Volunteers sought for Day of Caring

The United Way Kitchener Waterloo and Area’s Day of Caring is a way to make a difference in your community and give back with more than just dollars. 

Members of the university community are invited to join the University of Waterloo’s United Way team as they head into the community on Friday June 6 to donate their time and help start change in Waterloo Region.  This year Waterloo’s team will be doing a clean up project at Bright Starts Cooperative Early Learning Centre, the childcare centre on campus.  We will begin our project at 9 a.m. and conclude by 12 p.m. so that participants can also attend the annual Keystone Picnic, which will be held the same day.

Pictured above is the University of Waterloo’s 2013 Day of Caring team at the John Howard Society. 

Held annually since 2010, the Day of Caring matches volunteers from local organizations with different non-profit groups.

Last year Waterloo participated in Day of Caring as both a volunteer team and a project site.  Our volunteer team was matched with the John Howard Society in a project to beautify their landscape and the University hosted a collaborative project with the City of Waterloo, Sun Life Financial, and 91.5 The Beat, planting trees on our Environmental Reserve. The collaborative project received recognition with the Day of Caring Award at United Way KW’s 2014 Community Spirit Awards. 

To learn more and join the University of Waterloo’s volunteer team, please contact Mellissa McDonald by Thursday, May 22.

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University hosts mental health conference

More than 130 attendees from across Ontario will be gathering on the Waterloo campus tomorrow for the Campus Mental Health in Ontario: Building Community and Capacity conference.

The event is being held in partnership between Health Services and the Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health with support from the Ontario University & College Health Association (OUCHA). The intent is to build a community of practice that promotes and supports student mental health on Ontario college and university campuses.

"It promises to be a very exciting day focusing on mental health," says Health Services Director Dr. Barb Schumacher.

The conference will bring together partners in student health services, counselling, student affairs, accessibility services, student leadership, faculty, and community agencies to explore issues and engage in areas of shared concern.

The conference will be taking place in facilities at Waterloo from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., mostly at Ron Eydt Village (REV) with meals and tours across campus.

As previously noted in the Daily Bulletin, Health Services will be closing at 12:00 p.m. today.

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Pure math prof wins career achievement award

with files from Amy Aldous.

Professor Ken Davidson of the Pure Mathematics department is the recipient of the 2014 Canadian Mathematical Society David Borwein Distinguished Career Award.

The award recognizes individuals who "have made a sustained outstanding contribution to the advancement of mathematics."

Davidson has been a member of the Pure Mathematics department since 1978, and was designated a University Professor in 2007.

"Ken Davidson has made sustained contributions of exceptional quality to all aspects of a career as a mathematician in Canada,” said CMS President Keith Taylor. “His continuing scientific creativity and intellectual leadership bring honour to the CMS and the country."

Davidson has published well over 100 refereed publications in the areas of operator theory, nonselfadjoint operator algebras and C*-algebras and his research in these areas has garnered attention worldwide. He is also the author of two research monographs and a real analysis textbook.

“Ken Davidson is a highly respected, world-class researcher who has many deep, substantial, accomplishments to his credit and he hasn’t slowed down,” said Ronald Douglas (Texas A&M University) in his nominating letter. “He has played a critical role in the field of operator theory and operator algebras in Canada, the United States and worldwide.”

Recently, Davidson has also been honoured with the Canadian Mathematical Society's 2013 G. de B. Robinson Award and the University of Waterloo Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision.

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It's Welcome Week!

by Jacqueline Martinz.

Warm pancakes, an array of raunchy prizes, Bollywood dancing, and popular band StereoKid are among the highlights for undergraduates at the Federation of Students' Spring Welcome Week 2014. It will be five days of fun in the sun (hopefully, but just in case there is a rain plan!), with the special events starting on May 12 and ending on the 16th. 

On the schedule, old favourites including Sex Toy Bingo and a free breakfast from The Bombshelter Pub are listed. Among the new additions are Colour Me Waterloo, which lets undergraduates enjoy activities like dodgeball while sloshing around in paint, and Teach Me How to Bolly, which provides undergraduates with the opportunity to learn and experience Bollywood dancing.

A number of contests will be held during Spring Welcome Week, and undergraduates are encouraged to connect with Feds on social media so they don't miss a chance to win one or more fantastic prizes. 

More information about Welcome Week and full programming details is available online.

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Town Hall today and other notes

The Strategic Plan Mini Town Hall on Academic Programming, will take place today from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in DC 1304. The event will be livestreamed.

The University of Waterloo will be represented at the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Discovery conference, which runs today and tomorrow at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. OCE Discovery is billed as "Canada's leading innovation-to-commercialization conference." Martin Laforest and Michele Mosca of the Institute for Quantum Computing are among the conference speakers, and the roster of presenters also contains a number of Waterloo alumni.

The main entrance to the Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre will be closed for glass repairs on Tuesday, May 13. All other entrances to the building will be open while the repair work is carried out.

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