RSS- Students raise funds for irrigation project
- Procurement trade show coming up
- Notes before the long weekend
- Editor:
- Brandon Sweet
- Communications and Public Affairs
- bulletin@uwaterloo.ca
Geometry and physics were the topics of the day at the GAP 2012 conference, held jointly by the University of Waterloo and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics on May 6 and 7. Each year, the format of the conference combines three separate but related themes in geometry and physics. The conference featured principal speakers from a variety of institutions including Australian National University, Universiteit Utrecht, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Princeton, and MIT, as well as seven local-area postdocs. Pictured above is a lecture taking place in the Mike Lazaridis Theatre of Ideas at the Perimeter Institute.
Photograph by Gil Cavalcanti.
Students raise funds for irrigation project
Students at St. Jerome's University raised $8,000 at the 3rd Annual Mother's Day Brunch and Silent Auction on Sunday, May 13 to support 10 students travelling to Peru to help community-based organizations build rainwater harvesting cisterns for crop irrigation.
The students surpassed fundraising their goal this year and have raised enough funds to build 4 cisterns during their trip.
Each year, St. Jerome’s selects a handful of students for the SJU in Peru Initiative to offer students a voluntary service learning opportunity to gain a greater understanding of global, social, economic and political structures in order to deepen students’ commitment to promoting social responsibility. (At right, students Natalie Kemp, Barbara Jung, and Megan Rucurean help coffee growers build a cistern high in the Andes in 2011. Photograph by Jason Annan.)
On Friday, May 25, 10 students will travel to Peru to work mainly with a group of rural female coffee growers who produce the fair trade coffee brand Café Feminino, roasted at Planet Bean in Guelph and sold at St. Jerome’s food service outlets. The students will work on building rainwater harvesting cisterns used for crop irrigation to help the growers increase crop yield and quality.
This is the third year that students have travelled to Peru as part of the SJU in Peru Initiative. Above, systems design engineering student (now graduate) Gary Abbott shakes hands with a coffee grower during the inaugural 2010 trip. Photograph by Carl Pawlowski.
Procurement trade show coming up
Once again, Procurement and Contract Services is hosting our annual Trade Show to showcase to our university community the resources available to them through our suppliers. This year we are hosting the show on Wednesday, May 23 and Thursday May 24 in the Davis Center “fishbowl“, DC 1301, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. both days.
Due to the overwhelming success of the technology/audio visual show in previous years, we’ve invited a number of our suppliers as well as our own Campus Tech Shop to attend. With the rapid pace of technological advancement, this show offers something new every time we hold it. The Technology and Audio Visual Day will be on Wednesday, May 23.
Staples Advantage will be back by popular demand on Thursday, May 24, supported by a number of their select suppliers.
P&CS will also be raffling off prizes to some lucky winners!
For more detailed information on all of the suppliers who will be represented at our trade show, please see the flyer on our website.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Notes before the long weekend
Monday is Victoria Day, a statutory holiday in Canada and the unofficial start of the summer season. Victoria Day honours Queen Victoria, who reigned 1837-1901, and there will be plenty of gardening, picnics, barbecues and fireworks if the weather holds.
Classes are cancelled for the day, and Tuesday May 22 will be treated as a Monday schedule-wise. Columbia Icefield and the Physical Activities Complex are both closed for the day Monday. Retail Services outlets are closed from May 19 through to May 21, reopening Tuesday. The Dana Porter and Davis Centre libraries, on the other hand, will be open from noon to 6:00 p.m.
Food Services locations are a mixed bag. REVelation in Ron Eydt Village will be open all weekend and on the holiday Monday, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., while Browser's in Dana Porter and the SLC Tim Hortons will be shuttered all weekend, including Monday. The remaining outlets will all be closed on Monday, May 21. This doesn't affect Pastry Plus, Festival Fare, the PAS lounge, or Mudie's, which are all closed until September anyway.
As usual, UW Police will be available at 519-888-4911 (ext. 22222 on campus). It will take more than a statutory holiday for the Student Life Centre's Turnkey Desk to close, and the maintenance emergencies folks will be around as well at ext. 33793.
Countdown to Congress: 8 days remaining
Factoid: Congress was formerly known as “The Learneds,” (for learned societies).
Congress 2012 takes place May 26-June 2, 2012, and is co-hosted by University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University and organized by the Canadian Federation of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Crossroads: Scholarship for an Uncertain World, the theme of Congress 2012, explores the real-world impact of the humanities and social sciences. Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences is the largest annual multidisciplinary academic gathering in Canada.
Link of the day
When and where
Unofficial grades begin to appear in Quest April 23, standings and official grades available May 22.
Chemistry Department Seminar Series featuring Prof. Stephanie Brock, Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, "The Role of Synthetic Levers for Control of Phase, Size and Morphology in Nanoscale Transition Metal Pnictides: Consequences for Catalytic and Magnetic Properties," Friday, May 18, 10:00 a.m., C2-361.
UW International Spouses presents "Cooking Risotto Italian-style," Friday, May 18, 12:45 p.m., CLW Community Centre. To pre-register email elena.cecchetto@ gmail.com.
English Graduate Student Association SAGE Colloquium featuring keynote speaker, Cary Wolfe, Friday, May 18, 5:00 p.m., HH 1102.
Victoria Day holiday Monday, May 21, classes cancelled, university offices and most services closed.
University senate Tuesday, May 22, 3:30, Needles Hall room 3001.
Biology seminar featuring Dr. Janet Braam, Professor and Chair, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Rice University, "Plant Defense: Roles for Touch and Time," Wednesday, May 23, 2:30 p.m. EIT 3142, refreshments provided. Special meet and greet with Biology students, staff, and faculty from 2:10 to 2:30 p.m.
Farewell reception for Alan George, Thursday, May 24, 3:30 p.m., Festival Room, South Campus Hall. RSVP by May 18 to Michelle Mank, ext. 36448 or mank@ uwaterloo.ca.
Warriors band practice, Thursday, May 24, 5:30 p.m., PAC 1001.
School of Public Health and Health Systems research seminar featuring Dr. Jennifer O'Loughlin, Université de Montréal, "Quit-It: New perspectives on youth cessation from NDIT," Thursday, May 24, 4:00 p.m., LHN 2703.
Pension and Benefits Committee meeting Friday, May 25, 8:30 a.m., NH 3004.
Building and Properties Committee meeting Friday, May 25, 3:00 p.m., NH 3004.
You @ Waterloo Day, Saturday, May 26, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences hosted by Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, May 26 through June 2. Details.
Congress 2012 Big Thinking Lectures, May 26 - May 31. Details.
UW International Spouses presents "Movie and Coffee with Patty," featuring A Streetcar Named Desire, Sunday, May 27, 1:00 p.m., Galaxy Cinemas Waterloo. To register email patty91872@ aol.com.
Measuring Wellbeing: A Symposium on the Use of Wellbeing Indicators, Monday, May 28, 1:00 p.m., Paul Martin Prosperity Centre, Wilfrid Laurier University. Being held as part of Congress 2012.
