Morgan Book, 25

Those who work with Morgan Book call her the ‘backbone’ of the Nova Scotia Youth Conservation Corps (NSYCC), one of the leading environmental charities in the Maritimes. NSYCC delivers programs through the Clean Foundation, an organization Book started with as an intern in 2012. She has held several positions within the organization and in 2014, the year she graduated from the Master of Climate Change program, became the Coordinator of NSYCC and Community Programs. Leveraging her youthful energy and strategic insight, Book spearheaded the innovative Aboriginal Leadership Program, focused on training and internships for youth at risk of underemployment. The program has since tripled in size and has been exported to new countries, including a pilot program currently underway in Barbados. Morgan volunteers for GOT Parks, sits on various provincial environmental caucuses, supports local food projects and is the Chair of Personnel for Sherbrooke Lake Camp.

The Faculty of Environment now boasts six Top 30 Under 30 picks. Previous winners include School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability student Dominique Souris, Sustainability Management graduate Sean Campbell and Master of Environment and Business student Jillian Rodak; all recognized on last year's list. 

Undergrad nanotechnology conference coming soon

On Saturday, November 12, the University of Waterloo will host the second annual Waterloo Undergraduate Nanotechnology Conference (WUNC) in the Quantum-Nano Centre. WUNC brings together nanotechnology leaders from academia and industry, including established companies and start-ups, to discuss innovation and research in a day of engaging activities.

WUNC features keynote speaker Vladimir Bulovic, associate dean for innovation at MIT, and talks by the founders of Voltera and Nicoya Lifesciences, among others. A panel of innovative industry representatives will talk about how nanotechnology has influenced the market, how their company innovates and what kind of talent they need.

Rounding out the day will be a poster session, a tour of Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology laboratories, and other interactive activities.

WUNC is organized by students, for students – specifically for students who are passionate about innovative technologies. The event features speakers working at the forefront of nanotechnology innovation in the fields of biomedicine, materials science, electronics, optics, and more. WUNC offers a glimpse into career paths – such as entrepreneurship, industry, and academia – for the next wave of engineers and scientists to get inspired to innovate.

Find out more on the Waterloo Undergraduate Nanotechnology Conference website.

IST and Office 365 information booth; other notes

Staff from Information Systems and Technology (IST) will be available in the SLC on Thursday, November 3 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm. to answer questions related to the services Information S provides students including:

• Wireless issues;
• Virus removal;
• Windows and Mac support;
• And more!

Ambassadors from Microsoft will also be present with IST to answer questions related to Office 365 and the suite of tools now available to all undergraduate students.

Students are encouraged to stop by to ask general questions about IST services, and/or their new Office 365 account. 

Undergraduate students with an interest in mathematics might also be interested to know that the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences, originally founded and housed at the University of Waterloo but now located at the University of Toronto, is organizing events associated with the 2016 Fields Medal Symposium., which celebrates the work and accomplishments of Fields Medallists. The public opening and reception takes place on November 1 at 7:00 p.m. in the Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto and marks the start of the symposium. The student night takes place on November 2 at 5:30 p.m. at the Fields Institute on 222 College Street in Toronto and is geared towards undergraduate and high school students. All events are free to attend but registration for each is required.

The UW Food Bank is holding their annual Trick-or-Eat event on Monday October 31 and is in need of dedicated volunteers! Students will be sent out across our community to collect food donations for the on campus and regional food banks. Volunteers can have the option of either signing up by themselves or in teams of 3 to 5. Anyone who is interested can fill out the online sign-up form.

The UW Food Bank is also looking for drivers who are at least 21 years old and have a G license for the event, and are available for the entire night approximately 3:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. They do not have to have a car on campus and gas/food/giftcard will be provided. If anyone is interested they can contact the UW Food Bank by email. You can find out more details about the event on Facebook.

That reminds me: if you or your department are getting into the Halloween spirit on Monday by dressing up or decorating your workspace, please send the Daily Bulletin a photo and I'll try to feature it next week.