![[University of Waterloo]](/multibar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Thursday, September 22, 2005
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Versatile, Unstoppable, Mathie]](/images/2005/0922diversity.jpg)
Sponsored by the Federation of Students and UW's student life office, the campaign -- first mentioned publicly last winter -- is intended "to promote a campus environment where differences are openly explored, celebrated and understood".
The "One Waterloo" campaign will have the themes "Different Perspectives -- Distinct Talents -- Infinite Possibilities" and "Creating Unity -- Celebrating Diversity". Black wristbands with the "One Waterloo" slogan will be available as a constant reminder.
"Our concept for the campaign is to tie unity and pride in the university with variety and diversity of individuals in the university," said the Rick Theis of the Feds staff, who's heading the campaign.
So the "27,733" that was the theme of some of the early posters isn't just "EELLZ" upside down -- it represents all the individual students, staff and faculty members on campus.
Discussions by a committee earlier this year, which led to the campaign that is just starting, found that students believe it's about time they started celebrating their diversity, Theis said. After the launch and over the next year, the campaign will collaborate with various groups to promote awareness, acceptance and understanding of the various identifiable groups in the university as well as the uniqueness of each individual, Theis said.
Tuesday's campaign launch comes with music: concerts at the Student Life Centre great hall featuring K'naan at 1 p.m.; Jully Black at 10:30 p.m.; and Bedouin Soundclash, 11:30 p.m. Admission is free for students, staff, faculty and alumni.
Then, on Thursday of next week, there will be guest lecturer K-OS (spoken word/questions and answers) from 8 to 9:30 p.m. at the Humanities Theatre. Finally, on September 30, comedian Shaun Majumder will leave them laughing from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Humanities Theatre. For both the events in Humanities, tickets are $12 for UW people and $15 for guests, at the Humanities box office.
Brief campaign statements are available online for the nine candidates who are now contesting that position: Christine Henderson (procurement and contract services), Jeff Lederer (architecture), Bill Pudifin (dean of engineering office), Darlene Ryan (international student office), Joe Szalai (library user services), Jason Testart (computer science), Karen Trevors (dean of science office), Mark Walker (registrar's office), and Kathy Wilson (mathematics development office).
Ballots will be mailed to unionized staff members, but non-union staff will vote online. The election runs through October 7.
Optometry. Rajaraman Suryakumar, "Study of the Dynamic Interactions Between Vergence and Accommodation." Supervisors, W. R. Bobier and E. L. Irving. Successfully defended Friday, September 9.
Physics. Artem Starodubtsev, "Topological Methods in Quantum Gravity." Supervisors, L. Smolin and R. Mann. On display in the faculty of science, ESC 254A. oral defence Tuesday, September 27, 10 a.m., Physics room 352.
Psychology. Julianne Scott, "Does Infants' Sensitivity to Object Width, in the Context of Containment Events, Generalize from Simple to More Complexly Shaped Objects?" Supervisor, Daniela O'Neill. On display in the faculty of arts, HH 317. Oral defence Friday, September 30, 1:30 p.m., PAS (Psychology) room 3026.
Chemistry. Mingzhen Zhang, "Characterization of Ethylene-Propylene Copolymers by Fluorescence." Supervisor, J. Duhamel. On display in the faculty of science, ESC 254A. Oral defence Tuesday, October 11, 8:30 a.m., Chemistry II room 361.
Computer science. Tomáš Vinař, "Enhancements to Hidden Markov Models for Gene Finding and Other Biological Applications." Supervisors, M. Li and Daniel G. Brown. On display in the faculty of mathematics, MC 5090. Oral defence Wednesday, October 12, 4 p.m., Davis Centre room 1304.
Chemistry. Heather Lynn Lord, "Development of Solid Phase Microextraction Devices for In Vivo Analysis." Supervisor, J. Pawliszyn. On display in the faculty of science, ESC 254A. Oral defence Friday, October 14, 9:30 a.m., Chemistry II room 361.
Computer science. Bronislava Brejová, "Evidence Combination in Hidden Markov Models for Gene Prediction." Supervisors, D. G. Brown and M. Li. On display in the faculty of mathematics, MC 5090. Oral defence Friday, October 21, 11:15 a.m., Davis Centre room 1304.
| WHEN AND WHERE |
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Mathematics Society Clubs Day 10 to 2, "comfy lounge",
third floor, Math and Computer.
Career workshops: "Law School Bound" 1:30, "Teaching English Abroad" 3:30, Tatham Centre room 2218, details online. Alternative Fuels Team media event and simulator demonstration, 2:00, Davis Centre room 301. Statistics lecture: Jane Gentleman, National Center for Health Statistics, "The Joint Canada/United States Survey of Health", 3:30, Math and Computer room 5158. Mathematics lecture: Bill Pulleyblank, IBM Center for Business Optimization, "BlueGene, Cyberscience and Business Optimization", 4:00, Math and Computer room 2065. Architecture exhibition: "The Phillip Street Generation", opening reception 6:00, Design at Riverside gallery, Architecture building; exhibition continues to November 6. Information systems and technology professional development seminar: "Intrusion Detection", Friday 8:45, IST seminar room. Centre for Family Business, Conrad Grebel University College, offers a "Family Business Check-up" Friday (breakfast and seminar), Grey Silo Golf Course, details online. St. Jerome's Feast for Catholic University Education honouring the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Friday 6:30, St. Jerome's Community Centre, tickets $85 from St. Jerome's development office. Centre for International Governance Innovation presents John McArthur, Columbia University, "Ending Poverty: What Canada Can Do", Friday 7 p.m., 57 Erb Street West, reservations e-mail rsvp@cigionline.org. Warrior Weekend Friday and Saturday with special evening activities -- craft corner, UW jugglers, house-of-cards competition. Movies: "Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Batman Returns" Friday, "Gattaca" Saturday. More information online. Programming contest on the ACM model, Saturday. Members of UW's team in the international ACM contest this year will be chosen from participant results. Details online. Sundance Pow Wow "Honouring Our Future Leaders", drummers, singers and dancers, food, crafts, Saturday noon to 5:00, St. Paul's College, admission $5, under 10 and over 60 free. Critical Mass, Catholic rock band, Saturday 7:30, Humanities Theatre, $12 in advance ($8 students, $6 children) at the Humanities box office. Ziva Kunda Memorial Lecture, department of psychology: Richard E. Nisbett, University of Michigan, "The Geography of Thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently and Why," Monday 4 p.m., MacKirdy Hall, St. Paul's College. |
![[Bird]](http://www.graphics.uwaterloo.ca/photo/archivesimages/20031016.jpg)
Ranjana Bird (right), the dean of graduate studies, is in India this
week, taking part in the Technology
Summit and Technology Platform event, which this
year focuses on developing linkages between India and Canada. The
event is being held in New Delhi, the capital, with a site visit
to Bangalore, home of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced
Scientific Research and other institutions. International trade
minister Jim Peterson heads the Canadian delegation, which also
includes provincial, industry and institutional representatives.
While in India, the graduate dean will also be
participating in Canadian Education Fairs in Chandigarh,
New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai from September 25 to October 4 to
recruit outstanding graduate and undergraduate students and to
continue building awareness
of UW and its programs.
A "fair" to show off international programs for students is being held today, from 11 to 3, in the Student Life Centre -- hosted by the International Programs Office in association with the Work Study Abroad Network (WSANet) in Ontario. The Fair provides a forum for international development agencies, educational institutions and non-governmental organizations to provide information for students in international study abroad, or teaching and volunteer opportunities. Drew Knight of the international programs office says 25 to 30 organizations are taking part, from the Japanese consulate to the Australian North American Centre, Frontier College, and the Mennonite Central Committee. Some representatives of UW's own student exchange programs will also be there.
The bicycle auction scheduled for today, a once-a-term event organized by the Bike Centre, has been postponed to next week -- something about double-booking in the Student Life Centre courtyard, where the auction was to take place. It's now scheduled for Wednesday, September 28, with preview at noon and actual buying starting at 12:30.
The 2005 Faculty of Mathematics Banquet is being held tonight in the Festival Room, South Campus Hall. "This is an opportunity," alumni officer Pat Cunningham writes from math, "to welcome our 19 new faculty members, to honour three recently retired faculty, and celebrate the accomplishments of four alumni who will receive Faculty of Mathematics Alumni Achievement Medals. The retired faculty members are Dan Younger (combinatorics and optimization) and Alan George and Bruce Simpson (both from computer science)." Two of the medal winners are also former UW faculty members: Jane Gentleman (now of the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland) and William Pulleyblank (now a vice-president of IBM Consulting Services). A third winner will also be on hand tonight: Carsten Thomassen, of the Technical University of Denmark. The fourth medal winner is Frank Yam, chief executive for the Focus Strategic Group Inc. in Hong Kong, who will be given his medal at an alumni gathering in Hong Kong in early October.
UW's school of architecture has a booth at the IIDEX/NeoCon design and furnishings trade show today and tomorrow at Exhibition Place in Toronto. . . . About 20 faculty members of the school of optometry are taking part in a one-day "teaching spa" workshop today, organized by UW's teaching resource office. . . . "Waterloo, Ontario's greatest superheroes" figure in an independent comic book, The Amazing Challengers of Unknown Mystery, being launched tonight at the Rancho Relaxo store on College Street in Toronto. . . .
Finally . . . Adel Sedra, the dean of engineering, was reporting to UW's senate on Monday night about statistical "performance indicators", and noted that it isn't even simple to say how many students UW has. Indeed it's not. The "diversity" people have been using the number 27,733 -- and I think that's supposed to include staff and faculty as well -- but the registrar's office says it sent a "blast e-mail" this week to 28,044 students, telling them that tomorrow is the last day to add an off-campus class to fall term schedules.
CAR