Waterloo Innovation Summit coming soon

The second annual Waterloo Innovation Summit will take place on Monday, April 14 and Tuesday, April 15.

This year, the Waterloo Innovation Summit will explore the next-generation technologies on the threshold of major investment, corporate venture capitalism and how to build national technology brands with Waterloo at the centre of a global innovation hub. In addition to discussions on global innovation, new trends in manufacturing and venture capitalism, and the building of new brands, the summit will feature keynote addresses from established leaders and rising stars in the field of entrepreneurship.

Keynote speakers include:

• Rebeca Hwang, Managing Partner, Rivet Ventures and Co-founder, YouNoodle;
• Eric Migicovsky, Founder, Pebble Technology;
• Nagraj Kashyap, Senior Vice President, Ventures & Innovation, North America, Qualcomm Technologies; and
• Wal Van Lierop, Founder and CEO, Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital.

A wide array of panellists and presenters will also be participating in the conference, representing academia, government and industry.

The event will be livestreamed on the innovation summit's website, and there will be live chats on social media throughout the day, including a Twitter chat featuring speakers form the summit. For those who would like to keep tabs on the summit, the hashtag is #WINS14.

You can sign up to be reminded about the event and the livestreaming.

As part of the event, the University is running a social media contest to get your input on what innovation means to you. Submit a selfie on Instagram using the tag #WINS14 and write in the description what "Innovation means..." to you. Submit your photo by April 11 for your chance to win a $50.00 credit on your WatCard (if you're a current student) or a University of Waterloo prize pack valued at $50. Finallists will be posted on the University's Facebook page and you can vote for the winners. The contest runs from March 31 to April 11.

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Campus 3MT thesis winner named

They came, they saw, they briefly summarized.

Finallists from all six faculties gathered in the Humanities Theatre last Thursday to deliver their thesis in three minutes at the University of Waterloo's 2014 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.

The winner was Matthew Vonk, a master's student in the Department of Kinesiology in Applied Health Sciences. His presentation was titled "The Effects of a Single Session of Weight Training on Mental Health." Vonk works with Professor Laura Middleton.

Vonk was also selected as the People's Choice award winner.

Named runner-up was Mihaela Vlasea, a doctoral student in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics, in the Faculty of Engineering. Vlasea's presentation was titled "Bionic Bones - We Have the Technology." Vlasea works with Professor Ehsan Toyserkani.

The 3MT is a university-wide competition for research-based masters thesis and doctoral students at the University of Waterloo. Competitors have 1 static slide and 3 minutes to explain the breadth and significance of their research to a non-specialist audience. The 3MT was established by the University of Queensland (UQ) in 2008.

This year, 10 finallists were in the running to claim victory and move on to represent the University of Waterloo at the provincial finals, which will be held at McMaster University on April 24.

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New Zealand's High Commissioner visits campus

by Julie Hummel.

On Friday March 28, President Feridun Hamdullahpur and Associate Vice-President International Nello Angerilli hosted His Excellency Mr. Simon Tucker, New Zealand's High Commissioner to Canada and Ms. Micaela Buckley, Counsellor, Science and Innovation, New Zealand Embassy Washington.

The purpose of the visit was to sign a Memorandum Of Understanding between the University of Waterloo and the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. More broadly, the objective of the collaboration was to learn more about areas of potential research interests, highlighting difference models for commercializing research, and explore potential partnerships between the University of Waterloo and universities in New Zealand.

Collaborations under discussion include:

• The development of a student exchange program;
• the development a service learning course in Christchurch focused on rebuilding the city which has been devastated by earthquakes. The University of Canterbury will offer a condensed version in Christchurch between UW semesters to overcome Waterloo's program constraints for study abroad which are a result of our co-op sequencing. The course is for credit and is very popular with American students on study abroad terms in NZ;
• Connecting up our innovation/entrepreneurship programs with the University of Canterbury and possibly the U of Auckland in a triangular 3 way relationship; and
• Investigations will begin regarding a collaboration involving UW architecture students in a “field studio” program. Roughly $40 billion will be spent over twenty years to rebuild Christchurch and they are in need of architects.

Both the Memorandum of Understanding and an international exchanged agreement with the University of Canterbury were signed.

The delegation also visited the Velocity garage where they toured the facility and were able to see firsthand Waterloo’s entrepreneurial spirit and innovation in action. 

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Co-op jobs: A Perfect Match

by Caitlin Feehan and Chantal Wall.

In the world of co-op, it is not uncommon for students to be matched with jobs that were not necessarily their first choice. CECA student and career advisors spend time with these students to show them that there’s a silver lining to what they initially think is bad news. Who knows, they could even end up surprising themselves by finding a new area of interest or developing a new skill set they’d never otherwise have!

Last term after the main job match, one of the student advisors, Chantal Wall, got a call from a student who was very upset. She had been matched with a job in Toronto. An employer in Waterloo, whose job she ’really wanted’, hadn’t made a decision on time, but contacted her after the official job match date to offer her the job. The student and Chantal talked at great length at different times over a number of days about the choices she made while applying, the process, and the consequences for reneging on an offer. In the end, the student reluctantly decided to stay with the matched position. She was nervous about taking a sales job as she had no experience and was worried that she would not succeed. Chantal reassured the student that she would be provided with training by her employer, a company that she had worked with for several terms. She told the student that her supervisor was approachable, that she would be working with three other co-ops whom she could also use as a support network, and that she could contact her if she ever had any questions or concerns throughout the term.

A few weeks ago, the two had their midterm consultation. When they met, the student told Chantal that she was really enjoying her term, and that she thinks this job was ultimately a better fit for her than her original first choice would have been. She has built close friendships with the other three co-ops and as an additional bonus, not only did she get to go to Orlando for a conference, all expenses paid, she is also currently the co-op with the highest sales this term!

This experience was a definite confidence-builder for the student. Sometimes students don’t always see the benefits of veering from their ‘plan,’ but amazing opportunities could be just around the corner.

In the end, although unexpectedly, the student’s match worked out perfectly!

Our student and career advisors often go out of their way to be helpful and supportive  of students’ concerns. They conduct work term consultations with students, are there to provide guidance on achieving work term success, and more.  You can find additional information at the Co-operative Education Advisors Web Page.

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