IST warns of increased spam from WatIAM

The University of Waterloo's email system is feeling the fallout from recent social media security breaches, according to Information Systems & Technology (IST).

"Starting Saturday, 22 February, we have observed a much higher incidence than usual of Waterloo accounts being used to send spam," writes Mike Patterson, manager of information security operations in Information Security Services. "Based on feedback from affected individuals, IST Information Security Services believes that this is a result of passwords compromised in a breach of LinkedIn in 2012 and GitHub in 2013."

Anybody who has used their Waterloo email address on their LinkedIn or GitHub accounts, and who might have once used the same password for either service and WatIAM should immediately change their passwords on both services.

IST recommends that everyone should avoid using the same password for more than one service.

 

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Registration opens soon for staff conference

by Mark Lisetto-Smith.

Mark your calendars for the annual Staff Conference. The office of Organizational & Human Development (OHD) will be hosting the seventh annual Staff Conference on Monday, April 7 and Tuesday, April 8, 2014.  

The conference keynotes organized for this year are quite diverse, noteworthy, and include two TEDx alumni. Your 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
• Porter Gale, entrepreneur, industry leader in marketing and advertising, and author of Your Network Is Your Net Worth.

This year, the conference will offer over 30 workshop sessions, which is our largest offering yet! The workshops are equally diverse, 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. This life-saving idea was the innovation of AHS alumnus Rohit Ramchandani (BSc ’04). Plus, much, much more!

Be sure to read up on all the sessions being offered this year to find the workshops that work best for you.  Remember: Space is limited in each workshop, so please register early on to ensure a spot in your desired workshop and keynote. A large portion of workshops are repeated to further enhance your conference experience. 

Registration opens on the OHD website on Monday, March 3, at 12pm. 

As well, OHD is also looking for volunteers to assist in the weeks leading up to the conference; as well as during the conference. If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity please contact John Fedy or Annette Denny.

Further information about the staff conference is available through the OHD website.

We look forward to see you there!

 

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Further Education Boot Camp next week

By Caitlin Feehan.

It’s that time of year again!

The Further Education Boot Camp is coming up on Saturday, March 8. It’s an event offering 17 workshops all packed into one day. The Further Education Boot Camp is open to students and alumni with an interest in post-graduate education.

The Centre for Career Action holds the Further Education Boot Camp to allow students to attend multiple sessions in order to help them make informed decisions about their career paths. They can hear from experts in their field(s) of interest, career advisors about the admissions process, and talk to reps from companies that offer admission test prep to learn tips and strategies on how to be successful when writing an admission test. Because of this, students planning to take the PCAT, LSAT, OAT or MCAT tests are encouraged to attend! All of the workshops are held on the same day and on a Saturday, making it easier for co-op students on a work term and alumni who are working to be there.

Popular student concerns that will be addressed by experts at the Boot Camp:

• What is a competitive GPA for acceptance?
• The admission test score required
• How to get reference letters
• Career options once a professional/graduate degree is completed

Students who attended the Further Education Boot Camp consistently say what a great opportunity it was for them to experience the convenience of a conference-style workshop day while trying to determine the career path that most interests them. In fact, few other schools offer this format.

Check the Further Education Boot Camp website for full details and to register. We hope to see you there!

 

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Obesity research showcase seeks proposals

The Canadian Obesity Student Meeting (COSM) will be held at the University of Waterloo from June 18 to 21, 2014. The University's chapter of the Canadian Obesity Network for students and new professionals, all graduate students in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, are organizing and hosting the event, which is being held in partnership with the School of Public Health and Health Systems and the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact.

The event will bring together students and new professionals with a common interest in topics surrounding obesity research, including (but not limited to) prevention, treatment, and management across all age groups and a diversity of populations.

"The COSM provides a platform for individuals to showcase research, learn about current 'hot topics, collaborate and network across a wide variety of fields and to increase awareness of the broad scope of career and research opportunities pertaining to obesity," writes Isabelle Messa from COSM Communications. "There are also student prizes of up to a total value of $10,000 to be awarded! You don’t want to miss out!"

The event organizers have issued a call for abstracts with a deadline of Wednesday, March 5. Advance registration closes May 31.

Anyone interested in registering and/or presenting their research can visit the event's webpage, where you can find out more about this learning and networking opportunity.

 

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RRSP deadline, Soudki memorial, other notes

The deadline for making Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) contributions for the 2013 tax year is March 3, 2014, says Human Resources.

"RRSP contribution room is reduced by the pension you earn under the UW Pension Plan. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) reports your RRSP contribution room on the tax assessment they send to you each year after you file your income tax return. Your 2013 Pension Adjustment (PA) was reported to CRA on your 2013 T4 slip and it will reduce your 2014 RRSP contribution room."

Information about RRSP contribution limits and how the Pension Adjustment is calculated can be found on the HR website.

Friends and colleagues of Khaled Soudki are being invited to a celebration of his life and work on Friday, March 14 at 2:00 p.m. in Room 0101 of the Quantum-Nano Centre. Soudki, a professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, died September 17, 2013 after a long battle with cancer. He was an internationally renowned leader in the field of reinforced and pre-stressed concrete structures and was a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute. He joined the University of Waterloo in 1996. The memorial celebration will feature remarks from Department Chair Neil Thomson, peers including Mark Green and Ivan Campbell of Queen's University, colleagues Jeff West, Adil Al-Mayah and Samir Elhedhli of the University of Waterloo and Sami Rizkalla of NC State University, and Dean of Engineering Pearl Sullivan. A number of his students and former will make technical presentations.

Please RSVP to Laura Wilson by Friday, February 28.

The Sociology and Legal Studies department is hosting the 5th Annual James E. Curtis Memorial Lecture on Thursday, February 27 at 4:30 p.m. This year's speaker is Daiva Stasiulis, professor of sociology at Carleton University, who will present a lecture entitled "Worrier Nation: Quebec's Value Codes for Immigrants." According to the promotional material, Stasiulis argues that recent debates on accommodation of immigrants and religious minorities resuscitate the dominant historical narrative of Quebec's fragility as a conquered settler colonial nation. "The lecture explores the political and police discourse of Quebec's integration toolkit for immigrants."

The lecture will take place at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in room 2218A/B of the Tatham Centre. A reception will follow the lecture.

The Federation of Students has launched a new Events Calendar on their official website. "Now, departments from all over the University of Waterloo are able to submit events they’d like posted on the calendar by filling out a form on the site," writes Jacqueline Martinz. "Once the form is submitted, the Feds Marketing and Communications department will review the event and confirm if it will be included."

The calendar features all Federation of Students’ events, and receives thousands of unique visitors regularly. More information is available online.

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