U of G News

Metagenomics-Based Ecosystem Biomonitoring (Ecobiomics)
2020-01-31 11:30 - 12:30 (America/Toronto) | Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Ontario, Canada
Teresita Porter, research scientist with the Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada and a visiting research scientist with U of G’s Centre for Biodiversity Genomics will discuss water and soil biodiversity and how they are essential to sustaining diverse ecosystem services and economic activities across Canada.
Porter’s research background is in ecology and evolution, mycology and bioinformatics. Her current work focuses on using genomics methods to monitor water quality, soil health and sustainability from environmental DNA. Porter has a special interest in how methodological bias affects the analysis of biodiversity and biomonitoring data.
Find more info on this talk and the CBG Seminar Series.
Metagenomics-Based Ecosystem Biomonitoring (Ecobiomics)
Water and soil biodiversity are essential to sustain diverse ecosystem services and economic activities across Canada. Genomics tools are ideal for characterizing complex biodiversity. Teresita Porter will introduce the Government of Canada’s Genomics Research and Development Initiative, focusing on one of their large interdepartmental projects, the Metagenomics-Based Ecosystem Biomonitoring (Ecobiomics) project. Porter will discuss the goals and organization of this five-year project. She will review some of the key areas where they have been able to standardize methods during field sampling, lab processing, sequencing and bioinformatic analysis. Porter’s area of expertise is in the bioinformatic handling and analysis of metabarcoding datasets, so she will take a shallow dive into the structure of their bioinformatic approach. Porter will discuss how they established a bulk soil sampling methodology that targets arthropods from bulk soil. She will also briefly introduce two ongoing projects that focus on using bulk soil metabarcoding to assess the sustainability of timber harvest.

Canada's Crisis with Huawei: Extradition, spy threats, the 5G future and our relations with China
2020-01-31 12:30 - 13:30 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
The Political Science Speaker Series presents: Canada’s Crisis with Huawei – Extradition, spy threats, the 5G future and our relations with China
Join us for a talk about modern-day espionage and cyber security with Prof. Wesley Wark, Centre for International Policy Studies, University of Ottawa – one of Canada’s leading experts on national security, intelligence and terrorism.

Better Sleep Program
2020-01-31 12:30 - 13:30 | University Centre, 150 Research Ln, Guelph, Ontario, N1G2W1, Canada
Learn how to decrease insomnia, fall asleep (or back to sleep) more easily, and get more energy from sleep using proven, drug-free strategies.
This skills program meets weekly on Fridays, from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m., for five sessions. There are no sessions during Reading Week.
An online program is also available.
Registration:

$20 for U of G students
50 for members of USW Local 4120
$100 for all others

Brain Food Workshop: Paraphrasing and Summarizing
2020-01-31 13:00 - 16:00 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
In this workshop session, we provide foundational skills and strategies to help you paraphrase and summarize more effectively when writing the introduction, literature review and discussion sections.
Topics covered will include:

Avoiding plagiarism
Paraphrasing
Summarizing

Register on the library’s website.

Data Skills Workshop: Data Analysis - SPSS Part 1
2020-02-03 10:00 - 12:00 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
SPSS is a statistical software package, mainly used in the Social Sciences. It features a point-and-click interface that makes it easy for the user to learn. The purpose of this workshop is to introduce students to the software as well as its different functions and commands. Topics such as data entry, manipulation and description will be covered as well as the basics of statistical analysis and interpretation using SPSS. This is a great opportunity for students to learn how to analyze their own data, which is becoming an extremely valuable skill in research, academia and the workplace. Please note the contents of this workshop are split between Part 1 (Feb. 3) and Part 2 (Feb. 4).
This is an introductory workshop intended for students with minimal to no knowledge of SPSS. Basic knowledge and understanding of statistics would be a great asset
Please bring a laptop for your own use during the workshop with SPSS installed on it. The latest version of SPSS can be downloaded for free from the CCS Software Distribution website.
Please note: All software installation must be done before the workshop. Please follow any account creation or software installation instructions. Out of courtesy to the class, we will not be able to troubleshoot software set-up during class time. For help, contact the IT Help Desk.
Register on the library’s website.

Black History Month: Opening Ceremony with Zaki Ibrahim
2020-02-03 12:00 - 13:00 | Ontario, Canada
Celebrate the start of 2020 Black History Month! The month’s opening ceremony includes remarks from the Guelph Black Students Association and Caribbean Culture Club followed by a performance by Zaki Ibrahim.
Described as “a retro-Afrofuturist vision sending listeners on a journey through 40 years of electronic music,” Ibrahim’s music brings elements of spoken word, hip hop, soul, house and 70s pop together, filtered through the prismatic and often contradictory lenses of personal, historical and scientific relativities. Even the concept of diaspora seems to fall short of capturing the vivid vibrational multitudes of Ibrahim’s scope.

Data Visualization Workshop - Python
2020-02-03 13:00 - 15:00 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
In this workshop, you will learn how to produce scatter plots, boxplots and time series plots using Matplotlib. Also, you will learn the tools and knowledge to create any figure/graphic to describe your data and customize your graphics with titles, legends, colors, etc.
Please bring a laptop with your own use during the workshop.
The laptop will need to have the following software installed:

Anaconda – Python 3.7 version
PyCharm – Community Edition

Please note: All software installation must be done before the workshop. Please follow any account creation or software installation instructions. Out of courtesy to the class, we will not be able to troubleshoot software set-up during class time. For help, contact the IT Help Desk.
Register on the library’s website.

Tell a Story with Digital Media Workshop
2020-02-03 17:00 - 19:00 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Digital storytelling can be used for explaining concepts, reflecting on an idea, retelling an event or making an argument. You will have the opportunity to try both the planning and technical aspects of digital storytelling.
After this workshop, you’ll be able to:

Describe what digital storytelling is
Recognize how to write a script using best practices
Apply best practices for creating digital stories
Use WeVideo to create a digital story with audio
Apply AODA standards to video creation

Participants should bring their own devices and headphones to this workshop.
Register on the library’s website.

Data Analysis Workshop - SPSS Part 2
2020-02-04 10:00 - 12:00 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
SPSS is a statistical software package, mainly used in the social sciences. It features a point and click interface which makes it easy for the user to learn. The purpose of this workshop is to introduce students to the software as well as its different functions and commands. Topics such as data entry, manipulation and description will be covered as well as the basics of statistical analysis and interpretation using SPSS. This is a great opportunity for students to learn how to analyze their own data, which is becoming an extremely valuable skill in research, academia and the workplace. Please note that the contents of this workshop will be split into Part 1 (Feb. 3) and Part 2 (Feb. 4).

Audience: This is an introductory workshop intended to students with minimal to no knowledge of SPSS. Basic knowledge and understanding of statistics would be a great asset
Please bring a laptop for your own use during the workshop with SPSS installed on it. The latest version of SPSS can be downloaded for free from the CCS Software Distribution website.
Please note: All software installation must be done before the workshop. Out of courtesy to the class we will not be able to troubleshoot software setup during class time. If you have any issues, please contact the IT Help Desk.
Register online.

Black History Month: Barrington Walker -The Role of the Church in Shaping 'Modern’ Black Canada
2020-02-04 19:00 - 20:30 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
As part of Black History Month 2020, this talk by Barrington Walker will consider the history of the church in Black Canada and its role in affirming community bonds and forging Black freedom from early emancipation until the emergence of a “secular” civil rights movement.
Through a case studies approach, and by drawing upon published scholarship and community histories, Walker will highlight stories of the Black Church from the 18th to the 20th century. Walker will explore how the church has anchored Black Canadians in the context of a settler racial colonial state and created new identities and cultures in a place where full freedom and citizenship have been and continue to be elusive. This talk suggests that careful consideration of the Black Church alerts us to the possibilities and the limits of Black belonging in Canada.
See more Black History Month events supported by U of G.
Presented in collaboration with the University of Guelph’s Cultural Diversity Office.

Data Skills Workshop: Data Analysis - Reproducible Research in R
2020-02-05 09:00 - 12:00 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
In this workshop, you will learn how to recognize the issues that reproducible research helps address. Then you will learn the important roles of documentation, sharing, automation and organization in making research reproducible. You will be introduced to the tools (R/RMarkdown/Git and GitHub) that can be used to make your research reproducible.
Please note: All software installation must be done before the workshop. Please follow any account creation or software installation instructions. Out of courtesy to the class, we will not be able to troubleshoot software set-up during class time. For help, contact the IT Help Desk.
Register on the library’s website.

2020 Rural Symposium
2020-02-05 09:00 - 16:00 | 1 Stone Rd.
The Rural Symposium is an annual opportunity for University of Guelph graduate students to showcase their rural research to policy makers, policy analysts and program staff from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). The event facilitates knowledge mobilization and network building between graduate students at the University of Guelph, researchers, OMAFRA, and rural organizations. All are welcome to attend .
The 2020 Rural Symposium takes place February 5, 2020 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Conference Centre at 1 Stone Road in Guelph. Find registration and program details online.

P4E Job Fair 2020
2020-02-05 10:00 - 15:30 | Ontario, Canada
Students from all disciplines and across all semester levels are welcome to network with over 200 employers from diverse sectors at the P4E (Partners4Employment) Job Fair.
You don’t want to miss this job fair…it’s the largest of its kind in the country!
Free admission with student or alumni ID from sponsoring schools. Free shuttle buses to and from RIM Park, leaving from the front of the UC every 30 minutes (bus schedule). Free professional digital head shot photos.
Bring your student card.
Visit the 2020 P4E Job Fair website for a list of ways to prepare for the fair and to see a list of registered organizations. Find out more about each company and the types of opportunities they are hiring for.

Black History Month: RISE Spoken Word
2020-02-05 12:00 - 13:00 | Ontario, Canada
During Black History Month, join us for a special performance by Reaching Intelligent Souls Everywhere (RISE) – the youth-led community movement composed of artists, activists and revolutionaries. Together they create a safe and welcoming platform for self-expression and healing through the performance arts.
See more Black History Month events supported by U of G.
Presented in collaboration with the University of Guelph’s Cultural Diversity Office.

Faculty: IT Strategy Workshop - Help Us Help You!
2020-02-05 14:00 - 16:00 | University Centre – Peter Clark Hall
Are you a faculty member or researcher at U of G? Do you have ideas to improve teaching, learning orresearch through IT? The IT strategy team wants to hear from you! Sessions are Feb. 5 and 13. Contact ITstrategy@uoguelph.ca for more information.

Data Skills Workshop: Data Visualization - R using ggplot2
2020-02-06 10:00 - 12:00 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
In this workshop, you will learn how to produce scatter plots, boxplots and time series plots using ggplot2. Also, you will learn the tools and knowledge to create any figure/graphic to describe your data and customize your graphics with titles, legends, colors, etc.
This workshop is aimed at individuals who conduct statistical analysis. Advanced knowledge of R is not needed, but some familiarity with R is needed.
Please bring a laptop for your own use during the workshop. The laptop will need to have R and RStudio installed.
Please note: All software installation must be done before the workshop. Please follow any account creation or software installation instructions. Out of courtesy to the class, we will not be able to troubleshoot software set-up during class time. For help, contact the IT Help Desk.
Register on the library’s website.

Landscape Architecture Guest Lecture: George Dark
2020-02-06 13:00 - 14:00 | Landscape Architecture, 124 Reynolds Walk, Guelph, Ontario, N1G2W1, Canada
George Dark, FCSLA, FASLA, OALA, is the recipient of the Governor General’s Medal in Landscape Architecture and is a Senior Design Partner at Urban Strategies Inc.
George’s talk is titled “Density.” All are welcome to attend.

Data Skills Workshop: Data Visualization - Excel
2020-02-06 13:00 - 15:00 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Excel is a popular tool that provides many powerful features that can assist you in managing your data and help to better understand small and large data sets. While not as robust as other data visualization tools, it can be used for visualizing your data through its charting features. Come learn how to create charts using Pivot tables.
Please bring a laptop for your own use during the workshop with the latest version of Excel installed. Access instructions for downloading the latest version of Excel.
Please note: All software installation must be done before the workshop. Please follow any account creation or software installation instructions. Out of courtesy to the class, we will not be able to troubleshoot software set-up during class time. For help, contact the IT Help Desk.
Register on the library’s website.

Uncharted: Mental Health Awareness Speaking Tour with Daniel Carcillo
2020-02-06 16:00 - 17:00 | Mitchell Gym, Gryphons Athletic Centre, University of Guelph
**FREE ADMISSION** – No registration required
Ducky Brand presents Uncharted: A mental health awareness speaking tour
On Feb. 6, two-time Stanley Cup champion and mental health advocate Daniel Carcillo presents “Uncharted: A Mental Health Awareness Speaking Tour.”
About this Event:
Hear former Chicago Blackhawk Daniel Carcillo tell his story of how mental illness affected his life and his path to becoming a mental health advocate. Carcillo explains how brain injuries that could be sustained during sports activities can create long-term effects on mental health, and how such injuries affected him personally. Learn more about how you can support your own mental well-being and resources available to you.
About Daniel Carcillo:

Played 429 games in the NHL and won two Stanley Cups
Retired after winning the 2015 Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks due to mental health issues in combination with post-concussion syndrome
Since his retirement in 2015, has become a mental health advocate and speaks openly about his struggles, along with how he overcame them
Established his own non-profit organization, the Chapter 5 Foundation, dedicated to helping players who are struggling with post-concussion syndrome, anxiety or depression

The event is run in partnership with Student Wellness and Wellness@Work and is supported by the U of G Mental Health and Well-being Fund. There is no registration required for this event and tickets are FREE.

Brain Food Workshop: Outlining Your Thesis and Explaining Your Research Findings
2020-02-07 09:00 - 12:00 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
In this workshop session, we analyze the common features and structures of the thesis/dissertation and then focus more specifically on the results and discussion sections. If possible, please bring your laptop to this workshop.
Outlining Your Thesis
This session offers a visual mapping strategy that you can use to organize your research and writing, structure your argument logically, manage your evidence, and ultimately create an outline of your entire thesis writing project.
Data Visualization
A picture is worth a thousand words! It is time to explore or explain your research findings through visualizations. This workshop will introduce the data visualization process and examine the strengths and weaknesses of standard chart types.
Writing Results and Discussion
This session introduces strategies that will help you describe your data and communicate the significance of your research findings.
Register on the library’s website.

Data Skills Workshop: Data Analysis - SAS Part 1
2020-02-10 10:00 - 12:00 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Look and feel like a pro with SAS! SAS is a statistical software package that is widely used in many disciplines. In just three hours you will be ready to impress friends and family with this easy to use software.
You will learn how to:

Maneuver in the SAS interface (part 1)
Import data (Part 1)
Clean data (Part 1)
And more!

Please note that for this session, we will be using the SAS University edition, which features an easy to use point and click interface.
This is an introductory workshop intended for students with minimal to no knowledge of SAS. Basic knowledge and understanding of statistics would be a great asset.
Please bring a laptop for your own use during the workshop with SAS University installed on it.
Please note: All software installation must be done before the workshop. Please follow any account creation or software installation instructions. Out of courtesy to the class, we will not be able to troubleshoot software set-up during class time. For help, contact the IT Help Desk.
Register on the library’s website.

Data Skills Workshop: Data Analysis - Python
2020-02-10 13:00 - 15:00 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
In this workshop, you will learn how to run descriptive statistics, perform simple statistical analysis including ANOVA and correlation. This is a great opportunity for students to learn how to analyze their own data, which is becoming an extremely valuable skill in research, academia and the workplace.
Please bring a laptop with your own use during the workshop.
The laptop will need to have the following software installed:

Anaconda – Python 3.7 version
PyCharm – Community Edition

Please note: All software installation must be done before the workshop. Please follow any account creation or software installation instructions. Out of courtesy to the class, we will not be able to troubleshoot software set-up during class time. For help, contact the IT Help Desk.
Register on the library’s website.

The Beginner's Guide to Animated Videos Workshop
2020-02-10 17:00 - 19:00 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Animated videos are a great way to engage your audience, share information and make information more “digestible.” This session will provide instruction on free animation software called PowToon that is quick and easy to use. Learn tips and tools to plan and storyboard your video, write your script and make your video accessible.
After this workshop, you’ll be able to:

List tips and tools for planning and storyboarding your video
Recognize how to write a script using best practices
Apply best practices for creating videos
Use PowToon to create a video with audio
Apply AODA standards to video creation

Participants should bring a device and headphones to this workshop.
Register on the library’s website.

Introduction to Citation Management Workshop
2020-02-11 10:00 - 11:30 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
This presentation will walk you through the benefits of citation management and explain how you can use citation managers to keep track of your research and speed up the citation process. Participants are required to bring a laptop to the session. We will focus on using Zotero and Mendeley and recommend you come with them pre-installed. However, if you already use a different citation manager the content we work through will still be relevant.
Register on the library’s website.

Data Skills Workshop: Data Analysis - SAS Part 2
2020-02-11 13:00 - 15:00 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Look and feel like a pro with SAS! SAS is a statistical software package that is widely used in many disciplines. In just three hours you will be ready to impress friends and family with this easy to use software.
You will learn how to generate descriptive, exploratory and simple inferential statistics.
Please note that for this session, we will be using the SAS University edition which features an easy to use point and click interface.
This is an introductory workshop intended for students with minimal- to no knowledge of SAS. Basic knowledge and understanding of statistics would be a great asset.
Please bring a laptop for your own use during the workshop with SAS University installed on it.
Please note: All software installation must be done before the workshop. Please follow any account creation or software installation instructions. Out of courtesy to the class, we will not be able to troubleshoot software set-up during class time. For help, contact the IT Help Desk.
Register on the library’s website.

Data Skills Workshop: Data Analysis - Qualitative analysis using NVivo
2020-02-12 10:00 - 12:00 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
NVivo is a qualitative data analysis (QDA) computer software package designed to help you manage and analyze qualitative data. In this workshop, we will work on bringing your sources in, creating nodes, coding and running queries.
Please bring a laptop for your own use during the workshop with the latest version of NVIVO installed.
Please note: All software installation must be done before the workshop. Please follow any account creation or software installation instructions. Out of courtesy to the class, we will not be able to troubleshoot software set-up during class time. For help, contact the IT Help Desk.
Register on the library’s website.

Black History Month: Noon Hour Concert - Lydia Persaud
2020-02-12 12:00 - 13:00 | Ontario, Canada
During Black History Month, enjoy a noon hour concert featuring Lydia Persaud.
A fixture of Toronto’s music community and a sought-after collaborator, Lydia Persaud stands alone with her debut album Let Me Show You, released on Next Door Records.
A seasoned musician and member of renowned Toronto bands Dwayne Gretzky and The O’Pears, Lydia’s work blends her command of the folk genre with jazz techniques honed in Humber College’s rigorous jazz program. Her music melds genres while Lydia’s clear message shines through with the power of her unforgettable voice.
See more Black History Month events supported by U of G.
Presented in collaboration with the University of Guelph’s Cultural Diversity Office.

Skills for Research Impact: Social Media Engagement
2020-02-12 14:00 - 16:00 | University Centre, 150 Research Ln, Guelph, Ontario, N1G2W1, Canada
Learn all about the web 2.0! Discover how to choose social media platforms that are appropriate for your goals and audiences, and get tips on creating engaging posts.

Black History Month: Artist Talk with Sandra Brewster
2020-02-12 19:00 - 20:30 | Art Gallery of Guelph, 358 Gordon Street, Guelph, Canada
During Black History Month, join us as Sandra Brewster conducts a walkthrough of her exhibit Token | Contemporary Ongoing, touching on themes of migration, representation and diaspora that emerge both in her Art Gallery of Guelph exhibit and her overall practice.
See more Black History Month events supported by U of G.

Data Skills Workshop: Data Analysis and Visualization - Intro to GIS Part 1
2020-02-13 10:00 - 12:00 | McLaughlin Library, 480 Gordon Street, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
ArcGIS is a Geographic Information System (GIS) – a software program for working with maps and geographic data. A GIS allows you to work with any data that you know a location for (e.g., addresses, latitude/longitude, census locations, name of a place, etc.). ArcGIS is available on all library computers, also by download to the University community. Although similar in some ways to online mapping sites, ArcGIS has greater analytical capabilities and allows you more input and control over your map. We’ll learn some GIS fundamentals and how to get started using ArcGIS.
In this workshop, we will learn how to navigate ArcMap, kinds of GIS data, how to add data to a map, basic symbology and labeling, how to filter data, and how to calculate new data and map it.
Register on the library’s website.
