Thursday, June 15, 2017

Science takes the stage at Convocation today

At 10:00 a.m. this morning, the first of two convocation ceremonies for the Faculty of Science will take place. Follow along with the Convocation livestream.

501 undergraduates, 34 Master's, and 21 PhD students will cross the stage this morning. Stefan Idziak, Associate Dean, Co-operative Education and Computing, will bear the mace. Julie-Anne Desrochers will sing the national anthem.

Pam Van Allen will be named an Honorary Member of the University. "Pam Van Allen spent 44 years working at the University of Waterloo, starting in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering," reads her award citation. "Following transfer to Dean of Science Office, she was promoted five times within the Science Undergraduate Office, demonstrating her extraordinary commitment to student academic advising and undergraduate calendar management. Throughout her career, she relentlessly worked to improve the student experience at the University of Waterloo, and her passion for the University has been long-term and meaningful such that, during her career, she received numerous invitations to represent the Faculty within the University community."

John J. Clague will receive an Honorary Doctor of Science and address Convocation. Clague is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley (MA, 1969) and the University of British Columbia (PhD, 1973). He is a leading expert on glacial geology, natural hazards and risk analyses of catastrophes and future climate change in montane regions and coastal zones of the world. A devoted mentor, educator, scientific advisor and communicator, he has contributed widely in numerous capacities to the geoscience and engineering professions. He retired in 2016 as professor and Canada Research Chair in Natural Hazards at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.

Shivangna Kaistha will deliver the valedictory address.

Mónica Barra will receive the Distinguished Teacher Award. "As current Chair of the department of Chemistry’s curriculum committee, Monica Barra has had a lasting influence on students and faculty alike," reads her award citation. "Barra is highly recognized by her students (past and present) for her enthusiasm, patience, and passion for the course material. One alumnus noted that her lectures were “interactive and stimulating,” and that her lecture notes were “written in such a way that it was easy (and even fun) to follow along.” This, coupled with her expansive knowledge of the course content, is said to have made students “enamoured with her.” Colleagues wrote that “Monica is a highly dedicated and caring teacher who goes way beyond the call of duty to help students learn and succeed.” This is evident in her work as Chair, as one lecturer highlighted that her leadership has reduced “the excessive workload that students faced in the third year of the program,” which will “benefit students for generations to come.” Barra has been a recipient of numerous awards and distinctions, including the ChemClub Periodic Table of Teaching Excellence Award (an award presented annually by undergraduate students), and the Excellence in Science Teaching Award."

Gillian Faith Hawes will receive the Alumni Gold Medal.

Thomas Fraser will receive the Governor General's Silver Medal.

At 2:30 p.m. the second ceremony will take place. 366 undergraduates, 16 Master's, and 12 PhD students will convocate this afternoon. Marlee M. Spafford, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies, will bear the mace. Michael Klein will sing the national anthem.

John G. Flanagan will be named Distinguished Professor Emeritus. Flanagan spent 29 years as a professor at the University of Waterloo. He completed his optometry education and earned his doctorate from Aston University, UK, before moving to Waterloo’s School of Optometry and Vision Science in 1985. Prior to being appointed dean of the Optometry School at the University of California, Berkeley in 2014, John was also a Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, University of Toronto and a senior scientist at the Toronto Western Research Institute. His academic focus has been in the field of glaucoma research, and he has been the recipient of numerous awards while also receiving invitations to lecture to academic and professional audiences worldwide.

Stephen W. Scherer will receive an Honorary Doctor of Science and address Convocation. Scherer graduated from Waterloo in 1987 with an Honours BSc in Biology and Chemistry, followed by earning his MSc and PhD from Toronto. As Chair in Genome Sciences at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Dr. Scherer has made ground breaking contributions to the understanding of genetic variation, especially as it relates to human health and disease. His discoveries of the genetic basis of many types of autism spectrum disorder have led to new approaches to diagnosis and therapy. He is the recipient of many top awards in biomedical research, including his designation as a “Nobel-class” citation laureate by Thompson-Reuters in 2014.

Allison Jewell will deliver the valedictory address.

J. Graham Strong will be named Distinguished Professor Emeritus. Graham Strong is a joint graduate of the College of Optometrists of Ontario and the University of Waterloo where he earned his OD and MSc degrees. Promoted to full professor in 1996, he thrived in many roles in the school including as director of clinics, director of the school and associate dean of science, as well as founder and director of the Centre for Sight Enhancement. Published widely in the area of low vision rehabilitation, he has developed innovative high-technology devices to improve the quality of life for persons with low vision. His profound contributions include public policy development, assistive devices innovations, and vision rehabilitation as well as his indelible impact on his students and the optometric profession.

Brenda Yasie Lee and Laura Sauder will receive the Amit and Meena Chakma Award for Exceptional Teaching by a Student. 

Dennis Curry, Weiqiang Fu, Faerlin Pulido and Mark Steinepreis will receive the Dean of Science Awards for recognition of creative research as presented in a student’s Master’s thesis.

Robert Broom, Kent Fisher, Anil Maharaj, Chau-Minh Phan, Laura Sauder, and Kimberly Van Meter will receive the W.B. Pearson Medal for recognition of creative research as presented in a student’s Doctoral thesis.

The Outstanding Achievement in Graduate Studies award at the Master's level goes to Spencer Yim, and the Doctoral-level award goes to Anil Maharaj.

A week of awards for Waterloo

Waterloo staff members accept awards at the CCAE national conference in Hamilton, on June 7; Cynthia Breen (Advancement), Christine Bezruki (AHS), Mary Stanley (Pharmacy), Pamela Smyth (University Relations), and Alex Farley (Advancement), who also received the Rising Star Award from CCAE.

By Jude Doble

In the last week, Waterloo has brought home seven national and international awards recognizing outstanding publications, videos and programs.

On June 14, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) named a video and feature article among their Circle of Excellence award winners, including:

• A gold award in the Feature Writing: Profile category for The Thinnest Line, which appeared in the spring issue of Waterloo magazine
• A gold award in the General Information Videos: Short category for the Waterloop video:

On June 7, at the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education Prix D’Excellence Awards in Hamilton, Ontario, the Waterloo winners included:

• A gold award in the Best Fundraising Activity category for StartUp Pledge from the Office Advancement
• A gold award in the Best Community Outreach Initiative category for the Opioid Crisis Awareness Campaign from the School of Pharmacy
• A gold award for Best Brochure, Newsletter or Flyer category for Health in 3D from the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
• A silver award for Best News Release or Media Communique category for Omega 3 Supplements Can Prevent Childhood Asthma from the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences and University Relations
• A silver award for Best Print Ad or Poster category for The Future is in our Hands – Engineering Day from the Faculty of Engineering

Building on a strong record of wins year over year, these programs, publications and videos reflect the creative and innovative work of staff across campus, representing the best of Canadian and North American post-secondary education support.

Additionally, Waterloo’s Alex Farley, Alumni Officer, Volunteer Engagement received the Rising Star Award from CCAE. This award is given to professionals with three to five years’ experience who demonstrate early success, commitment and accomplishments in the field of advancement. Alex received a $2,000 scholarship for professional development to support her career growth.

Congratulations to all the winners.