Editor:
Brandon Sweet
University Communications
bulletin@uwaterloo.ca
Startups compete in Velocity Fund Finals today
The Velocity Fund Finals, where startups of ݮƵ students and alumni pitch their innovative ideas for the chance to win cash to grow their businesses, take place today in the ݮƵ Centre Great Hall.
Ten companies will compete for four prizes of $25,000. Judges will present one winner with an additional $10,000 for the top hardware pitch. Another 10 startups will compete for one of three awards of $5,000.
Companies competing for the Winter 2016 Velocity Fund $25K are:
- AdGocorevolutionizes on-the-road advertisingby offeringtargeted mobile ads that provide drivers with asource of on-demand revenue, and allowsbusinesses to quickly create and launch ad campaigns.
- BioFlexreplacestraditional orthopedic implants used to treat fractures, with biodegradable implants.
- Fiixis a platformto connect customers with affordable, skilled mechanics at their home or office.
- Guardio Health Technologieshas developed imaging technology for seeing blood flow through the body, for use in a smart sensing video baby monitor, to provide parents with peace of mind about their baby’s safety.
- Itasis a drone company that helps combat bird damage in agriculture through a HawkDrone.
- Laceis a marketplace for government software that increases transparency and collaboration between cities.
- Landmine Boysbuilt a specialized robot todefuse landmines without an explosion or human interaction, in order to eliminate damage to the environment and risk to operator safety.
- Numa Roboticsis developingautomation robots for farmers so that they can assign their labour force to higher value jobs and combat labour shortage in the agriculture industry.
- Okeyis an app that logs you into your digital accounts when there is closeproximity to your mobile device. With no user interaction, Okey is faster and more secure than typing a password.
- Pegasus Aeronauticsextends the airtime range of drones using advanced hybrid powertrains, making UAVs a viable option for industrial operators.
Finalists pitching for the Winter 2016 Velocity Fund $5K are:
- AVRO Life Scienceis developing novel approaches to conventional transdermal drug patches, specifically for the delivery of antihistamines.
- CognitiVRis a virtual reality training tool that objectively measures concussion symptoms, particularly for athletes, andaids with their returntoplay.
- ҲԳis a web gaming platform that provides users with the ability to play in-person games with their friends, without physical game boards or installing apps.
- Ҵǻprovides route optimization services to enablecost-saving opportunities for small and medium sized companies.
- Gymnatikpartners with gyms to provide applicants with a one day pass anywhere in the world.
- Moocow Unicyclesdesigns and sells unique, durable unicycle parts.
- PASS Kitdevelops mental health first-aid kits to reduce stress and anxiety symptoms in students, and to decrease mental health stigma.
- Scavengris a B2B marketplace that facilitates the exchange of industrial by-products, and the logistics for their transportation.
- Tabnexstreamlines the job application process to save time and increase productivity through automation.
- Tailoris a cross-platform static analysis and lint tool for source code written in Apple’s Swift programming language. It analyzes your code to ensure consistent styling and help avoid bugs.
Judges for the $25K competition include, partner, Golden Venture Partners,, co-founder, Vidyard,, managing partner, Extreme Venture Partners, and, founder and CEO, Kik.
The judging panel for the $5K competition is made up of, CEO, Magnet Forensics,, co-founder and CEO, bitHound, and, startup services, Communitech.
Events get underway at 11:00 a.m. in the ݮƵ Centre.
Online registration for staff conference closes today
Registrationcloses todayforOrganizational & Human Development’s(OHD) annual Staff Conference. The 9ٳannual staff conference takes place on April 6 and 7 in the Science Teaching Complex and other venues on campus.
There are still spaces in many sessions as class rooms are larger this year,allowing for more attendees. As well, a large portion of workshops are offered both days for the convenience of attendees,and the keynotes will be video broadcast to overflow room to further enhance the overallconference experience.
Please remember to keep your registration e-mailnotification for your records.
On-site Registration will be available on the days of the conferencein the Don Craig Atrium ofThe School of Accounting and Finance.
ճ2016workshopscover a range of topics suited such as team building, career goals,managing meetings, international student retention, and more. Keynote speakers includeKeynote speakers includeSamanthaand Marc Hurwitz, musician Steven Page,David C. Roberstonof the Wharton School, and adventurers and authorsColin andJulie Angus.
#AskAPharmacist: being a pharmacist
This is the latest in a series of posts from the School of Pharmacy celebrating Pharmacist Awareness Month.
Now more than ever before, pharmacists in Ontario play an active role in patient healthcare. They provide flu vaccines, counsel on quitting smoking, review medications with you, and so much more – the role is changing, and the School of Pharmacy is embracing these changes.For the last question of the month, our #AskAPharmacist team shares what they love most about being pharmacists:
Thanks for following along with us, and happy Pharmacist Awareness Month!
2016 Lee Kwan Yew Water Prize laureate delivers Adrian Smith Lecture
by Victoria Van Cappellen.
(From left): Mr Bernard Tan, Managing Director of Singapore International Water Week; Mr Peter Joo Hee Ng, PUB Chief Executive; Prof John Anthony Cherry; and Mr Harry Seah, PUB Chief Engineering and Technology Officer.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus John Cherry will be delivering this year’sAdrian Smith Lecture, hosted by the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciencestomorrow, Friday, April 1.
Professor Cherry was recently awarded the, a top international water prize worth more than $CDN 280,000.
Cherry is the seventh laureate and the first Canadian to receive the prize in honour of his contributions to groundwater management and lifelong dedication to the protection of groundwater resources.
A professor and world-renowned hydrologist in the department of Earth and Environmental Sciences for more than three decades, Cherry was best known for co-authoring groundwater hydrology’s standard textbookGroundwaterwith R.A. Freeze in 1979.
He joined the faculty at the University of ݮƵ in 1971 as one of three pioneering hydrologists hired by former Earth Sciences Chair and Science Dean Robert Farvolden. At the time, field research on the migration and fate of contaminants in groundwater and their remediation was in its infancy.
Cherry actively participated in the development of technologies for improving groundwater monitoring and remediation for which he co-holds several patents. His targeted in-situ treatment and risk management approaches resulted in new groundwater remediation guidelines in the United States, replacing expensive, ineffective pump-and-treat remediation.
Although he retired from ݮƵ in 2006, he remains active in research as Director of the University Consortium for Field-Focused Groundwater Contamination Research, Associate Director of G360 Centre for Applied Groundwater and Adjunct Professor at the University of Guelph.
In tomorrow’s lecture, “Chemical Hydrogeology: Importance forAquitardScienceand Implications,” ProfessorCherry will trace the history of one of his most important scientific findings: demonstrating the forces controlling groundwater flow and contaminant transport within confined aquitard layers, knowledge policymakers use today to select safe sites for hazardous waste disposal.
The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences invites you to attend lecture at 2:00 p.m. in EIT 1015.
Nutrition Month draws to a close; other notes
Here's the finalNutrition Month "Myth vs. Fact"supplied by Health Services Nutritionist Sandra Ace. Thanks Sandra for sending the Daily Bulletin these tasty tidbits all month long!
Myth:Making healthy lifestyle changes is too hard.
Fact:A key to successful behaviour change is to set small, action-based goals. A big reason people have a hard time making changes is that they have broad goals without a specific plan – for example “I’m going to eat healthier.” Or they set a goal may be too challenging to maintain – “I’m going to the gym every day.” Setting awill increase your chances of establishing a new and sustainable routine.
Use this check list to set aSMARTDz:
Specific: What do you want to accomplish and when will you start?
Measurable: How often? How much?
Action-oriented: What behavior will you change?
Realistic: Can you see yourself achieving this goal?
Time-frame: How long will it take?
An example of a SMART goal is: I am going to eat a cup of vegetables with dinner 3 times this week. Small successes will help to keep you motivated and are stepping stones in a path to long term lifestyle changes.EaTrackeris a free online tool created by Dietitians of Canada that makes it easy to track your eating and physical activity habits. It has a newtool to help you set and reach your goals with the free advice of a Registered Dietitian.
Here are moreto help make your small changes stick. Thank you for your interest and valuablefeedbackduring Nutrition Month 2016!
Join Retail Services as theywelcome Gordon Harrison tothe Bookstore today at 4:00 p.m.for a talk, photographic display andsigning of his latest bookMy Cousin & Me: And Other Animals.
Harrison is a ݮƵ alumnus and the author of several books on nature, science, religion, and art.My Cousin & Me:And Other Animals, is a powerful natural history memoir of animals and natural selection in the hinterlands of Haliburton.
"Predators and prey do a dance together in their struggle for existence. Each hones the other to perfection. It’s not a good day to die — it rarely is! So this eternal chase continues," says the talk's announcement."In the course of this chase, as Darwin writes, “There is no fundamental dierence between man and animals in their ability to feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery” — and as I have discovered little distance in morality as well."
Linkof the day
When and where
1000 Acts of Green campaign, Monday, March 28 to Friday,April 22.
FIRST Robotics Competition, Wednesday, March 30 to Saturday, April 2, Physical Activities Complex.
Velocity Fund Finals,Thursday, March 31, 11:00 a.m., ݮƵ Centre Great Hall.
WaterTalk Lectureby Prabhakar Clement, Auburn University, “Worthiness of complex groundwater models for decision making-when should we say enough is enough?“ Thursday, March 31, 2:30 p.m., DC 1304.
Three Minute Thesis Finals,Thursday, March 31, 3:00 p.m., Humanities Theatre.
Author Event with Gordon Harrison,"Morality in Non-human Animals," Thursday, March 31, 4:00 p.m., Bookstore, South Campus Hall.
Master of Public Service Annual Dinner and Talk featuring MP Bardish Chagger, Thursday, March 31, 5:30 p.m., University Club.
The Benjamin Eby Lecturefeaturing Troy Osborne, "The Bottle, the Dagger, and The Ring: Church Discipline and Dutch Mennonite Identity in the Seventeenth Century," Thursday, March 31, 7:30 p.m., Conrad Grebel Chapel.
Orchestra@UݮƵ Concert, "The Emperor Dances"featuringKara Sojung Park on piano, Thursday, March 31, 8:00 p.m., Humanities Theatre.
featuring Keynote Dr. Susan Dion, concurrent sessions of presenters; “Cultural Pluralities: Situating the Studies of Sexualities, Relationships, and Families”, Friday, April 1,8:00 a.m. to6:00p.m.,St. Jerome’s 1036, Siegfried Hall.
ݮƵ Environment and Business Society Conference 2016: Rethinking Canada's Future, Friday, April 1, 9:30 a.m., Conrad Grebel Great Hall.
Drama and Speech Communication seminar, "New Directions in Play Development with playwright Neil Wechsler,"Friday, April 1, 10:00 a.m., Theatre of the Arts, Modern Languages.
,"Trade: opportunity or threat for global food security?" Friday, April 1, 12:00 p.m., DC 1302.Please register– seating is limited.
Water Institute Seminarfeaturing Prabhakar Clement, Auburn University, “Authorship and author rank: Misuses, misunderstanding and a meaningful solution,” Friday, April 1, 12:30 p.m., RCH 211.
Adrian Smith Lecture2016featuringDr. John Cherry, "Chemical Hydrogeology: Importance for Aquitard Science and Implications," Friday, April 1, 2:00 p.m., EIT 1015.
featuring Seda Gürses, Princeton University, “PET Sematary: Privacy's return from the dead and the rise of Privacy Engineering,” Friday, April 1, 2:30 p.m., DC 1304.
Knowledge Integration Senior Research Project Symposium, Friday, April 1, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00p.m., Minto Atrium, EV3.
Science Outreach public lecture, "How can we find out what is inside Jupiter and Saturn?"Friday, April 1, 6:00 p.m., SummerleaScience Complex Atrium, University of Guelph.
University of ݮƵ Department of Musicpresents the University of ݮƵ Balinese Gamelan Ensemble, Friday, April 1, 7:30 p.m.
Representing Ambience Today: Tracing the Materiality of Virtual Objects Symposium, Saturday, April 2, 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., School of Architecture.
University of ݮƵ Department of Musicpresents “Reaching Out: University Choir,” Saturday, April 2, 7:30 p.m., First United Church, 16 William St. W. ݮƵ.
University of ݮƵ Department of Music presentsUW Jazz Ensemble, Sunday, April 3, 2:00 p.m. Conrad Grebel Great Hall.
University of ݮƵ Department of Music presentsChiaroscuro: Chamber Choir, Sunday, April 3, 7:30 p.m., St. John the Evangelist Church, Kitchener.
Lectures end, Monday, April 4.
Grand Opening of the Centre for Mental Health Research Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Service, Monday, April 4, 1:30 p.m., Federation Hall.
Refugee Rights Day,Monday, April 4, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Conrad Grebel University College Atrium.
Grand Opening of the Centre for Mental Health Research Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Service, Monday, April 4, 1:30 p.m., Federation Hall.
University of ݮƵ Department of Music presentsInstrumental Chamber Ensembles, Monday, April 4, 7:30 p.m., Conrad Grebel Chapel.
Pre-examination study days, Tuesday, April 5 to Thursday, April 7.
FAUW Workshop for Tenured Faculty, “Faculty Applying for Promotion to Full Professor Workshop,” Tuesday, April 5, 10:00 a.m., DC 1304.
FAUW workshop for tenure-track faculty, “Faculty Recently Hired to their First Probationary Term Workshop,” Tuesday, April 5, 12:00 p.m., DC 1304.
Board of Governors meeting, Tuesday, April 5, 1:30 p.m., NH 3407.
St. Paul’s GreenHouse Social Impact Showcase,Tuesday, April 5,4:00 p.m.to 5:30 p.m., Alumni Hall, St. Paul’s University College.
Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (I.B.M.B.) Seminar Seriesfeaturing Professor Arvi Rauk, Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, “Retired 15 Years and Fretting over Alzheimer's,” Tuesday, April 5, 3:30 p.m., C2-361.
St. Paul’s GreenHouse Social Impact Showcase,Tuesday, April 5,4:00 p.m.to 5:30 p.m., Alumni Hall, St. Paul’s University College.
TheGROOVE, Tuesday, April 5, 5:00 p.m., CPH-3067.ContactCindy Howefor more information.
Annual Staff Conference, Wednesday, April 6 and Thursday, April 7, Science Teaching Complex.
Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience 10thAnnual ݮƵ Brain Day, Wednesday, April 6, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., EV3-1408.
FAUW workshop for tenure-track faculty, “Faculty Applying for Probationary Contract Renewal Workshop,” Wednesday, April 6, 10:00 a.m., DC 1304.
FAUW workshop for tenure-track faculty, “Faculty Applying for Tenure Workshop,” Wednesday, April 6, 2:30 p.m., DC 1304.
Ed Jernigan Thank You Event,Wednesday, April 6, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., University Club.Register now.
Public Lecture: After the Sands: Energy and Ecological Security for Canadians by Gordon Laxer,Wednesday, April 6, 7:00 p.m., Kitchener Public Library.
Mitacs Programs and Funding Opportunities, Thursday, April 7, 2:30 p.m., DC 1304.
Exams begin, Friday, April 8.
Online examination days, Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9.
Gender and Equity ScholarshipSeriesfeaturing Dr. Andrea Collins, School of Environment, Resources, and Sustainability, “Gender, Land, and Global Governance: Governing Global Land Deals?”Wednesday, April 13, 11:30 a.m.,MC 5501.
Watts Up – Home and WorkEnergy SavingsLunch and Learn event,Wednesday, April 13, 12:00 p.m., EV2 2006.
Staff International Experience Fund Brown Bag Lunch Session,Thursday, April 14, 12:00 p.m., DC 1301.
UW Retirees’ AssociationSpring Reception,Wednesday, April 13, 3:00 p.m.,University Club.
Biomedical Discussion Group Lecture featuring Dr. Sara Mashid,“Nanostructured based Lab-on-chips for optical and electrical detection,” Thursday, April 14, 2:30 p.m., DC 1304.
2016 University of ݮƵ Brain Bee, Saturday, April 16, 10:00 a.m., Sun Life Financial Auditorium, LHI 1621.
20 Minute Makeovercampus tidy-up event,Friday, April 22, 12:00 p.m., EV2 1001.
Examinations end, Saturday, April 23.
PhD oral defences
Chemistry.Michael Piazza, "NMR Studies of Protein and Peptide Structure and Dynamics." Supervisor, Thorsten Dieckmann. On deposit in the Faculty of Science graduate office, PHY 2008. Oral defence Monday, April 11, 2:00 p.m., C2 361.
Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering.Boyd Panton, "Laser Processing, Thermomechanical Processing, and Thermomechanical Fatigue in NiTi Shape Memory Alloys." Supervisor, Norman Zhou. On deposit in the Engineering graduate office, PHY 3003. Oral defence Friday, April 15, 9:30 a.m., E5 3006.
School of Optometry & Vision Science.Chau-Minh Phan, "Antifungal ocular drug delivery via contact lenses using a novel in vitro eye model." Supervisors, Lyndon Jones, Lakshman Subbaraman. On deposit in the Science graduate office, PHY 2008. Oral defence Tuesday, April 19, 9:00 a.m., OPT 437.
School of Public Health and Health Systems.Lana Vanderlee, "Examining the Impact of a Nutrition Labelling Program on Menus in a Cafeteria Setting." Supervisor, David Hammond. On display in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, BMH 3110. Oral defence Tuesday, April 19, 10:00 a.m., BMH 3119.