Putting the "wow" in bow wow: Tiuley Alguindigue, lab instructor/software specialist in Electrical and Computer Engineering, took this photo of the phenomenon known as a sundog at the intersection of Bearinger Road and Fisher Hallman yesterday morning.

Sundogs occur when sunlight is refracted through ice crystals and often take the appearance of a halo around the sun. Neat!

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MappedIn finds its way

MappedIn, makers of an interactive indoor navigation system available as a mobile app or touchscreen kiosk, have launched from the University of Waterloo’s Velocity program.

Like Vidyard and Thalmic Labs before them, MappedIn is the latest company to launch from the University’s startup incubator workspace and set up offices just steps away from the Velocity Garage in downtown Kitchener.

"MappedIn has come a long way in the time they have been with Velocity," said Mike Kirkup, director of Velocity. “In just over three years with us they formed a company and grew to 13 employees with hundreds of thousands in investment funding and several big-name customers. They’re a great example for other startups to aspire to.”

MappedIn has already secured the business of more than a quarter of the major shopping malls in Canada and major Canadian retailers like SportChek, the Sheraton Hotel in Toronto, and Casino Rama.

"Maps and navigation are a central part of modern life. Just look at everyone's reliance on Google Maps. We're doing it for the indoors," said Hongwei Liu, CEO of MappedIn. "We're building an indoor mapping platform that could service thousands of directories and millions of devices across different countries and continents. It's going to be huge.”

MappedIn's life as a startup began at the Velocity Residence. The company’s founders – Liu, Mitchell Butler, and Leander Lee – didn’t know one another when they moved in to Residence in the summer of 2010. In the first week, Liu pitched a concept for indoor navigation. Over the weekend, Butler and Lee came up with a design and rudimentary web interface, while Liu built the first map editor. At the start of the second week, the trio demoed their creation to other Velocity residents and named the company MappedIn. 

Just a year later, the company secured the interest of their first customer and delivered their first kiosk in November 2011 – only three months after their initial demo on a basic touchscreen device. 

That same month, Liu pitched MappedIn at the Velocity Fund Finals and won a $25,000 grant allowing them to work on the company full-time from the Velocity workspace. 

"We spent the next year just really figuring it out. Like most startups, we were pretty naïve about what would be involved. The complexity of what we've built today compared to what we thought we needed originally is mind boggling," said Liu. "We’re grateful for the support Velocity gave us. They really understand how to coach startups."

MappedIn have set up new offices at 305 King Street in Kitchener.

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Landlords, tenants invited to take rental survey

If you're a renter or a landlord, the City of Waterloo wants to hear from you.

The City of Waterloo has launched a survey to hear the thoughts of tenants and landlords about rental housing in Waterloo. In 2011, Waterloo introduced a residential rental housing licensing bylaw to balance the needs of property owners and those of residents looking for safe, adequate and properly maintained rental accommodations.

The feedback you give in this rental housing survey will help City of Waterloo staff enforce safety, quality of life and community standards for all rental housing. Everyone who completes the survey will have a chance to win one of three grocery gift cards valued at $150.

Students looking for more information or tips about living off-campus are encouraged to contact the Off-Campus Housing Office.

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Former board chair named to Order of Canada

Robert Harding (BMath '80, LLD '05) is among the newest members of the Order of Canada.

According to the citation on the Governor General of Canada's website, Harding was honoured "for his accomplishments as a business leader and for his extensive community engagement."

Harding's roots at the University of Waterloo run deep: He received a BMath degree in 1980, and served as chair of the university's Board of Governors from 2001 to 2005 and from 2006 to 2012, and also served as the chair of Campaign Waterloo, the most successful fundraising campaign in the institution's history.

He made significant contributions to the life of the university while managing a successful business career as chair of Brookfield Asset Management (formerly Brascan). He is director and Chairman of Norbord Inc. and director and Chair of NexJ Systems Inc. He is also a director of Manulife Financial Corporation, and is a trustee of the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Since 2011 he has served as Chair of the Board of Trustees for The Hospital for Sick Children.

Harding received an honourary Doctor of Laws from the university in 2005 and in 2008 established the Bob Harding and Lois Claxton Humanities and Social Sciences Endowment Fund.

Other folks with a Waterloo connection recently named to the Order of Canada include:

• Steve Carpenter, an alumnus who received a Waterloo BASC, Mechanical Engineering (1978) and MASC, Mechanical Engineering, (1980);
• John Daniel, recipient of an honourary Doctor of Laws in 1993; and
• Wesley Nicol, a major donor to the university.

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Wednesday's notes

Health Services is reminding campus community members that they are offering two flu clinics today and tomorrow from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Health Services building.

As the cold weather continues, Health Services also has some advice for those venturing outside:

• Dress warmly
  
• Layer your clothing
  
• Wear warm and waterproof footwear with proper tread
  
• Stay dry
  
• Cover as much exposed skin as possible; this includes wearing something on your head such as a hat or toque, pull up your hood, wear mitts or gloves, and protect your exposed face with a scarf. A large portion of body heat is lost from our heads. Exposed skin especially ears, nose, fingers and toes lose heat the fastest.
  Keep moving as quickly as possible
  

For complete safety and treatment for exposure to cold, please reference Region of Waterloo Public Health website: Extreme Cold Weather (PDF).

Auditions open today for FASS 2014 and will run until Friday, January 10, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in HH 123/124. "It's very much a drop-in sort of thing," says the FASS website, "and you only have to attend one night." FASS, which stands for Faculty, Alumni, Staff and Students, is the university's long-running amateur theatre company. Last year FASS celebrated its 50th anniversary. Each year's show is written, produced, and performed by members of the university community. Every show is themed and features parodies of popular music performed by a full stage band. And if competition isn't your strong suit, take heart: it's written in the FASS constitution that everyone who auditions receives a part in the show.

Tomorrow, incoming students in the School of Pharmacy will participate in a White Coat Ceremony that formally welcomes them into the profession. The event will take place at 5:00 p.m. in the Humanities Theatre and will feature remarks from Feridun Hamdullahpur, David Edwards, Hallman Director of the School of Pharmacy, Dean of Science Terry McMahon, Allan Malek, senior vice-president, professional affairs of the Ontario Pharmacists’ Association, Iris Krawchenko, Ontario board member, Canadian Pharmacists, Toni Bailie, CSHP-Ontario branch delegate, Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, Paul Schaub, representing the Region of Waterloo Pharmacists’ Association, alumna Heather Foley, and Jennifer MacKenzie, president of the Society of Pharmacy Students.

Finally, a reminder that University Registrar Ken Lavigne's retirement party is scheduled for tomorrow, January 9, starting at 3:30 p.m. in the University Club.

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