Wednesday, March 8, 2017

HeForShe Writing Contest winners named

The winners of the 2017 HeForShe writing contest have been selected, and their work has been published in a special anthology presented in support of the HeForShe 10x10x10 IMPACT framework.

President Feridun Hamdullahpur made the announcement at the International Women's Day dinner at Federation Hall on Friday, March 3.

There were 65 entries in the writing competition. Each entry was reviewed by a panel of judges, who also selected a number of pieces that have been collected in an anthology presented by the Book Store and the Writing Centre.

"Through poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction, members of our community reflected on the challenges they have faced, and they shared their hopes, dreams, and directions for the future," says the introduction to the anthology, entitled Equity In/Action. "The submissions selected for this anthology reveal a wide range of experiences with equity. While each voice is unique, the pieces have much in common. The writers move from individual and personal stories towards the possibility of a more equitable reality. They invite the reader to move through reflection and into action."

The winner in the Creative Non-Fiction category was Michelle Presse of the Office of Research, with an untitled entry.

There were two co-winners in the Poetry category: an anonymous, untitled entry, and a poem by Sarasvathi Kannan, a Waterloo alumna, entitled "The Sword and the Pen."

The winner in the Fiction category was Jessica Needham, a Waterloo alumna, with an untitled short story.

Along with the four winning entries, 18 pieces were ultimately selected for inclusion in the anthology.

Judges in the Creative Non-Fiction category included Professor Corey Johnson of Recreation & Leisure Studies, Rida Masood of the Women's Centre, Luane Lentz of the Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre, and Professor Mary Wells of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering.

Judges in the Poetry category included Susan Chang of the Glow Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity, Professor Trevor Holmes of the Centre for Teaching Excellence, Professor Naila Keleta-Mae of Drama and Speech Communication; and Professor Sarah Tolmie of English Language and Literature.

Judges in the fiction category included Patricia Balbon of Waterloo iGEM, Marisa Benjamin of Imprint Publications, Mahejabeen Ebrahim of the Equity Office, and Professor Marlee Spafford of the School of Optometry and Vision Science in the Faculty of Science.

The contest was open to all Waterloo students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

University support helps co-op student find work term success

Third-year Kinesiology student Christian Delayun just finished an incredible co-op work term at the University of Waterloo’s Cardiovascular and Vascular Dynamics Lab where he examined changes in the pre- and post-flight cardiovascular health of astronauts. His role as a research assistant involved analyzing data from previous space flight missions. “Basically, we are looking at changes in endothelial function in the artery after a space mission,” said Delayun.

Looking back, Delayun says his co-op journey wasn’t an easy one. It began in 2011 when he immigrated to Canada from the Philippines. Not long after his move, he was accepted into Waterloo’s Kinesiology program. His first co-op work placement was at the Hospital for Sick Children’s Cardiovascular Clinical Research unit. Delayun says that securing his first work term was challenging but he overcame his obstacles by utilizing the resources that Waterloo has to offer.

“During the first year of my undergraduate degree, I was fully aware that my communication and writing skills were lacking. As an immigrant, I had difficulties expressing my opinions and ideas,” explained Delayun. “I took initiative to address my weaknesses by reaching out to the Student Success Office. I attended various workshops and utilized the drop-in writing and communication resources at the Writing Centre.”

Delayun credits his success to the wide variety of professional and personal development opportunities offered by the university.

“The first two years of the Kinesiology program here at Waterloo offered a wide range of courses in the field of cardiovascular, muscle physiology, neuroscience and biomechanics,” he said. “My exposure to these various courses in my early academic years prepared me to execute my job accordingly and at the same time apply this knowledge in real life.”

For students facing similar obstacles and challenges as Delayun when finding their first co-op position, he offers the following piece of advice: “Be proactive and take advantage of all resources that the University has to offer.”

Want to co-operate effectively? Think about the big picture

Giving people time to think about co-operating on a task can have a positive effect if they are big-picture thinkers, but if they tend to focus on their own, immediate experience, the time to think may make them less cooperative, University of Waterloo research has found.

A series of three experiments, conducted by Waterloo researchers Igor Grossmann, Justin Brienza and Romana Bobocel, also found that wise, or big-picture, thinkers were able to sustain their co-operation with others when given time to deliberate.

“What this study tells us is that the effect of thinking time on co-operation depends on the type of deliberation people use,” says Igor Grossmann, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Waterloo and the study’s lead author.” In practical terms, people trying to get groups to co-operate, such as employers or in school settings, may really need to understand people’s deliberation styles before deciding how much time to give them for a given task.”

The series of three studies looked at over 1,000 people with varying capacities for wise reasoning—the ability to think big picture, take an outside perspective, recognize the limits one’s own knowledge—and how well they were able to participate in co-operative tasks with others.

Grossmann and his colleagues’ study consisted of three experiments. In experiment one, researchers measured participants’ individual differences in wise reasoning and how cooperation was impacted by time delays versus time pressure.

In experiment two and three, the researchers manipulated the type of reasoning participants used to make decisions—either by asking participants to use third party language when making decisions or with graphics that remind people of an observer perspective.

The study’s findings were published this week in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

Biomechanics exhibit is family-friendly March Break fun

The University of Waterloo is the proud Knowledge Partner of the Ontario Science Centre’s Biomechanics: The Machine Inside exhibit, on now until May 7. The Department of Kinesiology is hosting a variety of family-friendly activities throughout the duration of the exhibit. This March Break, bring your children along for some interactive hands-on fun. Youth can learn about the brain wearing their own brain hats, dress up as scientists and pose for pictures in a photo booth, or try controlling a model car remotely with only their arm muscles. A full list of activities and the dates they are offered is available on the Kinesiology website.

A 20 per cent admission discount to the Biomechanics: The Machine Inside exhibit is available for all Waterloo faculty, staff, alumni and students. To purchase tickets in advance call 1-888-696-1110 and use the code 10510.

Wednesday's notes

The Games Institute will host Dr. Steven Gwynne of the National Research Council Canada for two public talks on March 13. The public talks will be hosted at the GI, with light lunch provided to attendees. Details can be found on the event page. Contact Emily West at elwest@uwaterloo.ca with any questions.

Human Resources has reported that retiree Dorothy Busch died on December 28, 2016. Dorothy joined the University in June 1960 and retired in September 1991 as Secretary/Administrative Assistant in the Registrar's Office.

Plant Operations is advising occupants of Engineering 6 that electrical power will be shut off at 11:00 p.m. on Monday, March 13 and will be turned back on at 3:00 a.m. the following morning as work is done on a tie-in. All computer equipment should be properly shut down by end of day Monday before the plug is pulled.