Tuesday, October 9, 2018

President's Office launches line of artisanal soaps for the United Way

Yes, you read that right.

Stay clean, relaxed and invigorated this United Way Campaign with President Hamdul-lather’s Natural Handcrafted Soap!

Looking to relax? Try the Sweet Dream, Warrior soap infused with Lavender. In search of a little inspiration? Try Wash, Innovate, Repeat today and let the soothing, yet energizing scent of Cucumber Mint take hold. With six varieties to choose from, President Hamdul-lather’s soap has a scent for everyone.

Handcrafted by the team in the Office of the President, you will not want to miss the opportunity to get your hands on the best soap in Waterloo.

Each bar of this exquisite artisan soap is $5 with 100 percent of sales going towards United Way Waterloo Region Communities. The soap is available for purchase at the Office of the President.

Update: Sorry to burst your bubble, but as of 10:00 a.m. this morning, the soap has been sold out. 

Become a Part of the AI Conversation on Campus

A message from the Global Engagement program.

We have seen exponential growth in the automation of jobs, from the manufacturing to the service sector, and the consequent transformations of our everyday lives, including the displacement of human labour. We are also witness to new cultural forms ranging from gaming devices to companion robots. It's clear then that the socio-cultural and political impacts of such trends deserve our attention -- as students, scholars, policy makers, and practitioners.

The Global Engagement Seminar invites senior undergraduates (third- and fourth-year students) from any faculty or affiliated college to apply now for its Winter ARTS 490 course on the Social and Political Implications of Artificial Intelligence.

Students will have the unique opportunity to interact with leading AI practitioners, David Jones and Mimi Onuoha (Jarislowsky Fellows). David Jones is the Executive Producer at Microsoft's Envisioning Center, which is involved with foresight and digital storytelling about the future of work and productivity. Mimi Onuoha is a renowned New York artist and coder who is currently involved in a series of arts installations, entitled "Missing Datasets" which question data collection practices, excluding certain societal groups and their experiences. The Jarislowsky Fellows, along with the course instructors, Ian Milligan (History) and Marcel O’Gorman (English Language and Literature) aim to equip students with the critical skills and know-how so as to be prepared to engage in shaping the future of AI. Working collaboratively throughout the term to develop critical knowledge as well as high level transferable skills, students may choose to design a public exhibit, write a policy brief, conduct research for a scholarly paper, produce a short film, write creative fiction, design an app, or some combination of these among other project options.

The seminar culminates in the annual high-level Global Engagement Summit where students’ ideas and projects are shared with the campus and local communities.

Students from all faculties and colleges are encouraged to submit their application on the Global Engagement Program’s website!! Applications close on October 15!

Recapping Reunion 2018

A message from Alumni Relations.

Reunion 2018 was a wonderful success with over 3,162 attendees on campus celebrating their University of Waterloo pride with friends and family.

Our campus community is an important part of the University of Waterloo story and we are thrilled so many of you came back to campus on the weekend to join the festivities.

Starting in 2019, we are excited to announce that Reunion will evolve into two events - one in the Spring and one in the Fall.

In June, we will honour all alumni celebrating a milestone anniversary – 5-55 years as well as specific class reunions re-branded as Alumni Weekend. 

This will allow a greater focus on recognizing alumni celebrating a special anniversary and will include a Presidential milestone luncheon as well as faculty-specific programs.

The fall event will be called the Alumni Black and Gold Day.

This day will be an opportunity to showcase and engage you in some good old fashioned Warrior school spirit and build greater pride in Waterloo.

Events will include an exciting lecture, the Warriors varsity game, the Fun Run, campus tours and exciting opportunities for alumni and students to connect with each other.

We look forward to delivering these exciting changes to Reunion in 2019 so alumni and friends can continue to return to campus, connect with other alumni and continue to see value in remaining connected to Waterloo.

A special thank you is extended to our campus partners and volunteers this year. They were instrumental in making this event another success. Thank you for all that you do.  

We look forward to seeing you next year in the Spring and Fall to help celebrate Reunion 2019!

Notes as the fall break continues

The third in a three-year Fall Break pilot takes place this week, with students enjoying two study days on Tuesday, October 9 and Wednesday, October 10. 

Several Food Services locations will have reduced hours or will be closed entirely during the fall reading break. Check the Food Services website for a complete listings of openings and closings.food

All Print + Retail Solutions locations will be opening today at 1:30 p.m.

The Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR), in partnership with Waterloo EDC, are hosting the third annual AutoTech Symposium on Wednesday, October 10. The symposium will include panel discussions, industry experts, WatCAR tours, and more and will take place at Engineering 7.