Diamond Jubilee awards for researchers

Two researchers from the University of Waterloo recently received funding for Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships.

The scholarship funding, awarded by Rideau Hall Foundation, Community Foundations of Canada and Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, allows Canadian students at the undergraduate and graduate levels to participate in internships or academic study for periods of three months to one year in another Commonwealth country.

Scholarships will also be available to students from Commonwealth countries to attend a Canadian university for masters or doctoral studies. The Scholarships form part of university-designed projects that address pressing local, national and global issues.

“This University set the exciting and ambitious goal to become one of the most internationalized universities in Canada,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur. “These Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships expose our students to extremely rich experiences that will prepare them to be leaders of tomorrow. The scholarships help our community embrace global viewpoints and experiences, and shows that this University is recognized internationally for excellence in education, research and scholarship.”

Susan Elliott, a professor in the Faculty of Environment’s department of Geography and Environmental Management is receiving $449,800. Elliott hopes to bring at least four fully funded graduate students to the University of Waterloo to develop a global wellbeing index (nicknamed GLOWING) similar to the Canadian Index of Wellbeing – a project developed at Waterloo.

The GLOWING will focus first on countries in east Africa to develop appropriate indicators that can realistically measure wellbeing in low to middle income countries. Elliot has already selected one PhD student who will be arriving at the University of Waterloo in September to begin work on the index.

“This is an amazing opportunity for students from LMICs,” Elliott said of the funding. “These students will be fully funded. They’ll have their tuition paid, travel paid, books, and a computer. It’s a great opportunity for them.”

Ashwin Nayak, a professor in the Department of Combinatorics and Optimization and Quantum Information Graduate Program Director at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) will receive $260,000.

The funding will be used to financially assist 24 Canadian undergraduate and graduate students from IQC to visit the National University of Singapore's Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT).

"In addition to collaborating on quantum research with leading experts across the world, visiting students will have the opportunity to connect with the local community through scientific outreach activities," said Nayak. "Building on existing partnership between IQC and CQT, the program will create a strong network of young QIST researchers in the Commonwealth."

This program will also support 16 CQT students (Singaporean or from other Commonwealth countries) to come to IQC for a period of four months. Both institutions are two of the largest centres devoted to quantum research in the world

Jointly announced in June 2014, by Governor General David Johnston, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships will help develop the next generation of innovative leaders and community builders, both locally and globally.

Students selected for the scholarships will be named “Queen Elizabeth Scholars.”

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Researching the co-op student experience

by Colleen Nevison and Dave Drewery.

How can organizations integrate students into the workplace for improved performance? What makes a co-op work term experience “high-quality”? What learning outcomes are the result of “excellent co-op work terms”? These and other questions are currently being investigated by researchers with the Waterloo Centre for the Advancement of Cooperative Education (WatCACE).

While co-op has a deep history both at Waterloo and abroad, the dynamic experiences of co-op students have not been well-researched. Likewise, many benefits of co-op are well known but the way that these benefits occur is less understood. WatCACE is working to address these gaps through three projects:

• A survey administered in the fall of 2014 examined how students are socialized into the workplace during co-op work terms, and how that process influences their commitment and performance.
• A second investigation looks at how co-operative education can shape students into life-long learners: those who have the attitudes and skills necessary to address complex problems well after graduation.
• A third study explores the quality of work term experiences by looking at students’ perceptions of the co-op work term to understand which attributes are important in influencing satisfaction, value, and students’ learning outcomes.

Results of these studies are currently being shared on campus through the Co-op Education Council (CEC), and plans to share more through Co-operative Education & Career Action and individual faculties are underway. WatCACE will also present at the World Association for Co-operative Education (WACE) Conference in Kyoto, Japan, this August.

WatCACE is grateful for funding provided by WACE and the Ontario Human Capital Research and Innovation Fund (OHCRIF). WatCACE would also like to thank the students who participated in each phase of the research. Their participation has been invaluable and we are deeply appreciative of them taking the time to participate. For more information about WatCACE, visit our website.

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Burns reappointed CBB director

Professor Catherine Burns has been reappointed to a three-year term as Director of the Centre of Bioengineering and Biotechnology (CBB), according to an announcement by the Dean of Engineering, Pearl Sullivan and Dean of Science, Terry McMahon.

The reappointment followed an extensive review of the Centre’s activities by members of the CBB Operations Committee and overwhelming support for the reappointment by internal and external constituencies. There was strong recognition that Dr. Burns had fully met or exceeded the objectives set for her first term and endorsement for her reappointment.

Professor Burn’s second term begins March 1, 2015 and ends on February 28, 2018.

"We are pleased with the strong support that Dr. Burns received from CBB members and from the external agencies that support and collaborate with CBB," stated Dr. Karim Karim and Dr. Trevor Charles, appointment committee members. "We are looking forward to Dr. Burns’ leadership of CBB in her second term to heighten CBB’s position as a leading centre for bioengineering and biotechnology in the world."

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Kickstarting Aboriginal entrepreneurship

by Eugenia Xenos Anderson.

Last weekend, the Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre hosted the first ever Aboriginal Entrepreneurship workshop, which saw 16 Aboriginal high-school youth from all four directions in Ontario explore creative problem solving, teamwork, design thinking, and implementation as an interactive learning adventure. Celebrating traditional knowledge, confidence building and the spirit of entrepreneurship, the two-day workshop was hosted by dynamic Aboriginal comedian Ryan McMahon, and Juno Award-winning singer/songwriter Susan Aglukark gave a keynote address and performance. In her talk, she stressed the value of “asking the honest questions.” She advised the students: “If you want something, be ready to work for it. Write a list of the things you can control and a list of the things you cannot change. Then work on the list you can change. I leave you with that challenge.”

Pictured above are the students who joined the workshop, as well as staff from the Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre (Jeff Muzzerall, Shawn Johnston, Cheryl Maksymyk, André Moreau), Susan Aglukark (far right), host Ryan McMahon (back row), and St. Paul’s University College principal Graham Brown (third from right).

Next year, staff at the Aboriginal Centre plan to host a week-long version of the workshop in a northern community.

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Good for Badminton team; other notes

The Waterloo Warriors badminton team closed out the 2014-15 varsity season by capturing their first OUA championship banner in five years. The Athletics website has more details, and Imprint has an interview with badminton Warrior Surabhi Kadam, who won three gold medals at the tournament.

The Jewish holiday of Passover begins on Friday, April 3, and the Rohr Chabad Centre for Jewish Life is organizing public Seders for students, faculty, visiting scholars and other members of the University community. Registration information is available online. Anyone with questions can contact Rabbi Moshe Goldman in the Chaplain's Office.

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