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Wednesday, December 10, 2014

  • Keystone calendars available
  • Nutrition: the money's where the mouth is
  • Thoughts on the close of #16Days
  • Wednesday's wubs and warbles

A woman poses with the Keystone Calendar.
Keystone calendars available

A message from the Keystone Campaign.

Attention Waterloo staff, faculty and retirees! Didn’t receive a Keystone calendar but would like one?

As you may know, the Keystone Campaign is Waterloo’s internal fundraising campaign and represents gifts in support of Waterloo from faculty, staff, and retirees. Every year, the Keystone calendar is sent to thank our supporters.

Email keystone@uwaterloo.ca to request a calendar to be sent you. Please provide your first and last name, department and building name.

 

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Nutrition: the money's where the mouth is

There are strong economic incentives for governments to invest in early childhood nutrition, reports a new paper from the University of Waterloo and Cornell University. Published for the Copenhagen Consensus Centre, the paper reveals that every dollar spent on nutrition during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life can provide a country up to $166 in future earnings.

 

“The returns on investments in nutrition have high benefit-cost ratios, especially in countries with higher income levels and a growing economy,” said Professor Susan Horton, of the School of Public Health and Health Systems and the Department of Economics.

 

Children who are undernourished during the first 1,000 days of their lives typically show stunted growth patterns by the age of three and have poorer cognitive skills than their well-fed peers. As adults they are less educated, earn lower wages and have more health problems throughout their lives.

 

“Height-for-age is a much better measure of health than weight-for-age. It is also predictive of economic outcomes,” said Professor Horton, also chair in global health economics at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. She analyzed height and income data from a longitudinal nutrition study from Guatemala for the report. “Good childhood nutrition produces people who can contribute more and help boost economic growth.”

 

Studies of a range of low- and middle-income countries suggest that 1 cm more of adult height for men is associated with an increase in their earnings of 2.4 per cent.

“Over an adult’s working life, we can expect that one dollar spent on early childhood nutrition will on average have $45 worth of benefits in low- and middle-income countries,” said Horton.

 

The paper looked at the effects of stunting on low and middle-income countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Yemen and India. The cost-benefit ratio was the greatest in Indonesia, where every dollar spent on early childhood nutrition could provide the country $166 in future earnings.

 

“It really is a compelling economic argument for nutrition interventions,” said Horton. “If we can reduce stunting through better early nutrition, we can improve quality of life not only for individuals, but nations as a whole.”

 

Currently, the World Health Organization is aiming to reduce stunting among children under age five by 40 per cent as part of its 2025 nutrition goals, and it is widely expected that the rate of stunting will also be included in its Sustainable Development Goals, which will be announced in 2015.

 

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Thoughts on the close of #16Days

Each year from November 25 to December 10, organizations and governments worldwide participate in 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence to remind all citizens that they can act to stop gender violence. Today is the final day of the annual campaign, which is bookended by International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and International Human Rights Day.

"Over the course of the 16 Days campaign, I had the opportunity to talk to faculty, staff, students and community members about gendered violence," says Professor Shannon Dea, who wrote recently on the relevance of the campaign to Waterloo's Women's Studies program. "I heard from others who have experienced gendered violence, and reflected on my own experiences of it. The bad news is that women and sexual minorities continue to experience disproportionate violence worldwide. The good news is that as a community we are becoming increasingly aware of gendered violence and are working to make the world safer for everyone, regardless of gender."

 

The conversation on this issue will no doubt continue, and there are resources available for those who wish to do so, including Amnesty International's Women's Human Rights page.

 

“As the 16 days of activism to end gendered violence against women comes to end, it is important that we not lose sight of this important issue," says Professor Diana Parry, who is Waterloo's special advisor to the president on women’s and gender issues. "With the recent revelations about the alleged behaviour by celebrities such as Jian Ghomeshi and Bill Cosby, the abduction of schoolgirls in Afghanistan, and good work by The Star to look at the culture on our campuses, issues of gendered violence remain particularly relevant. The University of Waterloo is committed to ongoing progress on women’s and gender issues to ensure we foster a safe and supportive campus community for all students, faculty, and staff.”

Adds Dea: "From Professor Andy Houston's groundbreaking course on rape culture to Professor Carrie Mitchell's work to design urban spaces in which women are safer, Waterloo teachers and researchers from all faculties are pioneering innovative solutions to gendered violence worldwide."

 

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Wednesday's wubs and warbles

International student advising will be unavailable today from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. due to a staff holiday event. The Student Success Office will remain open during this time, but drop-in international advising will not be offered. Regular advising hours will resume Thursday, December 11.

 

The Arts Undergraduate Office in PAS 2439 will be closed from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 10 and from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 11 for staff functions. "We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause," says the official statement. "Please go to the Arts Undergraduate Office webpage for our regular office hours."

 

Today is the deadline for students to become "Fees Arranged" for the Winter 2015 term. Students can view their bill for Winter 2015 by logging into Quest, going to "Student Centre" and then clicking Finances>Account Inquiry. Students can check out the Finance - Students Account page for information on how to become Fees Arranged.

 

Also today, the term loan due date for extended loan library books has changed from December 15, 2014 to January 15, 2015. People can begin renewing their books for the Winter 2015 term this afternoon.

 

The Grad House has posted its Holiday hours for December and January. They will close at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, December 19 and reopen at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, January 5, 2015.

 

Here are today's "5 Days of Christmas Re-Gifting" clues, on the final day of the Get Up and Go Challenge brought to you by the Healthy Campus Initiative:

 

  • Think of the group who sang “Y- M- C -A”… for the clue

  • The final destination is the University Club at 4:00 PM.  Bring your wrapped RE-GIFT, your unwrapped toy for the Angel Tree and yourself for some hot chocolate and fun.

 

Don't forget your passport! Check this document for more details.

 

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Waterloo student’s new smartphone app will help women in New Delhi, India travel safely

Link of the day

International Human Rights Day

When and where

"Fees Arranged" deadline for students, Wednesday, December 10.

 

Wednesday Night Discussion Group - Addressing Phobias, Wednesday, December 10, 7:15 p.m., EV1 353. Details.

 

Clickers, Thursday, December 11, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., MC 2054. Details.

 

Water Institute seminar featuring Althea Grundling, Agricultural Research Council, Institute for Soil, Climate and Water, South Africa, Thursday, December 11, 2:30 p.m., QNC 1501. Details.

 

Chemical Engineering Seminar featuring Kunal Karan, associate professor, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, “Towards the Unraveling of Structure and Properties of Nanothin Ionomers in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells,” Thursday, December 11, 10:00 a.m., E6-2024.

 

Retirement open house for Marlene Skinner, Thursday, December 11, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., E5 3001.

 

Successful Aging seminar featuring Dr. Alison Chasteen, University of Toronto, Friday, December 12, 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. PAS 1241.Details.

 

Pilgrimage and Sacred Space: Jewish, Christian and Muslim Perspectives — Stories of Pilgrimage and Pilgrims, Saturday, December 13, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Dunker Family Lounge, Renison University College. Details.

 

KW Symphony in the Research + Tech Park, Monday, December 15, 6:30 p.m. SAP, 445 Wes Graham Way (R+T Park). Holiday themed Christmas Concert. Free admission. Registration details.

 

Lunch and Learn Pension Session, “Various Pension Considerations”, Tuesday, December 16, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., DC 1302.

 

LEARN Instructor User Group meeting, Tuesday, December 16, 12:30 p.m., EV1 241. Details.

 

The Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience (CTN) colloquium featuring Graham Taylor, University of Guelph, “Learning Representations with Multiplicative Interactions”, Tuesday, December 16, 3:30 p.m., PAS 2464. Details.

 

Retirement celebration for Lynn Judge, Wednesday, December 17, 3:30 p.m., University Club. Please RSVP by Wednesday, December 10. Details.

 

Examination period ends, Friday, December 19.

 

Campus closed for the holidays, Wednesday, December 24 to Sunday, January 4, 2015 inclusive.

 

Winter 2015 Orientation, Sunday, January 4 to Friday, January 9.

 

Lectures begin, Monday, January 5, 2015.

 

Co-operative work term begins, Monday, January 5, 2015.

 

Getting Started in LEARN for TAs, Tuesday, January 6, 2015, 11:30 a.m., EV1 241. Details.

 

Getting Started in LEARN for TAs, Monday, January 12, 2015, 1:00 p.m., EV1 241. Details.

 

Add period ends, Friday, January 16.

 

Master of Taxation Open House, Saturday, January 17, 2015, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, 69 Bloor Street East, Toronto.

 

Mini Town Hall Session - Experiential Education, Wednesday, January 21, 2015, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Sedra Student Design Centre, Engineering 5. Details.

 

Drop, no penalty period ends, Friday, January 23, 2015.

Positions available

On this week's list from the human resources department, viewable through myHRinfo:

• Job ID# 2683 – HR Client Support Administrator – Human Resources, USG 4/5
• Job ID# 2692 – Expense Associate – Finance, USG 6
• Job ID# 2695 – Lead Instructional Digital Media Developer – Mathematics – Centre for Extended Learning, USG 10
• Job ID# 2698 – Associate University Secretary & Legal Counsel – Secretariat & General Counsel, USG 14
• Job ID#2691 – Development Officer, Leadership Giving – Advancement-Leadership Giving, USG 9-11
• Job ID# 2696 – Operations Service Representative, Information Centre – Cooperative Education & Career Action, USG 4/5

Secondment opportunities, viewable on myCareer@uWaterloo

• Admissions Assistant – Registrar’s Office, USG 5
• Records Assistant – Registrar’s Office, USG 5-7
• Computer Systems Support Specialist – Advancement Services, USG 9-11

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