Daily Bulletin

Construction is coming along in the Math and Computer building, where the former "red room" and computer labs that overlooked it are being turned into a lecture theatre and classroom space. The erstwhile "Watcom lab" on the second floor looked like this yesterday, when David Churchill of plant operations stopped by to check on the progress of the job.

Students plan technology conference

More than 150 students are expected at the event, March 8-11, the CUTC organizers say on their web site. The event is sponsored by the Federation of Students.

"Over the four busy days, representatives from high-tech industries will be given the opportunity to present their latest technological advances, and field questions from the participants. Researchers will have an opportunity to present and discuss their work as well. Thus students will learn about the latest practical and theoretical developments in technology, and have a chance to voice their opinions and have their burning questions addressed."

Hosted by UW, the conference is being sponsored by firms that include IBM Canada, Nortel Networks, Research in Motion, and Sybase Canada.

"The conference will include many guest speakers from both academic and industry fields," organizers say. "Talks will be organized into the following tracks: The Internet; Next Generation Hardware & Software; Graphics & Multimedia; Social Issues; Entrepreneurship & Innovation. High profile keynote speakers will speak at the conference including CEOs of major high-tech companies and other influential people from the industry. Companies will be invited to set up booths at a Technology Exposition to present some of their technology to students.

"Students will also be encouraged to give talks, present research posters, and discuss issues facing them and the industry. . . . Not only do they provide students with valuable experience, they are fun and help make the conference more relevant to student interests. Some form of judging of the conference posters will likely take place and prizes given to the most meritorious posters."

An invitation has gone out to companies, promising that "Some of the leading high technology students in the country will be there, and they will be keen to learn about the interesting problems and techniques they will encounter when they graduate. Giving a presentation is a great opportunity to familiarize students with your organization and to encourage them to learn more about the technology in your field. It is rare that a company will have the opportunity to address so many of the future brightest minds in the industry."

Students interested in helping out with the conference are invited to get in touch with co-chairs Jon Kwan (jcckwan@uwaterloo.ca) and Ming-Yee Iu (my2iu@undergrad.math).

Union and UW go to conciliation

The two sides have not met since July, and are returning to the bargaining table with the help of a conciliator, Mary Beth Furanna, appointed by the Ontario ministry of labour. Talks are scheduled for today and Friday.

Human resources director of staff and labour relations Neil Murray, who heads the university's negotiating team, says he is "hopeful" an agreement can be reached. "We've settled with the help of conciliation in the past," he added.

This year may be an exception, says CUPE 793 president Neil Stewart. "Historically, we have always resolved things at this level. This time the mood is entirely different." Union members voted in September to give their negotiating team a strike mandate if conciliation was unsuccessful, and Stewart says the negotiating committee is going into the talks "with very strong support of the membership." A strike date has not been set.

The two previous contracts were reached with the help of a conciliator. While strike votes have been held in the past, there has never been a strike at UW.

A little more about electronic theses

"As reported," she writes, "theses submitted electronically must be in a single PostScript file. But students who have multimedia files associated with their theses can submit an 'enhanced e-thesis' in addition to the PostScript file.

"The Library will provide access to theses submitted electronically. The UW E-thesis Database will include the thesis in PDF (derived from the PostScript file) and also an enhanced version, if the student has included one. The multimedia files will be backed up on an IST server.

"However, for long term preservation, nothing compares with fiche. A PostScript file can be converted to fiche with no loss of content (with the exception of the colour in images). The PostScript requirement assures the long-term preservation of the thesis in the fiche archive of the National Library of Canada."

Students fill Christmas boxes

Kosovo will be a priority destination of the packages this year, says Karen Kopciuk, of statistics and actuarial science, who is helping the Navigators and Circle K clubs on campus to organize Operation Christmas Child.

While the "Christmas message" contained in the packages will be going to a mainly Muslim community in Kosovo, Kopciuk said the recipients can choose to read it or not read it. Other destinations include Mexico, Central America, Brazil, Vietnam, Cambodia, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, and Benin.

The groups are accepting donations of toys, school supplies, cash or shoe boxes packed with gift items for children at a display table at the Student Life Centre until Friday. Items for Operation Christmas Child can also be left at the Turnkey Desk, or delivered to Kopciuk in Math and Computer room 6230.

Note for co-op students Students who don't yet have jobs for the winter term should note that tomorrow is the deadline to hand in 15 copies of your resumé package and a completed Continuous Phase Registration Form. Says the co-op department relentlessly: "If this is not done, your status will be changed to 'On Own, Self-Imposed' unless you obtain employment by December 23."

Staff craft sale starts, and more

Also from the staff association, this note: "We are in the last week of the 1999 membership drive. The drive will end on December 1 with the draw for prizes on the 2nd. Each new member, as well as the recruiter of the new member, is eligible for the draw. Prizes include tickets to a Kitchener Rangers game, gift certificates from Apple Hairstylist, UW Bookstore, Grad House, $25 on your WatCard, and more coming in daily."

The bookstore, UW Shop and Techworx in South Campus Hall will hold their annual Anniversary Sale today. Says Jason MacIntyre of retail services: "Customers will receive 25% off their purchases of clothing, giftware, general books, and stationery. Textbooks, electronics, software, and special order items are not subject to the anniversary discount."

Previews continue for the fine arts department's open house and miniature art sale this weekend. The event highlights work by fine arts faculty, staff, students and alumni; hundreds of little (postcard-sized) works will be for sale "at affordable prices". "Proceeds will go," a flyer says, "towards drywalling the Artspace Gallery." The preview today runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the actual sale starts tomorrow at 4:00.

A student recital -- performers not announced -- is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. in the chapel at Conrad Grebel College.

At 2:00 this afternoon, the Institute for Computer Research presents a talk by Thomas Huang of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Topic: "Human Computer Intelligent Interaction". Huang will talk about two UIUC projects in particular: "visual face tracking and its application to audio-visual speech recognition", and "image and video databases, especially image retrieval using relevance feedback, and constructing semantic indices for video". The 2:00 talk will be given in Davis Centre room 1302.

Murray McArthur of UW's English department will speak this afternoon in the "Arts Talks Back" lecture series. The series, according to a poster, "features Faculty of Arts professors describing their research projects as relevant, important and necessary for a thriving Canadian society. The series is open to the public and free of charge." McArthur will speak at 3:30 in Humanities room 373. His topic: "The Origin of the Work of Art: The Case of T. S. Eliot".

The department of statistics and actuarial science presents a talk by Feifang Hu of the National University of Singapore, at 3:30 this afternoon in Math and Computer room 5158. Topic: "Adaptive Designs and Um Models".

The Federation of Students will hold a special general meeting at 4:30 this afternoon in the great hall of the Student Life Centre. The main agenda item: asking undergraduate students to approve some changes to the Feds' bylaws, including eliminating the position of "vice-president, internal".

The Arriscraft lecture series in the school of architecture winds up for this term with a talk tonight by Toronto architect and Harvard professor George Baird. He'll speak at 7 p.m. in the "green room" of Environmental Studies II.

It's Math Society movie night, and here's the scoop from organizer Dan Pollock: "We have two pairs of movies. In the first room is the classic 'Tron', at 7, followed by 'Speed' at 9. In the second room we have 'Forces or Nature' at 7 and 'Hope Floats' at 9. Show up in front of Davis Centre 1302 to get in. And remember, as always, just two bucks for two great movies."

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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