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Thursday, April 22, 1999

Students receive teaching awards
New way to park two-wheelers
After exams, libraries pause
Earthworms on the sidewalk

Students receive teaching awards

The first winners of the awards for "Distinguished Teaching by a Registered Student" have been announced by Pat Rowe, the dean of graduate studies, who chaired the selection committee for the new award.

The winners, who were chosen based on nominations by their students and faculty supervisors:

Derek Chapman, a PhD student in psychology, who also taught management sciences courses;
Duane Cronin, a PhD student in mechanical engineering;
Dean Palmer, a master of science student in chemical engineering;
William Rosehart, a PhD student in electrical and computer engineering.

The award is open to "all registered students who have a formal teaching role (e.g., teaching assistant, laboratory demonstrator, sessional lecturer) at the University of Waterloo or its federated and affiliated university/colleges". Recipients are to be chosen each year by a selection committee of faculty and students.

The official criteria for the award say that it is given "in recognition of excellence in teaching of all kinds by registered students. . . . The Selection Committee will look for intellectual vigour and communication skills in the interpretation and presentation of subject matter. Concern for and sensitivity to the academic need of the students is an important criterion."

The award consists of acknowledgment at the convocation when the student graduates, a cheque for $500 and a certificate.

New way to park two-wheelers -- an Earth Day report by Barbara Elve

Could more campus commuters be cycling to work? Waste management coordinator Patti Cook is convinced the answer is yes. From UW residences alone -- all within a five-minute walk of the academic buildings -- an average 65 "micro-commuters" per day drive cars to campus.

Those figures from a survey two years ago have served as a rallying cry for Cook, who believes commuters can help prevent the kind of air quality crisis of last summer by pedalling to work. In an effort to entice more cyclists, new racks that offer greater security and more stability for bicycles are being installed on campus.

[Model of bike rack] The Gauntlet racks, with inverted U-shaped frames, accommodate up to eight bikes, compared to the older triangle racks which hold six. As well, the new racks allow cyclists to use two locks to secure front and back wheels to the rack, avoiding the need to remove the front wheel and lock it to the back wheel. Since the Gauntlet racks are heavier and more difficult to move, they're less likely to be targets for vandalism.

Plant operations staff are pleased with the racks too, since they're higher and more visible for snow removal crews, and tend to collect fewer leaves in the fall.

Although not all cyclists may be keen to tote two locks to take advantage of the added security option, the need for more theft-proof parking was one of the concerns identified in a survey conducted by students in Environment and Resource Studies 285, taught by James Kay. As well, cyclists requested additional bike parking in more locations, and better access to racks in winter.

Cook (at ext. 3245) welcomes feedback on the new racks, which for now are being placed alongside the triangle racks to give riders a choice of parking options.

After exams, libraries pause

With the end of winter term exams tomorrow, the campus will be quiet for a few days, and services from UW's library will be much reduced. In fact the Trellis computer system, including the on-line catalogue, will be out of operation for at least a day.

Here are hours of operation for the library:

Friday, April 23: Dana Porter closes 10 p.m., Davis Centre 11 p.m.; circulation services close 6 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: all libraries closed.
Monday-Friday, April 26-30: Dana Porter and Davis Centre open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., circulation services 8:30 to 5:00.
May 1-2: all libraries closed.
Monday, May 3: With the first day of the spring term, normal library hours resume.

And here's the word about Trellis, from Linda Teather, coordinator of library systems support services:

The TriUniversity Group of Libraries is upgrading the TRELLIS system software. The first step of the upgrade will begin on Sunday evening (when all UW libraries are closed) and continue through the day on Monday, April 26. At approximately 60 p.m. on Sunday, April 25, the TRELLIS system will be shut down and will remain down until the upgrade has been completed.
During the downtime, library services will be maintained at as near a normal level as possible. Web services (e.g. journal indexes, electronic journals, ILL forms, subject-based web sources) which are accessed from the TUG web page should not be affected.
A backup alternative catalogue is under development, but technical problems will prevent it being ready for this weekend. If you require TRELLIS information while the system is down, please contact an Information Desk in one of the Libraries on campus and staff will try to help you.
Inside the campus libraries on April 26th, circulation services will be offered via an offline backup system but self-charge will not be available. When planning your trip to the library to renew your term loan books, we encourage you to choose another day if possible.
We expect to have the TRELLIS system ready for use again on Tuesday morning, April 27.
The upgrade will require another day of downtime in May. This is currently planned for May 24, the holiday Monday. We'll publish more information about that step closer to the date.

Earthworms on the sidewalk

Maybe I'm easily bemused, but the worm swarm has always seemed to me one of the oddest features of wet weather at Waterloo -- and wet weather is certainly what we've got for Earth Day. Some bicyclists will probably be discouraged by the rain, but it might be good for gardens and composting. I've just learned that International Compost Awareness Week is on the way. To celebrate it, Waterloo Region will be distributing back yard composters on May 8, the Saturday two weeks from now. And if you need compost to put in them, that'll be distributed on May 15.

A few indoor things are happening today -- for instance, Nancy-Lou Patterson, retired from UW's department of fine arts, is giving a reading at Wilfrid Laurier University this morning from her new children's book, The Tramp Room. The event starts at 10:30 in the WLU staff and faculty lounge at 202 Regina Street.

The mature student services office has organized its end-of-term luncheon for today at a downtown restaurant. "Mature" students -- those older than typical student age -- should be able to get last-minute information about the event by calling ext. 2429.

"Business Transformation Through E-Commerce" is the topic of a talk today by Bob Fraser, information development manager for E-commerce development at IBM Toronto Laboratory. He will discuss the components of an electronic commerce system, critical factors for success and future directions. His talk is part of the infraNET Project Distinguished Speaker Series, and takes place in Davis Centre room 1302, starting at 2:30.

Finally, one thing that's not happening today is the departure of a study tour to the Middle East. The trip was to be sponsored by St. Paul's United College and take participants to Israel, Jordan and Syria for two weeks, today through May 7. I'm told that not enough people signed up, and the activity was cancelled.

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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