Members of the University Relations department show off their black and gold Friday spirit on the front steps of Needles Hall in support of the Warriors. "Wear black, be gold," as the campaign slogan goes, although "be cold" would have been more fitting - it wasn't exactly t-shirt weather the day this photo was taken.

And to throw another colour into the mix, the Athletics Department has launched its fifth annual Think Pink fundraising campaign, which runs from November 1 to November 19.

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Most innovative university for 21 years running

a news release from the media relations office.

Maclean’s magazine has once again recognized the University of Waterloo as the most innovative university in Canada.

Waterloo is consistently one of the top universities in the Reputation Survey of the Maclean’s annual rankings of Canadian universities. Waterloo is among the top three in Canada in the categories of Best Overall, Highest Quality and Leaders of Tomorrow. This is the 21st consecutive time that Waterloo has been ranked Canada’s top university for innovation.

“I am pleased to see that corporate and academic leaders responding to the Maclean’s survey have once again given the University of Waterloo top marks for innovation,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor of Waterloo. “Our success in providing innovative programs, experiential learning and an entrepreneurial culture is critical to attracting the best and brightest students and faculty. Waterloo is known as a university where innovation and academic excellence converge, and we are committed to continuing with this tradition of excellence.”

Other areas where Waterloo excelled came within rankings pertaining to students at comprehensive universities. Waterloo’s students continued to win more national awards than their peers. The university invests more than all others in scholarships and bursaries as a percentage of university operating budgets.

The university’s faculty was also lauded given Waterloo finished at or near the top among comprehensive universities in the Faculty category. It placed first for national faculty awards, first in attracting social sciences and humanities grants, and third in awards for medical and science grants. Waterloo maintained its second-place finish in total research dollars to comprehensive universities.

“It’s so rewarding to see the students, faculty and staff within the institution recognized for their contribution to the overall success of the university,” said Sallie Ann Keller, vice-president academic & provost at Waterloo. “These top-place results are largely due to the quality of their work and their unwavering commitment to excellence and student success."

Maclean’s has been ranking Canadian universities for 22 years, and this year’s rankings issue is on newsstands yesterday.

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Mapmaker, mapmaker, make me a map

"The campus community is invited to help create complete and accurate maps of the uWaterloo campuses and beyond!" writes Nancy Collins, communications and liaison librarian. "Join Geospatial Centre staff for the University of Waterloo Google Map Maker Event running on Wednesday, November 7 and Thursday, November 8 in the SLC."

The event, organized by the Geospatial Centre at the Dana Porter Library and the Google Map Maker Community team, "will consist of two days of map making, and a lot of fun!" writes Collins. "This is an opportunity for anyone interested in mapping to contribute and share about the places they know and love, all through maps."

The Google MapUp is a place to collaborate and exchange ideas, while adding schools, businesses, points of interest, roads, trails, and other place related things to the map. The event will run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

"Sign up on the registration form if you are interested, then come with your mapping hats on," concludes Collins. "The more the merrier!"

Refreshments and a limited number of t-shirts will also be available to participants. All University of Waterloo students, faculty, and staff are welcome to participate. All participants need is a Google account and their own laptop, and must register in advance. Training will be provided.

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Cisco announces Smart Grid research chair

a news release from the media relations office.

The University of Waterloo and Cisco today announced an agreement to establish a Cisco Research Chair in Smart Grid, which will promote, support, and lead research, development and innovation within the use of technologies and solutions for smart power grids.

“Waterloo is committed to excellence in research in the fields of engineering, environment, science and technology,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor of Waterloo. “This collaboration with Cisco will help the university continue its research excellence in these areas and build innovative solutions within the area of energy systems so that we may address some of the challenges facing us today.”

Cisco is providing $1 million over the next five years to establish the Cisco Chair in Smart Grid. The chair will focus research on the full integration of information science and technology concepts for power grid in order to enhance its security, reliability and effective performance of key components such as storage and renewable resources. This research will help define the next generation electricity grid, or ‘future grid’, in terms of concepts, techniques and technologies and their capabilities to drive collaboration, productivity and efficiency in the energy sector in Canada.

“Cisco is proud to work with Waterloo to further technology innovation and help define the next generation electricity grid,” said Cisco Canada president Nitin Kawale. “Waterloo has a well-earned reputation for excellence in engineering in the province of Ontario, partly due to its commitment to create a critical mass of scholars and research support infrastructure. The university understands the significance of IT research and development for Ontario and Canada as a whole, and it’s a vision Cisco is delighted to participate in.”

The Cisco Chair in Smart Grid is Professor Srinivasan Keshav. He has been a professor of computer science at Waterloo and Canada Research Chair in tetherless computing since 2003. He will engage in activities directed at advanced technologies and strategies that will involve research, development and innovation in the use of transformational business architectures, technologies and solutions for smart grids. The chair will seek to further the university’s strategic goals and long-range vision to position the university as one of the top universities in the world, while working closely with the university’s other chairs to enhance innovation, training and educational activities at the university.

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Campus hosts Fall Open House this weekend

If the campus feels a little more active than usual this weekend, it's because the annual Fall Open House is taking place on Saturday, November 3, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

More than 6,000 visitors are expected, mostly on the main campus, with events also running at the School of Architecture in Cambridge and the School of Pharmacy in Kitchener.

The event gives future students and their families the opportunity to participate in activities that will increase their interest and level of commitment to the University of Waterloo at a time when many students are making up their minds about which school best suits their needs.

The Open House showcases the university's academic strengths, including our world-leading co-op program, the rich student life and leadership opportunities.

Visitors can take a walking tour of campus and speak with student ambassadors who will share their personal Waterloo community experiences. The general campus tours will be starting from the Student Life Centre, where information booths will be open all day long. More detailed academic presentations will be offered by the faculties throughout the day.

There is even a parents' lounge, also in the SLC, where parents can stop by for information on application tips and tricks as well as student support services.

Visitors can also meet the university's official bloggers, those first-year students sharing their transition to university and life at uWaterloo.

The open house also includes residence tours and visits to the federated and affiliated university colleges.

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Contributions change community, chair claims

by Kirsty Budd, community manager, Student Success Office.

 “Imagine a community where all people are able to reach their potential, where all neighbourhoods are thriving and our community members enjoy the best quality of life in our province or nationally, regardless of their gender, age, race, abilities.”

This is the hope of Daniela Seskar-Hencic, Associate Director of Institutional Planning and Analysis and current Chair of the United Way Kitchener Waterloo.

The university’s United Way campaign is in its final stretch, over $190,000 has been raised and with your help we can close that gap and reach our goal of $230,000.

Daniela notes that uWaterloo is one of the greatest and most influential institutions in the community. “We are the builders of brighter and better futures at uWaterloo,” she says. “We have demonstrated our potential to be the incubator of change for this community and beyond, but it takes ideas, people and financial support to bring about change.”

The dollars invested in United Way KW are dollars that go toward the better collective future for the community. When you make a donation with your dollars you’re not only helping the many partners in this community to bring about better life for our citizens, but also building an opportunity for our own ideas and innovation to become reality.

Daniela has been involved with the United Way for two and a half years; she volunteers her time because she believes that a strong community is built on the foundations of collaboration, citizen engagement, respect for diversity, and social justice.

Pledge forms and monthly payroll deductions are still being accepted, visit the United Way’s website for more information.

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