Career advice for undergrads and grads

by Angela Rooke.

Many look at the Tatham Centre and think:  “Co-op building” or “undergrad building.” But it’s also home to the Centre for Career Action, which offers a variety of resources and services dedicated to current and prospective grad students, post-docs, staff, and professional school applicants.

In 2013, more than 800 grad students booked individual one-hour appointments with graduate career advisors. 500 of them enjoyed the convenience of the popular 15 minute “drop-in” appointments, while 900 attended at least one workshop.  These numbers show that the Tatham Centre is a place for grad students, too.

Wondering how to land a non-academic or alternative-academic job? Thinking about pursuing an academic career?  Struggling with the process of building an effective network? Want to learn how to negotiate an academic job offer? The Centre for Career Action can help! Through resources, workshops, and one-on-one advising appointments, knowledgeable staff members can assist with these topics and more.

Three specialists know first-about grad students’ challenges: one is a Certified Counsellor with an M.Ed., one with a PhD, and the other is pursuing a PhD. Pictured are Stephanie Burley, Graduate Career Advisor; Christine Kampen-Robinson, Graduate Career Advisor; and Angela Rooke, Graduate Professional Skills Co-ordinator.

Prospective grad and professional school students aren’t forgotten. The Centre has two career advisors who specialize in further education appointments, drop-ins, and workshops. Students and alumni can meet with these advisors to understand the application process for professional and graduate programs, have their application materials reviewed, and practise their interview skills in a professional school mock interview. 

Pictured at left are (l-r) Katie Schaefer, Career Advisor, Further Education and Graduate School; Pam Waechter, Career Advisor, Further Education and Graduate School.

Whether you’re a current grad student, a prospective grad student, or a post-doc, Tatham Centre staff members are here to support you in your career success. Visit us soon by booking an appointment or attending a workshop.

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The quest for the first quantum computer

Canada Excellence Research Chair David Cory will share his vision toward building the first 100 qubit universal quantum computer on Friday, January 23 at a new research speaker series, Research Talks.

Cory is a professor in the department of Chemistry and a researcher at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) and the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN).

Designed to celebrate and share transformational research at Waterloo, Research Talks will provide an opportunity for staff, faculty, and students to learn more about some of the world-changing research underway. Research Talks is hosted by the Office of Research.

“Research Talks is a great opportunity to showcase some of the dynamic, landmark research occurring right here at Waterloo,” says Cory. “I’m excited to be part of this series and honoured to speak at the first event.”

To join David on January 23, please register on the Research Talks website. Seating is limited and registration will close when room capacity is reached.

President Feridun Hamdullahpur will open the session. Feel free to bring your lunch, and light refreshments will be provided.

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Find out what makes this collection special

by Jane Britton.

After a busy and exciting year in Special Collections & Archives, collections received in 2014 are now open for research. These include a small group of letters written by American military figures associated with the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941, received by Paul S. Burtness and Warren U. Ober in the course of research for their book The Puzzle of Pearl Harbour (1962).

Local literary and historical collections have been enriched by accessions relating to the Kaufman family, the Schantz-Russell family, Dare Foods and the Pattinson Mill, as well as accruals to the papers of John English, James Downey and Tony Urquhart.

Full details of these 2015 highlights are available on the Special Collections & Archives website.

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Three Minute Thesis registration open

Graduate students are being invited to register to compete for the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition by Friday, January 30.

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is a university-wide competition for research-based masters and doctoral students at the University of Waterloo.  Competitors have 1 static slide and 3 minutes to explain the breadth and significance of their graduate research to a non-specialist audience. 

Why participate?

• $1000 prize for the winner, and the opportunity to compete at the 3MT provincial finals at Western University, London.
• $500 for the runner up.
• Networking opportunities: discuss your research with other graduate students, faculty, and members of the general community, and increase awareness of your research.
• Skills training: become a better presenter!

Register by Friday, January 30, 2015 to compete. 

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Wednesday's notes

The latest exhibitions at the University of Waterloo Art Gallery in East Campus Hall are about to open, with an opening reception scheduled for Thursday, January 15 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Gallery One will feature artist Michelle Bellemare's "When Push Comes to Shove," an exhibit of sculptures that reference common objects ranging from Ziploc containers to sleeping bags. Each object is meticulously remade and altered to function as an analog of the human body. Bellemare lives and works in Toronto.

Gallery Two will feature Dave Dyment's "Addendum to the Tommy Westphall Universe." Dyment's subject matter is culture, particularly film and television. Using media as an archival resource material, he remixes images and information culled from the Internet and other sources as the content for his critically incisive work.

"Addendum to the Tommy Westphall Universe" takes its cue from the last episode of the 1980s television series St. Elsewhere, which ended (27 year-old spoiler alert!) on the suggestion that the entire run of the series existed in the imagination of an autistic boy. Since several characters from the show had made crossover appearances in other television programs, the premise developed into an internet meme. Dyment pushes this concept by referencing further crossovers between live action and cartoon television programs to map out a broad fictional multiverse. Combining a large-format wall drawing with supporting props and photographs, Dyment’s work suggests a far more interconnected mediascape than we imagine. Dyment lives and works in Toronto.

The exhibition runs from January 15 to March 7.

As part of Winter Welcome Week, the Federation of Students is hosting the Campus Life Fair today from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Student Life Centre's Great Hall. The Campus Life Fair is a partnership between the Federation of Students and the Student Success Office. Fair attendees will be able to learn about a variety of opportunities on campus to get involved including positions with Feds services such as the Campus Response Team and The Glow Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity. Each Service provides students with the chance to build skills, create friendships, and help peers. More information is online.

Retail Services is holding Leather Jacket Day on Thursday, January 15 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Waterloo Store in South Campus Hall. Save $60 off the regular price of a custom Waterloo leather jacket with mens and ladies sizes available.

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include: Top Hat, Desjardins General Insurance Group, Dropbox, Bionym, Palantir Technologies, D2L, Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., IBM, eSentire Inc., Bazaarvoice, Citadel, Polar, Zynga, Apotex, Microsoft and Genesys Telecommunications Lab. Visit the info sessions calendar for more information.

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