Waterloo’s new Global Ambassadors

by Beth Bohnert, Alumni Affairs

For Kevin Wang (BASc ’06, Systems Design Engineering), living in Vancouver has unique benefits.

“It’s probably the one of the few places in Canada where in early spring one can ski and golf on the same day,” Kevin says.

Add to that the best Japanese food in the country “bar none.” Breath-taking sunsets in Stanley Park. And the main reason Kevin moved to VanCity — the career-building opportunities offered by his employer’s corporate rotation program.

Helping newcomers navigate

It’s easy to see why the systems design engineer is enthusiastic about his adopted home. So enthusiastic, in fact, that he’s volunteered to be one of Waterloo’s first Global Ambassadors. This new initiative is a network of Waterloo alumni in nine countries (so far) who have volunteered to act as contacts and information resources for alumni and students travelling to their communities.

“I plan to use my experience of living in Vancouver to help students or alumni settle into the city,” Kevin says. “I want to use my work experience in tech operations, marketing, and corporate strategy to help co-op students or new grads navigate Vancouver’s corporate life.”

In Pennsylvania, Ryan Landgraff (BA ’01, Recreation & Leisure Studies) is prepared to welcome newcomers to Lancaster, where he and his family (pictured, left, in downtown Lancaster) have lived since 2007. Lancaster, one of the oldest cities in the U.S., is only an hour’s drive from Philadelphia, home to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

“And don’t forget Philly cheese steak sandwiches,” he adds.

As a Global Ambassador, Ryan hopes to organize Canadian-themed gatherings (built around hockey, Canada Day, and the Olympics, for example) for Waterloo alumni living in or visiting Pennsylvania.

On the other side of the world, Avi Shahar (BMath ’05) of Tel Aviv, Israel, has also volunteered to help transplanted alumni and students feel a little more at home. Avi, who recently started working for Yahoo! in its new Tel Aviv office, notes that “Israel has the second-highest concentration of tech companies after Silicon Valley, and just about all the top guns have offices here.”

In addition, Israel offers variety in geography (mountains, deserts, and the Mediterranean) and dining experiences. “Because Israel is made up of peoples from many different places around the world, there is a great deal of choice. Tel Aviv in particular has hundreds of restaurants ranging in price and food type,” Avi says. All this plus gorgeous weather — 300 or more days of sunshine every year.

“A great way to give back”

Ambassadors will ensure a Waterloo presence in areas where there are currently no alumni chapters. The hope is that, as alumni congregate in specific communities, the university will be able to increase the number of chapters. Ambassadors will play a vital role in helping get chapters off the ground.

“I feel that the Global Ambassador Program is a great way for Waterloo alums around the world to give back to the school and help out fellow students and alumni, no matter where we are,” Kevin says.

What does it take to be a Global Ambassador? Enthusiasm for meeting new people and answering their questions is key, plus a good knowledge of the local culture. In addition, ambassadors may be asked to assist Alumni Affairs with planning events in their areas or representing Waterloo at local functions. Learn more here about becoming a Global Ambassador.

Back to top

Engineers vie to win berth in OEC

Last Friday night, more than 160 competitors and volunteers took part in the spring iteration of the Waterloo Engineering Competition, writes Angelo Alaimo, 4A electrical engineering, executive director of the WEC organizing committee.

Undergraduate competitors, in teams of four, were given a previously unreleased engineering problem and had the rest of the night to come up with a solution.

In Senior Team Design, each team was considered to be "fresh out of Waterloo Engineering" with a high student debt load and required to create a contraption within six hours capable of retrieving riches from the side of a mountain in order to pay down their student loans. In Junior Team Design, competitors had to create a device in four hours to deploy an emergency road across an "earthquake-damaged" section. And in Consulting Engineering, teams were "hired" by the Government of Ontario to investigate ways to reduce energy consumption from commercial and industrial buildings.

Presentation and judging took place Saturday morning. This term’s winners:

• Senior Team Design: Shahid Haider, Benjamin Tan, Yiling Wang, and Martin Lui, all in systems design engineering.
• Junior Team Design: Kumar Singh, electrical engineering; Ayush Kapur, mechatronics engineering; and Drupandh Manjunath, chemical engineering.
• Consulting Engineering: Amir Taleghani, Caitlin Speicher, Matthew Casswell, and Stuart Pearson, all in civil engineering.

(Pictured above, from left: Senior Design Competition first* and second-place winners with judges Prof. Sanjeev Bedi, Prof. Steve Lambert, and UWAFT team member Mike Giannikouris. From left: Benjamin Tan*, Prof. Bedi, Yiling Wang*, Nevin McCallum, Martin Lui*, Jeff McClure, Cody Prodaniuk,  Maple Leung, Prof. Lambert, Shahid Haider*, and Mike Giannikouris. )

Each first-place team will represent Waterloo at the Ontario Engineering Competition in Toronto next February where, if they place in the top two, they will progress to the Canadian Engineering Competition next March in Vancouver.

The Waterloo Engineering Competition is held twice a year, in the spring and fall terms. The competition is organized by undergraduate engineering students from the Engineering Society with sponsorship from EngSoc and the Sandford Fleming Foundation.

Back to top

Peace Camp and other notes

Conrad Grebel University College invites junior youth to have fun and make a difference at this summer’s first-ever Peace Camp. With fun in the sun and a social justice twist, Peace Camp promises a five-day action-packed program that combines the excitement of summer camp with critical approaches to conflict.

The new camp pairs campers aged 11-14 with youth and adults across Ontario who promote peacemaking in their communities. Each day, Peace Camp will be joined by scientists, artists, musicians, and more who will share practical strategies they are using to change the world.

Campers will engage in fun-filled games, sports, and arts and crafts that will help them understand particular conflicts and will develop action plans to better their homes, schools and communities. Participants will also have a chance to share arts, crafts, drama, foods and games from their families, cultures, religions, and countries.

The summer session of Peace Camp 2011 runs Monday, August 8 - Friday, August 12. Full-day (9 a.m.-4 p.m.) and half-day (9 a.m.-12 p.m.) options are available, with lunch included in the full-day option. Cost is $150 for the full-day option and $65 for the half-day option. Register online.

Research office staff vote; PhD defence relocated

Notice from the Secretariat: Voting is to begin Thursday, July 21, 2011 as Office of Research staff elect a staff representative to the Vice-President, University Research Nominating Committee. Brief campaign statements are available online http://www.secretariat.uwaterloo.ca/elections/eballot15.html for the candidates who are contesting the positions: Lynda McCutcheon and Kelley Moran. All Office of Research regular staff are eligible to vote. The election runs through July 27, 2011.

A previously announced PhD oral defence has changed location. Maxwell Young, computer science, “Resource-Efficient Communication in the Presence of Adversaries,” Thursday, July 14, 10:00 a.m., Davis Centre room 2314.

CPA staff

Back to top