Daily Bulletin

Suzuki addresses air quality

Environmentalists David Suzuki and Lois Corbett will address that air quality crisis in "Taking Our Breath Away: Smog, Climate Change and What you Can Do," a special public lecture tonight at 7:30 in the Theatre of the Arts, Modern Languages.

Sponsored by the alumni of the department of environment and resource studies at UW, the lecture deals with a growing concern that "increased concentrations of greenhouse gases emitted primarily from burning fossil fuel are altering the lower atmosphere, increasing global warming and leading to climate change." In turn, "longer, hotter summers are expected to intensify our air pollution problem."

Suzuki, an award-winning scientist and broadcaster, will speak about the broader implications of climate change and the need to "repair our relations with the air we breathe." Corbett, executive director of the Toronto Environmental Alliance, will present the results of a new study which looks at the effects of smog and climate change on human health and the environment. As well, "she will describe what citizens, local groups and municipal governments can do to turn back the smog blanket."

Only 500 free tickets are available for the event, and according to Bob Gibson, chair of the department of environment and resource studies, they are being snapped up quickly. Tickets may still be available at the turnkey desk in the Student Life Centre or at the environmental studies coffee shop.

Environmentalists take up residence

"The budget isn't big," quips environment and resource studies department professor Bob Gibson. Funded in part by donations from ERS alumni, the new program will also bring environmental education advocate and environmental science teacher Janice Palmer to campus from March 8 to 11.

The goal of the program, says Gibson, is to "bring noted environmental experts and activists into the university to work directly with students, and to build additional links between the university and the community in ways that serve the public interest." The environmentalists-in-residence will speak to graduate and undergraduate classes, hold special workshops, meet with student and community groups, and advise individual students.

As well, each will present a public lecture. Palmer will speak on March 9 on the prospects for environmental education in Ontario in the wake of government actions "to reduce budgets, change funding allocations and introduce new curriculum guidelines that gravely weaken environmental components in elementary and secondary programmes." As well, she will explore what positive options remain for environmental education in the province.

Events for a chilly Tuesday

Employers on campus to conduct interviews with students are invited to an informal noon hour talk today by statistics and actuarial science department chair Mary Thompson. "Taking Surveys: Art or Science?" is the topic she will examine as part of the Chew on This series sponsored by the co-op education and career services department. The talk takes place from 12 to 1 p.m. in Needles Hall room 1020.

It sounds like science when Simon Fraser University professor Changbao Wu speaks at 1:30 p.m. on "The Effective Use of Complete Auxiliary Information from Surveys through Model Calibration and Empirical Likelihood." Sponsored by the department of statistics and actuarial science, the lecture will be held in Math and Computer room 5158.

A psychology orientation session is scheduled for today from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in Arts Lecture Hall room 113 for anyone intending to declare a major in psychology in either the spring or fall terms. Topics will include programs in psychology, admission requirements, application/pre-registration instructions and career information. For those unable to attend, application/pre-registration packages are available in Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology (PAS) room 4053 through Friday.

As part of the St. Bede lecture series, Michael Higgins will speak tonight at 7:30 p.m. on his book, "Heretic Blood: The Spiritual Geography of Thomas Merton". The public is welcome to attend the event held at St. Bede's Chapel, Renison College.

Eric Belzile will be featured tonight at a Cercle Francais concert at 7:30 p.m. at the Bombshelter Pub in the Student Life Centre. Organizers invite everyone to "come have a beer and listen to French music" at the free concert.

Effective Teaching in Large Classes is the title of a TRACE TA event on Friday, February 26, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Math and Computer room 5158. Open to all graduate students at UW, the brown bag workshop will introduce "techniques that can make teaching a large class less onerous for the instructor and more interesting for the students." To register -- the deadline is tomorrow -- send an email to trace@watserv1. For more information, phone ext. 3132.

The Pixel Pub. is continuing a "special" that was due to end last Friday. The sale for film purchases including processing charges will continue while stocks last. Customers can save $2.70 off regular combined charges for 135 mm, 24-exp. Kodak Gold 200 film. The Pixel Pub. is located on the lower level of the Student Life Centre. Call ext. 5997 for more details.

Barbara Elve
bmelve@uwaterloo.ca

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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