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Tuesday, April 22, 2014

 

 

  • Preschoolers hold Earth Day art show
  • Waterloo supports business innovation summit
  • Student wins prestigious Vale scholarship
  • Seed grant applications open and other notes

 

 


Preschoolers hold Earth Day art show

Some of the University of Waterloo's youngest students are well on their way to becoming environmentally conscious artists.

Painted footprints.The 60 preschoolers in the Early Childhood Education Centre, aged 3 and 4, have been exploring ways to take care of the Earth through arts and crafts, and the end result is an exhibit of the kids' artwork on the third floor of the PAS building throughout the month of April. The exhibit, which snakes it way through the corridors of the PAS, is open to the public.

Finished fish prints on display.From painting with marbles, making their own paper, and building mobiles from reclaimed objects to creating "fish prints" (like those at left) by painting a market-fresh fish and then pressing it to their canvas, the children took their newfound environmental knowledge and transferred it to a variety of artistic mediums.

The exhibit was organized by Marianne Appleby, administrative assistant in the Department of Psychology, who collected the children's artwork, mounted it, and recorded the medium, artist, technique, and some genuine childlike insight into their place in the world.

Preschoolers show off their artwork on a tour of the third floor of the PAS."Mare Appleby was looking at ways to brighten up our halls, and she invited the preschool to create art tied to Earth Day," says Valerie Rozon, director of the ECEC. "The art is about the Earth we live on and how we take care of it."

The parents of the preschoolers were invited to a special showing on Thursday, April 16, and the artwork will remain up for the rest of the month. "We welcome people from across campus to come and enjoy our art exhibit during the month of April," writes Rozon.

The exhibit is easily accessible by elevator from the PAS entrance nearest to Hagey Hall, and the artwork spans a considerable length of the third-floor corridor, ending near the PAS lounge.

The Early Childhood Education Centre was established by the Department of Psychology in 1974, and occupies space on the first floor of the PAS building.

 

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Waterloo supports business innovation summit

On the heels of the Waterloo Innovation Summit held last week, the University of Waterloo is working with The Conference Board of Canada and the Centre for Business Innovation on the Business Innovation Summit 2014: Accelerating Corporate Innovation and Commercialization, which will be held on May 28 and 29 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. 

This major event is designed to assist companies of all sizes across Canada harness the power of innovation, and accelerate their innovation and commercialization results.  This summit will explore the real-life challenges and opportunities of innovation within firms and tangible solutions that work. 

On top of an excellent combination of expert Canadian and international speakers, the summit will allow for interactive delegate-expert networking sessions and provide participants with the insights and tools necessary to increase the speed at which ideas, products, services and processes can be generated.   Consultation sessions to identify key challenges, issues, and barriers facing Canadian innovators will be held, which will enlighten future public policy related research activities of the Centre for Business Innovation.

The summit will focus on four key themes:

  • Sharing Corporate Best Practices for Innovation and Commercialization;
  • Funding innovation;
  • Developing Human Capital; and
  • Measuring Firm-Level Innovation.

Summit attendees will include senior business leaders and decision makers; key innovation experts and consultants; venture capitalists, private equity firms and angel investors; government officials; entrepreneurs; academics; and leading Canadian industries and associations focused on innovation.

For more information and for registration details, check the full post on the Waterloo Innovation Summit blog. For up to the minute information, follow #CBoCInnovate on Twitter.

 

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Student wins prestigious Vale scholarship

This article originally appeared in the March issue of Eng-E-News.

Allison Scott.Alison Scott says she made a fortunate choice in becoming an engineer and wants to make sure others don’t miss out on the same opportunity.

The chemical engineering graduate student and Engineering Science Quest's Girls Club co-ordinator is this year’s winner of the prestigious Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation‘s Vale Master’s in Engineering Scholarship.

"To be honest, when I chose engineering, I didn't really know what I was getting into,” Scott explains. “My dad was a metallurgical engineer, but I really had no idea what that meant. I just knew that I didn't want to do what he was doing – I wanted to choose my own path.”

After discovering in Grade 11 that she enjoyed chemistry one of her teachers suggested she look into chemical engineering.

“I thought that it was totally different than what my dad did, so I decided to give it a try,” Scott says. “Eventually, though, I found out that we were basically doing the same thing, and I was loving it!"

Part of the scholarship’s 11-part application process was to produce a video about why she became an engineer. Now, as the recipient of the scholarship, Scott is required to share her story in at least two high school classrooms – a role she’s thrilled to take on.

“It’s really important to me to act as a role model and mentor for younger girls and show them that anything is possible when you put your mind to it,” she says. “Through Women in Engineering and Engineering Science Quest’s Girls Club program I’ve been able to act as a sounding board for girls who may not otherwise see themselves in engineering programs later in life.”

Mary Wells, Engineering's Associate Dean of Outreach, describes Scott as a dynamic person whose passion is contagious.

"Over the past few years, she has made a difference in outreach initiatives including our Girls Club program, Women in Engineering events such as GoEngGirl and our Girl Guides Badge Day," says Wells. "My daughter in Grade 6 had Alison as an ESQ leader. By the end of the week she wanted to be just like Alison when she grew up. I can't think of a higher endorsement on the effect she is having on today’s youth, especially on young women."

A dream come true

Scott, who graduated from Waterloo with an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering in 2013, says it was a “dream come true” when she found out on March 10 that she was the winner of the scholarship and that she's grateful for the support she received from colleagues, friends and her family during the application process.

To apply for the scholarship, applicants needed to demonstrate an interest and desire to work in the mining/metallurgical fields of engineering. Scott’s graduate research in polymer reaction engineering, under the supervision of Chemical Engineering Professor Alex Penlidis, includes a wide variety of topics such as controlled radical polymerization and water-soluble copolymer and terpolymer systems, some of which have applications in the mining industry.

Scott says her scholarship that comes with a $10,000 award and an internship with Vale, a global mining company, has allowed her to look into ways her mining background and polymer interests can intersect.

“It’s amazing how everything has come together, including my passion for engineering outreach and education,” she says.

The one person Scott doesn’t need to encourage to become an engineer is her brother Brian. As a third-year Waterloo mechanical engineering student, he’s well on his way to becoming one.

 

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Seed Grant applications open and other notes

Waterloo’s Chronic Disease Prevention Initiative (CDPI) offers seed grants of up to $10,000 to bring together new multidisciplinary teams and increase their success in applications for external funding, and has issued a call for applications for the next round of seed grants.

The call for applications was issued on April 14, 2014 with the deadline for electronic submission being May 26, 2014 at 4:30 p.m.

To download the RFA and the Frequently Asked Questions document, click on the CDPI/Seed Fund page.

For more information about the CDPI, seed grant funding and a list of past seed grant recipients, check the CDPI website

And here's a message from Housing: "After 20 years of service in the department of Housing, Roni Oestreich will be retiring on April 30. Please join us for a drop-in retirement celebration on Thursday, April 24 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Mackenzie King Village Multi-Purpose Room. Light refreshments will be served."

 

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LEARN unavailable next week

Waterloo LEARN will be unavailable from 2:00 a.m. on Monday, April 28 until approximately 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30 while it is upgraded to version 10.3 (D2L).

Link of the day

Earth Day

When and where

Federation of Students SLC Study Space, Friday, April 4 to Thursday, April 24.

CTE presents Microteaching Session, Tuesday, April 22, 9:00 a.m., EV1 242. Details.

Ecology Lab Earth Day Celebration, Tuesday, April 22, 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., EV1 134. Details.

WIN Nano Graduate Seminar Series, Tuesday, April 22, 12:30 p.m., QNC 1501. Details.

WIN Distinguished Lecture featuring Professor Fernando Galembeck, Director of Laboratório Nacional de Nanotecnologia (LNNano) at ?O Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM), Brazil, "Nano Solutions for Centuries-Old Problems: Electrostatics, Explosions and Friction," Tuesday, April 22, QNC 2502. Details.

Public Lecture: Energy and the Environment; Risks and the Future, Hosted by Profs. Maurice Dusseault and Steve Evans of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Tuesday, April 22, 7:00 p.m., room 347, School of Optometry. Details.

Organizational & Human Development presents Personality Dimensions (OHD601), Wednesday, April 23. Details.


Wednesday Night Discussion Group, Wednesday, April 23, 7:15 p.m., MC 5136. Details.

On-campus examinations end, Thursday, April 24.

WaterWHO? networking event, Thursday, April 24, 10:00 a.m., SLC multipurpose room. Details.

Roni Oestreich retirement celebration, Thursday, April 24, 11:00 a.m., Multi-Purpose Room, Mackenzie King Village.

Co-operative work term ends, Friday, April 25.

The Balsillie School for International Affairs presents "Pathways to RMB Internationalization," Friday, April 25, 11:00 a.m., BSIA 142. Details.

Founders’ Day at Renison University College, Saturday, April 26, 3:00 p.m.

Spring 2014 Fee Arranged deadline, student fees due, Monday, April 28. Details.

Co-operative work term begins, Monday, April 28.

WIN Nano Graduate Seminar Series, Tuesday, April 29, 12:30 p.m., QNC 1501. Details.

Fiscal Year ends, Wednesday, April 30. Details.

CTE presents From TA to Course Instructor (CTE170), Wednesday, April 30, 10:00 a.m., EV1 241. Details.

Mean Girls party, Wednesday, April 30, Wednesday, May 21, 7:00 p.m., Bombshelter Pub. Details. Note the new date.

Canadian Index of Wellbeing event, Wednesday, April 30, 6:00 p.m., Waterloo Memorial Rec Complex. Details.

Wednesday Night Discussion Group, Wednesday, April 30, 7:15 p.m., MC 5136. Details.

Water Institute Research Symposium, Thursday, May 1, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., DC 1350. Details.

Balsillie School presents “Ecological *versus* Environmental Economics?: Promoting Better Environmental Policy-Making,” Thursday, May 1, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., BSIA 142. Details

Water Institute Distinguished Lecture 2014 featuring Peter Gleick, president and co-founder, Pacific Institute, "The Past, Present, and Future of the World's Water." Thursday, May 1, 4:00 p.m., M3 1006. Details.

Bright Starts Early Learning Co-operative Centre grand opening celebration, Friday, May 2, 1:00 p.m., Bright Starts Multipurpose Room. Details.

Spring Orientation 2014, Sunday, May 4 to Friday, May 9. Details.

Lectures begin, Monday, May 5.

X-Homelessness: A panel of ex-homeless individuals talk about their experiences in the Waterloo region, Tuesday, May 6, 12:00 p.m., Dunker Family Lounge, Renison University College.

WatRISQ seminar featuring Peter Forsyth, professor, David Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo, "Multi-period Mean Variance Asset Allocation: Is it Bad to Win the Lottery?" Tuesday, May 6, 4:00 p.m., DC 1304.

CTE presents Understanding the Learner (CTE068), Wednesday, May 7, 9:30 a.m., EV1 241. Details.

Retirement celebration for Darlene Dietz-Hicks, Wednesday, May 7, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., DC 1301.

San Francisco Alumni Chapter Bay-Area Meetup, Thursday, May 8, 6:30 p.m., Polyvore, San Francisco. Details.


Waterloo Unlimited Grade 10 Program, Sunday, May 11 to Thursday, May 15. Details.

Spring Welcome Week, Monday, May 12 to Friday, May 16. Details.

Teaching excellence reception, Tuesday, May 13, 3:00 p.m., University Club.

CTE presents Interactive Teaching Activities (CTE165), Wednesday, May 14, 1:00 p.m., EV1 241. Details.

1914-2014 Concert with Violin and Piano, Tuesday, May 20, 7:30 p.m., Conrad Grebel University Chapel. Details.

 

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