The science of smiles: Pictured above are (l-r) Jim Cooper, president and CEO of Maplesoft, John McPhee, professor, Systems Design Engineering and NSERC/Toyota/Maplesoft Industrial Research Chair, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, and Ray Tanguay, chairman of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Monday, February 3, 2014.

The University of Waterloo, Maplesoft, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada were the recipients of a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Synergy Award for Innovation at the 2014 NSERC Awards ceremony, held at the Governor General's official residence in Ottawa.

Photograph courtesy of MCpl Vincent Carbonneau, Rideau Hall © Her Majesty The Queen in Right of Canada represented by the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General (2014).

 

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Warriors head to Sochi in search of gold

by Cherri Greeno.

University of Waterloo students and alumni are proving they're among the best in the world as they prepare to battle for gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games.

Competing on the world stage is nothing new to bobsledder Heather Moyse — who graduated from Waterloo’s Kinesiology program in 2000. The Prince Edward Island native finished fourth at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy and then went on to win gold at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

She was inducted into the University of Waterloo's Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and in 2010 received the University of Waterloo Faculty of Applied Health Sciences Young Alumni Award. In that same year she was named both Prince Edward Island and Ontario's Female Athlete of the Year. Watch for her in the women’s heat on February 18 and the finals on February 19.

This year's Olympic Games will be extra special for cross-country skier Daria Gaiazova — who graduated with a bachelor of science in 2009 — because she will be returning to her native country to compete.

Gaiazova was born in Moscow, Russia but immigrated to Canada with her family when she was 15. She currently lives in Banff, Alberta. Gaiazova participated in four events in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, finishing seventh place in the team sprint event.

Gaiazova’s events at Sochi begin February 8 with the skiathlon.

Paralympic Alpine Skier Melanie Schwartz, a 2008 computer science graduate, competed in four events for Team Canada during the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, earning her a 10th place finish in the super combined event. She transitioned to the U.S. Paralympics Alpine Skiing National Team in 2012 and is currently listed as a U.S. Paralympic athlete. Paralympic events begin March 8.

In figure skating, Waterloo science student Andrew Poje will represent Canada along with his partner Kaitlyn Weaver, who is working towards a Bachelor of Arts. Their first event is the team short ice dance on February 8.

“On behalf of the University of Waterloo, I want to wish the best of luck to all of our Olympians,” says Feridun Hamdullahpur. “These exceptional alumni and students head to Sochi representing the bold and dynamic spirit of their alma mater, and we are incredibly proud of them.”

Follow the action and send your messages to our proud Warriors by using the #SochiWarriors hashtag on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

 

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Survey asks students to rate their engagement

This month, undergraduate students will have an opportunity to show how the University of Waterloo measures up.

Beginning February 13, all undergraduate students currently in their first year of study, or their graduating year, will be able to provide important feedback on the quality of their Waterloo education through the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).

How much reading and writing is required? How often do students interact with other students who are from different backgrounds and cultures? How good is the academic advising? How many students work with faculty members on research and other activities? How can Waterloo improve?

These questions and more will be in the survey, which will be sent to students via their @uwaterloo emails. The survey will take about 15 to 20 minutes to complete, and will be available to students online until March 24.

“NSSE is a widely recognized and respected survey that assesses student experience, satisfaction and engagement,” says Feridun Hamdullahpur. “These are important measures for UWaterloo as we want our students to get the most out of their Waterloo experience, both academically and socially.”

Students who complete the survey will receive a $5 credit on their WatCard, and will be entered in a draw to win a $500 undergraduate student award.

NSSE is an undergraduate student survey administered by the Indiana University Centre for Post-secondary Research, and since 1999 has been administered at more than 1,000 Canadian and American institutions. Waterloo is participating in the NSSE survey this year along with all of Ontario’s universities, allowing for comparisons between UW and our peer institutions.

NSSE was developed on a body of research that shows that what students do while in university matters. Measuring activities that students take part in, and the degree to which they are “engaged” in their education, and with their institution, tell us about our success as an institution and the success of our students. Measures of engagement have been linked to higher student retention rates, graduation rates and student satisfaction.

“NSSE is one of the key surveys that helps us measure our performance,” says Daniela Seskar-Hencic, associate director of Institutional Analysis and Planning (IAP). “We hope to hear from as many students as possible so we can better understand what we are doing well and where we need to improve. We are dedicated to improving our performance on all key NSSE benchmarks.”

Waterloo last participated in the NSSE survey in 2011. Key findings from that survey included:

• 49 per cent of Waterloo students reported that Waterloo “very much” emphasizes spending significant amounts of time studying and on academic work compared to 37 per cent at peer institutions across Ontario;
• 35 per cent of Waterloo students reported that their Waterloo experience has contributed “very much” to acquiring job or work-related knowledge and skills, compared to 24 per cent at Ontario peer institutions; and
• Financial pressures or work obligations and academic performance were reported as the largest obstacles to their progress at the university.

Additional information about the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is available on the web. Question about Waterloo’s participation in the survey can be directed via email to Institutional Analysis and Planning.

 

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A Fantastic Saturday and other notes

Fantastic Alumni, Faculty and Staff Day is coming to a gymnasium near you on Saturday.

"Athletics and Alumni Relations invite you and your family to come out and cheer on the Warriors basketball teams as they battle the Western Mustangs this Saturday, February 8," writes Dana Ciak of Alumni Affairs. "The day will feature women’s and men’s basketball, staff vs. alumni monster hoop showdown and an airplane toss for fantastic prizes. Get your tickets today and enjoy a day showing your Waterloo pride!"

Retail Services would like to remind faculty and staff that the Waterloo Store's Winter Warm-Up Sale, on until Friday, February 7, is a good opportunity to pickup inexpensive gifts and leave-behinds for conferences and meetings. Select UWaterloo-branded mugs and thermal flasks are up to 40 per cent off.

St. Jerome's University and the Waterloo Catholic District School Board are presenting Graham McDonough, assistant professor of education and an associate fellow at the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board Lecture entitled "Faithful Disagreement: an opportunity for rediscovery in Catholic education."

Says the lecture's promotional material: "Catholic schools often find themselves dealing with disagreements with Church teaching on topics such as ordination, homosexuality, and contraception as well as with complaints that schools are not properly teaching doctrine. This lecture proposes that Catholic schools can do more to include and nurture internal disagreement as a powerful opportunity to embrace intellectual diversity, learn the value of faithful dissent and enable greater participation in the Church and the world."

The event will take place on Friday, February 7 at 7:30 p.m. in St. Jerome's Siegfried Hall. This lecture is supported by the Waterloo Catholic District School Board.

Human Resources has reported that professor emeritus Gordon Andrews (right) died January 26. A pilot, Andrews worked as a Construction Engineering Officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1961 to 1964. After obtaining his MASc from the University of British Columbia, Andrews travelled to Seattle to work for Boeing on the design team for the original 747 airliner in 1966. He earned a PhD at the Nova Scotia Institute of Technology (now Dalhousie University) and began working at the University of Waterloo in 1968 as a lecturer in mechanical engineering. He became an assistant professor thereafter, and was appointed Associate Professor in July 1976. His research interests included professional engineering practice, vector-network theory and artificial intelligence, and gear analysis and machine design.

Andrews was heavily involved in campus governance, spending 11 years on the university's Board of Governors and was a senator for 12. In addition to participating in a large number of committees, he was also president of the university's faculty association from 1991 to 1993, serving as Past President from 1993 to 1995. Andrews retired in May 2001 after 33 years with the University.

Among his publications are the textbooks "Canadian Professional Engineering Practice and Ethics" (co-authored with John D. Kemper), which has been widely adopted in Canada for professional practice exams. He had completed work on the textbook's fifth edition before his death. He also co-authored "Introduction to Professional Engineering" with Herbert C. Ratz.

A visitation will be held at the Henry Walser Funeral Home in Kitchener on Friday, February 21 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. A memorial celebration will be held on Saturday, February 22 at 3:00 p.m. in the funeral home's chapel, followed by a reception.

 

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