The start of a new academic year brings many new faces to campus. During Orientation we inducted our newest members of the Waterloo Math family during the traditional Pink Tie Ceremony. More than 1,400 new Mathies pledged their allegiance to the tie and performed this year’s Math dance, as so many of you have before. By now they have adjusted to their new routines of class, assignments and mid-terms, co-op interviews, and new clubs and activities. We are also delighted to welcome our seven new faculty members who bring their extraordinary talent and energy to Waterloo.
We continue to grow and change in the Faculty of Mathematics. In September, we led the launch of the Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute. The research in the multidisciplinary institute will uncover new approaches to security and privacy and educate Canada’s future leaders to be able to understand and respond to emerging online threats.
We look forward to the 117th convocation, where Ingrid Daubechies will receive an Honorary Doctor of Mathematics. The first female professor in mathematics at Princeton University, Ingrid’s research in wavelet theory laid the foundation for the math behind image compression. It is an honour to have her address convocation and to welcome our students into their new role in the Waterloo Math family as alumni.
One thing that never changes is the well-deserved recognition of the contributions of our faculty and staff to mathematics education and research in Canada. We are delighted to share that The Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) announced that the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC) is the 2018 recipient of the Adrien Pouliot Award. This award recognizes those who have made significant and sustained contributions to mathematics education in Canada. This was just one of the awards that we had to the opportunity to celebrate with everyone at the Faculty Banquet in September.
In September, we also celebrated research at the 2018 Cheriton Research Symposium, with presentations by David R. Cheriton Faculty Fellows Bernard Wong and Edward Lank, as well as poster presentations by scholarship recipients.
We are delighted to see the impact of our alumni, who have continued success in academia and industry as you will see in this edition’s ClassNotes section. Some of our alumni have ventured into the entrepreneurial world turning innovative ideas into companies. Let us know if your name should be added to the list.
We are currently in the process of publishing the Faculty of Mathematics Strategic Plan. To those who participated in its development, thank you. I look forward to the plan’s implementation and speaking to alumni about our goals through to 2023 at one of the upcoming events in Europe, North America, and Asia. Please see our events page for one near you.
I would also welcome the opportunity to see you back here on campus. Perhaps you can join me for a challenging game at the new elliptical pool table in the MC 3rd floor Comfy Lounge. (See its creator explain the game that is played on this unique table - Loop. We have the only table like it in North America.)
In the meantime, enjoy this issue of Math e-Ties, and please do stay in touch.
With best wishes,
Stephen M. Watt
Dean, Faculty of Mathematics
P.S. Please let Mark Womack, Senior Advancement Officer, know if there is something you would like to see in future editions.
