Confucius Institute consultation coming

A message from Waterloo International.

The University of Waterloo is preparing a campus-wide consultation on the University’s Confucius Institute (CI).

The Confucius Institute is a joint-venture between the Office of Chinese Language Council International, commonly referred to as Hanban, Renison University College, the University of Waterloo and Nanjing University, one of China's top universities. The Confucius Institute was established in 2007 and is funded primarily by Hanban. In April 2015, the contract that defines the working relationship between the University of Waterloo, Renison University College and Nanjing University is due for renewal. Waterloo is seeking the feedback of the campus community as the University considers the development and future and of the Confucius Institute at Waterloo.

The Confucius Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the Chinese language, culture, studies and business at the University of Waterloo.  The Confucius Institute brings different cultures together through non-credit courses and programming, symposia, traditional celebrations and student trips to China.

The CI supports the international engagement of Waterloo students, staff and faculty and of the overall institution by providing opportunities to learn the Chinese language and culture. The CI is currently housed within Renison University College because of their long-established East Asian Studies program and Centre.

The University of Waterloo is privileged to host this prestigious organization on our campus; some of the world’s highest-rated universities have Confucius Institutes including the University of Melbourne in Australia; Stanford University and Columbia University in the United States; and the University of Sheffield and Lancaster University in the United Kingdom.

The Confucius Institute provides many resources that enable the University to reach its goals as outlined in the Strategic Plan, including the desire to become one of the most internationalized universities in Canada and support Waterloo Region. The University of Waterloo desires to expand the reach of the Confucius Institute and be a resource to not only our campus community, but the overall community of the Waterloo Region. As China’s economy and culture continue to grow, the University will continue to prepare globally literate and world-ready graduates by facilitating access to international learning opportunities such as those provided on a non-credit basis by the Confucius Institute.

The University and Renison University College are interested in the perspectives and feedback of our University of Waterloo community as we look to shape the future of the Confucius Institute. Please participate in the campus consultation and provide your comments by submitting a survey on Waterloo’s Confucius Institute.

Any questions regarding the campus consultation should be directed to cifeedback@uwaterloo.ca.

Back to top

John Lennox to deliver Pascal Lectures

Professor John Lennox of Oxford University will be delivering this year's Pascal Lectures on Christianity and the University on March 17 and 18.

Lennox, who is a Professor of Mathematics at Oxford, will speak at two public lectures next week.

The first, on Tuesday, March 17, is entitled "Cosmic Chemistry: Do Science and God Mix?" the lecture will be held in OPT 347 at 7:30 p.m.

The second lecture is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m. in OPT 347 and is entitled "The Hard Question: God and the Problem of Evil."

Additionally, Lennox will be participating in a seminar discussion on Wednesday, March 18 at 2:30 p.m. entitled "Do Science and Miracles Mix?"

Lennox is an Irish mathematician, philosopher of science, and Christian apologist who is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford. He holds a Ph.D. from Cambridge, a DSc from the University of Wales in Cardiff, and a D.Phil. from Oxford. John speaks English, Russian French, German, and Spanish. In addition to over seventy published mathematical papers he is the co-author of two research level texts in algebra in the Oxford Mathematical Monographs series, and has worked as a translator of Russian Mathematics.

The Pascal Lecture Series was established in 1979 to create a forum for Christian issues in an academic environment by inviting outstanding individuals who have distinguished themselves in areas both of scholarly endeavour and of Christian thought or life. It is financed by donations and royalties from published lectures.

The series is named after Blaise Pascal (1632-1662), a French academic and Christian, best remembered as a forerunner of Newton in the establishment of calculus. Pascal was also the author of the Christian meditation, Les Pensées. The lecture series was last presented in 2012.

All lectures are open to the public and admission is free.

Back to top

Prof receives prestigious CWIE award

by Kaitlyn Holbein.

Professor Maureen Drysdale, associate professor of psychology at St. Jerome’s University and research associate with the Waterloo Centre for the Advancement of Co-operative Education (WatCACE), has been named as the recipient of the 2015 James W. Wilson Award for Outstanding Contribution to Research in the Field of Cooperative and Work-Integrated Education.

The James Wilson Award is presented by the Cooperative Education & Internship Association (CEIA), which is the American counterpart to Canada’s Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE), to scholars who have made exceptional contributions through the promotion of research activity in the field of co-operative and work-integrated education (CWIE). The Award is not bestowed annually because of the strict criteria, but is only presented to individuals who have made longstanding research contributions and who have also provided leadership and mentoring to others in the field.

Drysdale certainly meets and even exceeds the selection criteria for the Award. Since being named the first research associate with WatCACE in 2003, much of Drysdale’s time has been spent promoting CWIE research. From 2008 to 2013, Drysdale served on the CEIA Board of Directors as vice president of research and surveys. In 2012, she was elected to the Board of Directors for the World Association for Cooperative and Work-Integrated Education (WACE) and she became the founder and executive chair of WACE’s International Research Group (IRG). In 2008 and 2010, she spent time as a visiting scholar at the University of Gothenburg and University West in Sweden where she helped to advance their CWIE research.

On top of her leadership in the field, Drysdale has also produced an exceptional body of work. In the past few years, Drysdale has won the CEIA’s Ralph Tyler Award (2008), and CAFCE’s Graham Branton Award (2010) because of her outstanding research contributions.

In 2004, Drysdale received a SSHRC grant to examine the role of co-op programs in post-secondary students’ transitions to the labour market. Since completing this study, Drysdale has received international recognition for her work and published a number of other CWIE research papers. She has also collaborated on numerous international CWIE research projects, spoken at various professional conferences around the globe, and supervised several CWIE-related theses.

Drysdale extends her thanks to CEIA and her CWIE colleagues across the globe for selecting her for this award.

Drysdale will be presented with the award on March 31 at the Annual 2015 CEIA Conference in Atlanta.

Back to top

Can we build it? #UWaterlooCan!

by Madi Taylor.

The University of Waterloo’s second annual CanBuild competition has begun. We’re excited to have over 200 participants on 17 different teams this year.

Alongside collecting canned goods for the Waterloo Region Food Bank and the Feds Student Food Bank, teams will be competing for various awards including the People’s Choice Award for the best can structure.

The University of Waterloo community is invited to vote for their favourite structure via social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter beginning Thursday, March 12.

We wish everyone good luck as they continue to brainstorm, shop, and build some amazing structures!

Don’t forget to follow the #UWaterlooCan thread on our social channels.

If you would like the chance to contribute to the University’s overall donation to The Food Bank of Waterloo Region, a convenient online donation can be made.

Back to top

Wednesday's notes

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences is hosting the 2015 Adrian Smith Lecture. This year’s speaker is Tom Johnson from the Department of Geology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Professor will speak on “Tracing groundwater contaminant transformation, immobilization and transport (and doing some other fun redox geochemistry) using Cr, U, and Se isotope ratios.” The lecture takes place at 2:00 p.m. in EIT 3142 followed by a reception in the EIT Museum.

The Adrian Smith Lecture Series on Environmental Geochemistry, an annual lecture in environmental geochemistry, was established in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Waterloo by colleagues and friends in memory of Dr. Adrian Smith.

The Special Advisor to the President on Women’s and Gender Issues and the FAUW Status of Women and Equity Committee have announced the March event in the Gender and Equity Scholarship Series.

"Please join us on Monday, March 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in HH 373 to engage with Dr. Patricia Marino of Waterloo's Department of Philosophy as she presents "Sexual Objectification and Social Autonomy.""

The Gender and Equity Scholarship Series intends to assist not only with the promotion of gender and equity research currently being conducted at Waterloo, but also with the creation of networking opportunities for equity minded faculty on campus. Light refreshments will be served at this event.  Please visit the FAUW’s SWEC Gender and Equity Scholarship Series page to register.

The first of two Velocity Fund $5K Qualifier events will be taking place tonight at 7:00 p.m. in Room 0101 of the Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre. Check Velocity's website for more details. The second qualifier event is scheduled for Thursday, March 12 at the same time and venue.

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include: CIBC, Grand Rounds Health, Microsoft & BDO Canada LLP. Visit the info sessions calendar for more information.

Here's today's Nutrition Month "myth vs. fact" supplied by Health Services Dietician Sandra Ace:

Myth: If you are buying a nutrition supplement, one that is “clinically proven” is a reliable product.

Fact:  The phrase “clinically proven” does not prove anything.  If a study is not well designed, it isn’t capable of demonstrating a product works, although savvy marketing will try to convince you otherwise. It’s a case of “buyer beware” and it pays to do your homework before you make a purchase. The Centre for Science in the Public Interest has provided some points to consider, especially if you buy supplements online.

If you are part of the 73 per cent of Canadians who take natural health products (vitamins and minerals, herbal products and homeopathic medicines), you can research their effectiveness, safety and dosages on Natural Medicines (formerly Natural Standard). This is an impartial, searchable scientific database available by subscription but accessible (without charge) to University of Waterloo  staff and students through UW’s library (under Research Databases, click on “N” and then Natural Standard).

Because of the potential for serious side effects or interactions, always check with your health care provider before taking any natural health product, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or are taking medication for another condition.

Back to top