Dear Alumni,
Autumn is all around us now—with new and returning students filling the campus landscape. It is certainly an exciting time to be at UWaterloo!
Earlier this year, many of you responded to our first Math Alumni survey. Thank you to those who took the time to share your thoughts on how you would like to stay in touch with the Faculty of Mathematics, what Faculty initiatives you would like to be kept apprised on, as well as your keen interest in knowing what alumni like you have been up to over the years.
As a result of your input, we are pleased to offer the introduction of Math Ties in this new electronic format. In homage to its predecessor, we have titled the publication Math e-Ties. You can expect to find a copy in your inbox coinciding with each term, and past issues will be available online. We hope that you will enjoy its content, but more importantly, we hope that you will use it as a tool to stay in touch and to share with your alumni colleagues the interesting things that you have been up to since graduation. To this end, we look forward to including a robust Class Notes section in subsequent issues.
In the meantime, in this issue you will find an article on the Faculty’s innovative READI partnership with the insurance industry in Indonesia. You will also learn about our first Director of Women in Computer Science, Jo Atlee, and the impressive work she has been doing to make the Faculty a more inviting and welcoming space for young women to engage in studies in computer science. We have included an article on our expansion of the Think About Math program into Vancouver. You can also read about various alumni award winners, an alumnus who has taken an unusual approach to the concept of workspace, and a couple who are trying to make a difference in their own way.
Enclosed you can also find information about Math events, both current and upcoming. For instance, as part of the wider UWaterloo Reunion activities, we have already this fall held alumni celebrations both in our nation’s capital and on campus. Both events were highly enjoyable, and photos of them have been included in this issue.
Finally, as many of you know, 2017 is a very special year for the Faculty—our 50th anniversary. As such, we have lots of exciting things in store for our alumni, near and far. We look forward to celebrating this very special milestone with you!
Please enjoy our inaugural issue of the Math e-Ties and do stay in touch. If there is something you’d like to see in future editions, please contact Mark Womack, Senior Development/Alumni Officer.
With best wishes,
Stephen M. Watt, Dean
Faculty of Mathematics
P.S. Did you know that the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science has tied Cornell in the recent QS rankings and the Times Higher Education ranked UWaterloo 23rd for computer science?
