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University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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Friday, January 31, 1997

Time for performance appraisals

Performance appraisals of staff members "will be conducted this year using the same forms and with the same format as usual", says a memo received by department heads yesterday. It comes from Catharine Scott, associate provost (human resources and student services), who says the staff compensation committee "has been reviewing" the appraisal process but doesn't have any changes ready to offer.

"Some significant changes to the form are being proposed and will be available for comment in the Spring," her memo says. "The Committee is asking for staff and management volunteers who would be prepared to comment on the new form."

But for 1997, it's business as usual. "Please be aware," Scott writes, "that should there be salary increases in 1997-98, Human Resources cannot process any salary increases if performance appraisals have not been completed. Competed Performance Appraisals are to be returned to Human Resources by March 14."

Introducing the Solar Car

UW's Midnight Sun IV solar race-car will be unveiled this evening -- Davis Centre room 1301, 7 p.m. The car, being readied for Sunrayce '97 in June from Indianapolis to Colorado Springs, is "the largest student project at the University of Waterloo", based in the engineering faculty but including people from many other fields as well.

Midnight Sun III, which competed in Sunrayce '95, has now been retired, and its successor "will combine the latest in solar race car technologies with UW's most experienced solar car design team", organizers say.

From the latest Midnight Sun newsletter:

Currently, Almag Aluminum is filling an order for the tubing that will be used to make the frame. The design is smaller and simpler than that of the previous car due to its much thinner profile. The welding expertise at Raytheon will again be counted on to produce another popular frame. The phrase, "We came to look at your welds." was quite common at Sunrayce 95.
However, aluminum is not the only material that is going into the final construction of the chassis. The frame design group has come up with a hybrid design that is sure to turn some heads at the race. To accommodate certain loading conditions -- as well as house the batteries -- the rear section of the frame will incorporate the use of a Kevlar/Nomex composite. DeHavilland is generously supplying the material needed for this structure, as well as for the entire aerobody!
Further in construction news, the managers will soon be queuing up student machine shop work for our new Manufacturing Manager, Nicolas Bouchon. Nic is a second-year mechanical student with his hand in a number of student projects on campus. He should be a valuable asset for MSIV and teams to come.

Tonight, besides showing off how the car is coming along, Midnight Sun team members will talk about their work and present computer models of designs.

'Partnership' conference continues

The third annual Science/Technology and Business/Law Partnerships conference, organized by UW's faculty of science, winds up today. The topic this morning is "Financing our technological innovations, from prototype to product", and several of the speakers are from venture capital firms. This afternoon the theme is "Intellectual property management", and a couple of lawyers are joined by a faculty member from Texas A&M and one from Waterloo, namely Jim Brox of the economics department. Finally there will be a student panel discussion at 3:15, on "The international lure of technology-based careers". The conference is taking place in Davis Centre room 1302.

Also today and on the weekend

A memorial service for Gary Buckley, long-time assistant registrar, who died in September, will be held starting at 3:30 this afternoon in Siegfried Hall at St. Jerome's College.

UW's entry in this year's Great Concrete Toboggan Race, to be held in Ottawa next week, will be tried out in Kitchener's Gzowski Park starting at 2 this afternoon.

Co-op students can look at posting #8 for spring term jobs today -- and are reminded that it expires on Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

Clifford Blake of the management sciences department will speak tomorrow (2 p.m.) at Kitchener Mennonite Brethren Church, in the first of a series of local events marking Black History Month.

The Waterloo Public Interest Research Group sponsors "Doin' Democracy" this weekend in the Math and Computer building. The event is described as a "public interest school and community activists' conference", and promises sessions on such topics as "Support of First Nation Self-Determination" and "Political Organizing in Faith Communities".

A free Japanese animation show is being held by CTRL-A, the Club That Really Likes Anime, tonight from 4:30 to 10:30 in room 201 of Engineering Lecture. The planned lineup includes Slayers, Dragon Half, Cyber City OEDO, The Hakkenden, Gunbuster, Giant Robo, and Ranma. Pizza and pop are promised, and door prizes will be given away.

Sports: The Warrior and Athena basketball teams host Windsor tomorrow in the Physical Activities Complex; the hockey Warriors play at Western tonight and host Windsor on Sunday afternoon in the Icefield; the squash Warriors are competing in the league finals in Toronto; the hot track and field teams are in the Toronto Classic tomorrow; and the volleyball Warriors host McMaster tonight.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY
January 31, 1996: The central UW gopher is closed down -- from now on, UWinfo is World Wide Web all the way.

Editor of the Daily Bulletin: Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
credmond@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca -- (519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
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