Members of the International Spouses of the University of Waterloo group, hailing from Canada, China, Egypt, the United States, Israel, and Iran show off a fine crop of Jack O'Lanterns carved at a special event on Sunday, October 21. For some members of the group, it was their first time carving pumpkins. Not that it shows - they all look well done!

All spouses and partners of international students, visiting scholars, and faculty and staff are invited to the International Spouses events, which usually take place in the Columbia Lake Villages common area, but also include trips to movie theatres and other off-campus sites. Canadian spouses are welcome as well, says group founder and co-ordinator Nancy Matthews.

More details about the group's activities can be found on their website.

And today is the big day — Hallowe'en, that is — and we'll likely see more than a few costumes around campus even before the sun sets. Depending on which media sources you put stock in, popular costumes for 2012, based on popularity of Google searches, include pirates, zombies, Batman, vampires, and witches, with a few politically-themed costumes for good measure - "binders full of women" and Big Bird come to mind. In the end, though, we'll have to surf endless photo albums from the weekend's costume parties and wait for the doorbell to stop ringing tonight to determine what costumes came out on top. Naturally, if you happen to snap a picture of a costumed reveller on campus today, I'd happily publish it.

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Nominations open for Co-op Students of the Year

by Karina Graf, Co-operative Education and Career Action.

Resourceful. Inventive. Rock stars. These are a few terms we’ve heard co-op employers use to describe Waterloo students. Are they warranted? We sure think so, based on their impressive achievements. Check out the accomplishments of some top performers; you may be delighted! The six students selected as Students of the Year represent the depth, breadth, and capability that our students are known for worldwide. There are over 120 nominations by employers every year.

The following students were named the 2011 Co-op Students of the Year:

Mei Chen, Accounting and Financial Management (top left)

Worked at: IBM Canada

• Completion of 30% of the IBM Canada tax return, and 80% of the IBM alliance companies’ tax returns
• Assessment and reporting of the tax implications of large international and foreign trade transactions

“Mei’s strong research skills, ability to adapt to new responsibilities, and aptitude at solving problems independently make her a strong technical professional.”

- Derek Kroft, IBM Canada

Terrence Chin, Actuarial Science/Finance Option (top middle)

Worked at: Mercer

• Development of a new tool to set manual rates for retiree claims costs, improving upon the user layout, functionality and efficiency of the former tool
• Communication with clients, Mercer consultants, and insurers to facilitate the implementation of a large organization’s benefits plan

“Terrence exhibited skills and experience that far exceeded our expectations and the goals we set for him.”

- Conor Rankin, Mercer

Christina Marchand, Health Studies (top right)

Worked at: St. Michael’s Hospital

• Promotion of the Women in Cancer initiative through exhibits, events, and publications, saving the organization $15,000 and increasing membership by over 30%
• Co-ordination of the launch of a virtual network of medical oncologists, securing participation from over 150 healthcare professionals

“Christina has shown integrity and exceptional leadership skills by truly taking full responsibility of the project and making it into a success.”

- Dr. Christine Brezden-Masley, St. Michaels Hospital

Samantha Lynne Dupré, Environment and Resource Studies (bottom left)

Worked at: International Joint Commission (IJC)

• Research on aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes which informs future monitoring efforts in Ontario, Quebec, and eight US states
• Presentation of research to a group of international water quality experts at the Great Lakes Aquatic Nuisance Species Panel which won broad support for the IJC’s Great Lakes protection project

“Samantha’s exceptional ability in researching and reporting, as well as her effective work with a diverse group of federal, state and provincial agencies enabled the International Joint Commission to complete its project on time and thousands of dollars under budget.”

- Mark Burrows, International Joint Commission

Sasanka Nagavalli, Mechatronics Engineering (bottom middle)

Worked at: Neptec Design Group

• Software design for the 3D mapping sensor of an experimental lunar rover for the Canadian Space Agency
• Improvements to the maintainability and reliability of the mapping sensor’s embedded software

“Sasanka achieved a level of trust and responsibility that normally takes years to develop. In fact, as word spread through Neptec of his abilities, senior developers on other Neptec programs began to seek out his opinions and assistance with their own issues.” 

- Adam DesLauriers, Neptec Design Group

Janet Nguyen, Biology (bottom right)

Worked at: Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre

• Research on the quality of life of radiation patients, securing funding of $350,000
• Creation of a bone metastases handbook which is used by oncology professionals across the world, eight first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals, and presentations of these papers at conferences in Vancouver and Athens

“Our physician and radiation therapist colleagues have consistently said that Janet is one of the first people they can always go to for help in research-related or miscellaneous matters.”

- Dr. Edward Chow, Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre

Last week’s poll results: 52 per cent of you guessed correctly; 75-80 per cent of jobs are never advertised. Congratulations to last week’s draw winner Rahul Mehrotra, systems design engineering student.

This week’s question: What’s the name of the bi-monthly CECA student newsletter that features outstanding students, cool jobs, and career tips? Take a guess and enter to win a CECA chocolate bar from Rheo Thompson Candies in Stratford.

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Latest staff workshops announced

by Rebecca Burwell, Co-operative Education and Career Action.

The Staff Career Advising service is featuring two new sessions for staff this month. On November 8, guest speaker Louisa Jewell will run a session titled “Leverage your strengths for career success”. She will be teaching staff how to leverage their personal strengths to gain higher levels of job satisfaction and achievement. Participants will complete the StrengthsFinder 2.0 prior to attending. The session runs from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. in the Tatham Centre, room 2218.

On November 15, a panel of senior staff will participate in a session titled “How to excel in your career at Waterloo: Four panelists share their secrets”. Bob Copeland (Director of Athletics), Katherine Marshall (Executive Officer, Applied Health Sciences), Cathy Newell Kelly (Director, Centre for Extended Learning), and Sean Van Koughnett (Director, Student Success) will answer questions such as: What traits do top notch staff possess? What can you do to gain the skills required for a management session? What sets one person apart from another in the hiring process? This session will be held from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m., also in the Tatham Centre, room 2218. Staff interested in attending can register online.

As a reminder, confidential, one-on-one career advising is also available for contract and regular staff. Appointments can be made for career planning and assessments, résumés, cover letters, and mock interviews. Any questions can be directed to Rebecca Burwell, Staff Career Advisor.

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Notes on All Hallows' Eve

A felon makes bail: The Midnight Re-Caller, also known as University Librarian Mark Haslett, was set free after a brief incarceration in the Dana Porter Library yesterday, having raised $327.00 for the United Way campaign.

While we're on the subject of the United Way, The WatPD staff will be handing out candy in exchange for a donation to the United Way campaign. The Halloween Handout for United Way will be visiting many buildings on campus between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

And while we're on the subject of Hallowe'en, there will be a costume party at the Bombshelter Pub tonight, with prizes for best individual and group costume. Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for guests and are available at the Federation's main office in the Student Life Centre and the Bombshelter.

The Federation of Students has also organized a local Trick or Eat campaign, with volunteers leaving the Student Life Centre at 4:00 p.m. to collect non-perishable food items for the Feds Food Bank. Register by emailing trickoreat2012@gmail.com or check out the Trick or Eat website for ideas on fundraising.

A concert of new music for Lydia Herrle (left) will be performed at today's Noon Hour Concert in the Conrad Grebel University College chapel starting at 12:30 p.m.

"This concert hopes to bring further courage, strength, joy and healing to Lydia Herrle, whose parents James and Michelle Herrle own the famed Herrles Country Farm Market on Erb Street between Waterloo and St. Agatha," reads the press release from Conrad Grebel.

"Lydia was seriously injured in May 2012 while alighting from her school bus, and is now home from the hospital, regaining her strength. Literally thousands of Waterloo area people have been supportive of Lydia, displaying green bows and ribbons for her. This concert features new music by Grebel/UW music and composition professor Carol Ann Weaver, and Waterloo pianist, teacher and composer Joanne Bender. Performers include flautist Meaghan McCracken, saxophonist Willem Moolenbeek, cellist Ben Bolt-Martin, violinist Marianne Wiens, and pianists Joanne Bender and Carol Ann Weaver."

"Newly composed for the concert is three-movement suite composed expressly for Lydia by Carol Ann Weaver entitled Three Seasons for flute, alto saxophone, cello and piano. Within this piece are these sections: Summer Silence, Autumn Dawn, and Winter Prayers and Blessing. This music attempts to capture different aspects of Lydia’s story, while expressing hope for fullest-possible recovery."

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