Laser honour for UW prof Walt Duley (right) of UW's physics department will be honoured in Jacksonville, Florida, today during the 20th International Congress on Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics. He's receiving this year's Arthur L. Schawlow Award from the Laser Institute of America for "individuals who have made distinguished contributions to applications of lasers in science, industry or education". Duley will speak at a noontime luncheon today, about "Economics, Commerce and Light". Formerly of the Canadian Defence Research Board and then York University, Duley came to UW in 1991. He is author of four books about laser applications, particularly welding, and is founder of Powerlasers Ltd., which supplies parts and systems for the automotive industry and is now a division of Dofasco.

New technology creeps into courses

The series, "for instructors interested in enhancing learning with online activities", will turn just a few more professors into "innovators", says Tom Carey (left), the director of LT3. He said the centre can handle only a few conversions at a time, because of the amount of background work its limited staff will have to do in order to help those professors make a difference.

"We've certainly got more than enough business," says Carey, pointing out that nearly all of LT3's staff are "paid on soft money", grants for specific projects.

The workshop series, which begins next week, is titled "Redesigning for Learning: Engaging Students with Online Activities". Says a notice inviting participants: "The focus on this series is the design of online learning and feedback activities. It is not a 'how-to' session for designing web pages or putting course notes on line. No prior experience in online instruction is necessary. Upon completion of the series, faculty will have a template, customized to the online learning and feedback activities they create to meet their specific course needs."

Also from LT3 Ron Baecker of the University of Toronto and Expresto Software Corp. will speak at 4:00 this afternoon (Dana Porter Library room 328) about "creation, Web access, and Internet transmission of structured, navigable, searchable video documents".

That's typical of what LT3 is there to do, says Carey. "Our role is to help the innovators do it the first time" -- whatever "it" may be in applying new technology to teaching and learning. "The challenge," says Carey, "is, how do we institutionalize it?" There isn't really a UW department with the mandate and budget to help spread such innovations around, and support the computing that's likely going to be involved.

To varying degrees, computing support units in the six faculties are giving what help they can, he said. But it's not a small task. "The kind of innovation that our faculty are doing will lead to changes in roles" -- changes in what professors do, what students are expected to do, how "face-to-face time" is used in teaching.

LT3 and the distance education office, as well as individual teachers, have put a large amount of effort into developing on-line courses or portions of courses for the benefit of faraway students, Carey said. Now, some of those faculty are beginning to import their "courseware" into their on-campus teaching as well.

He said LT3 "will shortly be announcing a partnership" with seven other major Canadian universities who are interested in sharing such on-line course material.

The workshop series that starts next week will be scheduled again, perhaps for a larger group, Carey promised. Meanwhile, if there's any space left, information about it is available on-line or from Diane Salter at ext. 6832.

New lab offers microscope power

The WatLabs are already helping a variety of UW researchers -- chemists, earth scientists, physicists, engineers among them -- come up with new and better answers to some of the questions they have been asking. The WatLabs are under the direction of chemistry professor Tong Leung (right), who has a cross-appointment in physics.

The labs feature two new pieces of high-priced equipment, the first of which is a state-of-the-art scanning electron microscope (SEM) that provides "ultrahigh" magnification -- significantly superior to previous SEM equipment on the Waterloo campus. The LEO 1530 SEM can achieve a level of magnification unsurpassed anywhere in the world (up to three million times) and it is wholly digital, as contrasted with older SEMs which have a magnification of 10,000 times and require the expertise of highly skilled technicians.

The new LEO 1530 SEM permits researchers to conduct imaging-type analyses of surface morphology and, with add-on X-ray emission detection accessories, elemental analyses.

The second piece of equipment is called an ESCALab 250 Microprobe, the first such machine in Canada. This is a multi-technique imaging XPS microprobe system, capable of three-dimensional composition and high resolution chemical-state surface analysis. It, too, permits users to study phenomena and chemistry at the nanoscale.

Located in the basement of the Chemistry II building, both machines give campus (and non-campus) researchers a single access to important services. You can read the full story of the WatLabs in today's Gazette.

Race car has new solar cells -- from the UW news bureau

"These cells were offered at a greatly reduced price to the solar car team," said Greg Thompson, project manager, adding that a commercial customer would pay approximately $750,000 for similar cells.

EMCORE is a leading provider of compound semiconductor equipment for global communications. Compound semiconductors have replaced applications using silicon-based devices, because of their innovative physical properties that enable electrons to move more than four times faster than through silicon-based devices.

The race car is propelled by electricity generated by sunlight, using solar, or photovoltaic, cells to convert sunlight into electricity. Aerodynamically designed, the one-person vehicle resembles a spaceship rather than conventional passenger vehicles. The car is low, sleek and colourful, with solar cells covering much of the body.

Thompson said the new cells are triple-junction cells which offer the advantage of being able to capture and convert not only the visible light spectrum, but also portions of the infrared and ultraviolet spectrums. The new cells will be shipped to SunCat Solar in Phoenix, where the company will prepare (encapsulate) the cells for placement on the solar car later in October. The increased power level from the array will go directly to an increase in vehicle speed that will enhance competitiveness of UW's solar car in Australia.

Along with entries from Queen's University and the University of Toronto, the UW car will participate in the World Solar Challenge November 18-28 in the land down under. A biennial solar-vehicle race that began in 1987, it requires each solar vehicle team to cross from Darwin, on the northern tip of Australia, to Adelaide, located at the southern end of the country. It cuts across the great continent of Australia and more than 3,000 kilometres of desert.

Midnight Sun is the largest student-run project at UW, with more than 100 students contributing their skills and talents. This year, the solar car was a completely re-engineered design, with improvements in aerodynamics and electrical and mechanical systems.

United Way rolls along Gifts and pledges to the United Way campaign had reached $108,681 by last night, on the way to this year's $150,000 goal. And the participation rate among staff and faculty had passed 11 per cent, with 361 donors reported out of 3,254 who could give to the fund. Gifts had also arrived from 76 retirees and 11 graduate students, and special events had raised $491 with more dribs and drabs coming in all the time. The engineering faculty will be holding a potluck lunch on Friday (tickets $3) as a fund-raiser, and the statistics and actuarial science department has a similar lunch scheduled for Tuesday.

Entries for your date book

The teaching resources office (TRACE) will hold a noontime workshop today on "Question Strategies" for teachers. The office at ext. 3132 can provide last-minute information, if there's any space left in the workshop.

"Are You Prepared to Work Outside Canada?" is the topic of a career development seminar being held at 2:30 this afternoon in Needles Hall. The career resource centre can provide more information.

The men's rugby Warriors will host the University of Western Ontario at 4:00 this afternoon at Columbia Fields #1. And a nice, drizzly, cold, rugbyish kind of day they've got for it, too.

Probably no connection with the UWO Mustangs, but it's advertised as "Western Night" at the Ron Eydt Village cafeteria.

Tomorrow brings an event that a number of staff have been eagerly waiting for: "Reinventing Your Life", a half-day seminar led by consultant Jeffrey Young. Reservations were requested a good while ago, with written approval from the staff member's supervisor since the event happens during working hours. It's sponsored by the Employee Assistance Program and the staff training and development committee.

Advance note: Friday night will bring the 16th annual Benjamin Eby Lecture at Conrad Grebel University College. The topic this year is "Text, Music and Meaning in Congregational Song"; the speaker is Ken Hull of Grebel's music department. The lecture will begin at 7:00 in the Grebel chapel.

Plan ahead even further: there will be a blood donor clinic in the Student Life Centre October 29 through November 2. A sign-up sheet is available at the turnkey desk in the SLC.

CAR