Fire drills scheduled for tomorrow

Ring the alarm: The Safety Office, Plant Operations, UW Police and Waterloo Fire Rescue will be conducting fire drills for the University’s academic and academic support buildings tomorrow, April 29.

The drills will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will conclude at approximately 2:30 p.m.. In the event of bad weather the drills will be cancelled.

"As usual all occupants are expected to evacuate the building when the alarm sounds," says the message from the Safety Office.

 

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LEARN goes back to school for upgrade

Today, at 2:00 a.m., Waterloo LEARN, the University's web-based learning management system, went offline as the system is upgraded to version 10.3 in preparation for the spring term.

Says Jan Willwerth, Waterloo LEARN system administrator, "It is possible that the downtime may last until noon on Wednesday, April 30."

Instructors still updating their final marks will find that the gradebook functionality has not changed in 10.3 and will be able to continue processing their grades once LEARN is back online on April 30.  

Please contact LEARN Help if you have any questions.

 

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Governor General award for CIGI Campus

The CIGI Campus, home to the Balsillie School of International Affairs, is now the fourth building at the corner of Erb and Caroline Streets in Waterloo to win the prestigious Governor General’s Medals in Architecture.

Designed by KPMB Architects, the CIGI Campus is among 12 projects that received the honour in 2014. The program, run by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) and the Canada Council for the Arts, celebrates outstanding design in recently built projects by Canadian architects. Medals are awarded based on the architectural artistic merit of a structure’s design, including elements such as conceptual clarity, detailing, sustainable design, compatibility with the site, and innovation and uniqueness.

Shirley Blumberg, lead KPMB architect for the CIGI Campus, will receive the award on May 13 at a ceremony in Ottawa.

“On behalf of everyone at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, I congratulate Shirley Blumberg and her team at KPMB on this outstanding honour,” said CIGI President Rohinton Medhora. “This medal is a testament to the CIGI Campus’s exceptional design and functionality. The building is a unique and significant contribution to Waterloo, and CIGI is proud to be part of our community’s history.”

“We are honoured that the CIGI Campus has received a Governor General's Award and very pleased to contribute a fourth GG Award winning building to the intersection of Erb and Caroline Streets in UpTown Waterloo,” said Shirley Blumberg of KPMB Architects.

“The faculty, staff and students of the Balsillie School of International Affairs are privileged to work in this fabulous building. The CIGI Campus provides a striking blend of beauty and functionality. The BSIA community warmly congratulates KPMB Architects on winning this prestigious award,” said John Ravenhill, Director of the Balsillie School of International Affairs.

This is the sixth architectural award nabbed by the CIGI Campus. Other honours have come from the American Institute of Architects, the Architectural Record, the Ontario Association of Architects, the Royal Institute of British Architects, and Canadian Interiors.

Other recipients at the corner of Erb and Caroline Streets in Waterloo include the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (2006), The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery (1997) and the former Seagram Museum (1986).

 

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Research grant, postdoc fellowship info session

by Jennifer Calbery.

On Tuesday April 29, the Office of Research and Waterloo International will host Dr. Carmen Gervais from the Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO). 

Dr. Gervais is HFSPO’s Director of Fellowships and Career Development Awards and will present “Living on the Edge: Scientific Careers at the Frontiers of Research” to Waterloo faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and staff.

The talk will explain HFSP’s unique “niche” and provide an overview of the opportunities HFSP offers along with tips on how to structure a competitive application.

With 23 Nobel Laureates among its alumni, the HFSPO has a strong history of targeting Nobel-worthy research through its focus on high-risk, high-impact research addressing fundamental biological questions.  HFSP offers postdoctoral fellowships and team research grants in support of exciting, frontier research ideas from scientists around the globe. The focus is on funding international and intercontinental scientific interchanges and collaborations in the spirit of science without borders.

Dr. Gervais, a cell biologist by training, joined the HFSPO in June 2012.  Previously she was Senior Advisor at the Canada Research Chairs secretariat in Ottawa, Canada. In this capacity she was involved in policy analysis, strategic planning and program management. Most recently Dr. Gervais oversaw the development and implementation of the prestigious Canada Excellence Research Chairs program. 

All are welcome to attend the talk taking place on Tuesday April 29, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in NH 3001.  Contact Jennifer Calbery, Manager, International Research and Partnerships, for additional information.

 

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Notes during our intersessional interlude

The due date to become "Fees Arranged" for the Spring term is today.

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.

Access to course material on the online learning system LEARN may be affected if a student's registration status is not “Fees Arranged”. Students can view their registration status on the Account Inquiry page on Quest.

The Finance - Student Accounts page has detailed information.

During the intersession period, which began Friday, April 25 and will run until Sunday, May 4, a number of campus operations will have reduced or otherwise modified hours.

The Dana Porter and Davis Centre libraries will be open Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. A full description of hours is available on the Library's website.

On Wednesday, April 30, all Retail Services locations will be closed for inventory. Regular hours will resume on Thursday, May 1. Additionally, the WatCard office will be closed on Wednesday, April 30 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Food Services operations that are closed during intersession (or longer) include:

• Bon Appétit, closed April 24 to May 4;
• Liquid Assets, which is closed until September;
• PAS Lounge, which is closed until September;
• Pastry Plus - BMH, which is closed until September;
• Tim Hortons - Davis Centre Library, which is closed for the term;
• Tim Hortons - Modern Languages, closed until May 4;
• Tim Hortons - Student Life Centre, shuttered until May 4; and
• Williams Fresh Café, closed until May 4.

Operations with reduced hours include:

• Browser's Café, open from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. from April 28 - April 30;
• Brubaker's, open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.;
• Tim Hortons - Davis Centre, open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from April 28 - April 30; and
• Tim Hortons - South Campus Hall, open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., from April 28 - April 30.

The Food Services website has a full listing of hours and closings.

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