If you are an instructor in any of Canada’s post-secondary institutions, you have most likely already experienced the significant disruption that the COVID19 pandemic has caused. As I’ve written in previous posts, we are in uncertain and unprecedented times and the anxiety this is causing is very real. And those anxieties are particularly acute forContinue reading "An Open Letter"

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In the last week, social distancing has become part of our daily lexicon. For some of us, that has meant packing up the essentials from our office and shifting to a work from home reality. How big is this move? Social media has already adopted the #WFH hashtag. The transition to work from home isn’tContinue reading "Our New Normal"

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The last week has been strange to say the least. Much like you, I’m left wondering with how best to cope with a pandemic that has shifted our reality significantly. For me, coping is obsessively monitoring the confirmed COVID-19 cases. As I wrote in another post, knowing the data behind something helps me to betterContinue reading "Statistics In A Time Of Crisis"

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Today is March 14, 2020 – also known as Pi-Day. As I wrote here, Pi-Day is a day to celebrate the mathematical constant . Most importantly, it’s a day to celebrate the people in our lives that share a passion for mathematics, statistics, and science in general – because we should celebrate these people andContinue reading "Happy Pi-Day"

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I am extremely excited to share that MSc Computer Science student, Marshall Asch, has been announced as the recipient of this year’s Erin Angus Graduate Engagement Student Award. Marshall has been working in my lab – first as an undergraduate student and recently as a graduate student – for several years. In the time thatContinue reading "Congratulations Marshall"

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Yesterday I received a very special delivery. His name is Alan, and he’s my Tenure Giraffe. A few questions have probably sprung to mind. What is a Tenure Giraffe? Why am I receiving a Tenure Giraffe now? Why is this Tenure Giraffe named Alan? And where do Tenure Giraffes come from? All great questions. AccordingContinue reading "Alan The Tenure Giraffe"

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The 3rd annual Improve Life Challenge came to a close on Friday eve, roughly 12 hours after the University of Guelph’s Arboretum Centre began filling up with students and community partners. After months of prep and countless meetings, I am so proud of the team that made it all happen, and I can’t thank theContinue reading "Thank You"

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What do you do when innovation is the goal, but the tool purported to achieve this goal – the hackathon – seems to be more successful at creating solutions in search of a problem? As described in a previous post, hackathons have traditionally been the domain of computer science and software engineering students. Unfortunately, thisContinue reading "The Evolution Of The Hackathon – Part II"

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Are you ready Guelph? Because Pint Of Science Guelph is back with more dates, more speakers, and more science! This year, five different venues will host Pint Of Science Guelph (between May 10th and May 14th). And just like last year, we have a lot in store! Trivia, prizes, awesome talks, and several other thingsContinue reading "Announcing The Pint Of Science Guelph Speaker Lineup"

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In their early days, hackathons and design jams were touted as the place for innovation. How could they not be? Pile together a bunch of computer scientists and software engineers, add coffee and snacks, and presto change-o, you’ve got a shiny new solution to any number of life’s biggest challenges. Because solutions and innovation areContinue reading "The Evolution Of The Hackathon – Part I"

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