Wednesday, May 24, 2017


Leisure researchers speak on sports, Trump, parental fears

A public lecture on sport and resistance in the era of Trump is one of two free talks scheduled during the Canadian Congress on Leisure Research, hosted by the University of Waterloo this week.

On Wednesday, May 24, Dave Zirin, an American sports-writer and radio show host will look at look at how sport reflects the political conflicts of our time and what political acts we expect can from the sporting realm under the Trump administration.

On May 26, Lenore Skenazy, a New York City newspaper columnist and founder of Free Range Kids, will discuss how today's parents became afraid of everything from predators to non-organic grapes, and how to regain the confidence to send kids out to play.

The conference, held once every three years, is the largest gathering of researchers and industry leaders specializing in leisure sciences in Canada and one of the largest in the world.

The Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at Waterloo is ranked top in Canada and 13th in the world for hospitality and leisure management studies.

Both lectures take place at the Crowne Plaza in Kitchener.

Dave Zirin's lecture, "Sport and resistance in the era of Trump," takes place today from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Lenore Skenazy's lecture, "How come an old-fashioned childhood sounds so radical?", takes place on Friday, May 26 from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m.

Waterloo co-op student helps steer research at MIT

Jatin Patil in a lab next to a piece of equipment signed by President Barack Obama.

Co-op student Jatin Patil poses next to a piece of lab equipment signed by President Barack Obama.

By Christine Nhan

“You would be surprised by how well-known Waterloo students are at Harvard and MIT,” chuckles Jatin Patil, a third-year Nanotechnology Engineering student.

Jatin would know – he has had co-op works terms at all three prestigious schools.

Patil’s most recent co-op experience was as a Research Assistant for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Organic Nanostructured Electronics Lab (also knows as ONE Lab). Researchers at ONE Lab develop high-performance optoelectronic and photonic devices including solar cells, LEDs, lasers, photodetectors, transistors and chemical sensors.

Through the support and guidance of several professors, this position offered Patil the same level of work and responsibility as a MIT graduate student. He says this was difficult to adjust to at first.

“There are always difficulties adjusting to a new research environment, as the work can be very self-motivated,” says Patil. “However, I took on this challenge by doing additional background research and was able to propose a new research direction that is still actively being used to this day.”

Patil says the exposure to diverse and intellectual academic work environments has been the highlight of his co-op journey. “Not only am I gaining knowledge from my time spent working, but I also regularly attend events hosted by these institutions,” says Patil. “These after-work hours provided me the chance to connect with highly respected professionals that inspire me to work hard.”

What is Patil’s advice to fellow Warriors who have a co-op work term at another university? “You represent a prestigious Canadian institution, so make sure you wear it proudly regardless of where you are!”

GRADtalks to tackle Artificial Intelligence

Banner image showing a contemplative android.

The second installment of GRADtalks takes place on Tuesday, May 30. 

GRADtalks was launched earlier this year as an opportunity for Waterloo doctoral students to explore one research theme from interdisciplinary perspectives. The event promises to be a great occasion to celebrate and highlight graduate student research at the University. 

The research topic for the May 30 GRADtalks is “Beyond 60: The Promises and Realities of Artificial Intelligence” featuring Audrey Chung, PhD Candidate in Systems Design Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Justin Carpenter, PhD Candidate in English, Faculty of Arts. 

Chung will explain how artificial intelligence is created through a process of deep learning, drawing on enormous amounts of data to deliver precision while Carpenter will raise concerns about what we teach computers, what data we feed and how this is collected. He asks how virtual spaces transform our society and us as human beings.

The event takes place on Tuesday, May 30 at 4:00 p.m. with wine and cheese and the talk begins at 4:30. Register today.

Sustainability committee issues call for members

The President’s Advisory Committee on Environmental Sustainability is currently seeking an additional faculty member and undergraduate student. If you are interested in joining the committee, please send an email to sustainability@uwaterloo.ca by Friday, June 2, with the following information:

  • Your name and department/program affiliation
  • A brief description of why you would like to join
  • A brief description of any previous sustainability experience on or off campus
  • A brief description of any skill sets, knowledge, or experience you feel you would bring to the group

Faculty members will be asked to serve for a 2-year term, from the Spring 2017 through Winter 2019 academic terms.

Undergraduate student applicants should confirm that they are on campus and available to participate on the committee for Spring 2017, Winter 2018, and Fall 2018 academic terms.

For full details on the committee and current members, visit the Terms of Reference page.

Wednesday's notes

There are two upcoming ION-related construction closings that will impact traffic near the University beginning next week:

  • Seagram Drive from Lester Street to University Avenue West will be closed at the tracks for ION track work and paving from Monday, May 29 to Friday, June 2. The suggested detour is via University and Albert.
  • Columbia Street West from Hagey Boulevard to Phillip Street will be closed at the ION tracks for paving from Monday, May 29 to Friday, June 2. The suggested detour for eastbound traffic is to take Wes Graham Way, Bearinger, and Albert, and westbound traffic should take Phillip, University and Westmount.

For more information, check the ION-related travel disruptions page.

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include Nulogy, ecobee, Aviva Canada, Datadog, Stripe Inc, and A9. Visit the employer information sessions calendar for more details.

Science Undergraduate Office closed this morning

The Science Undergraduate Office, located in STC 2031, will be closed today from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Link of the day

20 years ago: MMMBop tops the charts

When and where

German Language Film Festival, May 17, 24, 31, 7:00 p.m., Princess Cinemas. Waterloo Centre for German Studies for more information.

PhD seminar, “Reading garden: a case study of an in-classroom motivational game,” Diane Watson, PhD candidate, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, Wednesday, May 24, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., DC 2310.

Understanding our brand, Thursday, May 25, 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., EC5 1111.

NEW - Make Networking Count, Thursday, May 25, 10:30 a.m., TC - William M. Tatham Centre room 1208.

NEW - Exploring Your Personality Type (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Part II), Thursday, May 25, 12:30 p.m., TC - William M. Tatham Centre room 1112.

A conversation on leading a non-profit organization, Thursday, May 25, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Conrad Grebel Community Room.

Global Prominence and Internationalization Mini Town Hall, Friday, May 26, 12:30 p.m., QNC 0101.

Games Institute GI Jam, Friday, May 26 to Sunday, May 28, QNC 2502.

Menstrual Hygiene Day, Friday, May 26, 11:30 a.m., Science Teaching Complex foyer.

Retirement Celebration for Lynn Hoyles, Biology Greenhouse Manager after 39 years of service, Friday, May 26, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., EIT 3142.

BSIA hosting Consultation: Potential Canada-China Free Trade Agreement, Friday, My 26, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Balsillie School of International Affairs Room 1-23.

You @ Waterloo Day, Saturday, May 27.

SHARCNET Summer School, Monday, May 29 to Friday, June 4, Mathematics & Computer Building (MC) 3003 and 3027.

Retail Services Spring into Summer Sale, Monday, May 29 and Tuesday, May 30, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., South Campus Hall Concourse. 

Special screening of Hidden Figures, Monday, May 29, 6:00 p.m., AHS Expansion Rm. 1689.

Working with our brand guidelines, Tuesday, May 30, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Retirement Celebration for Larry Marks after 47 years of service, Tuesday, May 30, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Federation Hall.

Waterloo Women’s Wednesdays: “Mysteries of the Prime Numbers” lunchtime talk, Wednesday, May 31, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Grad House.

Velocity Start: Ain’t No Model Like A Business Model, “Learn how to create a lean business model canvas”,Wednesday, May 31, 7:30 p.m., Velocity Start, SCH 2nd Floor.

NEW - SERS PhD Seminar featuring Christine Barbeau, “The Challenges and Opportunities Associated with Climate Change for First Nations Living in the Canadian Subarctic,” Friday, June 2, 10:00 a.m., EV1-221.

Keystone Picnic, Friday, June 2, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., DC quad.

Eye Talks: Your Vision is Our Vision public education event and open house, Saturday, June 3, 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., School of Optometry & Vision Science. Registration required.

Board of Governors meeting, Tuesday, June 6, 1:30 p.m.,  NH 3407.

Velocity Start: Setup Your Business Like A Boss, “Legal and accounting considerations that will affect your startup,” Wednesday, June 7, 7:30 p.m., Velocity Start, SCH 2nd Floor.

Problem Pitch Competition, Thursday, June 8, 7:00 p.m., Quantum-Nano Centre Room 0101.

LGBTQ+ Making Spaces workshop, Friday, June 9, 9:00 a.m., NH 3318.

Spring Convocation, Tuesday, June 13 to Saturday, June 17.

Distinguished Lecture Series, “Algorand, a new public ledger,” Silvio Micali, MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Tuesday, June 13, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., DC 1302.

Banting postdoctoral fellowship preliminary applications due, Wednesday, June 14.

Biology presents a public lecture by Steven Scherer, "Decoding 10,000 Whole Genome Sequences Towards Understanding Autism," Wednesday, June 14, 3:00 p.m., STC 0060.

Cryptography, Security, and Privacy Colloquium, “Average-case fine-grained hardness, and what to do with it,” Prashant Nalini Vasudevan, PhD candidate, MIT, Friday, June 16, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., DC 2585.

Senate meeting, Monday, June 19, 3:30 p.m., NH 3407.

Electrical and Computer Engineering Distinguished Lecture featuring Professor Göran Andersson, "Research Challenges of the Future Electric Power System," Monday, June 19, 2:00 p.m., EIT 3142. 

PhD seminar, A biologically constrained model of semantic memory search,” Ivana Kajić, PhD candidate, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, Tuesday, June 20, 11:00 a.m.to 12:00 p.m., DC 2310. 

Positions available

On this week's list from the human resources department, viewable on the UWaterloo Talent Acquisition System (iCIMS):

  • Job ID# 2017-1637 - Administrative Coordinator -Applied Mathematics, USG 5

  • Job ID# 2017-1666 - Associate Director, Integrated Communications - SSO-Outreach & Engagement, USG 12

  • ID# 2017-1660 - Director, Information Technology -Arts Computing Office, USG 14

  • Job ID# 2017-1663 - General Cafeteria Helper, Food Services

  • Job ID# 2017-1642 - Library Information Technology Specialist/Developer -               Library, USG 9-11

  • Job ID# - 2017-1667 - Manager, Marketing and Communications - SSO-Outreach & Engagement, USG 10

Internal secondment opportunity:

  • Job ID# - 2017 – 1668 -Administrative Assistant -Organizational & Human  Development, USG 5