As we gear up for the fall term, please mark your calendars for our next big Faculty of Mathematics 50th anniversary celebration event – Reunion on Saturday, September 30th. We look forward to welcoming alumni back to our campus, and know that they are excited to re-connect with you!
I’m pleased to share some great examples of recent outreach, beginning with the Family Day Math-Art Expo that capped off the Bridges Conference. Over 1000 members of the community came out to enjoy math art, film and poetry on campus. A few weeks later, Alumnus Chris Ferrie gave a talk on sharing the complexities of quantum physics based on his book “Quantum Physics for Babies.” Francis Poulin’s work on predicting future ocean movements appeared in a Research2Reality video. Jesse Hoey worked with local media to explain his work on an emotionally responsive ‘virtual assistant’ to help individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease. We all have a role to play in building a broader appreciation for math.
Congratulations to Maura Grossman and Edith Law who were awarded research infrastructure funding through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Prof. Grossman was also recently recognized as a pioneer in eDiscovery and development of legal technology by the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS) and Women in eDiscovery (WiE).
J. P. Pretti and Troy Vasiga returned from the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) in Tehran, proud to announce the accomplishments of the four contestants who represented Canada. Ontario high school students Jason Yuen and Brian Chau earned gold medals, while Leo Feng brought home bronze and Joey Yu was just 1.43 points shy of earning a bronze medal. Jason will be joining our Faculty of Mathematics this fall.
Susan Elliott is a new Co-Director of the Survey Research Centre. Monique Bevan (Recruitment Coordinator), Rita Hadaya (Undergraduate Studies Administrative Coordinator) and Denise Shantz (Graduate Studies Supervisor) have joined the Cheriton School of Computer Science as staff members, and Greg Preston is now the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science Web Co-ordinator and Technical Assistant. Welcome to the Faculty of Mathematics!
Watch your email later this month for an invitation to share your perspectives about the Faculty of Mathematics to help inform the development of our next strategic plan.
Stephen M. WattDean, Faculty of Mathematics - University of Waterloo
