Taking a load off...their minds: James Skidmore of Germanic and Slavic Studies snapped this picture of a pair of "listening couches" and their occupants outside the Modern Languages building on Thursday, October 10.

The couches, which have appeared on campus twice before, are the brainchild of Ryan Martens, a fourth-year Knowledge Integration student, and Ryan Mann, who is working on his Master's in Electrical Engineering. The two go to the same church in Waterloo, and were inspired to reach out to their fellow classmates by listening—and caring—about what people have to say.

"We've had a blast meeting tons of people who want to talk about school, life, politics, religion, or even recite poetry or practice for presentations," says Mann.

In a happy coincidence, it was World Mental Health Day on October 10. All the more reason for students to sit down and unburden themselves.

 

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Waterloo's water wizardry woos researchers

Representatives from four countries are meeting with water quality experts at the University of Waterloo today to learn about monitoring and managing shared water resources. A delegation of 20 officials from the Mekong River Commission (MRC) are on campus for a study visit hosted by the Faculty of Environment, the Water Institute and Environment Canada.

The study visit and roundtable discussion is focused on water quality monitoring and transboundary water quality emergency response and management.

The MRC is an intergovernmental agency that works directly with the governments of Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand and Vietnam on the joint management of shared water resources and sustainable development of the Mekong River, the longest river in Southeast Asia.

The delegation, visiting Canada on a study tour, approached Waterloo because of its expertise and reputation in water resources management.

The overall objective is to learn from Canada about the development and implementation of mechanisms for water quality monitoring and transboundary pollution contingency planning. 

The visit will feature presentations by several experts from the Water Institute, the Grand River Conservation Authority and the Southern Ontario Water Consortium, including:

 

• Professor Philippe Van Cappellen, Canada Excellence Research Chair, on water quality monitoring;
• Professor Derek Armitage on science and policy issues in transboundary contexts;
• Professor Larry Swatuk on implementing water resources management;
• Professor Nandita Basu on water quality assessment;
• George Sousa on monitoring and managing the Grand River Watershed; and
• Evelyn Allen on water innovation in Southern Ontario

Dean of Environment André Roy will provide opening remarks.

The visit will take place from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in CPH 3602.

 

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Waterloo ranked top comprehensive university

A news release from the media relations team.

For the sixth consecutive year, the University of Waterloo is Research University of the Year among Canadian comprehensive universities, according to rankings published last week by RE$EARCH Infosource Inc.

Considered one of Canada's leading consulting firms for organizations with interests in science, technology, and innovation, the firm ranks top research universities in three categories: Medical/Doctoral, Comprehensive, and Undergraduate. The group scores institutions based on research input as well as impact.

“The University of Waterloo is engaged in research that has the potential to change the world – it is a driving force for our institution," said D. George Dixon, vice-president, university research. "We are extremely proud to be recognized for the sixth straight year as the top research university in the comprehensive category. Our researchers will build on this foundation of excellence to fuel this institution’s growth as we work to integrate research activities and output into our undergraduate programs."

The majority of university research is conducted at institutions in the Medical/Doctoral category. Sixteen universities with medical schools accounted for 16 of the top 20 overall research universities according to this years ranking. Waterloo does not have a medical school yet it attracted more than $100 million in research dollars in the last year.

Total research income for the leading research universities in Canada rose by just 1.1 per cent in the 2012 fiscal year- the slowest growth in research income since 2001.

 

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Seminar examines Work-Integrated Learning

On Monday, October 28, Sheri Dressler of Central Florida University will be on campus to make a presentation as part of the WatCACE Research seminar series.

Before retiring recently, Dr. Dressler was Director of Experiential Education at Central Florida University for 30 years and is an expert in the field of Work-Integrated Learning Assessment.

In her talk, entitled "Expanding our Vision of Work-Integrated Learning Assessment: Measuring Outcomes for Students, Employers and Faculty," Dr. Dressler will present results from two meta-analyses examining student outcomes of co-operative education and service learning. In addition, she will describe research being done to examine the outcomes of work-integrated learning for employers in the workplace and for faculty members in the classroom.

The seminar will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in TC 2218. All are welcome.

 

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From the Streets of Waterloo to Bay Street

The crew responsible for the "Streets of Waterloo" viral video are at it again.

Freelance music producer Yuvraj Goel (a.k.a. The Gunsmith) and Chartered Accountant Raymond Chan, who put together the Streets of Waterloo Part II music video back in 2008 have teamed up with fellow CA Amy Zhang to produce "The Accounting Song (Money All Day)," a tongue-in-cheek look at the life and struggles of a young chartered accountant. Shot like a proper hip-hop video, complete with pool party, dancers and urban vistas, the song is a "larger than life accounting anthem" featuring a barrage of inside jokes and technical terms that accountants will no doubt crack a smile at.

Goel, Chan and Zhang are all Waterloo alumni and are from the Toronto area.

The video was released on October 11 and has more than 20,000 views on YouTube.

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