Wednesday, November 16, 2016

When high achievements involve going down under

Kayla Dixon embraced her Australian adventure with an open mind and open arms.

By Michelle Pressé. Waterloo is celebrating International Education Week with a variety of on-campus activities, as well as a series of stories showcasing some of the international experiences of our students, faculty, and staff.

Kayla Dixon was excited about working with students going on an international exchange when she accepted a co-op role at Waterloo International. She didn’t know the experience would inspire her to pursue an exchange of her own to a country she’d always dreamed of visiting – Australia.

“Naturally, I had a lot of support from the office,” says Kayla, who spent her 3A term at Murdoch University in Perth.

The arts and business student majoring in legal studies says the most surprising thing about her time abroad was how the experience increased her confidence.  

“At first, I was worried about being on my own,” she says. “It’s amazing how little credit I gave myself. When you’re in a foreign country and know no one, you have to be yourself and be approachable, otherwise you’ll never make friends.”

Students who go on exchange to a foreign country often find that creating a sense of community is the key to enjoying the experience overall.

“The things I did and places I went were great, but it was the bonds I shared with people because of the experience that made it worthwhile.”

Between international exchanges and international co-op work terms, Waterloo has more than 3,000 term-long experiences internationally for students annually – and that number is growing.

“Our students have access to a variety of fantastic experiences abroad,” says Ian Rowlands, Interim Associate Vice-President, International. “We’re working hard to prepare our students for opportunities that exist not just in Canada, but beyond our borders.”

Studying at Murdoch helped Kayla discover her learning style. She also enjoyed the methods professors used to teach classes, but was surprised that co-op wasn’t commonplace among Australians and other exchange students.

“I talked to students from all over the world about our co-op program,” she says. “Everyone was amazed that we have the opportunity to spend paid work terms in our field. It makes Waterloo unique.”

Outside of the classroom, Kayla took advantage of her time in Australia and explored as much of the country and its surrounding areas as possible.

“Australia is such a beautiful country, but it’s so far away,” says Kayla. “Going on exchange was the perfect way to see it all.”

Every month, Murdoch has a week-long break, which allowed Kayla to visit New Zealand and Indonesia. She also took part in a 10-day camping trip in Australia’s outback.

“If you want to get the best out of an experience, you have to be willing to try new things,” says Kayla. “I’m more adventurous now than ever."

Panel will discuss digital dependencies

Dean of Arts Doug Peers and three professors from the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Arts are inviting members of the community to a thought-provoking panel at the Kitchener Public Library – Central Branch on Monday, November 21, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.

From social media to digital surveillance, data collection, and cognitive offloading, join them as these experts explore the impacts and implications of using digital technologies in our everyday lives:

• Aimée Morrison (English) Loneliness and social media: What does it mean, and not mean, to have ‘Friends’ online? Are they only friends if we know them online? Many people worry that increasing use of social media makes us less social than before. But online friendships often fulfil needs that Real Life has a hard time meeting. 
• Jennifer Whitson (Sociology) How do surveillance devices like the Fitbit turn our bodies into playgrounds, factories, and doctors’ offices? Why do we embrace health apps as playful risk reduction tools, despite the fact that these tools collect and broadcast extremely intimate data about ourselves to a wide array of corporate and government bodies?
• Evan Risko (Psychology) New technologies and cognitive offloading: Can it change our mind? Human cognition often involves use of our bodies or external objects. But what does our increasing reliance on smartphones to help us remember or think mean for our cognitive abilities now and in the long run?

Register now to attend the public lecture.

Young entrepreneurs pledge to put their best feet forward

Jay Shah, Director of Velocity, Tomas VanStee, President of EnPowered, and Jason Coolman, Associate Vice-President, Development, Office of Advancement at yesterday's StartUp Pledge event.

by Carrie Gabla

In honour of National Philanthropy Day, big ideas and the young entrepreneurs who came up with them gathered in the Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre last night to launch the StartUp Pledge program.

The goal of StartUp Pledge is to engage alumni and the broader startup community in fueling Waterloo’s renowned entrepreneurial ecosystem. By pledging a portion of their company’s future success to Waterloo, young entrepreneurs can give back to the place where it all began, to support a new generation of innovators.

Already, 30 founders have made their personal pledge to the program. When their company goes through an IPO, acquisition, merger or exit, a small portion of the options realized will be donated to Waterloo. While similar programs exist, they are almost exclusively run by community foundations. Waterloo is the first post-secondary institution to launch a program like StartUp Pledge “in house”.

Tim Leshuk, co-founder of H2nanO Inc., was among the first to join StartUp Pledge. "Waterloo has been instrumental to the success of so many local startups, especially those founded on nanotechnology and advanced materials such as our company, where access to the University’s facilities and knowledge community is integral to fostering early innovation," he says. "StartUp Pledge allows entrepreneurs to recognize UW’s contributions and give back to support the next generation, without taking on unnecessary risk in the important early stages of growing a business."

As a token of thanks, Tim and the other StartUp participants were given a unique gift of StartUp Socks, which bear the colours of all six Waterloo faculties. Jay Mielke, in the Student Success Office, took the concept for the socks and came up with the bold design. You can learn the story behind the socks on the StartUp Pledge website. 

Jason Coolman in the Office of Advancement leads the StartUp Pledge program. “We are so pleased to launch this program on National Philanthropy Day because these young founders are the philanthropists of the future," he says. "Their success will fund the next big business idea, the next scientific breakthrough, which will drive the University and our world forward.” 

For more National Philanthropy Day stories, visit the Storify page.

Wednesday's notes

Friends and colleagues of May Yan are invited to her retirement reception on December 7 at 4:00 p.m. in the Book Store as she prepares to retire from Retail Services & WatCard.

"May joined the University of Waterloo in 1974 as a Clerical Assistant in the Reserves Department of the Library," says a statement from Office of the Associate Provost, Students. "From this beginning, she has served as Assistant Buyer, Bookstore Buyer, Gift Shop Manager, Assistant Director, and Co-Director. In 1996 she was named the Director of Retail Services, with responsibilities for the Book Store, UW Shop (now Waterloo Store), and the Computer Store (now Campus Tech). Since then, the RS portfolio has grown to include the former Graphics department as well as the WatCard Office. In 2013, the department was officially renamed Retail Services & WatCard. May’s campus connections also include service to Renison University College that started in 2008 and where she currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Governors. Please join us to say thanks to May for her many contributions to campus life." Attendees can RSVP online.

The reception begins at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 7.

Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Department of Geography and Environmental Management Geoffrey Wall has been awarded the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Ulysses Prize for Excellence in the Creation and Dissemination of Knowledge in Tourism.

The Prize has particularly valued Professor Wall’s pioneer research on tourism and climate change and his work on ecotourism and tourism planning. A prolific writer and researcher, Professor Wall has published more than 200 publications in refereed journals, more than 100 book chapters and about 20 books and monographs. He has also supervised more than 100 graduate students; many of them are now leaders in the tourism field.

Check out the full story on the Faculty of Environment's website.

Organizational & Human Development (OHD) is offering an opportunity for participants to complete the Principles of Inclusivity series as an intact group from beginning to end. Based on previous program feedback, participants enjoy developing and learning in a group setting where trust and empathy are built together. This cohort will also serve as a pilot group to examine and provide feedback on the new format and material for the Principles of Inclusivity series. For more information, or to apply for this shared learning experience, please review the registration page. Deadline to register is Monday, January 9, 2017.

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include Manulife, SAP, and PwC . Visit the employer information sessions calendar for more details.