A campus on ice: Jack Truong from Engineering Computing took this image of ice-covered trees near the Dana Porter library after last Thursday's ice storm. There's been no official word yet on how many campus trees suffered damage during the Thursday-Friday weather event that caused local power outages, hazardous driving conditions, and slippery surfaces for pedestrians. Pretty, though.

Back to top

Women's Studies to hold researcher luncheon

The Women's Studies department is hosting a luncheon Thursday to bring together Waterloo researchers who use gender as a category of analysis in their research, or who explore their topics from a feminist perspective, reports director Tracy Penny Light.

"As researchers, we seldom have opportunities to engage with colleagues who are doing such work outside of our own departments," writes Penny Light. "Consequently, we are missing an excellent opportunity to network and consider research collaborations with colleagues from other disciplines.” 

According to Penny Light, this is an important issue, particularly when granting agencies are interested in research that capitalizes on multi-and inter-disciplinary expertise. 

"Rather than relying on serendipity to meet colleagues from other disciplines who do such research, Women's Studies is interested in serving as a hub through which researchers can connect meaningfully with one another," she continues. "The luncheon will provide researchers with an opportunity to meet colleagues and discuss additional ways that collaboration can be facilitated."

Penny Light is inviting any researcher on campus with such interests to attend the lunch, scheduled for Thursday, April 18 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., in MC 5158. Advance registration is required, but the event is free for any Waterloo researcher. 

 

Back to top

Students ready for a day of discovery

About 250 high school students from Waterloo Region and surrounding areas will spend their day sampling career options at the TD Discovery Day in Health Sciences taking place today. The Faculty of Applied Health Sciences and Faculty of Science are hosting this interactive event, organized by the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.

Waterloo alumnus and physician Dr. David Wilson will deliver the keynote address at 9:00 a.m. in the Humanities Theatre. Dr. Wilson specializes in treating marginalized populations in Vancouver, and through his volunteer work with Remote Medical Area Volunteers and Doctors Without Borders, has brought healthcare to some of the world’s most isolated populations.

His talk will focus on what makes a good healthcare provider and why one of the most demanding and high-pressure career paths is ultimately rewarding.

As well, there will be workshops for students, including: "Athletic Taping - Helping Athletes Maintain Peak Performance," "Health Information Technology - A New Frontier in Health Sciences," and "Viewing and Imaging the Human Eye."

The day will conclude with a panel discussion that features Waterloo alumni, staff and faculty working in the health sciences field, including:

• Surinder Budwal (BSc '00) – Athletic Therapist
  
• Dr. Michelle Cali (BSc' 06) – Naturopathic Doctor
  
• Nick Frank (BSc '11) – Graduate Student, Department of Kinesiology at University of Waterloo
  
• Dr. George Heckman (MMath ’91) - Associate Professor / Schlegel Research Chair in Geriatric Medicine / Doctor of Medicine
  
• Robyn Ibey (BSc' 07) – Registered Physiotherapist, PhD Candidate at the University of Waterloo
  
• Melissa Knott (BSc '06) – Occupational Therapist
  
• Julie Napolskikh (BSc' 08) – Medical Student, 2013 MD Candidate at the University of Toronto
  
• Madeleine Noble (BSc '07) – Certified Exercise Physiologist
  
• Sandra Gibson, Manager of Health Education at the University of Waterloo
  
• Susanne Kish (BSc ’93), System Integration & Validation Specialist, Clinical Applications
  
• Andy Hong (MPH ’12, BSc ’03), Public Health Inspector
  
• Tammy Scott (BSc ’93), Kinesiologist and co-owner of Great Lakes Physiotherapy

The Discovery Days in Health Sciences take place at university campuses and other locations across Canada and are one-day events that give secondary school students and teachers the opportunity to explore a variety of career options in medicine and the health sciences.

 

Back to top

Tuesday's notes

This is a reminder that the Sabbaticals 101 workshop is being offered today from noon to 1:00 p.m. in the Dana Porter Library's Flex lab. The session will be led by Nancy Matthews. "This will be the third time I've led this lunch-hour session at UWaterloo and they've each been enjoyable times of story-sharing, questions, and discussion," she writes. "This is a great opportunity for anyone planning a sabbatical now or in the future." She'll look at issues such as finding housing, the "trailing spouse," the settling-in blues, and re-entry.

Some heating services will be unavailable today in the Physics building (PHY) from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. as renovation work is done on rooms 230A and B, Plant Operations is reporting. Ventilation systems will have heat, however.

Team Aerodynamix, the group of students from Waterloo competing in the Airbus Fly Your Ideas competition, achieved another milestone in their quest for victory: winning the Team Line award for the second round of the competition, accumulating over 3,000 unique visits to their team's "social timeline." As the winning team, their picture has been posted to the main page of the competition. The team's next challenge? Winning the award for best video presentation. Their 3-minute submission is available online.

There are a pair of retirement celebration events going on this week. The office of the Dean of Mathematics is hosting a farewell open house event for Rita Wiebe, who has spent the last 12 of her 33 years at the University of Waterloo as manager of the Math Coffee & Donut shop. The celebration takes place on Wednesday, April 17 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in MC 5158.

Likewise, colleagues of Edie Cardwell in the School of Planning will be wishing her well on Thursday, April 18, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the School of Planning, located in EV3. Cardwell is the graduate studies administrator for the school and has been with the university for more than 30 years.

Looking ahead, a Biology Graduate Student Research Symposium has been organized for Wednesday, April 24, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in QNC 1501 and 1502. The symposium provides an opportunity for graduate students in the biology department to showcase their research and foster networking opportunities for students and faculty. All are welcome to attend.

 

Back to top