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Ming Li receives 2024 IEEE Computer Society W. Wallace McDowell Award

This is an excerpt of an article originally published on Waterloo News.

University Professor Ming Li is the 2024 recipient of theIEEE Computer Society W. Wallace McDowell Award, a prestigious honour conferred for his pioneering and enduring contributions to modern information theory and bioinformatics.

Named after W. Wallace McDowell, director of engineering at IBM during the development of the landmark IBM 701 computer, the award has been conferred annually since 1966 by the IEEE Computer Society for outstanding theoretical, design, educational, practical, or other innovative contributions.

Congratulations to Ming on receiving the 2024 Wallace McDowell Award, said Raouf Boutaba, Professor and Director of the Cheriton School of Computer Science. This recognition is richly deserved. Ming has not only been a pioneer in Kolmogorov complexity and in doing so has laid the foundation for a modern information theory, but he is also an innovator in computational biology by applying machine learning to develop personalized immunotherapies to treat cancer and infectious diseases.

University Professor Li completed his PhD at Cornell University in 1985, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard. In 1989 he joined the University of Waterloo as an Associate Professor in what was then the Department of Computer Science, and was promoted to Full Professor in 1994. He was named the Canada Research Chair in Bioinformatics, a prestigious position he has held continuously since 2002. In 2009 he was named a University Professor, a title conferred to University of Waterloo faculty to recognize exceptional scholarly achievement and international pre-eminence.

Read the full article on the School of Computer Science website.

A message from the Faculty of Mathematics.

It is always a difficult balance to strike, said Mark Giesbrecht, dean of the Faculty of Mathematics, between reflecting what we believe, and defining actional things we can go forward with and actually apply in our everyday life.

Giesbrecht was welcoming participants to the January 31 launch of theEquity and Inclusive Communities Principles, a new set of eleven principles developed over the last two years for the Faculty of Mathematics by a committee of eighteen faculty, staff, and students, including members from theOffice of Indigenous Relationsand the Centre for Teaching ExcellencesIndigenous Knowledges and Anti-Racist Pedagogies Unit. This work was alsosupported byWaterloosEquity, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-Racismoffice.

The principles were particularly designed to be accessible to people regardless of where they were on their journey, explains Jeremy Steffler, the Faculty of Mathematics Equity Officer and leader of the project.

One of the great understandings gained through this process was an appreciation of the sense of connection and the degree of reciprocity the Faculty of Mathematics has with many communities, Steffler says. While the Principles are intended to guide our efforts toward greater equity and inclusion, the Faculty is part of a university and other external communities, and many diverse communities exist within the Faculty. Choosing to acknowledge communities right in the name helps frame our intentions to be thinking in a more holistic way.

Read the full article on the Faculty of Mathematics website.

What is happening?We will be testing the Universitys campus-wide emergency communication system.

When is this happening?Wednesday, February 7 at 1:30 p.m.

What is the impact?Emergency communication channels being tested include:

Messaging:The message displayed will readTEST of the UW Emergency Notification System. During an actual emergency or threat you would receive instructions. No action is required.More information regarding the emergency would be available atalert.uwaterloo.ca.

Approximately 15 minutes after the test activation message is sent, a deactivation message will display,The test of the UW Emergency Notification System is complete.

In the event of a real emergency during this test, please contact Police Services at 519-888-4911, or ext. 22222.

Be sure to install the WatSAFE app on your device and WatSAFE Desktop Notification tool on your desktop/laptop to receive this test message, and more importantly, to stay informed of campus emergency situations. Visit theWatSAFE websitefor more details.

Questions or concerns?Please contact the IST Service Desk via theIST Help Portal.

A message from the Secretariat.

The University of Waterloo Senate is comprised of faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, governors, and administrative staff who are both elected and ex-officio members. This governing body of the institution is the highest authority on academic matters and meets regularly to discuss topics such as academic programs, educational policies, appointments, and other academic priorities.

At the January 29, 2024 meeting, the following items were approved:

Additionally, Senate received updates for information:

Visit the Senate website to find the meeting agenda and related materials for all recent Senate meetings, as well as dates for upcoming meetings. The Secretariat will make Zoom links available to those wishing to attend meetings virtually.

If you have any questions, please contact the Secretariat at senate@uwaterloo.ca.

The 5thannual "Mirrorless Monday" campaign is happening in washrooms across the University campus today.MirrorlessMonday is a movement to encourage body acceptance through various messages on mirrors and a campaign thatseeks to remind everyone that their self-worth is not tied to a reflection in a mirror.

During the one-day campaign,select washroom mirrorsacross campus will be partly coveredwith supportive messages and resources including Campus Wellness, Counselling Services, MATES, Good2Talk, and NEDIC. The messages will be placed on the mirrors at the beginning of the day and removed by 10:00 a.m. the following day.The Mirrorless Monday messages will be shared on the@uwaterloolife Instagram account.

It's election season for the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA), as candidates vie for Board of Director and executive positions.Candidate Booth Dayswill betaking place today in the SLC Marketplace and will run on February 7 and 8 in the SLC Marketplace from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The election will be held from February 12 to 14.

Read more:

Monday, February 5, 2024 | Daily Bulletin - The Iron Warrior