Guest post by Chelsea Uggenti, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Statistics and Actuarial Science (cuggenti@uwaterloo.ca)
At this year’s Western Conference on Science Education (WCSE) in London, ON, the theme was “sustainable learning”. WCSE defined sustainable learning as efficient and effective ways of furthering quality science education while prioritizing our own well-being. I was struck by how many sessions addressed well-being directly – ranging from supporting new faculty to navigating mid-...
Guest post by Carmen Bruni, Associate Professor Teaching Stream, Computer Science (cbruni@uwaterloo.ca)
In 2025, the UBC's mathematics building (originally an arts building) turned 100. It was meant to be a "temporary building lasting 40 years until government funding could replace it and made with stucco finishing".
... we're still waiting for that funding.
In any case a building turning 60 years older than it was scheduled to be seems as good a reason as any to hold a conference. It was great to return to UBC and see former...
Guest post by Comfort Mintah, Assistant Professor Teaching Stream, CEMC (c2mintah@uwaterloo.ca)
What does math look like when it steps outside the textbook?
That was the question I found myself asking—again and again—at this year’s Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) Summer Meeting in Quebec City. The conference brought together educators, outreach organizers, researchers, and performers, all working at the intersection of mathematics and equity, creativity, and care. It was, in a word, energizing. Below are some...
I have my first ever Spring non-teaching term in May - August 2025, so I'm planning a world tour to talk about actuarial & statistical education! I'll be updating my tour dates here: https://uwaterloo.ca/scholar/dkchisho/actueras-tour and hopefully making a blog post about what I presented as well as what I learned at each location/event. Hope you can join me at one of the talks and/or follow along online! P.S. Credit goes to my sister for coming up with the ActuEras Tour name :) Read more about Announcing: The ActuEras Tour!
My name is Nicola Ablett, and I am a fourth year Data Science student here at the University of Waterloo. I have had the pleasure of being the Educational Research Assistant for Diana this term. Throughout the last couple of months I have been working on the Enhancing Assessment Practices project investigating data from core math courses, reading results from student surveys, and learning more about general policies that are on course syllabi. The project is wrapping up this year, and by giving a...
Guest post by Ilham Akhundov, Associate Professor Teaching Stream (ilham.akhundov@uwaterloo.ca)
Recently, I attended the Math Teaching Colloquium at University of Waterloo. The speaker Dan Wolczuk delivered a compelling presentation on how cognitive load theory can revolutionize teaching and learning math. The talk highlighted how managing cognitive load effectively can lead to better student engagement and deeper learning. Inspired by this insightful presentation, I decided to dive deeper into the subject.
Hydrogen is frequently (and perennially) lauded as a versatile tool with the potential to decarbonize a wide range of industries and end-use activities. However, a more nuanced view is needed. While hydrogen has a critical role to play in the energy transition, its capabilities are often overstated. A strategic approach is necessary, focusing on areas where hydrogen is truly indispensable and avoiding its deployment where better alternatives exist.
Currently, over 96% of hydrogen production comes from fossil fuels, resulting in significant carbon emissions (Eloffy et al. 2022...
Research at University of Waterloo has quantified sources and flows of microplastics in Canada that are released to the environment. The 2023 masters thesis by Cassandra Sherlock examined tire wear, paint degradation, clothes washing and other sources of microplastic generation (particles smaller than 5 mm). The method of materials flow analysis was used to track flows from source to release and estimate loads into different environmental compartments. Tire wear accounts for the majority of the load. The total amount works out to about 1.5 kg of microplastic release per person per year...
I developed this simple framework while consulting in the late 1990s. IIT became a first step in the screening of a new opportunity or a new client relationship. Today I teach it to undergraduate students, to encourage them to understand the world and to find their professional pathway.
IIT framework is a useful shortcut to categorize and analysis problems and opportunities, and to frame discussions around business and sustainability. Each of three components gives a dimension for considering problems and solutions for companies:
The Flipped Classroom is an approach to teaching in a blended format where students learn material through asynchronous videos or readings, and then class time is spent on actively applying the material. There are lots of great tips for designing flipped courses but I wanted to create a quick rubric to decide if flipping is right for your course. The following is based on the APGAR score (for newborn babies) where each of 5 criteria is given a simple score of 0, 1, or 2, giving a final score out of 10. Try it for your own course!