Batter up: University of Waterloo students participated in the pancake-flipping contest at the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival on Saturday, April 5.

Photograph courtesy of Kelly McManus.

 

Back to top

Ecology lab launches herbarium database

A message from the Faculty of Environment's Ecology Lab.

Thanks to efforts from the Faculty of Environment’s Ecology Lab to keep the WAT Herbarium on campus, the University of Waterloo will continue to have a collection of dried, pressed and preserved plant specimens available for research, education and teaching purposes.

“When we heard the WAT Herbarium was going to be packed up and shipped to another university, we worked with Dr. John Semple and Joan Venn to keep a subsample here at UW,” says Anne Grant, manager of Ecology Teaching Labs and lead of the herbarium. “The result is a resource of over 1,500 plant presses that will help advance plant identification and educate UW students.”

The herbarium collection is digitally archived and can be accessed by visiting the Ecology Lab, EV1-134. The Ecology Lab recognizes the generosity from the WAT Herbarium, originally located in the Biology department, the University of Waterloo and Environment computing department Mapping, Analysis and Design that created the database.

Similar to how a library holds records of written materials, a herbarium keeps a record of biological material in taxonomic order by family, genus and species. Each plant specimen is identified along with where and when it was collected.

The Ecology Lab collection contains specimens from Waterloo Region, as well as the Bruce Peninsula and Huntsville area. The herbarium also contains regionally rare specimens as well as the more common plants found on campus.

“This resource will help in the study of biodiversity, ecology and historical trends,” says Grant. “The Herbarium will also be great a resource for all students to help identify specimens gathered in the field and to help improve their plant identification skills.”  

The Ecology Lab is on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Back to top

U15 research universities join global network

The U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities has joined the pre-eminent global network of leading research universities from America, Europe, Asia and Australia to tackle challenges facing research-intensive universities around the world.

U15 joins the Association of American Universities (AAU), League of European Research Universities (LERU), The Russell Group, the China 9 grouping of leading Chinese universities (C9) and the Australian Group of Eight research-intensive universities (Go8) as signatories of the Hefei Statement On The Ten Characteristics Of Contemporary Research Universities. Together, these organizations make up the global network of research universities.

The U15’s inclusion in this group coincides with the government of Canada’s recent re-investments in supporting research excellence.

“Canadian research excellence pushes the frontiers of knowledge and innovation,” said Minister Ed Holder, Canada’s Minister of State (Science and Technology). “We welcome the partnership between Canada’s U15 research universities and the world’s best research universities to propel Canadian research excellence further. Our government is committed to world-leading Canadian research as demonstrated by the new Canada First Research Excellence Fund, a fund that will embrace the scientific principles of competition, independence and peer review.”

The global network was formed to tackle what research intensive universities see as the challenges facing institutions around the world. Some of its initial tasks are to:

• help universities create common metrics to determine capacity and performance for universities across the globe;
• establish a joint statement on the roles and importance of contemporary research universities; and,
• unite established groups of research-intensive universities to better engage with the global research council.

“Our invitation to join this vital global network reinforces something that we have known and celebrated for a long time: that Canadian research-intensive universities are recognized as world-class institutions,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur, who is serving as vice chair of the U15. “It is critical that Canadian research-intensive universities have a strong voice amongst their global peers as we work together to find solutions to global challenges and shape the direction of funding agencies.”

The global network invited the U15 to join the organization during Feridun Hamdullahpur’s recent trip to Europe. The U15 will be represented at all future meetings of the Global Network.

“We welcome the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities into the global network," says Kurt Deketelaere, secretary general of LERU and coordinator of the global network of research universities. "We look forward to including the U15 in our discussions about the status of global research direction and funding. Canadian universities are recognized around the world as centres of research excellence and the Network is proud to have them on board."

 

Back to top

Faculty association general meeting Tuesday

The Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo (FAUW) will be holding its Spring General Meeting on Tuesday, April 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in DC 1302.

Agenda items include:

• A presentation by Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) President Kate Lawson and OCUFA Executive Director Mark Rosenfeld. Lawson is an associate professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at Waterloo and holds the post of OCUFA president until June 2015.
• The report of the FAUW president
• A discussion of a benefit option under consideration by the Benefits Review Working Group, which is a subgroup of the Pension & Benefits Committee.
• A general member feedback session.

There will also be the usual business of approving the 2013 audited financial statements, the auditors for 2014, the report of the treasurer and FAUW's proposed budget for 2014. Members will be asked to approve the written committee and officer reports and appoint the chairs for the 2014-2015 general meetings.

A light lunch will be being provided.

 

Back to top

Monday's notes

The University of Waterloo Art Gallery (UWAG) is displaying exhibitions by two Master of Fine Arts (MFA) candidates from April 10 to April 26.

In Gallery One is Amanda Rhodenizer's "Turf & Twig," which depicts solitary figures "at the boundaries of salable land, performing surreal and fruitless tasks." Source images for the landscapes are retrieved from Canadian real estate websites, which advertise ‘empty lots for sale’. These open-ended narratives act as imagined histories on lots of land charged with unresolved links to the past. Rhodenizer received her BFA from NSCAD University, and was the Nova Scotia recipient of the Bank of Montreal's Invitational Art Competition in 2006. She has exhibited nationally and her work can be found in a number of private international collections

In Gallery Two is Megan Green's "The Jackalope in the Room" is an installation of sculptural and found objects "that have been altered or contextualized in a way that conflates strangeness with normality." Many of the objects in the installation were given as gifts or found in thrift stores. Green received her BFA from the University of Alberta. While living in Fort McMurray she attended Keyano College and received a Visual Art and Design Diploma.

The opening reception for the exhibition will take place on Thursday, April 10 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the gallery, located in East Campus Hall.

“Looking for a nice study spot on campus? Come to the SLC Great Hall, and take a seat. The Federation of Students has converted the area into a study space for undergraduates," writes Jacqueline Martinz. "From April 5 to 24, tables and chairs will be available. The SLC Great Hall is located near the on-campus convenience store International News, where students can grab drinks and snacks to boost their energy after a long day. The Feds main office, and Turnkey Desk are also nearby. Good luck on exams, uWaterloo!”

 

Back to top