Daily Bulletin

Ethanol car races this week

The competition challenges top automotive engineering students in North America to design, build and test ethanol-fuelled vehicles. Teams from 14 colleges and universities, including UW, are participating in the event, sponsored by the U.S. department of energy, General Motors and Natural Resources Canada.

The teams each received a 1997 Chevrolet Malibu powered by a 3.1-litre, V6 engine from GM. Under the challenge, the students have to re-engineer the vehicle on a blend of 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent gasoline. The idea is to optimize the vehicle's fuel economy, emissions and cold-start characteristics without sacrificing driveability and performance.

"The 1998 Ethanol Vehicle Challenge has been an excellent experience for the University of Waterloo alternative fuels team members," said Roydon Fraser of the mechanical engineering department. "The competition is unique among student competitions as it is more than a game; it involves working on engine systems of immediate interest to industry.

"Two of the Big Three North American automakers have already announced that they will be producing ethanol vehicles on a large scale very soon, and the third automaker, GM, sponsors of this year's challenge, should be announcing a similar intention soon."

Judging will be held at the General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford, starting today. After five days of competition, the teams head to Washington, D.C., where they will participate in the Clean Cities Conference.

Alzheimer conference opens today

Successful approaches to care of persons with dementia is challenging at a time when resources are shrinking and demands are increasing, says Olga Malott, the project director.

The conference will provide participants with the opportunity to gain knowledge in a variety of key areas, she said, such as the evolving dynamics of long-term care in the near future; trends in the design and building of long-term care facilities; how to develop effective programs and activities to enhance the quality of life for persons with dementia; and the ability to provide enhanced family involvement in long-term care.

Among the speakers will be Carol Bowly-Sifton, consultant to Elderactive Occupational Therapy, Halifax, whose presentations will cover restructuring care by enhancing the quality of life and independence through activity and enabling engagement in meaningful activity.

Health system reform will be discussed by William Wilkerson, special advisor to the Homewood Health Group in Guelph. The diverse roles of family members in long-term facilities will be discussed by Sherry Dupuis of Brock University while clinical psychologist Maggie Gibson will talk about the promotion of sexual health in the cognitively impaired.

Experience in designing long-term care facilities will be shared by Toronto architect Terry Montgomery, while "Is Laughter the Best Medicine?" will be the topic for Kenneth Shonk, a Kitchener-Waterloo family practitioner.

Know any good web sites?

Last summer's series presented a mixture of course web sites, research-related pages, a couple of unusual services from administrative departments, and some hobby sites maintained by students and staff. This summer's range will be much the same, I hope.

The idea is to draw attention to interesting things that are being done in various corners of this many-cornered university, and at the same time to offer striking examples of how information can be delivered over the web. As we did last summer, we'll describe each site briefly and include a paragraph or two of comment from the creator about what the site is for and how it was developed.

Please drop me a note (credmond@uwaterloo.ca) to suggest your own web page or someone else's for the series. It must be in the uwaterloo.ca domain, and it must not have been included in the "Web Site of the Day" series last year.

Further, deponent saith not

Ballots went out to faculty members on May 14 for a vote on the proposed Memorandum of Agreement between UW and the faculty association, and the deadline date for their return draweth nigh. They were sent to professors' offices, and "ballots for those on sabbatical leave, leave of absence, special leave or long-term disability were mailed to department secretaries who were asked to mail as required," Tracy Dietrich in the university secretariat notes.) Ballots are to be returned to the secretariat by 3:30 p.m. this Wednesday, May 27, to be counted in the tally.

The career development seminar series continues tomorrow with a new presentation on "Successfully Negotiating Job Offers", scheduled for 11:30 a.m. in Needles Hall room 1020.

"Space has always been at a premium in Environmental Studies," writes the dean of ES, Geoff McBoyle, in the faculty's spring alumni newsletter. He cites examples: "model space for architecture; computer space; space to hold a group meeting -- you all remember these frustrations. What are we doing about it? We are in the process of preparing a space plan and hopefully will initiate a campaign in 1998 to raise funds for new space -- you have been forewarned!"

CAR

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