Waterloo Unlimited celebrates 10 years

A message from Knowledge Integration.

Last week, the University of Waterloo’s Waterloo Unlimited program celebrated it’s 10^th anniversary with an alumni lunch bringing together former and current students, faculty and staff who have made the program possible.

Waterloo Unlimited is a unique enrichment opportunity for high school students in grades 10, 11, and 12. Offered during the school year, Unlimited brings together curious, motivated, well-rounded teens from across the country.

Rather than focusing on enrichment in a particular subject, each Waterloo Unlimited experience revolves around a different transdisciplinary theme—such as "change" or "design". These themes draw on all faculties across campus for a grand exploration of commonalities and differences leading to the integration of knowledge.

Former students took the stage to talk about the impact Waterloo Unlimited had on their personal and professional lives, sharing stories of their experiences learning across boundaries.

The event was the first in several marking the program’s 10^th anniversary. Later this year on May 13^th during Unlimited's grade 10 program, they’ll host an evening talk by Prof. Ed Jernigan on the story of Waterloo Unlimited: “Changing Change Makers.”

Pictured above: James Danckert, a Waterloo Unlimited alumnus, now a professor of Cognitive Neuroscience Research in Waterloo’s Psychology department, shares stories and advice with past and present Unlimited students.

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Student wins Waterloo Retirees Scholarship

by Maris Weiss.

A desire to make a difference came at an early age for second-year Applied Health Sciences master’s student Jessie Ashbourne. Jessie was just a young girl when her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The diagnosis ignited her desire to improve the way we care for our aging population, particularly for those living with dementia.

After earning a degree in Arts & Science from McMaster University, Jessie met with Waterloo faculty member Paul Stolee in the School of Public Health and Health Systems and his team in the Geriatric Health Systems Research Group. Jessie was so impressed with their work that she decided to attend the University of Waterloo. 

Jessie’s research focuses on transitional care for people with dementia and their caregivers. As part of her work, she interviews older adults with dementia and their families who are moving through the health care system in community, acute or long-term care settings. “The exciting part about this project is that the results will become part of an initiative to develop dementia strategies for Waterloo-Wellington and South West Local Health Integration Networks,” Jessie explains. She hopes her work will help dementia care become a local priority and provide the impetus for further strategy development at a provincial level.

Last year, in recognition of her academic excellence and in support of her research endeavors, Jessie was awarded the University of Waterloo Retirees’ Scholarship. The award is given annually and supported by University of Waterloo retirees through the Keystone Campaign.

The extra financial support has allowed Jessie to devote more time to her schoolwork and extracurricular activities. Outside of her studies, Jessie plays intramural sports, sings in the University choir, is a member of Stand Up to Stigma and is the current Vice-President Internal/External for the SPHHS Graduate Students’ Association. When she’s not on campus, Jessie loves rock climbing and spending time with friends.

The future looks bright for Jessie. She plans to graduate in August and then go on to medical school where she will continue applying her passion for the wellbeing of older adults as a geriatrician or family physician.  

We wish you well on your climb to the top, Jessie!

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Filmmaker captures lives of the homeless

by Lori Straus.

Award-winning German director and filmmaker Maria Speth will be visiting the University of Waterloo as part of a retrospective of her work.

Speth’s cinematic style is often considered an example of the Berlin School of film aesthetics. Focusing on realism, the films are the antithesis of Hollywood filmmaking: you won’t find whirlwind editing cuts, loud scores, constant noise, or neatly wrapped endings. Instead, films of the Berlin School aesthetic often have long takes, very little music, and often open endings… actually the way most life happens.  All three films deal with young homeless people and their relationship to parents.

There will be three movie screenings in April:

• Tuesday, April 7 – Nine Lives/9 Leben (2011)
• Tuesday, April 14 – Daughters/Töchter (2014)
• Tuesday, April 21 – Madonnas/Madonnen (2007)

Her work has premiered at the Berlinale, won the Hessian Film Award for Best Picture, and also received an award at the Rotterdam Film Festival, among other distinctions.

All three movies will have English subtitles and will be followed with a discussion moderated by Alice Kuzniar, Professor of German and English. Speth herself will be visiting Waterloo and offering a workshop on Tuesday, April 21.

The event is co-presented by the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo, and the Goethe-Institut. For more information, including movie synopses and viewing times, please visit the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies website.

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Wellness Fair today, other notes

“Exam period is a stressful time for many students," writes Jacqueline Martinz. "The Federation of Students is hosting a Wellness Fair on Tuesday, March 31 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the SLC Great Hall. The fair will help students learn how to lead a balanced life and reduce stress. There will be student groups present as well as information on resources offered through the university to help undergraduates manage their work load, and be healthier.”

It's been almost 16 years since the Red Room, the University of Waterloo's famous "Cathedral to the Computer" located in the MC building, was dismantled and replaced by classrooms, but though it's gone, its memory lives on, notably (or not, depending on your taste in cinema) as a filming location for a 1983 Z-grade comedy film Utilities starring Robert Hays (of Airplane fame) and Brooke Adams. The Red Room and its collection of mainframe computers stands in for a power company's control room. Hays' character sneaks into it to wreak revenge on the company for shutting off power to customers who are too poor to pay, in the process taking on the identity of "The Finger" (as the oh-so-classy VHS cover demonstrates - look, the 80s were a different time). If you can find a copy of the movie, fast forward about 48 minutes in to get a glimpse of the historic Waterloo landmark.

This might have marked the first time that the University was used as a filming location (the Internet Movie Database claims that Waterloo was featured in an episode of Degrassi: The Next Generation, and 1999 student film Canis Lupus infamously featured a shootout in the Student Life Centre). Know of any other examples? Let me know!

Here's the final Nutrition Month "myth vs. fact" supplied by Health Services Dietician Sandra Ace. Thanks again, Sandra, for providing this content for the fourth year in a row. If you've enjoyed the daily nutrition tips, please feel free to send an email to Sandra to show your appreciation. Now, the final myth vs. fact:

Myth: The internet is a great place to find reliable nutrition information.

Fact: It can be if you know where to look, however the reality is that nutrition quackery is alive and well on the internet. Statistics Canada reports that two-thirds of internet users aged 16 and over use the internet to search for medical or health-related information (2012 data). But when bombarded with millions of results within seconds, figuring out what is and what isn’t based on sound research can be challenging for many. An internet search of “nutrition” on a single search engine yields 423 million results that cover the full gamut from government health agencies and a dietitians’ professional association to less authoritative sources such as advertisements, popular press articles, retail nutrition stores, an online encyclopedia, personal blogs, nutrient calculators and restaurants. When it comes to your wellbeing, it pays to be a skeptic and to familiarize yourself with guidelines that can help you accurately evaluate online health information.

If you are looking for evidence-based nutrition advice and well as practical tips that make healthy eating easier, some recommended places to start are:

• Health Canada, the federal agency whose role is to help Canadians maintain and improve their health
• Dietitians of Canada, a national association of Registered Dietitians that provides nutrition information and tools for healthy eating, including eaTracker and Cookspiration apps
• EatRight Ontario, a free provincial service that connects Ontario residents who have food and nutrition questions to Registered Dietitians by phone or email

Thank you for your interest and feedback during Nutrition Month 2015. Here’s to great food and good health!

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