> Dr. Vivek Goel, president-designate and vice-chancellor, University of Waterloo
Dr. Vivek Goel, a distinguished scholar with extensive achievements in research, teaching and leadership across both public and private sectors, will become the seventh president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo.
“Prisoners of war did not feel like heroes. They felt like they had somehow failed their duty. It was extremely debilitating for men to be taken prisoners — and that notion permeates this diary.”
Fourth-year History major Anna Good is speaking about her research on the diary of Cameron Hill, a resident of Kitchener who was a flight sergeant with the Royal Canadian Air Force, No. 40 Squadron during World War II.
World War I was initially considered to be the war that would “make the world safe for democracy,” noted history professor James Walker in the opening of his 1989 paper about race and recruitment.
But for many, especially Black, Indigenous, Chinese and Japanese people, the reality was very different. “The experience of visible minorities in World War I illustrates the nature of Canadian race sentiment early in this century, and most abruptly it demonstrates that white Canadians participated in the western ideology of racism,” wrote Walker in the paper.
Alan Plumtree, who helped put the University of Waterloo on the map as an inventor of a pump that provides clean drinking water to developing countries, died suddenly on November 5.
Plumtree, a Waterloo mechanical engineering professor, and Alfred Rudin, a Waterloo chemistry professor, created the hand-operated pump in the late 1970s after being approached by the International Development Research Centre.
It’s been said that history is written by heroes. But for Waterloo student Anna Good, it’s the stories of ordinary people living through unusual times that truly make the past come alive.
As a clinical psychology student at Waterloo, Lisa Feldman Barrett (PhD ’92) made a discovery that would completely transform our understanding of emotion. Over the last 25 years, her research has uncovered how little we know about emotion and the mind.
From November 2 to 6, the University of Waterloo will be an inaugural participant of Treaties Recognition Week. To contribute to broader goals of education, reflection and action, the Indigenous Initiatives Office is excited to host a series of virtual events and videos throughout this important week.
These events and engagement opportunities are the start of what the Indigenous Initiatives Office hopes will be ongoing learnings about the treaties that affect where we live, work and the importance of honouring their rights and relationships.
St. Paul’s University College is very proud to announce the appointment of the Right Honorable Michaëlle Jean, 27th Governor General of Canada, as Chancellor, for a three-year term starting immediately.
“We are delighted to have someone of Mme. Jean’s talent and stature take on the role of Chancellor,” said Brad Siim, incoming Board Chair. “Her interests and values align beautifully with those of our College.”
When Brooke McNeil entered her first year at Waterloo, she wasn’t sure what to expect from her professors during classes or office hours. That year, one professor stood out.
“I’ve never met a lecturer who was as thorough and concerned about his students understanding the material,” she explains. “Professor Bissonnette had no problem with spending an extra class on a concept if students didn’t understand it—even if it was just one person. He was so kind.”
Never has the importance of a health-related degree been more apparent than it is today. On October 23, almost 200 graduate students and more than 50 undergraduate students from the three academic units in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences will celebrate convocation.