FALL 2012 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO MAGAZINE | FALL 2012 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO MAGAZINE | FAL RSITY OF WATERLOO MAGAZINE | FALL 2012 UNIVERS FALL 2012 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO MAGAZINE | FALL 2012 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO MAGAZINE | FAL RSITY OF WATERLOO MAGAZINE | FALL 2012 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO MAGAZINE | FALL 2012 | UNIVERSIT | UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO MAGAZINE | FALL 2012 | The FUTURE STARTS here Welcome to the Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre EXPERIENCE MATTERS The many benefits of co-op BUILDING A BETTER HEALTH SYSTEM Seeing well-being on a global scale
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AZINE | FAll 2012 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERlOO MAGAZINE | FAll 2012 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERlOO MAGAZINE | FAll 2012 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERlOO | FA | UNIVERSITY OF WATERlOO MAGAZINE | FAll 2012 UNIVERSITY OF WATERlOO | FAll 2012 | UNIVERAZINE | FAll 2012 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERlOO MAGAZINE | FAll 2012 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERlOO MAGAZINE | FAll 2012 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERlOO | FA| UNIVERSITY OF WATERlOO MAGAZINE | FAll 2012 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERlOO MAGAZINE | FAll 2012 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERlOO W
| university of Waterloo magazine | fall 2012 |
Thefuture starts hereWelcome to the mike & ophelia lazaridis Quantum-nano Centre
ExpEriEncE mattErsthe many benefits of co-op
Building a BEttEr hEalth systEmseeing well-being on a global scale
Michelle Manglal-Lan Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition & Development
Samsung Electronics Canada Inc.
On the cOver
raymond laflamme, (left), executive director of the institute for Quantum computing, and arthur Carty, executive director of the Waterloo institute for nanotechnology, inside the new mike & Ophelia lazaridis Quantum-nano centre.PhOtO: Derek shaPtOn
1What’s inside
ediTorial pg. 2
CommenTary pg. 3
heard on Campus pg. 4
Talk of The Campus pg. 8
Class noTes pg. 32
Calendar pg. 38
lasT word pg. 40
ExpEriEncE mattErs pg. 26
The fuTure sTarTs here pg. 12 research taking place inside the new mike & ophelia
lazaridis Quantum-nano Centre will change communication, medical treatment and more.
colin hunter
living well pg. 20waterloo’s school of public health and health systems
looks beyond the individual to improve the lives of many.carol Jankowski
eXperienCe maTTers pg. 26a world-leading co-operative education program
gives waterloo students and employers a key competitive edge.
kira vermond
magazine | fall 2012 | universiTy of waTerloo magazine | fall 2012 | universiTy of waTerloo | fall20 12 of waTerloo magazine | fall 2012 | university of Waterloo magazine | fall 2012 | universiTy of wuniversiTy of waTerloo magazine | fall 2012 | universiTy of waTerloo magazine | fall 2012 | univmagazine | fall 2012 | universiTy of waTerloo magazine | fall 2012 | universiTy of waTerloo | fall
thE futurE starts hErE pg. 12
living WEll pg. 20
2
editorial
if you are a university of Waterloo graduate, a student, or someone who has contributed to their success, you have good reason to be proud.
With an average entering grade of 87.2 per cent – and almost a third of our incoming students coming in above 90 per cent – Waterloo students start out as some of the top scholars from across Canada and around the world. A culture that embraces experiential learning, mentorship, innovation and entrepreneurial drive means they graduate ready to lead real change in the world.
Waterloo students, faculty and alumni have transformed our regional economy, creating hundreds of startups and spinoffs, and thousands of jobs. Our impact is felt across Canada and around the world. Waterloo graduates lead industries, drive social change, and develop breakthrough research. They range from titans like Mike Lazaridis, who has poured millions back into transformational research at Waterloo, to young entrepreneurs like Eric Migicovsky, whose Pebble smartwatch obliterated crowd-funding records when he posted it on the Kickstarter website earlier this year. We are building a better world.
Touting our accomplishments might be seen as boastful, even a bit tacky. But how we define ourselves matters. There’s nothing wrong with letting people know that you come from one of the world’s most innovative and dynamic places to learn. By sharing our success with potential students, employers, investors and others, we build an even stronger community. It’s time to toot our own horn.
Who are we? We are Warriors. Not just on the football field or in the hockey arena, but on the frontlines of research into diseases that include cancer and Alzheimer’s. At our new School of Public Health and Health Systems (pg. 20), faculty and students address health from a societal perspective, researching ways that better diet, lifestyle, and health systems can improve and prolong the lives of people across Canada and around the world.
We are Warriors leading the charge on the frontier of ideas and innovation, revolutionizing the way the world works, communicates, lives and learns. Researchers at our new Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre (pg. 12) are on the brink of a global revolution. Quantum computing and nanotechnology have the potential to change how we share and store information, how we treat and diagnose disease, and the future of construction, energy and transportation technology.
We’ve been Warriors from the beginning, bucking conventional thinking that viewed university education as esoteric and isolated. From the beginning, we’ve defied skeptics, and remained committed to the rightness of co-operative education as the best way to help students learn in a way that matters, and graduate ready to lead (pg. 26).
Our alumni – 161,000 of you – carry the Warrior banner into the world, making a difference in 144 countries. Your success speaks volumes. Our alumni are our most valuable ambassadors. More than a connection to your Waterloo roots, this magazine is a venue to share your success, your thoughts, and your ideas with a global network of your peers. It’s a place to let the world know what makes the University of Waterloo stand out from the crowd.
We can’t wait to hear from you.
staCey ash
warriors on many fronts, we lead global change The universiTy of waTerloo magazine
FAll 2012
publisher tim JacksOn
editor staceY ash
contributing editors christian aaGaarDchristine BeZrukiteniLLe BOnOGuOre
advisory board sunshine chen (Bes ’95, Barch ’97)martin DeGrOOt (Ba ’79, ma ’81, PhD ’95)carOLYn eckert (Ba ’94)chris harOLD (Bes ’00)aimée mOrrisOn Patrick mYLes (Ba ’87)
ex officioJasOn cOOLman eLLen réthOré
advertising and business manager aLisOn BOYD
creative director christine GOucher
design mOnica LYnch universitY Of WaterLOO creative services
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no matter how many times i experience it, campus always feels magical in the fall.
I don’t know if it’s the turning of the leaves, the crispness of the air, the energy of the students, or any one specific thing. But there’s a magic.
Chances are, if you’re reading this, you know what I mean.
That feeling of vibrancy and renewal, so beautifully set against the radiant tree lines and cooling breezes, feels perennial to many of us. It almost feels inevitable. But surely it isn’t.
Expanding the experience of higher education across communities, and extending it deeply into the future for later generations, is our shared responsibility. And if you think about it, the odds of our success have gotten longer in recent years.
Governments around the world, and particularly in western Europe and North America, are aggressively consolidating public finances. In the search for improved economic conditions, governments are slowing or reducing public spending, including on post-secondary education.
At the same time, the balance of global economic power is shifting east, toward Asia. Though many great universities from that regions are on the rise, free-thinking institutions like Waterloo must seek and maintain partnerships with only those whose commitment to academic freedom equals our own.
These are the key challenges facing great established universities, and equally, they are the challenges facing the future of post-secondary education globally.
To thrive in this changing environment, and to preserve and extend the experience of intellectual
innovation, intellectual freedom the keys to global academic vibrancy
freedom and unfettered research across space and time, universities need to innovate, innovate, innovate.
As one of the world’s most innovative universities, Waterloo knows this well.
To grow in global stature and relevance, universities need to innovate by establishing partnerships across disciplines and industries and by addressing global-scale issues, like natural resource management and demographic challenges. We need to innovate by empowering students who have good, useful ideas to pursue them now – not later – and to accelerate their success in every way we can think of, including through liberal intellectual property policies.
We need to tear down the barriers that separate disciplines and slow the utilization of good ideas. That’s how we will grow in global relevance and contribute to the general welfare.
And as we do so, we need to use that relevance to advance the cause of intellectual and academic freedom without exception, reservation or equivocation.
That’s why in September I was pleased to co-host, with President Max Blouw of Wilfrid Laurier University and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, a conference entitled “Perspectives on Academic Freedom”, right here in Waterloo.
The freedom to inquire, challenge, teach and research is essential to the vibrancy and quality of a society, and the University of Waterloo intends to champion this conviction now and always and everywhere.
Because without intellectual and academic freedom, there’d be no magic in the air this autumn.
this is a time of very profound change. This is not just about the corporation, this is about civilization. The problem does not fall within the paradigm of traditional economists who worry about things like the business cycle, and if we should have more stimulation or fiscal austerity or whatever. This is not a cyclical thing we are going through. It’s a secular change. It’s a sea change. It’s a punctuation point in human history.
Many of the institutions that have served us well for decades, or even centuries, have now come to the end of their lifecycle. Arguably, the industrial age is finally coming to an end. Look around and we have 16, at least, institutions that are in various stages of being stalled, or in atrophy, or are failing.
For each of these failing institutions, you have the contours of the sparkling new initiatives to transform it; a new set of principles around the Internet. Seventy newspapers have gone bankrupt in the last decade in the United States. As one youngster said to us, if news is important, it will find me. There are all these new models of becoming informed now. Twitter is my new newspaper. And education – here we are in a lecturing theatre. This model of learning is the very best model that 17th century technology can provide.
All of these models place something in the centre – in this case, the stage – [and it] pushes out standardized ‘whatever’ to passive recipients. The Internet gives us access to not just knowledge, [but]
to the intelligence in the cranium of other people on a global basis. This is not just an information age. It’s an age of networks of intelligence. It’s an age of collaboration. It’s an age of collective intelligence.
[You are] the Baby Boom Echo, born between 1978 and 1997 inclusive. There are eight million of you in Canada. There are 7.8 million Baby Boomers. Based on demographic alone, you will dominate the 21st century.
Now, what is the defining characteristic of this generation? This is the first generation that grew up digitally. Time online is not taken away from hanging out with your friends, talking to your parents, learning the piano, kicking a football, or doing your homework. Time online is taken away from TV.
These kids are in front of a screen about the same amount of time maybe a little bit more [than their Boomer parents]. But they have three windows and they’ve got three magazines open and they are listening to mp3 files and maybe talking on the phone – more likely texting on the phone – and they’ve got a video game … Oh yeah, and they are doing their homework.
When they are online, what are they doing? Rather than being a passive recipient of somebody else’s video, they are reading, organizing, authenticating, researching, composing their thoughts, so-called multi-tasking, and telling their stories. This is creating a generation that thinks differently.
macrowikinomics: social sciences and social Change in the age of social media
for the record | heard on campus | for the record | heard on campus | for the record | heardcampus | for the record | heard on campus | for the record | heard on campus | for the reco for the record | heard on campus | for the record | heard on campus | for the record | heard on campus | for the record | heard on campus | for the record | heard on campus | for the rec
author don tapsCott, considered a leading thinker about the
impact of the digital revolution on business and society, was
among high-profile speakers who took part in the Big thinkers
lecture series during the congress of the humanities and social
sciences in Waterloo. tapscott’s lecture, macrowikinomics: social
sciences and social change in the age of social media, took place
may 29 at university of Waterloo’s theatre of the arts.
heard on Campus
for the record4
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Future plaNs:» University of Waterloo, Master of
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although Diana’s a little young for Waterloo just yet, she may remind you of a talented young mind who is university bound in the near future.
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talk of the Campus whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’swhaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus whaT’s going on? Talk of TheTalk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus whaT’s going on? Talk of The
in July, Jordan Banks, the managing director of facebook canada, was
appointed to Waterloo’s Board of governors. holding a law degree from
Osgoode hall, Banks was part of the team that launched eBay in canada in
2000 and currently sits on the advisory boards of polar mobile, the tanz centre
for research in neurodegenerative diseases, and the art gallery of Ontario.
since april, Waterloo’s Board of governors has been chaired by kevin lynch,
vice-chair of BmO financial group, and former head of the public service
of canada.
WeB see Board of governors at uwaterloo.ca/alumni/links
hEad Of facEBOOk canada appOintEd tO WatErlOO BOard Of gOvErnOrs
researchers develop app to help quit smokingWaterloo researchers have developed a new app to help young Canadians
quit smoking. The app, Crush the Crave, provides users with a personalized
plan to quit, tools to monitor habits and information on understanding
craving triggers.
WeB see Quit smoking at uwaterloo.ca/alumni/links
st. paul’s univErsity cOllEgE OpEns aBOriginal EducatiOn cEntrEin may, st. paul’s university opened a new
1,200-square-foot aboriginal Education centre.
the new centre will offer student advising and
cultural counselling in addition to providing a general
gathering space for aboriginal students, faculty
and staff. st. paul’s is the designated provider of
aboriginal education initiatives at Waterloo.
WeB see aboriginal Centre at
uwaterloo.ca/alumni/links
« marylou and dan smoke, Elders-in-residence at st. paul’s university college, speak at the grand opening of the aboriginal Education centre.
Jordan Banks
9What’s going on?
talk of the Campus whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’swhaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus whaT’s going on? Talk of TheTalk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus | whaT’s going on? Talk of The Campus whaT’s going on? Talk of The
Waterloo beats harvard in programming competitiona team of Waterloo programmers beat
harvard and stanford at the annual university
of chicago invitational programming contest.
the team took home the gold medal and
a $4,500 cash prize by solving a series of
programming problems in the shortest time
period. harvard university placed second,
while stanford finished third.
WeB see programming at
uwaterloo.ca/alumni/links
arts shinE at cOngrEss 2012In May, over 7,500 delegates and 630 volunteers attended the
Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, the largest annual
multidisciplinary conference in Canada. The conference’s popular
Big Thinking lecture series was open to the public and included
presentations by Don Tapscott, Margaret Atwood and His
Excellency, The Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor
General of Canada.
WeB see Congress 2012 at uwaterloo.ca/alumni/links
president moves into student housingDespite being president of the university, Feridun Hamdullahpur has
chosen to live like a student. In July, Hamdullahpur and his wife,
Cathy, moved into graduate student housing off Columbia Street
while they await the completion of their new home. They plan to
live in the student complex until December, when construction is
scheduled to finish on their new house.
WeB see president at uwaterloo.ca/alumni/links
pebble Watch breaks records on kickstarterEngineering alumnus Eric migicovsky
(Basc ’09, systems design) secured
over $10.3 million in backing for his
smartwatch, pebble, after posting it to
the project funding website kickstarter.
the watch syncs with iphones or
androids to alert wearers of incoming
calls and supports a variety of apps.
Over a 37 day period, migicovsky sold
one watch every 38 seconds, making
pebble the most-funded project in
kickstarter history.
WeB see pebble at uwaterloo.ca/
alumni/links
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10
spring convocation sparks thousands of tweetsfor the first time, Waterloo’s convocation went social! in June, graduating
students, family and friends were invited to “Join the cOnvO-sation” on twitter
with #uwgrad2012 and on facebook at uWaterloo alumni. On convocation day, new
graduates stopped to take pictures with the athletics mascot, king Warrior, while
sharing some of their favourite Waterloo memories. the pictures were made available
on the alumni affairs facebook page. meanwhile, large screens ran live twitter walls
in the ceremony venue and at the reception. Over the convocation period, more
than 2,000 tweets were marked with the hashtag #uwgrad2012. among the most
noteworthy tweets – a marriage proposal.
WeB see Convo-sation at uwaterloo.ca/alumni/links
environment launches new master of Climate Change programTo meet the growing demand for climate change professionals, the University of
Waterloo Senate recently approved a new Master of Climate Change program.
The one year professional program will be the first of its kind in Canada and is
designed to provide students with tools and techniques to address climate change
challenges at the global, national and local levels.
WeB see Climate change at uwaterloo.ca/alumni/links
WatErlOO hOsts sEcOnd annual tEdxuWOn november 17th, the university of
Waterloo hosted its second annual
tEdxuW conference. speaking on
the theme of “edge”, 12 experts gave
20 minute talks on what it means to
have edge and how it will affect future
generations of thinkers. last year’s
inaugural tEdxuW event received
incredible international publicity
thanks to professor larry smith’s
engaging talk titled “Why you will
fail to have a great career.”
WeB see tedxuW at
alumni.uwaterloo.ca/links
“i survivEd nEsting sEasOn” mErchandisE a hit On campusit wouldn’t be Waterloo without
the canada geese, and now there
are t-shirts to prove it. in July the
Waterloo store began carrying
merchandise marked with the
phrase “i survived nesting season”,
much to the delight of students,
staff and alumni. the brainchild of
Beth Bohnert, a project manager
with marketing and undergraduate
recruitment, the phrase “i survived
nesting season” quickly gained
popularity after a series of
facebook covers went viral
among Waterloo students.
WeB see geese at
uwaterloo.ca/alumni/links
11What’s going on?
dragon boat team competes in world championships in July, Waterloo’s very own
dragon boat team represented
the university at the club crew
world championships in hong
kong. the team finished strong,
winning a silver and three
bronze medals. While overseas,
the team was welcomed by
the hong kong alumni chapter,
which hosted a dinner for the
athletes and gave them a guided
tour of the city.
WeB see dragon boat at
uwaterloo.ca/alumni/links
st. Jerome’s university welcomes new presidentOn August 1, St. Jerome’s University
welcomed its first female president,
Katherine Bergman. A native
of Waterloo Region, Bergman
completed an Honours BSc (’81)
in biology at Waterloo before
pursuing graduate studies at
McMaster University. Prior to joining
St. Jerome’s, Bergman was a member
of the Faculty of Science at the
University of Regina and served as
the Vice-President, Academic and
Research at Nipissing University.
WeB see sJu at
uwaterloo.ca/alumni/links
» arthur Carty, Executive
director of the Waterloo
institute for nanotechnology,
won the Queen Elizabeth ii
diamond Jubilee medal and was
awarded an honorary doctorate
in science from the university of
Western Ontario.
» david Cory and michele mosca,
professors at the institute
for Quantum computing,
each received grants worth
$1.65 million to train promising
young researchers in quantum
information.
» English professor neil randall
was awarded a $2.5-million grant
from the social sciences and
humanities research council
(sshrc) to spearhead a project
on the effects of digital gaming.
aWards & distinctiOns
stratfOrd campus grand OpEningWaterloo opened its new Stratford campus building to students in September. The
$14-million, 42,000-square-foot facility houses two programs – Bachelor of Global Business
and Digital Arts (GBDA) and Master of Digital Experience Innovation (MDEI). This is the
first year for the undergrad program, and the second for the MDEI. Waterloo received more
than 400 applications for the GBDA program and, due to the overwhelming response,
admitted 97 students. Built in a former rail yard, the campus officially opened with a
13tExt Colin hunter | phOtOgraphy Jonathan Bielaski
prOfEssOr raymond laflamme
prOfEssOr arthur Carty
the university’s newest and most scientifically sophisticated building, the Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre, opened in September and promises to further solidify Waterloo’s growing reputation as the world’s “Quantum Valley.”
“This remarkable new building is unique in the world,” says University of Waterloo president & vice-chancellor Feridun Hamdullahpur.
“It adds tremendous capacity to the University of Waterloo’s global impact in research and discovery as a state-of-the-art research facility where scientists from many disciplines will work together towards the next big breakthroughs in science and technology.”
Shared by the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) and the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN), the 285,000-square- foot facility is designed to give researchers the cutting-edge tools and collaborative opportunities they need to pioneer technologies unimaginable even a decade ago.
The research conducted at the Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre is expected to produce game-changing advances in quantum information science and nanotechnology. Scientists will pioneer technologies including ultra-powerful quantum computers, unbreakable cryptography, ultra-precise sensors and unique nano-scale materials small enough to travel through the bloodstream for medicine delivery. Researchers have only begun to imagine the possible applications for quantum information and nanotechnology.
“The new centre represents the next big milestone in the evolution of this research at the University of Waterloo,” says Raymond Laflamme, executive director of the Institute for Quantum Computing. “It’s incredibly exciting to think about the research and innovation that will happen here.”
Such innovation is possible thanks to the namesakes of the new building – Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis – whose forward-thinking philanthropy launched IQC a decade ago and has served as an example of how the private sector, governments and academia can build partnerships that will ultimately benefit everyone.
“Behind the building is the vision of Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis,” says Laflamme. “They understand the importance of fundamental science, and the value of applying that science to solve problems that are important to society.” »
The sCienCe of The inCrediBly small – aToms, eleCTrons, phoTons and oTher inhaBiTanTs of The nano-sCale world – is takinG a Giant LeaP aT The universiTy of waTerloo.starts
14
The building officially opened on September 21 with a ceremony attended by 1,200 guests, including representatives from the federal and provincial governments, the university and the research community. Over the following week, the building was showcased during a series of events, from scientific symposia to a public open house and a quantum-themed rock concert led by Jay Ingram, science populizer and longtime host of television’s Daily Planet.
Quantum: Music at the Frontier of Science – a mind-bending fusion of music and science created by IQC and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony – capped off the festivities. More than 5,000 guests toured the new building during the various grand opening events.
The building is designed to nurture collaboration among scientists in two great fields, producing discoveries that fuel the 21st century economy.
“I don’t really think there’s anywhere else in the world where two large institutes of increasing international renown are co-located in the same building, sharing the same facilities, the same tools and instruments that we have in this building,” says WIN executive director Arthur Carty.
“It will be a tremendous powerhouse in terms of research and innovation.”
What’s more, the location of the building on the main campus allows scientists to deepen collaborations with affiliated departments at the university, such as applied mathematics, physics and astronomy, computer science, chemistry, electrical and computer engineering, and combinatorics and optimization.
“Quantum devices of the future will be built with nano materials, and will be enabled by nanotechnology,” Carty says. “So in a very real sense, nanotechnology will serve as a bridge to quantum technologies. In this building, people will meet with one another, they’ll share experiences, ideas, and approaches – and I think that’s where a lot of great science starts.”
The building took several years to design and construct because of stringent scientific standards. In the atomic and subatomic realm, even the slightest disturbance (a passing truck, for instance, or even water flowing through nearby pipes) can disrupt an experiment, so the facility has rigid controls for humidity, temperature, electromagnetic radiation and vibration.
The 6,700-square-foot cleanroom/fabrication facility, shared by IQC and WIN, sits on its own foundation, atop deeply embedded, shock-absorbing material. Even if the main building vibrates a little from the typical bustle around a university campus, the cleanroom won’t budge by more than a micrometre (a fraction of the width of a human hair).
The cleanroom itself is rated as a Class-1000 facility. A cubic foot of its air contains no more than 1,000 particles, as opposed to the one million to five million particles in typical outdoor air. Some parts of the facility are Class-100.
This pure environment is necessary for work inside the facility, such as lithography systems so precise they can pattern designs as small as 20-billionths of a metre across. In other labs, the temperature never fluctuates more than a degree Celsius.
In parts of the building, water pipes rest on shock-absorbing springs, and labs have independent electrical systems that inhibit any electromagnetic interference. These rigid controls are necessary when exploring the world of quantum mechanics – a realm in which simply observing a particle changes its state.
philanthropists and namesakes of the building, mike and ophelia lazaridis (centre) were joined by fellow donor
doug fregin (left) and minister of training, colleges and universities glen murray (right) during the grand opening.
15the future starts here
Research at IQC aims to harness these unique properties of quantum mechanics to build unprecedented technologies, such as unbreakable cryptography, highly efficient sensors and computers that can solve problems considered impossible for present-day information processors.
Quantum systems are indeed highly delicate, but such sensitivity can be turned into an advantage, as is the case with quantum cryptography systems or sensors. And thanks to some phenomena unique to quantum mechanics – such as the “superposition” principle in which quantum objects can be in multiple states at once – quantum technologies will achieve powers and efficiencies far superior to their “classical” counterparts.
At WIN, scientists are developing devices on a scale of billionths of a metre – the scale at which the properties of materials can fundamentally change. These nanotechnologies promise important applications in medicine, materials design, electronics, instrumentation and more. Researchers need a place where they have the intellectual freedom, collaborative opportunities and inspiring surroundings to think differently.
Jonathan Baugh is one of the scientists whose work bridges both quantum information and nanotechnology research.
A faculty member at the Institute for Quantum Computing, Baugh’s experimental work aims to harness the “spin” properties of electrons to use as quantum bits (or “qubits”) for computation.
This is one of the most promising present-day avenues toward building full-scale quantum computers that are incredibly more powerful that even today’s best “classical” supercomputers. To achieve the delicate task of wrangling electrons with precision, Baugh builds nano-scale devices called “quantum dots,” which act like artificial atoms that can be “tuned” to behave in desired ways for computation.
The ultra-sophisticated research facilities in the new building enable researchers to conduct these types of experiments with greater-than-ever precision, Baugh says.
“Temperature control, humidity control, vibration control – these are certain things that experimentalists look for, and we have them at this building,” says Baugh. “We’ll be able to accomplish more on a quicker time-scale.” »
the grand opening of the
mike & Ophelia lazaridis
Quantum-nano centre
featured a performance
by the kitChener-Waterloo symphony
of Quantum: Music at the
Frontier of Science (above),
a special address from
stephen haWking (far
left) and an interactive rock
show featuring science
popularizer Jay ingram
and iQc scientists (left).
16
» 285,000 square feet, shared
between the institute for Quantum
computing and Waterloo institute
for nanotechnology
» six-storey atrium with floating
staircase provides common,
collaborative space for
scientists of all disciplines
» shared cleanroom/fabrication
facility enables design of
structures billionths
of a metre in size
» meets highest scientific standards
for control of vibration, humidity,
electromagnetic radiation and
temperature
» labs constructed underground
to minimize electromagnetic
interference and vibration
» auditorium with multi-tiered
retractable seating splits into two
or four rooms to accommodate
up to 220 people
» highly convertible “mind spaces”
accommodate conferences,
public lectures and more
» an architectural marvel at the heart of campus. vertical windows
of varying reflectivity/transparency on the iQc side metaphorically
signify quantum superposition; a honeycomb pattern on the Win
side represents strong nanostructures
Quantum-nanO cEntrE QuiCk faCts
pE
tE
r k
Ov
ac
s, i
Qc
pE
tE
r k
Ov
ac
s, i
Qc
17
Besides stringent technical specifications, the Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre was designed to meet ambitious architectural and aesthetic standards.
The chief scientists behind both IQC and WIN, along with Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis, helped create the vision for the centre. To bring that vision to reality, they teamed up with the renowned Toronto firm KPMB Architects, whose previous projects include the Toronto’s TIFF Bell Lightbox, The National Ballet School of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Nature.
The very earliest design was literally scribbled on a scrap of paper by IQC’s Laflamme. He drew a circle, with one part labelled “labs” and another part labeled “offices.” Laflamme’s doodle was inspired by the Cénotaphe à Newton, a building conceived by a design by French neoclassical architect Étienne-Louis Boullée.
The idea, Laflamme told the architects, was to create a building in which all occupants are visible to one another from all angles. Although a truly circular design wasn’t feasible, the architects found an innovative way to bring Laflamme’s vision to reality.
They came up with a six-storey sunlit atrium in the centre of the IQC portion of the building, and a “floating” staircase (no pillars or other visible means of support) zig-zagging from the basement to the top floor.
“We created an interdisciplinary interaction space,” says chief architect Mitchell Hall. “Anybody, from any floor, needed to see anyone else. If you take people who can generally be somewhat introverted and spend a lot of time in their offices or labs, and you give them a space where they’re almost forced to interact, they’re going to bump into one another, have a cup of coffee and perhaps discuss ideas and see things from different perspectives.”
There is a convenient place to sketch out ideas and theorems at practically every turn.
“Whiteboards are everywhere,” says Hall. “We literally covered the walls in glass, so you can engage in discourse with your colleagues and draw on the walls to work through a problem.”
A versatile and highly convertible auditorium will be the venue for scientific conferences, public talks and other events. During the September grand opening events, the auditorium served as the venue for events as diverse as a policy symposium on information security and a full symphony concert. The space features retractable seating, and can be subdivided into combinations of smaller areas to accommodate a broad range of events.
Just as the inside of the facility is designed to best enable and inspire quantum science and nanotechnology, the outside conveys fundamental concepts of the research. The building consists of three distinct but interconnected sections – the IQC portion, the WIN portion and the shared cleanroom/fabrication facility.
IQC is housed in what the architects describe as a “bar” building – a six-storey structure with an east-west orientation and a glimmering façade of glass that represents the concept of quantum “superposition” through the degrees of transparency, translucency and reflection of light.
The WIN section has a distinctive “honeycomb exoskeleton” that evokes some of the strongest nano-scale structures of nature.
“Although the halves of the buildings work very well together, they’re very clear identities,” says Hall. “It is a really remarkable place.”
Canada has already established itself as a world-leading hub of quantum information and nanotechnology research, and the University of Waterloo’s newest facility will surely enhance that reputation.
Scientifically and aesthetically, the building will become a magnet that will draw many of the world’s top minds to Waterloo, further enhancing the university’s long-standing renown as an international hub of research and innovation.
“We can lead the world in these areas,” says Hamdullahpur. “And with this building, we have something you won’t find anywhere else.”
WeB see Quantum-nano at uwaterloo.ca/alumni/links
whaT’s happening here in waTerloo is Truly speCial – from Theory To eXperimenT and Beyond. This dediCaTion To deep, fundamenTal sCienCe will BenefiT generaTions To Come. while we don’T know
eXaCTly where The researCh ThaT happens here will lead, iT willno douBT have impaCT – and To me, ThaT’s The mosT eXCiTing parT.
stephen haWking
the future starts here
18
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Do you know a trail blazer, game changer or di� erence maker?Every year University of Waterloo alumni make signifi cant contributions to their professions, communities and the world. Help us recognize these outstanding individuals with an Alumni Achievement Award.
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Life is meant to be lived with
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20132013 ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARDNominate a Waterloo grad for a
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9073
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Do you know a trail blazer, game changer or di� erence maker?Every year University of Waterloo alumni make signifi cant contributions to their professions, communities and the world. Help us recognize these outstanding individuals with an Alumni Achievement Award.
MIKE JUTANDigital animation software developer, motivational speaker and volunteer enthusiast. Winner of the 2012 Young Alumni Achievement Award in the Faculty of Mathematics.
Life is meant to be lived with
passion;the world will be what we make of it.Dare to make a di� erence.
20132013 ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARDNominate a Waterloo grad for a
Submit a nomination at uwaterloo.ca/alumni/awards
9073
38
20
« public health is both an art and a science, says susan elliott, dean of the faculty of applied health sciences.
lEt’s train studEnts tO BE agEnts Of cOnstructivE
sOcial changE.paul mCdonald
21
Waterloo’s new school of public health and health systems doesn’t look or work like any other public health school in Canada.
That’s part of the plan. It teaches by tackling contemporary problems. After the SARS crisis in 2003, Waterloo’s academics and scientists took up the call for greater collaboration, and began talking about expanding the scope of public-health education.
It was a big challenge, but they could build on a tradition of solid scholarship: From obesity to aging, smoking to fitness, applied health sciences at Waterloo continues to explore issues that are important to the lives people lead.
living wellit takEs a villagE Of ExpErts tO makE One Great heaLth schOOL.
“Our strategic plan said that to have as much impact as we wanted, we needed to do it differently,” says Paul McDonald, director of the new school.
Public-health training hadn’t changed much in 100 years, he says. Graduates tended to work in nutrition, child and maternal health, occupational health and epidemiology. The world had fundamentally changed, but little attention was being paid, for example, to the social impact of aging.
“We want to look for the next best idea,” McDonald says. “The majority of academic papers describe problems, the rest offer solutions. We decided to commit to that – to organizing around solving problems, not just describing them.
“Let’s train students to be agents of constructive social change.”
Waterloo’s health studies program dates back to 1978. That’s when the university created one of North America’s first multidisciplinary departments dedicated to advancing health promotion rather than traditional, medically oriented treatment.
The early focus on gerontology, which brought together care providers and academics, remains as strong today as it was 35 years ago.
George Heckman, a geriatrician, internist and Schlegel Research Chair at Waterloo, maintains a clinical practice while carrying out research and advocating for better long-term care for seniors.
Heckman believes that frailty and chronic diseases can be proactively managed, with the goal of keeping seniors as functional as possible wherever they live, decreasing the need for hospitalization, and ultimately reducing pressures on long-term care. »
« as director of Waterloo’s new school of public health and health systems, paul mCdonald believes it’s time to look at health in new ways.
tExt Carol JankoWski l phOtOgraphy Jonathan Bielaski
22
His work involves assembling an inventory of services and identifying barriers to seniors’ care.
“Many seniors end up in alternate levels of care because of preventable problems such as falls, fractures and complications associated with heart disease,” says Heckman. “The solution is to prevent it from happening in the first place.”
Breaking down barriers
Susan Elliott joined the University of Waterloo two years ago as the new dean of applied health sciences. She had just completed her first term as dean of social sciences at McMaster University when the position at Waterloo became available.
A multi-disciplinary faculty such as applied health sciences seemed a natural fit, given her profession as a medical geographer.
Elliott knew there was an intention to transform an existing department into a school, but as the scope of planning grew, it became much more than a simple transition and name change.
She liked what she was hearing about cross-faculty co-operation. “My job is to facilitate those dreams – to get rid of barriers,” she says.
A number of collaborations are already underway. Professors specializing in occupational and environmental health are working with experts in engineering to investigate the potential influence of wind turbines on human health.
Others teach public health courses as part of the country’s first health-focused, online Master of Social Work (MSW) program, a collaboration between Renison University College and the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences.
Public health and health systems faculty members themselves contribute expertise from a cross-section of disciplines.
Health researcher John Hirdes, who develops clinical decision-making tools to improve health-care services, has a doctorate in sociology, which Elliott sees as a vital component of improving health.
« geriatrician and internist george heCkman maintains a clinical practice in addition to his research into aging and long-term care for seniors. he holds the schlegel research chair at Waterloo.
23living well
“Public health is both an art and a science,’’ Elliott says. “We need to understand biological mechanisms, but also the art of changing human behaviour. For example, how can we motivate people to get up at 5 a.m. to exercise?”
“That has less to do with biology and much more to do with changing behaviour. We need to understand what is important to people.”
new ways of thinking
Changing attitudes about public health begins with the men and women who enroll in Waterloo’s program.
“We find that the majority of students interested in health sciences want to be physicians,” McDonald says. “We introduce them to a new way of thinking about health.
“Many are not aware of public health, not aware that policy is far more effective than a pill or surgery in bringing about change at a population level.”
Better health care, in Waterloo’s view, combines good medical treatment, timely information and sound social planning.
In times of fiscal restraint, cuts to transportation, education and environmental protection can adversely affect mental and physical well-being. Cuts to health care come with their own set of challenges as an aging population raises the demand for service.
One area that shows promise as both a money-saver and tool for better health care is informatics – the electronic management of information across different platforms
among different experts. Waterloo’s public-health researchers are deeply involved, examining ways in which informatics might be used, for example, to share a rehabilitation plan for an injured elderly person, or bring a social worker up to date as a patient moves from one facility to another.
“Right now we can’t follow people through the system, which is fundamental,” McDonald says. “It may take several providers to get to the type of care a person really needs. That’s a systems problem.
“We want students to excel at systems thinking. We build it into assignments. They need to think, assess, analyze differently. We are all interconnected. We need a whole new generation of thinkers who look at social systems to develop solutions.”
As an example of systems thinking, Elliott points out that older persons are among the primary users of acute-care hospital beds. With a strong network of supports, more of these people can avoid hospital stays.
For that to work, hospitals, community-care access centres, primary-care physicians and support staff need to collaborate. Urban planners could also be part of the discussion to ensure future communities are more senior-friendly.
Research involving Waterloo’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences and the School of Planning is already looking at neighbourhood designs that make walking a convenient, healthy alternative to quick trips in a car. »
a schOOl On thE mOvE
the school of Public health
and health systems is an
academic unit within the
faculty of applied health
sciences, as are the
departments of recreation
and Leisure studies, and
kinesiology. a capital
campaign is underway to
raise $12 million toward
construction of a $25-million
building for the school.
in DeveLOPment» Bachelor degrees
in public health and
health promotion
» online masters degree
in program evaluation
» phd program in public
health practice
» masters and phd
specialties in health
informatics and
knowledge exchange
unDerGraDuate enrOLment in PuBLic heaLth
2012 » 4602017 » 505
facuLtY2012 » 242017 » 35
chairs, feLLOWs, POst-PhDs
2012 » 52017 » 10
24
masters of collaboration
A review of Canada’s SARS outbreak, which killed 43 and sickened more than 200 others, found gaps in the public-health skill set.
At Waterloo, applicants to the Master of Public Health (MPH) program must have at least one year of experience in a relevant position. The program was established in 2006 almost entirely online. Students established in jobs and communities don’t have to leave home or uproot their families.
It also attracts international students who bring different experiences and approaches to promoting and protecting the health of populations.
MPH students start on campus for two weeks. They connect, develop an understanding of the methods and goals of the courses, and learn the technology.
Five terms and a practicum later, they return for two final weeks of assessment and evaluation. At any given time, MPH enrolment totals about 160.
“We are attracting phenomenal applicants,” McDonald says. Despite distances separating them and primarily online communication, “the cohort bond in the public health program is unlike any other. They elicit feedback from each other: it’s a network with unrivalled power.”
open to different perspectives
The words “partnership” and “real-world” pop up again and again in conversations with faculty at the new public health school.
Assistant Professor Shannon Majowicz joined Waterloo last spring after a decade researching food- and water-borne diseases for the Public Health Agency of Canada.
“It’s a point of pride that what they do (at Waterloo) matters to the real world,” Majowicz says. “They’re very open to different perspectives.”
The Public Health Agency of Canada talked about “surge capacity” – including tapping into the expertise universities have to help manage a crisis.
“During the H1N1 pandemic (in 2009), there was a lot of informal connectivity that happened,’’ Majowicz says. “Folks who had something to offer stepped forward. Regardless of where you’re sitting, you want what you do to make a difference.
“There is a lot of sharing,” Majowicz says. “It’s a fine example of systems thinking. My ideal is a multi-pronged approach to problems.”
Building trust Associate Professor Rhona Hanning has had a diverse career in nutrition research. From her early career as a dietitian, through clinical research with kidney disease patients and preterm babies, she has focused on nutrition and dietary assessment.
Since joining Waterloo 12 years ago, her prime areas of investigation have focused on public and population health issues. These have included dietary surveillance of school children and adolescents, including First Nations students, obesity prevention, and evaluating school-based food and nutrition program and policy interventions.
Currently, her research group is evaluating physical activity programs and breakfast-and-snack programs in First Nation schools.
rhona hanning works to improve
nutrition and health among youth in first
nations communities. »
« Waterloo’s approach to public health problems is strengthened by a willingness to share knowledge and openness to different perspectives, says shannon maJoWiCz, an assistant professor who spent a decade researching food- and water-borne diseases with the public health agency of canada.
25
In Fort Albany, Ont., a new greenhouse will help the children learn about gardening as they grow fresh food for their own school snacks. A web-based eating behavior questionnaire developed by Hanning while at Waterloo (WEB-Q), has been used to assess the food intake and physical activity of 250 Cree schoolchildren in grades six to 10.
One challenge she sees is getting the research findings back to First Nations communities.
“We use numerous channels to disseminate research findings – radio, newspaper articles” Hanning says, “but where we’re having more success is with organizing healthy community feasts.”
“Celebration feasts are part of native culture and they draw people who might not ordinarily be interested in what we’re doing. Raffling off prizes such as bags of milk, which are difficult for them to access, is very popular.”
the look of the future
Involvement with outside agencies will help ensure the School of Public Health and Health Systems fulfills its mandate of leading thoughtful, informed change, McDonald says.
He regularly gets calls from health organizations seeking analysis or research in a particular area. Typically, they want the material in a hurry because funding may evaporate with the next budget.
“Currently, we’re not prepared to respond to immediate requests, but we are setting up practice centres that will have the capacity to respond quickly,” he says. “Students will be closely supervised as they work with researchers on real-life problems, getting experience in analytics, designing and conducting evaluations, devising and testing new technologies.”
Waterloo’s long tradition of co-op education also makes the health-sciences program stand out.
Elliott, the dean, says the faculty’s students are serious and focused, committed to future success, and well-suited to the type of real-life health research that shows well on their resumés.
A proponent of international research, Elliott is actively seeking more links like the one established with the Uganda Christian University in 2010 to build health research and education capacity. She also supports more collaboration with experts in health informatics and evaluation.
“Good things happen when techies and health people are in the same room,” she says.
The goal, McDonald says, is to become one of the world’s top 10 public-health programs.
“Our expertise is to build capacity for national and international health systems,” he says. “It is do-able. We have a five-year plan and the university is completely supportive. We intend to add five new degree programs. With them, we should have sufficient resources to meet and exceed expectations.”
WeB see public health at uwaterloo.ca/alumni/links
living well
many are noT aware of puBliC healTh, noT aware ThaT poliCy is
far more effeCTive Than a pill or surgery in Bringing aBouT Change
aT a populaTion level.paul mCdonald
26
experience matters
ryan east was barely 19 when he was asked to represent sailorJones media at a digital media conference in toronto. “Just walking through the door, it was like i was walking into my future,” he says.
27 tExt kira vermond | phOtOgraphy Jonathan Bielaski
early years
The University of Waterloo’s co-operative education program, also known simply as co-op, has been building the future of its students since the school opened in 1957. Combining academic study with alternating work terms, co-op was a founding feature.
According to the article, A History of Cooperative Education in Canada, by Bruce A. McCallum and James C. Wilson, businessmen familiar with co-operative education in the U.S. saw co-op as a means of meeting growing technical needs in the Kitchener-Waterloo area.
The 75 engineering students who made up Waterloo’s class were all co-op students.
Not that the program was universally praised at the time. Other institutions took aim at co-op, saying it would tarnish the reputation of academic learning in Canada and modify the existing school year. Besides, no business would want to take a chance on hiring students without experience.
the naysayers were wrong.
Fast forward to today. Waterloo boasts the largest co-op program in the world. Students gain up to two years of relevant work experience in more than 120 academic programs and all six faculties.
Co-op annually involves about 16,500 students and 3,500 employers. In 2011/2012, co-op students earned $189 million.
In the fall of 2012, students will be working at co-op positions in approximately 60 countries. A new Enterprise Co-op program allows students to hone their entrepreneurial skills as part of their co-op training.
not bad for a school not yet 60 years old.
“The scale of our operation really puts us in a class of our own,” says Peggy Jarvie, executive director of Waterloo’s Co-operative Education & Career Action (CECA). “We offer breadth and depth in all sorts of programs. You could hire all the talent you need here at Waterloo.” »
When ryan east stepped through the door at Toronto’s TIFF Bell Lightbox Theatre a few years ago, a strong and complex feeling swept over him and wouldn’t let go.
Fear mixed with a healthy dose of nervousness and excitement.
And for just a moment, East, a Waterloo co-op Arts and Business student, wondered whether he was really in the right place – a digital media conference attended by some of Ontario’s biggest heavyweights in the business.
Some of them wondered if he was in the right place, too.
After all, the room was populated with 40- to 50-year-olds standing by their booths and mingling. East, by contrast, was in his first co-op term of his first year of university at the time – and barely pushing 19.
To put it bluntly, he stood out.
“Some of them asked me, ‘What are you doing here?’ or ‘Do you work here? Are you the camera guy?’” says East, laughing about it now.
Rather than be offended, he simply told his story.
He was a Waterloo co-op student, working for a boutique media company, SailorJones Media. His employer, Barbara Jones, assigned him to represent the company at the conference.
She wanted to give him a work experience that might lead somewhere. The conference was a networking opportunity of a lifetime.
“These were people I could only ever dream of working for, and I’m getting the chance to introduce myself to them,” he says. “Just walking through that door, it was like I was walking into my future. That’s the best way to describe it.”
experience mattersover The Course of five deCades, Co-operaTive eduCaTion aT waTerloo has reshaPeD hiGher LearninG
28
Indicative of its scope and influence, co-operative education has spread to more than 100 colleges and universities across Canada.
Ron Gotts, a chemical engineering alumnus who was part of the first class and graduated in 1962, still has only good things to say about the early co-op experience. It helped pay his way through school, one of the reasons many students decided to take a chance on the young, upstart institution.
“The beauty of it was that the co-op program endeared itself to industry very quickly, so we didn’t have difficulty getting co-op positions,’’ he says. “And we didn’t have difficulty getting jobs upon graduation either. We had already worked in fields that were related to our courses of study.”
Gotts, who will attend his 50th-anniversary class reunion in the fall of 2012, enjoyed a long career in the environmental field, working with everything from water to industrial waste. Now retired, he credits co-op for giving him the post-secondary education he needed to build his career.
show me the money
More than 50 years later, students still choose Waterloo co-op for some of the same reasons: It pays.
“The financial situation that a co-op student is in compared to another student is night and day,” says East. “You’re in school learning, but at the same time, you’re making money to cover it. It’s spectacular.”
Besides offering money, mentoring and experience, co-op makes students more marketable at graduation. And, as East discovered, they build a professional network before leaving school. Graduates of Waterloo’s co-op program also typically earn 15 per cent more than non-co-op grads.
The job-finding process is also more streamlined than ever, says Olaf Naese, a communications specialist for CECA. He should know. He’s been with Waterloo since 1976 and in the department since 1979. He remembers exactly how cumbersome the co-op system once was.
By thE numBErs
World’s largest co-op program of its kind – approximately
16,500undergraduate co-op students
more than
120undergraduate programs that offer co-op (80% of all programs)
3,500
regularly participating co-op employers worldwide
$25,000- $74,000potential co-op earnings by graduation
95 Per cent: co-op student employment rate per average term
then
» step one: Co-op department publishes a tabloid newspaper for co-op job searchers. Numerous employees type each job description onto a layout sheet. They’re proofread overnight. The next day, corrections are made. Whiteout flies.
» step two: Naese drives the sheets to Kitchener to have the paper printed.
» step three: Students line up early in the day at Needles Hall and swarm the halls. The line snakes behind the building. Co-op staff hand out the ads with a form to fill out.
» step four: Students choose the jobs they wish to apply for and complete the form by the deadline. They hand the form back in for Monday.
» step five: Staff collect papers and call up student ID numbers against the job numbers using very slow computers. Printout arrives the next day.
» step six: A staff of 13 takes two weeks to pull filed resumés of all applicants and then couriers them in boxes to employers.
» step seven: Employers call Waterloo on the telephone to indicate which students they want to interview.
naese’s verdict: “Oh, it was dreadful.”
noW
» step one: Students check co-op opportunities online, through JobMine. As of fall 2012, students will be able to upload PDFs of their resumés.
naese’s verdict: “Everything is done online. Students can apply for jobs, search for jobs and applications are all electronic … Of course, most employers still conduct interviews here on campus, but an increasing number are using our Skype option. They can still see and talk to their candidates, but they don’t need to travel to Waterloo.”
29Experience matters
Coming full circle
While today’s co-op job-searching tools and system are far better for students, they’re not the only ones who benefit.
Jarvie at CECA says that within the last couple of years, employers were asked what they liked most about Waterloo’s co-op program. Time and again, they mentioned how smoothly the process runs.
“When you’ve been doing this for as long as we have and are as big as we are, we’ve been able to learn the best way to do co-op. Scale teaches you a lot,” Jarvie says.
Little wonder that co-op at Waterloo runs like a well-oiled machine. More than 100 employees are fully dedicated to the department, and close to 50 work out of off-campus offices to be closer to employers and offer support. Thirty are posted to the Greater Toronto Area alone.
Bill Tatham, chair and CEO of NexJ Systems Inc. in Toronto, hires about 50 Waterloo co-op students every year to work in his company of 350 employees.
The William M. Tatham Centre for Co-operative Education & Career Action – the first building in Canada dedicated to co-op – was named after him.
Giving back to co-op just makes sense, says Tatham, a systems design engineering grad from 1983.
“Co-op teaches you something important at school,” he says. “You’ve got to learn, you’ve got to work hard, it’s pass or fail, and you’ve got to go all out. You’re always doing something new.”
While students are known for bringing fresh ideas to the companies they work for, hiring them is also a great business move for another reason: Cost.
Tatham estimates that when a company accounts for the tax credits and rebates it receives for hiring students, the average annual cost for a full-time, senior co-op is $10,000.
Outsourcing a similar job to India costs about $40,000 per year.
“More importantly, it’s the investment you’re making in personnel development, Tatham says. “Co-op students are our (human resources) talent pipeline. You start to see their work ethic, passion, cultural fit, determination – all the determinants of success you see only in real life.”
Laura Victoria, a talent acquisition manager for Towers Watson in Toronto, agrees. The risk-management and human resources company has primarily hired actuarial students from Waterloo as far back as the late 1990s. The positions have real-world relevance.
“We get to challenge them and throw them into real-life client situations,’’ she says.” It gives us a preview of what they could be capable of down the road. A lot of these students do walk out of their co-op placements with job offers in hand.”
Jordan Sheldon graduated in 2006 with a degree in mathematics and computer science. He works for Bloomberg Sports in New York City. »
Co-op sTudenTsare our (human
resourCes) TalenT pipeline. you sTarT To see Their work
eThiC, passion, CulTural fiT,
deTerminaTion – all The deTerminanTs of
suCCess you see only in real life.
Bill tatham
ph
OtO
: Ja
imE
hO
gg
E
30
His co-op experience seems to have come full circle. In school, he held co-op positions at CIBC, the Ontario Ministry of Health, and Triversity, a point-of-sale software company.
All that experience paid off, not only in how quickly he’s able to jump into any software-development environment, but in his leadership skills. He says he went back to each employer for a second term so he could take on bigger roles and act as a mentor for new co-op students.
Sheldon uses those skills to hire and manage Waterloo co-op students for Bloomberg.
“The first time I went back to Waterloo, and I was on the other side of the table interviewing students, I was pretty nervous,” he says. “The students were really smart and I was just out of school. I was thinking, ‘Do I really know much more than these people I’m interviewing?’ ’’
That feeling has passed.
international scope
Like many co-op employers in the U.S., Bloomberg prefers to hire Waterloo students. It isn’t just because of the talent. Waterloo’s program runs year-round.
That is one of the reasons why the international side of co-op continues to grow with hundreds of students taking jobs around the world, says Merrirose Stone, the student adviser for the international side of CECA.
Getting visas and sorting through paperwork can be a challenge. Waterloo works with a visa sponsor, “Cultural Vistas” in New York to help employers and students through the process in the U.S. They also employ two International Employment Specialists – one for USA visa advising and one for students who are outbound to locations outside of North America and require a work permit or visa.
It can take several years to sell the idea of co-op to an employer in a country unfamiliar with the concept. Students also have to be prepared for change and cultural adaptation.
But when it works, it works
Stone remembers one engineering student who took a position in China for a four-month work term. Homesickness set in. Over the first few weeks, he called Stone daily in tears, ready to throw in the towel. They talked about coping strategies.
“There were two things he said he missed from home: Tim Horton’s and Swiss Chalet,” says Stone. “So I bought him a little packet of Swiss Chalet sauce and some vacuum-sealed Tim Horton’s coffee and mailed it to him.
He stayed and received an outstanding mark on his evaluation when the work term ended. The employer asked him to come back, and he did.
Waterloo’s co-op program, and the staff behind it, helped East choose Waterloo over other universities. He listened in awe as the presenter talked about the program, the high employment rates and the money that could be earned over his years of study.
“I looked at other schools and other programs, but most seem like an additive to a degree,” he says. “Co-op at Waterloo, it’s not so much an additive, it’s a major part of your education. Half of your degree is co-op. The program is so spectacularly done because Waterloo gives it the attention it deserves.”
WeB see Co-op at uwaterloo.ca/alumni/links
international student adviser merrirose stone combined
conversation with a care package of canadian treats
to help one co-op student cope with homesickness on an
overseas placement. »
* In 1958, in an attempt to get Waterloo on the map, three students painted the word “BEER” on top of the Lester Street water tower
The university’s gi� planning experts are here to help you explore all kinds of options to make a lasting impact at
Waterloo – ones that don’t require late-night engineering feats.
Planned Giving | O� ce of Development200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1
To fi nd out more about how you can leave a legacy at Waterloo, contact Sharon McKay-Todd at 519-888-4567, ext. 35413
UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO LIBRARY, KITCHENER-WATERLOO RECORD PHOTOGRAPHIC NEGATIVE COLLECTION
There are other ways to leave a legacy…
90
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5
other ways
WATERLOO, ONTARIO, JUNE 3, 1958*
Class notes who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes
32
noT online? you can mail class note submissions to:university of waterloo magazine Communications and public affairsuniversity of waterloo waterloo, on n2l 3g1
1970
David Hogg (BASc ’70, Electrical
Engineering) was inducted into
the Association For Manufacturing
Excellence’s International Hall of
Fame in 2011, and in June received
the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond
Jubilee Medal for his contribution
to manufacturing.
1975
Bob Ryerson (PhD ’75, Geography)
received the Gold Medal of the
Canadian Remote Sensing Society in
June for “pioneering contributions
and leadership in domestic and
international remote sensing.”
1978
David Petroff (BMath ’78,
Mathematics) has been appointed
to Foran Mining Corporation’s
board of directors.
Bryan Tuckey (BES ’78, Urban &
Regional Planning; MA ’80, Regional
Planning & Resource Development) is
the new CEO of the Building Industry
and Land Development Association.
1980
Ted Ens (BASc ’80, Civil Engineering)
has joined the Board of Directors
of Mahdia Gold Corp, a Canadian-
based company with interests in
three gold-bearing concessions in
central Guyana.
Jim Estill (BASc ’80, Systems Design
Engineering), partner with New
York-based Canrock Ventures, has
pledged millions over three years
to cover the entry investments
in companies participating in
Communitech’s HYPERDRIVE
startup incubator program.
Donor John Hele (BMath ’80,
Mathematics), chief financial officer
and executive vice-president of Arch
Capital Group Ltd., named the atrium
of Waterloo’s new Mathematics 3
building in honour of his high school
math teacher, Bruce White.
Daniel Szpiro (BSc ’80, Biology)
has been appointed dean of the
Jack Welch Management Institute
at Strayer University.
1981
John Henricks (BES ’81, Urban
& Regional Planning) has been
appointed the new manager of
planning for Niagara-On-The-Lake.
Katherine Bergman (BSc ’81, Biology)
is the new president of St. Jerome’s
University. She is the first woman to
hold the five-year post.
Douglas Legge (BASc ’81, Mechanical
Engineering) has joined Solutions
4CO2 Inc. as vice-president, global
operations.
1983
Albert Lee (BMath ’83, Applied
Math) has published How To Meet
The Queen, which probes the art of
asking good questions, and follows
his personal quest to meet Queen
Elizabeth II using only the principles
in the book.
Bill Tatham (BASc ’83, Systems
Design Engineering), an
accomplished entrepreneur and
strong supporter of the university,
received an honorary doctorate
during spring convocation.
1984
Philip Beesley’s (BArch ’84) blending
of art and architecture is included in
the 18th Biennale of Sydney. Now a
professor of architecture at Waterloo,
his work Hylozoic Series: Sibyl raises
questions about how architecture
might behave in the future.
1986
Heather Miree (BSc ’86, Applied
Earth Sciences-Geology Option) has
been appointed the vice-president of
exploration for Liberty Mines Inc.
1987
Janis Fedorowick (BES ’88, Urban
& Regional Planning) has just
published her first novel, The Silent
Canoe, a historical novel set in the
years leading up to the War of 1812.
Available at Amazon, CreateSpace
and as a PDF or EPub file.
1988
Jackie Rehkopf (BASc ’88,
Civil Engineering; PhD ’94, Civil
Engineering) has written a book,
Automotive Carbon Fiber Composites:
From Evolution to Implementation.
It is published by SAE International.
1991
Josephine Hill (BASc ’91, Chemical
Engineering; MASc ’92, Chemical
Engineering) won this year’s
APEGA Women in Engineering
and Geoscience Champion Summit
Award. The awards celebrate
environmental sustainability,
community service, mentorship,
superior leadership and more.
Stewart J. Smith (BA ’91, Liberal
Studies) just completed a Masters
of Theological Studies at Trinity
College, University of Toronto, where
he focused on spirituality, violence
and mental health. Smith works as
a social worker in Toronto.
Barbara Sherwood Lollar (PhD ’91,
Earth Sciences) was presented
the ENI Award in Protection of the
Environment in June. The awards,
created by Italian oil and gas
company ENI, recognize outstanding
research and innovation in areas
concerning environmental impact
of human activities.
1992
Carey Jane (Brooks) Clark (BA ’92,
English) has released her first novel,
After the Snow Falls. The story takes
place in the Ottawa Valley and
completes a project Clark started
during her studies at Waterloo. It is
available on Amazon.
whaT are you up To laTely? let your classmates know what you’re up to by
sending a brief update to [email protected]. or visit our alumni e-community to update
your profile at alumni.uwaterloo.ca/ecommunity.
Class notes who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes | who’s doing what? | Class notes
33Who’s doing what?
When maria ly (Basc ’06, Computer engineering) couldn’t find a mobile application
to help her track and train for the sports she loved, she did what any ambitious Waterloo grad
would do: she created her own.
“I’ve always had a passion for sports and fitness,” said Ly, a former gymnast and cheerleader
who has represented Canada at the World Cheerleading and Dance Championships. “I’m a firm
believer that you can change the world while doing something you love. Why not take the risks
to pave your own destiny?”
Today, that risk has grown into Skimble, a mobile technology company at the forefront of the
digital health and fitness revolution.
Skimble’s applications take the guesswork out of fitness by providing users with multimedia
workouts and programs led by certified coaches.
Want six-pack abs? Skimble has a program for that. Trying to stay agile at the office? Preparing
for your next race? There are programs for those, too.
“Whether our members are getting off the couch or training for their next big competition,
we offer mobile tools to help everyone achieve their best,” said Ly.
This inclusive approach to fitness recently earned Skimble a coveted partnership with Harvard
Health. This summer, Skimble launched the Harvard Health Gym Coach program within their
flagship Workout Trainer application for iPhone, iPad and Android.
Skimble excels at motivating members.
“Our applications are engaging and social,” Ly said. “First, our talking coaches guide you
throughout your workout, complete with tips and motivation. As you complete workouts,
you gain activity points and then rank on our leaderboards. You can compete against your
friends and other community members.
“We even run promotions that help our members win prizes for being active.”
With more than seven million downloads to date, Skimble’s growth shows no signs of slowing
down. Ly couldn’t be more ready for the challenge.
“My goal has always been to use technology to help people overcome the health challenges
they face,” she said. “With one download at a time, we are empowering millions and really
transforming health care. I can’t imagine waking up every day and doing anything other than this.”
teXt: christine BeZruki
Paul Raff (BArch ’92, Architecture)
and his architectural firm Paul Raff
Studio has been awarded the biennial
$10,000 Ronald J. Thom Award for
Early Design Achievement recognizing
outstanding talent in architectural
design, and sensitivity to allied arts,
crafts and professions.
1993
Chuck Magro (BASc ’93, Chemical
Engineering/Management Sciences)
has been appointed executive vice-
president, corporate development,
and chief risk officer for Agrium Inc.
1994
Lionel Ohayon (BArch ’95, Architecture)
is working on a project that might be
described as a bit of a homecoming.
The New York-based architect, whose
projects are found around the world,
is involved with a sweeping overhaul
of restaurants at the Greater Toronto
Airport Authority.
1995
Paul do Forno (BMath ’95, Mathematics –
Business Admin) takes on the newly
created role of SVP Multi-Channel
Commerce for Razorfish, one of the
world’s largest interactive agencies.
Todd J. Pokrywa (BES ’95, Urban and
Regional Planning) has been elected
as vice-chairman of the Association of
Florida Community Developers by the
organization’s board of directors.
1998
Acey Kaspar BASc ’98, Mechanical
Engineering), plant manager for
Dana Corporation’s facility in Mount
Forest, Ont., accepted the Gold
Award for Key Performance Indicator
Excellence. Dana has 90 facilities
around the world. Kaspar’s facility
won the “large plant” category.
kEEping pEOplE fit, OnE dOWnlOad at a timE
34
The late Bob Kerr (Honorary ’98 LLD)
was inducted into the Waterloo Region
Hall of Fame, which honours individuals
and groups for their significant
contributions to the community.
Tonya Hughes (BASc ’98, Chemical
Engineering; MASc ’05, Management
Science) has published The Camp and
Cottage Cookbook. The book includes
recipes, information about food safety,
tips about equipment and more. It is
available in paperback and as an e-book.
Tracy Swartout (BES ’98, Geography) is
the new deputy superintendent at Mount
Rainier National Park.
1999
Patti Lenard (BA ’99, Political Science)
has published her first book: Trust,
Democracy and Multicultural Challenges.
The book explores multiculturalism and
whether it is still relevant in Canada and
around the world. It is published by Penn
State Press.
2000
Philip Delisle (BA ’00, Fine Arts) won
the 2012 Joseph Plaskett Award, worth
$25,000, which enables an outstanding
emerging Canadian painter to live or study
in Europe over the course of a year.
Friends of Alyson Woloshyn (BA ’00,
Recreation & Leisure Studies/Therapeutic
Recreation) have started a Waterloo
scholarship in her memory. She died of
brain cancer in May.
2001
Vince Conte (BMath ’01, Mathematics/
Chartered Acc; MACC ’01, Accounting) has
been appointed chief financial officer of
Talon Metals Corp.
2002
Canadian pole vaulting record holder and
former Olympian Dana Ellis (BSc ’02,
Kinesiology) recently obtained a medical
degree from Tulane University.
Heather Arbuckle (Business-Science
’02) received a Public Service
Award of Excellence recognizing her
accomplishments since joining the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency as a
co-op student in 2000. Arbuckle was
singled out for innovative thinking and
dependability, as well as for quickly
finding opportunities to improve
organizational processes.
Sometimes the road less travelled is the most gratifying. Just ask kyle sanviCtores
(Bes ’05 pre-professional architecture, march ’08), creative director of AKA
Creative Group, a set design company he co-founded with fellow Waterloo graduate
andreW kinsella (Bes ’85, geography).
An architect by training, Sanvictores left a traditional design role to pursue a path that,
although less travelled, is becoming increasingly attractive to architects frustrated with
building delays and health codes.
“Building projects can take up to four or five years,” said Sanvictores. “I knew I wanted to
use my training, but wanted to do something that could offer more immediate results.”
So instead of worrying about violating health codes, Sanvictores puts his structural skills
and creativity to work in a new way: building some of the most recognizable stage sets on
Canadian television. Founded in 2007, AKA Creative quickly secured an impressive roster
of clients, designing sets for the Vancouver Olympics, Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet
and Hockey Night in Canada.
Set-design projects can go from concept to completion in a matter of weeks. Fast as it
is, the work still owes much to the lessons of traditional construction architecture.
“What I rely on most is what I used in architecture school,’’ Sanvictores said. “It’s about
a narrative. Telling a story.”
Part of AKA’s success comes from the company’s own unique story.
First introduced while working at CBC, Sanvictores and Kinsella immediately hit it off.
They kept in touch after the CBC dismantled its own set-design department. When
CityTV approached him in 2007 for a big project, Kinsella knew he didn’t want to work
with anyone but Sanvictores.
“He was working in London, England, at the time,” said Kinsella. “But he came back for
the project and we’ve been working together ever since.”
If things continue the way they’ve been going, Kinsella and Sanvictores will be working
together for years to come. In spring 2012, AKA cracked the U.S. market by winning a bid
to design sets for the Pacific 12, a West Coast university sports network.
“Our market is expanding, which is really exciting,” said Kinsella. Sanvictores concurs:
“The whole process is exciting. To have a vision, win a bid, and then see your set go from
the computer screen to something on TV in a matter of weeks – it’s just unbelievable,
and so incredibly gratifying.”
teXt: christine BeZruki
sEtting thE stagE
35Who’s doing what?
Julie Kim (BSc ’02, MEng ’07) has been
nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award
for Best Stand-Up Newcomer.
Howie Tsui’s (BA ’03, Fine Arts) work,
Friendly Fire was in a summer-long
exhibition in Kingston exploring battlefield
medicine in the War of 1812. Tsui’s work
accompanied, among other artifacts, the
field-surgery kit of Dr. Henry Grasett,
Surgeon-in-Chief to the British forces
in 1814.
2004
Nancy Collins (BA ’04, English Rhetoric &
Professional Writing) took the University
of Waterloo Library to second place at
the 10th International Federation Of
Library Associations International
Marketing Awards.
Albert Horsman (MES ’04, Geography)
has been appointed the first executive
director of Guelph’s newly created finance
and enterprise service area.
2008
Majid Mirza’s (BA ’08, English Rhetoric &
Professional Writing; MBET ’09, Business,
Entrepreneurship & Technology) blog
Goodnews.pk, which he started in 2009
to share positive news about Pakistan,
won Google’s PBBA (Pakistan’s Best
Blogs Award) in 2011.
Marianna De Cola’s (BAS ’08, Architectural
Studies; MArch ’11, Architecture) project
on Newfoundland’s migration patterns
was part of Canada’s entry at the 2012
Venice Biennale in Architecture from
August to November.
Natalie MacNeil (BA ’08, Political Science/
Arts & Business) took the $50,000
grand prize at this year’s LaunchPad
competition. Her website, She Takes
on the World, was also named a 2012
Best Brand of the Year by Stiletto
Woman Magazine.
2009
Eric Migicovsky’s (BASc ’09, Systems
Design Engineering) Pebble watch
program team closed its fundraising
efforts early after raising more than
$10-million on Kickstarter.
2010
Fiona Whelan (BSc ’10, Computer
Science) is one of 70 women worldwide
to receive the Google Anita Borg
Memorial Scholarship.
She calls it her accidental business, but the success of natalie maCneil’s (Ba ’07,
political science) award-winning, blog-turned-digital media company for entrepreneurial
women is more the result of a unique vision and fierce determination than chance.
MacNeil started blogging about women in business shortly after graduating from the
University of Waterloo.
“As a young woman going to tech conferences I would get people joking around with me
asking if I was looking for a rich man to marry. It was so frustrating. I knew things needed
to be different,” she said.
So MacNeil turned to one of the most powerful communication tools available: social media.
MacNeil created She Takes on the World, a blog that was “unapologetically feminine and not
afraid of the colour pink.” She began interviewing top female business owners and sharing
insight from her personal experience as a young entrepreneur and co-founder of Imaginarius,
an Emmy Award-winning digital media company.
“I talked to so many women who felt like they had to be like men to succeed in business,”
she said. “I wanted to show the world that we can lead differently and be just as successful.”
MacNeil’s message immediately resonated with other female entrepreneurs – whether they
were leading million-dollar corporations or running small businesses from their basements.
When the number of hits on her blog began to skyrocket, the media took interest. In 2010,
She Takes on the World won the Stevie Award for blog of the year. In 2011, Forbes recognized
MacNeil as one of the top 20 women in business to follow.
Today, She Takes on the World has grown from a one-woman blog to a full-fledged digital
media and publishing company. In March 2011, MacNeil released her first book, She Takes
on the World: A Guide to Being Your Own Boss, Working Happy, and Living on Purpose.
Currently, she is developing The Conquer Club, a subscription-based, business-training
platform for women.
In the next 10 years, the number of female business owners in North America is expected
to triple – a statistic MacNeil is ready to stand behind.
“Entrepreneurship is the new woman’s movement and I want She Takes on the World to be a
huge part of that,” she said. “It will be exciting to see what we can do as a group. Women are
smart and can make things happen individually, but when we start working together I really
believe we can change the world.”
teXt: christine BeZruki | PhOtO: JOnathan BieLaski
inspiring WOmEn in BusinEss
36
in memoriam
We recently received news of the
following deaths. Our sincere
condolences to the family and
friends of these alumni.
Robert Allen
Douglas Andrews
Jonathan Aquan-Assee, BMath ’68,
J. Beesley, MASc ’79, BASc ’77
Gerrit Bijl, MMath ’09
Sandra Boisjoly, DES ’84
Ernie Brubacher, BASc ’92
William Caesar, BMath ’85
Gordon Chapman, BASc ’69
Margaret Charlebois, BA ’70
Roger Chartrand, BMath ’71
Russel Chen, BMath ’75
David Chiang, BMath ’71
Christopher Chiarelli, OD ’68, BSc
Gary Cooke, BSc ’10
Geno Coschi, BSc ’89
Stanley Couse, MEng ’12, GCERT ’12,
BASc ’91
Joseph Curtin, BMath ’82
Keith Curtis, BA ’74
Elwyn Dawkins, MA ’76
Anthony DeLuca, PhD ’72
Julie Devenny, OD ’35
Terry Dingman, BA ’86
Jeffrey Dixon, BSc ’05
Terrence Dunlop, BA ’86
David Duplissea, BES ’81
Helen Dykstra, BA ’65
Jack Ecclestone, MA ’71
Ralph Edgecombe, BES ’84
Hugh Etherington, BSc ’70
Dorothy Evans, BASc ’72
Ronald Ferguson, BASc ’62
Bernard Fransen, BES ’87
Willard Gard, MMath ’81, BMath ’74
Carol Gierak, BASc ’62
John W. Gilpin, OD ’44
William Gregson, BA ’80
Murray Hankins, BA ’00
Walter Harris, BASc ’72
Ulrich Hartmann, OD ’50
Betty Havens, DSC ’87
Brian Hochfellner, BSc ’89
Thomas Holmes, DLITT ’94
Ronald Hurdal, BSc ’86
Leslie Jolliffe, BPE ’68
Sigmund Kasprowicz, MSc ’66
Lori Kempel, BSc ’65
Raymond Knarr, BMath ’69
John Krueger, BA ’93
Catharine LePage, BA ’80
Abninder Litt, BA ’79
Ralph Logan, BA ’80
Doug Ly, BMath ’07
Thomas MacDonald, OD ’49
Alan Madgett, BMath ’92
Meridith Marks, OD ’49
Cheryl Mavor, MPhil ’67, MA ’64
Terry McCain, BSc ’82
William McKee, BA ’80
Ivan McNabb, MA ’92, BA ’89
Joyce Meadows, BSc ’63
Patricia O’Connor, OD ’51
Dimpy Pathria, MA ’80, BA ’78
Thomas Phillips, BMath ’88
Robert Porter, PhD ’89, BMath ’84
Sherwood Prawel, BASc ’70
Tenzin Rabgey, BASc ’71
Michael Riley, PhD ’71
Mario Romano, BSc ’93
Barbara Rosinski, BMath ’82
Dominic Ruggieri, BA ’87
Jacqueline Scherbarth, BA ’72
Margaret Sinclair, BES ’82
Erlane Soares, BA ’87
Juozapas Sonda, BMath ’88
Paul Sousa, PhD ’76
Nancy Suits, MASc ’75
Clifford Summers, BA ’92, BA ’79
William Swain, MA ’77
David Tam, MASc ’69
David Thomson, BASc ’67
Douglas Torney, PhD ’73, MASc ’66
Robert Tromp, BASc ’76
John Van Oorspronk, PhD ’67
Arnold Van Winden, BASc ’87
Larry Vokes, BA ’90
Robert Willcocks, BASc ’85
Robert Williams, BMath ’93
Katherine Zettel, BASc ’73
As the athletic therapist for the Canadian
National Wrestling Team, surinder
BudWal (Bsc ’00, kinesiology) watches
tournaments from the side of the mat.
But behind the scenes, he is right in the thick of
the sport and helped Canada bring home two
medals at the London Olympics.
“I’m the kind of guy that wants to come in and
change things if I think they can be improved,”
said Budwal, a graduate of Sheridan College’s
athletic therapy program and owner of Wishbone
Athletics Inc., a clinic in Hamilton, Ontario.
Change things he has. After graduating in
2003, Budwal created a standardized system for
monitoring Canada’s top athletes. He is currently
developing a policy to provide high school
wrestlers with medical coverage in Ontario.
“There were things in wrestling in Canada that
bothered me,” explained Budwal. “I saw how
little monitoring our athletes were getting after
surgery because we operate in a decentralized
system. I saw that wrestling has no medical
support at the high school level, which is just
crazy. I thought, ‘These are things I can change.’”
pinning dOWn mEdals at thE lOndOn OlympicsAthletic therapy has close ties to orthopedic
medicine. Its practice focuses on preventing
and treating injuries of the joints and
ligaments. Athletic therapists design
rehabilitation programs for athletes and are
often the first responders when trauma occurs
at sporting events.
“I love the emergency side of it,” said Budwal.
“While you obviously don’t want your athletes
to get injured, there is always that possibility,
and it gets my adrenaline pumping.”
And what better place to do that than his
most recent international meet, the London
Olympics? Although London was Budwal’s
second Olympics, he said the Games never
lose their magic.
“Both the Beijing and London Olympics were
phenomenal experiences,” he said. “There are
no words to describe the feeling of watching
your sport excel at the national level and
seeing your athletes accept medals on behalf
of our nation. Knowing that you played a role
in helping them get to the podium, it’s really
the highlight of your career.”
teXt: christine BeZruki
37Who’s doing what?
How many minds will we need for tomorrow? The number is truly a mystery. But the place where many of those minds will come from is
not. It is a place that is well known by growing numbers around the world: Waterloo.
many MINDS today’s technology playground
www.rtpark.uwaterloo.ca
Enthusiasm for meeting new people, sharing information, answering questions, plus a good knowledge of local culture are essential.
What does it take to be a Global Ambassador?
For more information on the Global Ambassador Program visit https://uwaterloo.ca/alumni/ambassadors or contact:
Kim McKee, Alumni Officer, International [email protected] or 519-888-4567, ext. 35734.
uWaterloo Global AmbassadorsWaterloo alumni from around the world are volunteering their time to connect with fellow alumni and students. They offer helpful tips, advice and a friendly face to those who are exploring different parts of the world.
Waterloo connections around the globe
907471
38
year round
mathematics and Computing ContestsRun by the Waterloo Centre for
Mathematics and Computing,
contests designed to inspire interest
in mathematics and computer
science are written in schools across
Canada and around the world.
For more information, contact a
school math teacher or visit
cemc.uwaterloo.ca
novemBer
nOvEmBEr 8 – dEcEmBEr 22polizei, by Matthew CarverUniversity of Waterloo Art Gallery
exhibit features large-scale
paintings by Canadian artist
Matthew Carver reflecting his
observations about increasingly
militarized police presence at public
gatherings and protests around the
world. Gallery One, ECH 1239.
519-888-4567, ext. 36741,
uwag.uwaterloo.ca
the russians, by adad hannahUniversity of Waterloo Art Gallery
photography and video exhibit
recording aspects of daily life in
modern Russia. Gallery Two, ECH
1239. 519-888-4567, ext. 36741,
uwag.uwaterloo.ca
nOvEmBEr 29fall 2012 Concert, uWaterloo orchestraOrchestra@uwaterloo concert,
8 p.m., Humanities Theatre,
Hagey Hall. Free admission.
orchestra.uwaterloo.ca
deCemBer
dEcEmBEr 2stage Band ConcertConrad Grebel University College
Great Hall, 2 p.m. $10 admission,
$5 students/seniors.
uwaterloo.ca/music/events
dEcEmBEr 3instrumental Chamber ensembles ConcertConrad Grebel University College
Chapel, 7:30 p.m. Free admission,
all are welcome.
uwaterloo.ca/music/events
dEcEmBEr 5 – 7kinesiology lab daysFor grade 11/12 biology and grade
12 exercise science classes, one-
day program of mini-laboratory
sessions on assessing, treating and
preventing movement-related illness
and injury. B.C. Matthews Hall, Lyle
S. Hallman Institute.
dEcEmBEr 6ottawa alumni eventFeaturing Diedre Laframboise,
BES ’84, Co-founder & Executive
Director of Clean Air Champions.
Courtyard Restaurant, 21 George
Street. $10 admission – includes
hors d’oeuvres and beverage.
uwaterloo.ca/alumni/events
dEcEmBEr 10 – 13kinesiology lab daysFor grade 11/12 biology and grade
12 exercise science classes, one-
day program of mini-laboratory
sessions on assessing, treating and
preventing movement-related illness
and injury. B.C. Matthews Hall,
Lyle S. Hallman Institute.
January
ahs speed networking – Career nightApplied Health Sciences alumni
return to campus to share their
experiences, answer career-related
questions, and offer advice to
current AHS students. Date TBA,
B.C. Matthews Hall.
January 8interstate relations in antiquity – study dayThe Interstate Study Day will offer
January 10 – march 13nethermindEight artists who form the
Nethermind collective bring their
exhibit to the University of Waterloo
Art Gallery, ECH 1239. Opening
reception Jan. 10, 2013, 5 to 8 p.m.
519-888-4567, ext. 36741,
uwag.uwaterloo.ca
January 26fantastic alumni dayWaterloo Warriors Basketball team
vs. Windsor – Women’s game 2
p.m., Men’s 4 p.m. PAC, Waterloo
Campus. Free for alumni and guests,
but registration required.
uwaterloo.ca/alumni/events
January 29vancouver alumni reception5:30 to 8 p.m., venue TBD
feBruary
fEBruary 6 – 9new Work (untitled), drama departmentA world premiere piece created by
the Drama department under the
direction of Faculty member Naila
Keleta-Mae. 8 p.m. Feb. 6–9 / 2 p.m.
Feb. 8-9. Hagey Hall Studio 180.
$10 admission, $7 students/seniors.
dramaandspeechcommunication.
uwaterloo.ca/drama/productions.htm
fEBruary 13apple 101, stratford CampusWant to learn how to “really use”
your iPhone or iPad for both work
and play? Then register now for a
Rogers Trainer-to-Go program that
provides customers with hands-on
device training. 12 to 1 p.m.,
125 St. Patrick St., Stratford Ont.
Pre-registration required.
uwstratfordapple101.event-brite.com
fEBruary 20Waterloo lectures, stratford public libraryThe Waterloo Lectures at the
Stratford Public Library bring
leading scholars and experts from
the University of Waterloo to the
City of Stratford to address an
eclectic range of topics. 7 to 9 p.m.,
9 St. Andrew St., Stratford, Ont.
Free and open to public.
fEBruary 28Wayde Compton, emily Carr universityThe Department of English is
excited to welcome acclaimed
writer, poet and historian Wade
Compton, who will be performing
“The Reinventing Wheel: On
Blending The Poetry Of Cultures
Through Hip Hop Turntablism”.
4 p.m., Hagey Hall 334. Free and
open to public.
marCh
aftab patla memorial Cup Kinesiology undergrads team up
on the ice against grad students
and faculty for an entertaining
hockey game, with silent auction
and in-game contests. Proceeds
support an undergrad endowment
commemorating professor Aftab
Patla. Date TBA, Columbia Icefield.
march 4science alumni receptionProspectors and Developers Annual
Conference (PDAC), 5:30 to 8 p.m.,
Fairmount Royal York Hotel.
mark your Calendar upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark
39upcoming events
mark your Calendar upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark your Calendar | upComing evenTs | mark
summer reunion marked 40th anniversary of ‘the Bun’
march 7katherine mckittrick, Queen’s universityThe Department of English is excited
to welcome Katherine McKittrick
who will be presenting “Axis Bold
as Love: On Scientia, Sylvia Wynter,
Jimi Hendrix, and Blackness” where
she explores why science matters.
4 p.m., Hagey Hall 334. Free and
open to the public.
march 12alumni theatre nightCaryl Churchill’s play Top Girls
directed by Saúl García López.
ML Theatre of the Arts, Waterloo
Campus. $5 admission, free
parking in visitor’s lot.
uwaterloo.ca/alumni/events
march 13Blackberry 101, stratford CampusWant to learn how to “Work
Smarter” with your BlackBerry
Smartphone or Playbook? Then
register now for a Rogers Trainer-
to-Go program that provides hands
on training. 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.,
125 St. Patrick St. Stratford, Ont.
Pre-registration required.
march 13 – march 16Top Girls by Caryl ChurchillSet in the early Thatcher years,
Top Girls is a seminal play of the
modern theatre, revealing a world
of women’s experience at a pivotal
moment in British history. 8 p.m.,
ML Theatre of the Arts, Waterloo
Campus. $17 admission,
$13 students/seniors
march 20Waterloo lectures, stratford public libraryThe Waterloo Lectures at the
Stratford Public Library bring leading
scholars and experts from the
University of Waterloo to the City
of Stratford to address an eclectic
range of topics. 7 to 9 p.m.,
9 St. Andrew St., Stratford, Ont.
Free and open to public.
march 21 – april 6fourth year undergraduate exhibitThe Department of Fine Arts and
the University of Waterloo Art
Gallery present the 39th annual
undergraduate exhibition, featuring
recent artworks by fourth-year
students from the Fine Arts
program. Opening reception March
21, 2013, 5 to 8 p.m., ECH 1239.
519-888-4567, ext. 36741.
march 23Carmina Burana, university Choir8 p.m., venue TBD. $10 admission,
$5 students/seniors.
uwaterloo.ca/music/events
april
april 4Winter 2013 Concert, uWaterloo orchestraOrchestra@uwaterloo concert,
8 p.m., Humanities Theatre,
Hagey Hall. Free admission.
orchestra.uwaterloo.ca
april 13Waterloo lectures stratford public libraryThe Waterloo Lectures at the
Stratford Public Library bring
leading scholars and experts from
the University of Waterloo to the
City of Stratford to address an
eclectic range of topics. 7 to 9 p.m.,
9 St. Andrew St., Stratford, Ont.
Free and open to public.
april 16td discovery days in health sciencesIn partnership with the Canadian
Medical Hall of Fame, Waterloo
presents a dynamic keynote
lecture, career panel discussion
and hands-on workshops (like
Mock Surgery and Using Cells to
Study Disease) for secondary
school students and teachers.
Registration via school. Various
locations on campus.
april 17apple 101, stratford CampusWant to learn how to “really use”
your iPhone or iPad for both work
and play? Then register now for
a Rogers Trainer-to-Go program
that provides customers with
hands-on device training. 12 to
1 p.m., 125 St. Patrick St.,
Stratford Ont. Pre-registration
required. uwstratfordapple101.
event-brite.com
RANDALL HOWARD BMath ’75 and JUDY McMULLAN BMath ’77 recently hosted The ’Bun Reunion, celebrating
the 40th anniversary of a defining era in computing at the
University of Waterloo.
Arriving at the University of Waterloo for the fall term in 1972,
students were intrigued by something causing a stir in the
math and computer building: A brand new Honeywell 6050
mainframe-sized computer.
Quickly nicknamed “HoneyBun,” then simply “The ’Bun,” the
first campus timesharing system set the stage for a whole new
generation of computer innovators at University of Waterloo
in the 1970s.
It was a good time to be young and engaged in computing.
A fluid group of enthusiast programmers, “The Hacks,”
revelled in getting these expensive – and by today’s standards
underpowered – machines to do super-human feats.
The early 1970s was the time when software became a
freestanding discipline, unbundled and unshackled from the
underlying hardware.
The young hacks created a counterculture around the
Honeywell in contrast to the computing centre, which was
then solidly in industry-leading IBM’s camp.
Significant security holes were exposed and plugged, in return
for a pitcher of beer, which was a good thing considering the
same types of computers ran the Worldwide Military Command
and Control System (or the nuclear trigger).
Many of the hacks went on to become leading security
innovators.
This fertile ecosystem produced many early innovations,
including a full email system, advanced computer graphics,
photographic typesetting, networked services (20 years
before the Internet), hourly incremental backups (not unlike
Apple’s Time Machine), numerous experimental operating
systems, Conway’s Game of Life, and much more.
In addition to local companies such as Open Text and MKS,
these pioneers created or helped create products and
companies as diverse as Sympatico, QNX, EADS, IMAX,
XEROX, CISCO, SUN Microsystems and UUNET.
Computing instigators and innovators from this time made
a huge impact around the world.
randall hoWard Bmath ’75 and Judy mCmullan Bmath ’77
cElEBrating Our rOOts in thE digital agE
While studying engineering at the University of Waterloo, we had plenty of chances to design, experiment with and create new inventions.
From course work to co-op terms, we got our hands dirty with small personal hacks, crazy group endeavours and fourth-year design plans (which inevitably spun rapidly out of control).
Sometimes we consulted with our professors, or waded into the public to interview and survey. Our designs occasionally worked, but generally we’d leave them on the wayside as we jumped back and forth between work and school.
In fourth year, I joined the recently formed VeloCity residence, an entrepreneurial dorm at Waterloo. With a few friends from engineering, I started designing and building smartwatches that connect via Bluetooth to a smartphone.
We built them because it was fun, and because it was something that I actually wanted to use in my daily life. After the first prototypes were completed, I graduated and decided to form a startup to make smartwatches.
I promptly made one of my first mistakes – I started trying to raise money from investors.
I didn’t really figure out my mistake until two years later in 2011, when I had the chance to be part of Y Combinator (YC), a startup program in Silicon Valley.
From YC founder Paul Graham, I learned what I think is the most valuable mantra for engineers: Make something people want.
By trying to raise money right from the start, I completely ignored the one thing that separates successful startups from failed ventures.
At the core, successful companies make something that people want to use. In my rush to raise funds, I spent too much time and effort impressing those who I thought could invest in my fledgling company.
What I should have done was work hard to get to a point where I could hand my smartwatch to a potential customer and ask, ‘So, what do you think? Is this something you would like to buy?’
In software, this stage of the process is called the Minimum Viable Product, or MVP. I should have built my prototype into a working sample as soon as possible, always striving towards getting more feedback from users.
We launched Pebble, our latest smartwatch that works with iPhone and Androids, last April on a crowd-funding site called Kickstarter. We could tell that something was different. My friends started sharing it on Facebook. People around the world sent us emails. Journalists started writing about us.
I like to think that we got this far because we have not only made a sought-after product, we explain it coherently as well.
Timing, strategy and sheer luck affect the magnitude of your success. But the fundamental element is still giving people something they want.
eriC migiCovsky
the last Word
The bottom line on a successful startup: give people something they want
40 Opinion
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velocity graduate
eriC migiCovsky learned a key lesson
on his entrepreneurial
journey: make something
that people want to use.
41text
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Whatever the future brings, you can be prepared with Alumni Term Life Insurance.
Visit www.manulife.com/uwaterloomag to get a free quote, apply online, and learn about the other alumni insurance products available to you.
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At TD Insurance Meloche Monnex, we know how important it is to save wherever you can. As an alumnus of the University of Waterloo, you can take advantage of preferred group rates on your home and auto insurance and other exclusive privileges, thanks to our partnership with your university. You’ll also benefit from great coverage and outstanding service. We believe in making insurance easy to understand so you can choose your coverage with confidence.
The TD Insurance Meloche Monnex home and auto insurance program is underwritten by SECURITY NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY. The program is distributed by Meloche Monnex Insurance and Financial Services Inc. in Quebec and by Meloche Monnex Financial Services Inc. in the rest of Canada.
Due to provincial legislation, our auto insurance program is not offered in British Columbia, Manitoba or Saskatchewan. *No purchase required. Contest organized jointly with Primmum Insurance Company and open to members, employees and other eligible persons belonging to employer, professional and alumni groups which have an agreement
with and are entitled to group rates from the organizers. Contest ends on January 31, 2013. 1 prize to be won. The winner may choose the prize between a Lexus RX 450h with all basic standard features including freight and pre-delivery inspection for a total value of $60,000 or $60,000 in Canadian funds. The winner will be responsible to pay for the sale taxes applicable to the vehicle. Skill-testing question required. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Complete contest rules available at www.melochemonnex.com/contest.
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Projet : Annonce MMI 2012
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Province : Ontario
Publication : University of Waterloo Mag.
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Date de tombée : 28/02/2012
Graphiste : Yannick Decosse
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