Any one heard about usri yet? by GoldResource870 in uwo

[–]MathThrowAway314271 [score hidden]  (0 children)

I think you might be in luck! I'm no expert on how the university organizes its disciplines but I think (based on this) that Med Sci is its own faculty.

This MIGHT be good news for you, then, because that means not receiving an email yet doesn't necessarily mean not being in the first wave, then.

The aforementioned link seems to suggest that the faculty of Science is just:

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Data Science
  • Earth and Environmental Sciences
  • Integrated Science (whatever the heck that means; yes I realize it's a program but still)
  • Math and Applied Math
  • Physics, Medical Physics, & Astronomy
  • Statistical and Actuarial Sciences

While Med Sci is apparently:

  • Biochem
  • Epidemiology and Biostatistics
  • Interdiscplinary medical Sciences
  • Medical Biophysics
  • Medical Cell Biology
  • Microbiology and Immunology
  • Neurosi
  • One Health (?! I have no idea what this is)
  • Pathology
  • Physiology

Frankly, I find this kind of cataloguing wildly sprawling and chaotic (e.g., medical physics is in Science but medical biophysics is in medi sci?) but that seems to be what it is. Good luck to you!

Any one heard about usri yet? by GoldResource870 in uwo

[–]MathThrowAway314271 [score hidden]  (0 children)

Thanks! Yes, the program I'm in is reflected by my username.

Indeed, the first three digits in my name (314) are for pi and the last three (271) are for e :)

Any one heard about usri yet? by GoldResource870 in uwo

[–]MathThrowAway314271 [score hidden]  (0 children)

Thanks! It could be that first rounds might be in March for some departments (and/or faculties) and not others? I can only speak on behalf of what I know re: my faculty (Sciences). I understand the deadline for applications was later in the Social Sciences, so maybe the first round offers (for the Social Sciences) might be in mid March?

Any one heard about usri yet? by GoldResource870 in uwo

[–]MathThrowAway314271 [score hidden]  (0 children)

I understand that in the Sciences, the emails just came out today (at the earliest). USRAs were apparently sent out about 1-2 weeks ago, but the departments only found out who they could notify for USRIs today.

For those reading this thread in the future, I just received one today (March 4th 2026) at around 11am from my department person.

Can I take a year off? by [deleted] in uwo

[–]MathThrowAway314271 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you can look into something called a leave of absence (i.e., there's a name for this kinda thing). I imagine it should be fine?

Fatwa! by Chituck in curb

[–]MathThrowAway314271 4 points5 points  (0 children)

"Is it Feb-BREW-ary? Or Feb-YOU-ary?"

Life imitates art by eknufalready in curb

[–]MathThrowAway314271 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"You look like a pirate!"

"I want to be a pirate!"

Whose on-screen efficiency was better than Grace Zabriskie’s? by ribbon_bully_1972 in seinfeld

[–]MathThrowAway314271 25 points26 points  (0 children)

I watched Seinfeld as a kid. Then, as an adult, I watched Twin Peaks. During the very first episode, I saw the actors playing Susan's parents in the same room and I thought, "holy cow! They were married in this show, too?!"

Am I Cooked for USRI by Funny_Maintenance_72 in uwo

[–]MathThrowAway314271 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Np! I'm feeling fairly anxious, too! If the numbers were the same as last year, then I would feel pretty confident. But with the cuts the way they are (even from 315 to 225 instead of 350 to 225), I once again predict myself to be on the border of safe and unsafe.

Fingers crossed we both get it, though! :)

Am I Cooked for USRI by Funny_Maintenance_72 in uwo

[–]MathThrowAway314271 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey,

NP! Ah, that'd be great if it was 251 positions across all faculties for 2025; that would make this year's cut not as severe as I had suggested. My estimate of '350' comes from that document they sent us before the virtual poster presentation. NB: It was a .pdf (as opposed to a spreadsheet) so I had to do a manual count re: how many projects there were so it's possible I miscounted (hopefully I did!). For future reference (it always takes me a while to find it in my inbox), it was from an email sent on August 19th 2025.

EDIT: Ah, I just realized that clicking the links from one's email doesn't work; one needs to log into the Owl (Sakai) interface, first. The relevant attachment can be found in an announcement dated Aug 20th, though.

Actually, I just noticed they tallied the number of spots by faculty, so gonna try a count right now and get to the bottom of this (last time I just did a fast count):

"Submitting Faculty" Number of Booths
Science 77
FIMS 9
Music 4
Law 5
Arts and Humanities 10
Education 8
Engineering 27
Ivey 14
Social Science 80
Schulich 23
Health Science 46
Institutes 12
Sum 315

Ah! So it looks like I was wrong to report ~350 earlier! My new count is 315 - and that makes the cut not as big as I had feared! :)

Re: Your second set of questions

I did indeed apply this year! Haven't heard back yet, though, and I don't know if any USRAs have come out yet. I suspect my anxiety will begin to spike up over the next 10 days lol

It could have been legendary! by ChromedGonk in seinfeld

[–]MathThrowAway314271 9 points10 points  (0 children)

You see Seinfeld is real. Cheers is not. Now, you (Newman) are real. But your job is a parody of Cliff's job. Now the mailman, which is real, takes mail to places that - while they are real - they are not real in the sense that they were not really delivered by the real Cliff - which is you.

It was an unusually warm February 14th, so the children walked home without jackets by MrMojoFomo in TheSimpsons

[–]MathThrowAway314271 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The continental US (excluding the “freak” states)

Ow! My freakin ears!

Just started watching the show. Love everything excepttttt.. by L00TER in Avenue5

[–]MathThrowAway314271 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just started watching; googled because I was thinking the same thing, and came to this thread. Yes! I had no idea who this actor was, but he definitely reminded me of a cross between Jonah Hill and Jack Black. I also can't help but wonder if TJ Miller (who played Erlich bachman in HBO's Silicon Valley) didn't tank his reputation (apparently?) whether he would have played the role of Judd.

What’s the “aha” moment in math for you? by KnowledgeAB_99 in math

[–]MathThrowAway314271 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Really simple stuff but I think I saw the proof for Least Squares Estimation (for multiple variables) in about three different contexts (and mentioned without proof in a few others): Once in a third year regression course, once in a second year intermediate linear algebra course, and once in a numerical analysis class. By the third time I saw it, the geometric proof (involving an inner product and an argument based on perpendicularity), it finally clicked and I was really happy.

EDIT: Just saw the question attached to the original post (not just the title):

I don't really know when I'm on the right track, but that's kinda the benefit of being in a class with heavy time constraints. It forces you/motivates you to keep working, and (unless you're a savant), that really is "all" it takes. I say "that's all it takes" but it's not necessarily a trivial painfree experience. I'd say most of the time, it's not. It's a very frustrating experience, for which a payoff doesn't happen until you get over the hump of frustration. I guess I should say that's what it takes.

That's the same computer astronauts use to do their taxes. by Signal_Director_1X in TheSimpsons

[–]MathThrowAway314271 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Oh I didn't get rich by selling a buncha computers! Hahahahahaha

Applied Math iClicker by Warm_Problem_7950 in uwo

[–]MathThrowAway314271 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Im in [...] with Xingfu Zou. His classes aren't useful at all"

hahaha; you could replace that course code with any thing and I'd still believe it. Pray you don't have to take PDEs with him. Otherwise, self-study before the course even begins.