Connecting students over the holiday break

Many international and out of province students are unable to travel home for the holiday break. To connect these students, volunteers working with the International Student Experience team have organized Winterloo, a series of fun, festive and traditional Canadian events running from December 20, 2013 to January 4, 2014. 

Winterloo events are open to all uWaterloo students and their families.  Events include winter snow tubing, Wonders of Winter, New Year’s Eve celebrations and a games night. Students are encouraged to register for Winterloo events in advance. 

With the university closed over the December break, all students are required to move out of their on-campus residence.  Students who need assistance finding short-term accommodations are encouraged to contact the Off-campus housing office.    

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Closing the gap between medicine, engineering

The University of Waterloo will offer a new degree in biomedical engineering from Fall 2014 that closes the gap between medicine and engineering.

The new undergraduate program will be housed in the Faculty of Engineering’s Department of Systems Design Engineering and will build on Waterloo’s foundation of leadership in experiential education, engineering and technology. The unique curriculum will have a strong focus on the modeling and design of biomedical systems that will be used to develop new technologies and engineering solutions to health-related problems.

The program draws on the expertise of six departments including Systems Design Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, Biology, and Kinesiology from across three of Waterloo’s Faculties.

“The combination of interdisciplinary faculty expertise and the growing need for highly-skilled researchers and practitioners makes it the ideal time to introduce this new approach to biomedical engineering education,” said Pearl Sullivan, dean of engineering. "I am confident the research advances and technologies that will emerge from this area will address some critical health-care challenges.  It will fundamentally lead to improvements in the human condition.”

The biomedical engineering curriculum is geared toward three areas: biosignals and imaging, biomechanics and sports engineering, and biomedical devices. Graduates from the program will be ideally suited to contribute directly to the Canadian biomedical and health economy, armed with the skills and knowledge required to work in hospitals, clinical research institutions, the medical device and medical imaging industries, bioinformatics, biomedical sensors industry, and regulatory agencies.

While other Canadian institutions offer biomedical engineering, the Waterloo Engineering program has a substantial design component that differentiates it from other universities.

“There will be a design course each term that focuses on the biomedical, biomechanics and biodevice themes,” said Paul Fieguth, chair of Systems Design Engineering. “This will ensure that students graduate with the technical skills they need to model complex biomedical systems, interpret biomedical experimental results, and design and develop innovative technologies in close collaboration with the medical community.”

Extensive research went into ensuring the program offers the right combination of high-impact courses and work-place experience. The first Biomedical Engineering class will be limited to 45 students and will increase to a maximum of 90. It is anticipated that admissions for 2014 will be highly competitive because of strong interest in the field.

“When we developed the curriculum we surveyed industries in various areas of biomedical engineering to determine what they were looking for in biomedical engineers to make sure our undergraduate training would meet their needs,” said Maud Gorbet, chair of the Committee for Biomedical Engineering (pictured above). “The program will be unique in Canada due to its strong focus on the modeling and design, combined with a co-operative education experience. It will be a completely immersive experience.”

The University of Waterloo has invested in biomedical research and development in recent years and opened the Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology in 2012. 

CareerCast.com places biomedical engineering as the top job in health care in 2014 and the second-best job in the United States. The field is expected to grow by 62 per cent within the next decade.

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'Tis the season for teaching award nominations

The Centre for Teaching Excellence has opened nominations for awards that recognize the best teaching talent at the University of Waterloo.

The Distinguished Teacher Awards (DTA), established in 1975, are given "in recognition of a continued record of excellence in teaching at the University of Waterloo." Successful candidates for the award must possess a "record of excellent teaching at UW over an extended period, usually at least five years."

DTA nominators can be an undergraduate, graduate, alumni, or faculty/department member and can nominate anyone who teaches at the university and its federated and affiliated university colleges, including lab instructors and clinical associates, as well as professors and lecturers. A minimum of ten nominees is required for each candidate.

DTA nomination forms are available for pickup at the Davis Centre and Dana Porter libraries, at the Student Life Centre's Turnkey Desk, and in EV1 325. Drop boxes for completed forms are also available at these locations.

The deadline to submit a nomination for the DTA is Friday, February 7, 2014.

The Amit & Meena Chakma Awards for Exceptional Teaching by a Student (AETS) were established (under a different name) in 1998 and are handed out "in recognition of excellence in teaching of all kinds by registered students." The awards are "open to all registered students who have a formal teaching role, be they teaching assistant, laboratory demonstrator, or sessional lecturer, at the University of Waterloo or its federated and affiliated university/colleges."

AETS nominators can be undergraduates, graduates, alumni, and faculty members (present or past faculty supervisors of the nominee, for example), but the nomination must be endorsed by at least three individuals who are past or present students of the nominee. At least five nominees are required for a nomination form to be considered by the selection committee.

Nominations for the AETS can be submitted via email to the Centre for Teaching Excellence. The forms are available online.

The deadline to submit a nomination for the AETS is Friday, February 14, 2014.

More information about the teaching awards can be found on the Centre for Teaching Excellence's website.

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Tuesday's notes

Effective December 9, Plant Operations will be repairing the elevators in Engineering 5 and Engineering 6, beginning with those in Engineering 5. According to Plant Operations, only one elevator car will be out of operation at a time during the repairs. The work is estimated to be completed by the end of the week.

The Library has announced that the Winter 2014 Term Loan due date for extended loan library books has changed from January 15, 2014 to May 15 2014. Renewals for the Winter 2014 term are now being accepted.

If your office or department is having a holiday celebration that involves closing down for a period of time in the next couple of weeks, please send a notice to the Daily Bulletin so the community can stay informed.

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