Staff conference next week

The seventh annual staff conference kicks off on Monday, April 7.

Organizational & Human Development hosts the annual two-day affair. At this year's conference, attendees are being asked to consider the ability we all have in each of us for change, action, and passion.

"What's your power? Where does your drive come from? What do you love to do and why?"

The conference keynotes organized for this year's event are diverse, and include two TEDx alumni. The keynote speakers for 2014 are:

• Charles Duhigg, Pulitzer Prize winner, reporter and author of The Power of Habit;
  
• Dr. Lionel Laroche, author, cross-cultural training coach, and consultant;
  
• David Usher, Juno Award Winning Musician and Creativity Expert; and
  
• Porter Gale, entrepreneur, industry leader in marketing and advertising, and author of Your Network Is Your Net Worth.

This year, the conference offers over 30 workshop sessions exploring a variety of topics, including conflict and communication, internationalization, and psychological health in the workplace. Also featured will be the documentary The Cola Road, a film about a practical solution to battle an easily treatable illness.

In keeping with this year's theme, the conference will feature “Waterloo Stories: Turning Passion into Action.” A Waterloo faculty member, staff member, student, and an alumnus will share their experiences as they discuss of how they turned their passion into action.

All keynote addresses take place in the Hagey Hall's Humanities Theatre. Workshop sessions take place in the School of Accounting and Finance wing of Hagey, Hall and in the Arts Lecture Hall.

For more information check out the Staff Conference website.

 

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It's never too early to get "Fees Arranged"

Even as lectures for the Winter term wind down today, more deadlines approach for students studying on campus in the upcoming Spring term.

The due date to become "Fees Arranged" for the Spring term is Monday, April 28, according to a notice from the Finance - Student Accounts office.

There are two ways to become Fees Arranged:

• Payment in full - A bank payment, international wire transfer or Western Union transfer; or a certified cheque, money order or bank draft originating from a Canadian or US bank; and
• Promissory Note - The Promissory Note will be available in the Finances section on Quest beginning March 28. Follow the step-by-step instructions.

Undergraduate students

To view your bill for Spring 2014, log in to Quest, go to the Student Centre link, and then click Finances> Account Inquiry. 

 

For OSAP students, Student Awards & Financial Aid started processing Spring OSAP extensions as of March 24. Documents should have been submitted by Tuesday, April 1 to ensure that OSAP assessments are available in time for you to submit the Promissory Note by the April 28 deadline.

Exchange or study abroad students should refer to their admission documents for specific fee and payment information that applies to their particular situation.

Remember: your access to course material on LEARN may be affected if your registration status has not been changed to "Fees Arranged" by the deadline. If there is a balance on your account at the due date, your payment in full or Promissory Note must be submitted on or before the due date to avoid a late fee.

Graduate students:

 

The due date to become Fees Arranged for Spring term is Monday, April 28. To view your bill for Spring 2014:  Log in to Quest, go to Student Centre, then click Finances> Account Inquiry.  Please note that, for some programs, tuition may not be calculated until you register for courses. 

For OSAP students, Student Awards & Financial Aid began processing Spring OSAP extensions and signature pages on March 24. Documents should have been submitted no later than April 1 to ensure that the OSAP assessment available in time for you to submit the Promissory Note by April 28.

Remember, if you are a graduate student submitting a Promissory Note to become Fees Arranged, your Offer of Admission letter will not be accepted as proof of funding. If your funding from the University is not displayed as "Anticipated Aid" on Quest already, please contact your department for a PDF document that contains detailed outlines of your funding for the term. If there is a balance on your account at the due date, your payment in full or Promissory Note must be submitted on or before the due date to avoid a late fee.

 

Student Accounts is happy to take questions via email, and the Finance - Student Accounts website has additional information.

 

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Waterloo hosts team mathematics competition

by Judith Koeller.

When people picture a mathematician, they often imagine someone serious and anti-social, working alone in an office.

Not so in the real world of mathematics, and not so at the Canadian Team Mathematics Contest! The University of Waterloo’s Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC) hosts this challenging, collaboration-based contest on Monday, April 7.

Over two hundred of this country’s promising high school students will gather to compete at UW, accompanied by their teachers. Hundreds of other students will be participating at their own schools.

Each team will be given a set of problems and asked to collaboratively solve them in a short period of time. Since the students range in age and grade, part of a team’s strategy is to assess each team member’s strengths and tackle the problems accordingly.

In the high-energy Relay event, each team member answers a different challenging question in turn. The catch is that the answer to one team member’s question must be received, and correct, in order for the next team member to complete their question.

The CTMC is organized by the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC), which aims to increase enjoyment, confidence and ability in mathematics and computer science among students and teachers in Canada and internationally. Through contests, face-to-face workshops, online resources, and publications, the CEMC provides curricular and enrichment support to elementary and secondary schools.

The enthusiasm, friendly competition and drive for excellence at the CTMC are palpable. The model of the CTMC echoes a little-known aspect of careers in mathematics and computer science. Many researchers in these fields collaborate with each other, and with experts in fields such as medicine, forensics, environmental science and the like. The CTMC gives students the experience of working together on challenging mathematics problems: because, after all, there is strength in numbers.

 

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On Monday, Brains have their Day

The Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience (CTN) will be holding its 8th Annual Waterloo Brain Day on Monday, April 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in EV3-1408.

Brain Day gathers four internationally-renowned researchers across four disciplines (psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, and computational neuroscience) to provide accessible lectures on their current work in theoretical neuroscience.

This year’s speakers will include:

• Philosophy - Daniel Dennett (Tufts University)
  

• Psychology - Elizabeth Phelps (New York University)
  

• Neuroscience - Barry Richmond (National Institutes of Health)
  

• Computational Neuroscience - Randall O'Reilly (University of Colorado, Boulder)

The event begins with refreshments at 8:30 a.m. in EV3-1408 and concludes with a reception at 4:15 p.m. in PAS 2464.

The annual event is sponsored by the University of Waterloo Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience, the Cognitive Science Program and the Faculty of Arts. 

 

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GI Jam, Engineering Badge Day, other notes

Saturday is International Tabletop Day, a day set aside for all things tabletop gaming, and the Games Institute has chosen Saturday as the date for the final "GI Jam" event. Entitled "PLAY," the event takes place from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Student Life Centre's multipurpose room.

The PLAY event is the third in a series of weekend events hosted by The Playful Pixel and the Games Institute. Each event has been designed to appeal to "a wide variety of playful people." At the PLAY event, attendees can explore new kinds of games and try out some of the brand-new games that were made at last week's GI Jam - MAKE workshop.

One of the games that will be available is EGGNOGG, developed by the Kitchener indie studio Madgarden, a multi-nominee at the 2014 Canadian Video Game Awards, including "Best Indie Game" and "Best Casual Game". EGGNOGG creators Rachel and Paul Pridham will be making an appearance at 6:00 p.m. to witness a mini EGGNOGG tournament/competition.

Girl Guide units will be on campus Saturday as part of National Engineering Month's Engineering Badge Day festivities. Guides will earn their Engineering Badge by completing requirements through fun and interactive activity stations throughout the University. Guides will also have the opportunity to engage with inspiring mentors who "demystify the university experience and engineering careers." The event takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is based in Engineering 5.

The Needles Hall road will be closed to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic between 6:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8 as 4 large steel trusses are delivered to the construction site. A large crane will be parked on the roadway to lift the trusses off flatbed trailers. There will be no access to underground parking lot D. Access to the interior of the Arts quad will be from the service road at Environment 3. Fencing will be in place at both ends to prevent access by pedestrians.

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