Conference

Math Teaching Colloquium 2025

Nicola Ablett — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 19:09:05 +0000

Math Teaching Colloquium 2025 Nicola Ablett Mon, 03/03/2025 - 14:09

Welcome to the fourth annual Math Teaching Colloquium!

Many of your Math Faculty colleagues have attended teaching conferences throughout the 2024-2025 academic year, and this is your chance to hear the highlights of what they learned. There will be several short presentations focused on the most practical, actionable advice that you can use in your own teaching.

Date and Location

The Colloquium will take place on Thursday, April 17 from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm in MC 5501.

The sessions will be filmed and live-streamed for those who are unable to attend in person, and recordings will be available afterwards to anyone who registers.

Schedule

9:00 Refreshments and Introduction
9:05 Katy Howell Escobar – High school math experience
9:30 Nicola Ablett – Assessment and syllabus data
9:55 Jordan Hamilton and Zack Cramer – Learning and the Brain
10:20 Break
10:35 Judith Koeller – CMS Winter meeting 2024
11:00 Burcu Karabina – OLC Accelerate 2025
11:25 Roundtable Discussion

Registration

Registration is required and FREE for all UW Math faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students. Participants from outside the Faculty of Math are also welcome to join us online.

Please complete the registration form.

If you have any questions, please contact Diana Skrzydlo at dkchisho@uwaterloo.ca.

50 Years of Horndeski Gravity: Exploring Modified Gravity

Suhaana Khullar — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 19:52:33 +0000

50 Years of Horndeski Gravity: Exploring Modified Gravity Suhaana Khullar Tue, 06/25/2024 - 15:52

We are excited to announce a landmark conference that plans to delve into the forefront of research on modified theories of gravity and brings together leading experts from different disciplines including observational astrophysicists, numerical relativists, cosmologists and mathematical physicists to explore the present status of modified theories of gravity and envision their future theoretical development and implications for observations.

This conference is also timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of pioneering work in this area carried out by Gregory Horndeski in the ��ݮ��Ƶ Mathematical Physics Community. Hosted jointly by the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ and the Perimeter Institute, this conference will serve as a forum for researchers from different disciplines to exchange ideas at the cutting edge of gravitational physics.

Math Teaching Colloquium 2024

Marshall Cowie — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 20:44:53 +0000

Math Teaching Colloquium 2024 Marshall Cowie Fri, 02/02/2024 - 15:44

Welcome to the third annual Math Teaching Colloquium!

Many of your Math Faculty colleagues have attended teaching conferences throughout the 2023-2024 academic year, and this is your chance to hear the highlights of what they learned. There will be several short presentations focused on the most practical, actionable advice that you can use in your own teaching.

Date and Location

The Colloquium will take place on Friday April 19 from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm in MC 5501.

The sessions will be filmed and live-streamed for those who are unable to attend in person, and recordings will be available afterwards to anyone who registers.

Schedule

9:00 Refreshments and welcome
9:20 Dan Wolczuk - Cognitive Load Theory
9:40 Sachin Kotecha - Takeaways on Mindsets from Learning & the Brain
10:00 Emily Kozlowski - Some insights on the science of attention, motivation, and metacognition
10:30 Anton Mosunov - Accessible Digital Materials
10:50 Marshall Cowie - Insights from Math Course Syllabi
11:10 Roundtable discussion - ChatGPT in Math teaching/assessments
12:00 Lunch

Registration

Registration is required and FREE for all UW Math faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students. Participants from outside the Faculty of Math are also welcome to join us online.

Please complete the registration form. Registration to attend in person has now closed, but the form continues to be open for online attendance. You can also register to receive the recordings after the event.

If you have any questions, please contact Diana Skrzydlo at dkchisho@uwaterloo.ca.

Celebrate International Women in Math Day with Dr. Hilary Bergsieker

Alicia Solomon — Wed, 10 May 2023 19:28:55 +0000

Celebrate International Women in Math Day with Dr. Hilary Bergsieker Alicia Solomon Wed, 05/10/2023 - 15:28

Celebrate International Women in Math Day with Dr. Hilary Bergsieker

The Social “Threatwork”: Connecting Women's Exclusion from STEM Social Networks to Implicit and Explicit Gender Stereotypes

Abstract:

When, why, and with what effect are women sometimes excluded from informal social networks in STEM fields? Drawing on social identity threat and structural hole theories, a series of studies assess social network dynamics that may limit women's full inclusion in STEM circles.
In experiments with 1,065 ��ݮ��Ƶ undergraduates enrolled in male-dominated STEM majors (including math), women (but not men) anticipated repetitional penalties if they associated with a woman who expressed stereotypically feminine interests. Women whose social network positions gave them less brokerage (i.e., reduced ability to manage information flows between unconnected friends) were less willing to befriend and socially integrate other women with feminine- (vs. STEM-) stereotypic interests. Next, in field research with 1,247 full-time employees working at North American STEM organizations, men who held stronger STEM=male implicit associations reported less often choosing to socialize with their female teammates. In turn, for women at these same organizations, receiving fewer social ties from male teammates was associated with worse workplace outcomes: lower engagement, self-efficacy, and feelings of fit, plus greater concerns about being judged on the basis of gender at work. Finally, a series of mathematical simulations model the estimated impact of men intervening to counteract gender bias and support women's full inclusion in STEM workplaces. Implications for advancing gender inclusion in STEM fields are discussed.

Visit the Psych EDI working group webpage before the talk to learn some useful definitions.

Bio: Dr. Hilary Bergsieker

Dr. Hilary Bergsieker is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, where she leads the Diversity and Intergroup Relations Lab and serves as her department's Program Area Lead for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism. Her training in experimental social psychology and social policy was completed at Stanford University (Bachelors) and Princeton University (PhD). Dr. Bergsieker has expertise in trust formation and maintenance in diverse groups, social network analysis, and bias reduction. She was named a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science and won the Rogers' Woman of the Year award for excellence in STEAM. As a Fellow of the Engendering Success in STEM research consortium, she collaborates with industry partners to use evidence-based interventions to advance the inclusion and success of women and other underrepresented groups in science, tech, engineering, and math.

Registration closes on May 12

Everyone is welcome to attend. Register through ticketfi here

CBB 2023 Conference: ��ݮ��Ƶ for Health, Technology and Society

Robert Skolud — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 19:48:39 +0000

CBB 2023 Conference: ��ݮ��Ƶ for Health, Technology and Society Robert Skolud Wed, 02/15/2023 - 14:48

The Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology (CBB) is proud to announce that registration for the annual CBB Conference is now open. The forthcoming conference: ��ݮ��Ƶ for Health, Technology and Society, will explore the use of technology for safe and accessible health care by examining the status of virtual delivery of care, enabling emerging technologies, and ensuring ethical and safe interventions for the betterment of our society and improved public health outcomes.

In collaboration with leading experts throughout Canada, the conference aims to inform and educate, while encouraging constructive dialogue.

The event will take place on March 8 and 9, 2023, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST each day; registration is free and open to all. We are happy to offer online, and in-person options and we hope you can join us from wherever you may be in the world! The conference will feature keynote addresses, panel discussions, student posters, and booth-style presentations for open collaboration between attendees. Please visit the conference website to see the agenda and to register.

BE-STEMM 2023 Virtual Conference

Robert Skolud — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 18:50:52 +0000

BE-STEMM 2023 Virtual Conference Robert Skolud Tue, 01/17/2023 - 13:50

The University of ��ݮ��Ƶ will be sponsoring the upcoming BE-STEMM 2023 virtual conference from February 1^st through 4^th.

As per the conference website:

“The Canadian Black Scientists Network is pleased to host you for a rich, four day virtual, multidisciplinary program featuring research in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine & Health (STEMM). We welcome participants from across Canada and abroad, and provide bilingual programming options and accessibility supports.

Highlights of BE-STEMM 2023 include keynote talks by established and rising star Black scholars in STEMM, contributed talks by Black scholars, practitioners, students, and educators across disciplines, panel discussions, and an opportunity to mentor emerging Black scientists in our Science Fair. In partnership with the Black Engineers of Canada, our virtual Career Fair features varied employment opportunities and programs.

The final day of the conference features a unique opportunity to share promising practices for Black inclusion. This year, BE-STEMM Beyond Borders convenes discussion panels as part of a year-long series of dialogues funded by a grant from the American Embassy in Canada.“

This conference is free for students and registration fees are very reasonable for other registrants. ��ݮ��Ƶ will be hosting a virtual booth as part of the Career Fair with folks from across campus (including colleagues in the Faculty) staffing the booth. Register here to attend!

��ݮ��Ƶ AI and WIN Joint Workshop on “Artificial Intelligence for Science & Engineering”

Kristine McGlynn — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 15:53:56 +0000

��ݮ��Ƶ AI and WIN Joint Workshop on “Artificial Intelligence for Science & Engineering” Kristine McGlynn Fri, 01/07/2022 - 10:53

��ݮ��Ƶ.AI and ��ݮ��Ƶ Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN) are co-hosting an “AI for Science & Engineering Workshop” with over 20 speakers sharing highlights on how they are using AI to generate new insights for potential breakthroughs. The talks will range from new materials discovery at micro and nano-scale, unconventional computing and quantum computers to applications for environment, water, biosensors and biomedical. The event will be three half-days with all the sessions recorded and shared thereafter on ��ݮ��Ƶ.AI and WIN websites.

DATES & TIMES:
Day 1: Tuesday, January 18th | 8:45 AM - 12:40 PM
Day 2: Wednesday, January 19th | 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Day 3: Thursday, January 20th | 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM

Agenda

Day 1: Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Opening Remarks and Welcome | 8:45 - 9:00am
Keynote Industry Speaker 1 - Jill Becker, Kebotix Inc | 9:00 - 9:45am

Technical Talk Session 1: AI for Security and Public Health Monitoring

Monitoring of Frail Subjects for Risk Situation Detection with AI Tools - Jenny Benois-Pineau, University of Bordeaux | 9:45 - 10:05am
ML models for distance optimization for infectious disease-tracing (including Covid-19) using Bluetooth enabled device - Patricia Nieva or William Mallek | 10:05 - 10:25am
Data and Knowledge Integration for Digital Public Health - Gayo Diallo, University of Bordeaux | 10:25 - 10:45am

Technical Talks Session 2: AI for New Materials Discovery

AI - a potentially powerful tool for nano-material characterization - Peyton Shi | 10:45 - 11:05am
Empowering Spectroscopic Analysis Using the Interpretive Capabilities of ML - Rod Smith | 11:05 - 11:20am
ML molecular properties from mass spectrometry data - Scott Hopkins | 11:20 - 11:40am
Break | 11:40am - 12:20pm
Machine Learning Assisted Design and Development of High-entropy Alloys - Stephane Gorsse, University of Bordeaux | 12:20 - 12:40pm
DIADEM Project: Towards AI in Materials Science - Mario Maglione, University of Bordeaux | 12:40 - 1:00pm

Day 2: Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Keynote Speaker 2 - Sylvain Saïghi, University of Bordeaux | 9:00 – 9:45am

Technical Talks Session 3: AI for Medical Applications and Diagnoses

AI for biomedical data - Mohammad Kohandel | 9:45 – 10:05am
Using AI to enable the eye as a window on neurodegenerative diseases of the brain - Melanie Campbell | 10:05 - 10:25am
Test tube evolution of DNA aptamers as biosensors - Juewen Liu | 10:25 - 10:45am
Break | 10:45 - 11:00am

Technical Talks Session 4: AI for Water Quality and Environment

Deep learning for automatic microplastic recognition in water via FT-IR Spectroscopy - Frank Zhu | 11:00 - 11:20am
Applications of Artificial Intelligence (and related topics) in Micro and Nano for Water and Health (pre-recorded) - Vassili Karanassios | 11:20 - 11:40am
Predictive capability of water quality monitoring sensors: Need for machine learning - Sushanta Mitra | 11:40am - 12:00pm

Day 3: Thursday, January 20, 2022

Keynote Speaker 3 - Wilfred van der Wiel, NanoElectronics Group, Director BRAINS Centre for Brain-Inspired Nano Systems | 10:00 - 10:45am

Technical Talks Session 5: AI for Improved Manufacturing and Industry Applications

Boosting Manufacturing through Virtualization and Intelligence - Kaan Erkorkmaz | 10:45 - 11:05am
ML tools for predicting maintenance requirements on a distant remote-controlled facility - Michel Fich | 11:05 - 11:25am
Dynamic Latent Variable Analytics for Inferential Sensor Modeling and Supervised Monitoring - Qinqin Zhu | 11:25 - 11:45am
AI for Critical Systems: Progresses and Limits - Laurent Simon, University of Bordeaux | 11:45am - 12:05pm
Break for lunch | 12:05 - 1:00pm

Technical Talks Session 6: Foundational AI

Logic Guided Machine Learning - Vijay Ganesh | 1:00 - 1:20pm
AI-powered Radar Sensing - George Shaker | 1:20 - 1:40pm
Generative models and quantum computers - Roger Melko | 1:40 - 2:00pm
Brain Inspired Computing for Artificial Intelligence - Yimin Wu | 2:00 - 2:20pm
Closing remarks and next steps | 2:20 - 2:30pm

Industry Day: Co-hosted by ��ݮ��Ƶ.AI & Advanced Manufacturing Consortium (AMC)

Kristine McGlynn — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 16:41:52 +0000

Industry Day: Co-hosted by ��ݮ��Ƶ.AI & Advanced Manufacturing Consortium (AMC) Kristine McGlynn Mon, 03/01/2021 - 11:41

An interactive and informative on-line event, enabling Industry to get more acquainted with various AI success stories across multi-sectors of the economy. Catering to diverse interests, attendees will have the option to choose from a menu of topics, with one stream focusing on the use of AI within Advanced Manufacturing. Applicable to all sectors, the keynote speaker will deliver first-hand experience of “The Journey to Implement AI”, and the importance of “Data” in the future of AI. Morning and afternoon presentations are planned around a mid-day networking event amongst attendees, partners, researchers and the ��ݮ��Ƶ AI Eco-System.

Rooted in History: A Celebration of Black History as Canadian History

Jared Cubilla — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 21:01:23 +0000

Rooted in History: A Celebration of Black History as Canadian History Jared Cubilla Thu, 02/18/2021 - 16:01

Join us as we take in a performance, a keynote address and a panel of some of our most formidable thinkers in celebration of Black History in Canada and those trailblazers making history right here at U��ݮ��Ƶ.

Key Participants:

Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ
Laura Mae Lindo, Member of Provincial Parliament, Kitchener-Centre
Charmaine Dean, Vice-president, Research, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ
Kathy Hogarth, Associate Professor, School of Social Work
Aaron Francis, Equity Advisor, Graduate Student Association
Christopher Taylor, Black Equity Strategist, Anti-Racism Advisor, and Lecturer
Vershawn Young, Professor, Cross Appointed; English Language and Literature, and Communication Arts
Naila Keleta-Mae, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Arts
Rufus John, Kitchener-��ݮ��Ƶ Canadian-Caribbean Vocalist

SIGMOID CAREERS Conference 2020: Exploring Career Paths in Software

Kristine McGlynn — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 17:11:25 +0000

SIGMOID CAREERS Conference 2020: Exploring Career Paths in Software Kristine McGlynn Wed, 12/16/2020 - 12:11

Nine speakers. Three days online. Zero cost. (Dec 19 - Dec 21, 2020)

Hear from senior Engineers and Executives from Oculus/Facebook, Google, Zynga, Snapchat, Amazon, NetSpi and start-ups in AI and Healthtech.

Register today!

Featuring interviews with mentors that will help guide your career:

Host: Jackie Lee (BSC '06) Founder, Recruit My Friends; Co-Founder, Masks for Covid

Jackie graduated from the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ in 2006 and obtained an Honours Science Degree with a minor in Psychology. She was a member of the Women’s Varsity Tennis team and was a student fundraiser, raising over $1 Million dollars for scholarships and students in need.

Jackie founded Recruit My Friends while a student at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ. Recruit My Friends is a top talent, referral-only recruitment agency in the technology industry. Her passion lies in cultivating top performance in individuals and groups. Recruit My Friends is 15 years old and specializes in working with fast-growth software companies to attract and retain top performers. Recruit My Friends clients are based in San Francisco, San Diego, LA, New York, Toronto, ��ݮ��Ƶ, and London UK with plans to expand to Hong Kong and Singapore in 2021.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 Crisis, Jackie co-founded a non-profit organization called Masks For Covid with other UW Alumni that created a reusable N95-equivalent mask from scuba gear with a 3D-printed adapter, to aid surgeons and other frontliners working with COVID-19 positive patients. The mask is now in clinical trials at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto with sponsors like Canadian Tire, the Canadian government and private donors.

Day 1: Saturday, December 19, 2020 (10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET)

Sanjeev Dhanda (BSE '09) Senior Staff Engineer, Staff Technical Manager, Google

Sanjeev is a UW Software Engineering 2009 grad who joined Google straight out of school, working his way up to a Senior Staff Engineer and Tech Lead Manager. Sanjeev’s career path allowed him to hone his software skills as well as his people skills. His current role at a well-known electric vehicle company has him focused on making certain electric vehicles the most fun way to transport yourself.

John Szeder (BMath '96) CTO, Moonbeast; former Director of Engineering, Zynga

John is the CTO of Moonbeast, a new studio founded by industry veterans that creates exciting games with innovative business models. He has been a strategic executive consultant with clients including Samsung, Activision/Blizzard and The Clorox Corporation. John was formerly a Director of Engineering at Zynga on Zynga Poker, as well as the Vice President of Engineering and Global Operations at hi5 Networks, Inc., a leading international social network for games.

John also held many exciting mobile roles over the years, including being the cofounder and CEO of Mofactor, a small boutique mobile publisher with many internally developed titles and very efficient porting technology. Mofactor developed and published Duckshot, an AIAS nominated title for game of the year, and many other original and branded mobile titles. John was also an early staff member at RIM and one of the founding staff members of Digital Chocolate.

Connie Kwan (BASc '03) Chief Storyteller, VP of Product, Product Maestro, Atlassian

Connie Kwan is a University of ��ݮ��Ƶ grad and executive from Silicon Valley with 16 years of Product Leadership Experience spanning blockchain, digital health, energy, hardtech and software (Atlassian, MSFT, CY, SPWR).

She is an entrepreneur, advisor, and an active speaker on the topic of product storytelling. She is the VP Product and Marketing at a blockchain company and was previously the CPO at a Khosla-funded startup. She now advises CEOs and Product Leaders at Seed and Series-C startups on building product-led organizations and solving product strategy and execution challenges. She has founded 2 startups, and helped many founders craft and deliver their product visions.

She is a master at engaging different audiences through powerful narrative. Telling a great story starts with knowing your storyteller type. Find your storyteller type here.

Day 2: Saturday, December 20, 2020 (10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET)

Nabil Hannan (BCS '07) Managing Director, NetSPI

Nabil is a Managing Director at NetSPI. He leads the company’s consulting practice, focusing on helping clients solve their cyber security assessment and threat vulnerability management needs. His background is around building and improving effective software security initiatives, with deep expertise in the financial services sector.

He has over 13 years of experience in cyber security consulting from his tenure at Cigital/Synopsys Software Integrity Group, where he has identified, scoped, and delivered on software security projects (architectural risk analysis, penetration testing, secure code review, malicious code detection, vulnerability remediation, mobile security assessments, etc.).

Nabil has also worked as a Product Manager at RIM/BlackBerry and has managed several flagship initiatives and projects through the full software development life cycle.

Vassili Skarine (BASc '09) Engineering, Oculus/Facebook, Snapchat; former VP Engineering, Addepar

Sheldon Fernandez (BASc '01) CEO, DarwinAI; former CTO, Infusion Development

Sheldon is a seasoned executive, startup veteran and respected thought leader in the technical and enterprise communities. Throughout his career, he has applied emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence to the enterprise. Prior to joining DarwinAI as its Chief Executive Officer, Sheldon founded Infusion Development as its CTO and helped grow the company to 700 before its acquisition by Avanade. In addition to his BASc in Computer Engineering from the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, he completed a Master’s degree in theology at the University of Toronto with thesis work in neuroscience and metaethics and also pursued creative writing at Oxford University.

Darwin’s unique technology facilities edge and explainable AI and is being leveraged in numerous industries including autonomous vehicles, consumer electronics, and aerospace, and announced a strategic collaboration with Lockheed Martin in May and Honeywell earlier this month.

The company was named a cool vendor in Gartner’s October 2019 Cool Vendors in Enterprise AI Governance and Ethical Response report, and was also selected by CB Insights for its AI 100 annual list of the 100 most promising private AI companies in the world.

Day 3: Saturday, December 21, 2020 (10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET)

Dennis Rohm (BMath '03) CTO, Carrot; CTO, Indochino; former Director of Engineering, CBS Digital

Dennis graduated from Computer Science in 2003 from the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ and has over 15 years experience in engineering leadership as both an executive and entrepreneur. With experience building high-performing engineering, IT, and product teams in companies spanning media (CBS Interactive Kobo Books - acq. Rakuten 315M), e-commerce (Indochino - 50M+ raised) and, currently, healthtech (Carrot Inc - 45M+ raised) from the ground up.

Dennis enjoys leading the areas of a business where product and technology combine to create an experience that delights the end user.

Mike DiBernardo (BMath '05) Engineering Leader; former VP of Engineering, Wave

Mike is a University of ��ݮ��Ƶ Computer Science Bioinformatics grad from 2005 and obtained a Masters in Computer Science at UBC. He started his career at Google Research and joined numerous successful startups in their infancy, and was integral to growing the teams to successful exits like Platespin to Novel, and, most recently, Wave Accounting to HR Block for over $530 million.

Mike is passionate about developing people and is a well-known developer and community leader.

Uzair Khan (BSE '07) Software Development Manager, Last Mile/Amazon; VP Engineering, Connected Labs

Uzair is a Software Development Manager in the Last Mile organization with Amazon. He leads a mobile development team that works on features for the Amazon Flex app on iOS and Android, which is used by Amazon delivery drivers across the world.

He has over 15 years of software development experience and over 10 years in mobile development working on products for the likes of Facebook, Ford, Bose, CNN, Starz, Rogers, OpenText as well as many others. Uzair also ran his own app development consultancy called AppFlex working on mobile apps for clients on a part-time basis.

From this experience leading his own part-time firm, in 2015, Uzair decided to move into Engineering Management full time and has been managing a wide range of development teams since. One of his biggest achievements is growing and leading the Engineering team at Connected from a 20 person team to a 120 person team in 3 years. Through his experiences, Uzair hopes to share what he has learned since being a manager and to discuss what it takes to be a great manager.