Enterprise co-op students win scholarships

a news release from the Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre

Recipients of the Nigel Stokes E-Launch Scholarships have been selected as the University of Waterloo’s Enterprise Co-op (E Co-op) program kick starts the spring term with a group of students eager to pursue their new venture creation.

With five $4,000 scholarships up for grabs, seventeen students presented business ideas to a panel of judges comprised of local entrepreneurs, industry leaders, faculty and alumni. The following recipients were announced:

• Andrei Balulescu, AMB Geomatics – AMB Geomatics Consulting provides quality spatial solutions that are innovative and cost-effective for businesses that want to increase their efficiency and revenue.
  
• Logan Fuller, Alkemi Labs - Alkemi Labs is a web services company dedicated to tapping the currently under-served student housing market.
• Garrett Gottlieb, PumpItUp – Provides a custom workout that fits your personal needs as well as tracking your progress over time and suggesting ways to improve your fitness, and keep you motivated.
  
• Emily Peat, ItsMyEcoPlace – ItsMyEcoPlace connects small-scale farms, green landscapers and suppliers of organic gardening materials with customers.
  Behroz Saadat, UntitledD - UntitledD is an application and game development start-up targeted towards the iOS and Android platforms
  

“We have hundreds of entrepreneurial-minded students at this university. However, it’s difficult for them to choose E Co-op over a steady paying gig during their co-op term,” says Michelle Berelowitz, Enterprise Co-op Coordinator. “The E-Launch scholarships were created to ease the financial woes of these students by providing them a lump sum for which they determine how to spend – some consider it seed funding, others use it to pay the rent.”

Established in 2011, the E-Launch Scholarships were the result of a donation from Waterloo graduate, entrepreneur and longtime supporter of student entrepreneurship, Nigel Stokes. The awards were created specifically for students enrolled in the Enterprise Co-op program. Up to five are awarded each term.

Administered by the Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre, Enterprise Co-op allows students to test entrepreneurship as a career path and earn a co-op credit in the process. E Co-op is available to all students enrolled in an undergraduate co-operative education program at the University of Waterloo, and provides a network of mentors, essential resources, and funding opportunities to help students successfully pursue a new business venture.

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Funding announced for nano partnership

a news release from the media relations office

Major new research in nanotechnology, a joint initiative between the University of Waterloo and Soochow University in China, has received close to $1 million in funding.

The SUN-WIN Joint Institute of Nanotechnology is a partnership between the two universities. A fund from Suzhou Industrial Park and Soochow University provided ¥6 million (approximately $1 million) in total financing for 12 collaborative projects, each with lead investigators from the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN) and Soochow University Nanotechnology (SUN).

“The University of Waterloo and Soochow University are delighted to be partners in such cutting edge research,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor of Waterloo and Xuilin Zhu, president of Soochow University. “The fact that so many joint projects received critical funding confirms the strength of the collaboration and the significance of the research.”

Waterloo and Soochow signed a partnership agreement in nanotechnology in February. It provides for long-term co-operation in research, education and commercialization between the two universities.

“This funding is a big step forward for collaborations between WIN and SUN,” said Arthur Carty, one of the co-directors of the joint institute, and executive director of WIN. “It will serve to stimulate and foster exchanges of students and faculty between the two universities, lead to exciting new discoveries in nanotechnology, and ultimately to technological innovations which can be commercialized.”

The funded projects are in key theme areas of nanotechnology such as high-efficiency organic LEDs, thin nanocomposites as materials for lithium-ion batteries, and new nanostructured polymers for biomedical and chemical uses.

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Tuesday's notes

Close to a hundred new members of the 25- and 35-year club will be honoured tonight at a reception starting at 6:00 p.m. in the Physical Activities Complex. The 25-Year club members joined the university in 1987, and the 35-Year Club members started in 1977. How time flies!

The latest installment in the EAP Brown Bag Lunch series is coming up on Friday, June 22 and poses a number of questions: "Interested in exploring options to change your workload commitment to balance your work-life responsibilities? Considering a "once in a lifetime trip" and would like to put aside money from your pay? Want to know more about options for reducing your workload? What work options and support are available for employees with families?"

The hour long lunch session features facilitator Glenda Rutledge, benefits coordinator from Human Resources and takes place on Friday, June 22 at 12:00 p.m. in TC 2218.

"This brown-bag session will provide an opportunity for staff to learn about the many employee and family friendly policies, practices and initiatives of University of Waterloo, including temporary and permanent reduced workloads, unpaid leave, deferred salary leaves, maternity benefits and emergency leave. Leave options available under Employment Standards Act will be discussed. There will be time for discussion questions about workload arrangements that may assist you with balancing your work-life commitments."

The Federation of Students is organizing a marching contingent in the 2012 Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday July 1 and has invited uWaterloo students, staff, faculty, and alumni to join them. Last year 80 members of the university community participated. Tickets and detailed event info is available online and there is a Facebook group as well.

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