November 28, 2002

Thursday, November 28, 2002

Lazaridis gift is $6 million
Government adds $3 million for IQC
Keystone sends year-end appeal
Plenty on today's calendar

Editor:
Chris Redmond
credmond@uwaterloo.ca

Turkey, football and the Macy's parade

Lazaridis gift is $6 million -- a release from the UW news bureau

UW celebrated the official opening of the Institute for Quantum Computing yesterday with a $6 million donation from Mike Lazaridis, co-chief executive officer of Research In Motion Ltd.

Some background

Lazaridis gives $100 million for Perimeter Institute, October 2000

Rod Coutts gives UW its largest individual gift, November 2000

Quantum institute is created, March 2002

Lazaridis will be next chancellor of UW, November 2002

Lazaridis, who founded RIM in 1984, announced his major gift at a reception marking the establishment of the quantum computing institute.

[Laflamme] "The excitement behind quantum computing is growing and Canada continues to make the necessary investments to fundamental science that will fuel the technologies of the future," Lazaridis said. "The University of Waterloo's IQC teaming together with Perimeter Institute will make Waterloo a magnet for quantum computing research in the world. I am proud to be able to contribute to such an important investment in Canada's future."

Raymond Laflamme (left), director of the IQC, said: "This generous donation will be critical to create a world class institute here in Waterloo. The goal of the institute is to investigate information processing when quantum mechanics becomes important such as in atomic scale systems. The applications will range from new cryptographic systems, computers with power far beyond today's devices, more precise time keeping systems and much more."

"The University of Waterloo is very fortunate that an innovator and entrepreneur with the stature of Mike Lazaridis has made this gift," said David Johnston, UW president. "Quantum information processing is an exciting new emergent field and its inter-disciplinary nature makes it a project that goes beyond the traditional boundaries of a university."

The institute, which draws some of the best researchers and students in computing, engineering, mathematical and physical sciences, is also funded through grants from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, Canada Research Chairs, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund, Premier's Research Excellence Awards and Ontario Innovation Trust.

The funding will allow the IQC to set up a theoretical and experimental program to study the implications of quantum mechanics for information processing. The research will encompass theoretical investigations of quantum algorithms to laboratory realization of quantum mechanical devices.

The impact of quantum information extends from fundamental science, such as determining the fundamental limits to information processing to new technologies and even questions of national security, such as when will today's public key cryptography be broken. The IQC seeks to advance knowledge in relevant areas of engineering, mathematics and science to enhance the developments in the field of quantum computation and information processing.

Laflamme holds a Canada Research Chair in Quantum Information. He is a faculty member in UW's department of physics. His research involves information theory related to quantum mechanics. The work aims to improve methods to control quantum devices and increase knowledge to the degree that quantum technologies can be introduced into everyday use.

The IQC's deputy director is Michele Mosca, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Quantum Computation. He is a faculty member at St. Jerome's University and in UW's department of combinatorics and optimization. His research involves reformulating the theory and practice of information processing in a quantum mechanical framework. The work aims to develop the capabilities and understand the limitations of information processing (including computation, communication and information security).

Government adds $3 million for IQC

The Ontario government, through its Ontario Innovation Trust, yesterday added $3 million to the funding of the Institute for Quantum Computing. Says the government's news release:

The Ernie Eves government will invest $3 million to support the establishment of the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, Al McDonald, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Enterprise, Opportunity and Innovation, announced today.
"The Ontario government is strongly committed to investing in science, technology and innovation," McDonald said. "Through the Ontario Innovation Trust, we are investing in the infrastructure and equipment necessary to support advanced research, innovation and discovery in our province."

The release repeats a phrase from the Lazaridis announcement, saying the investment "will enable the institute to set up a theoretical and experimental program to study the implications of quantum mechanics for information processing". The announcement doubles the government funding for the institute, as a grant of almost $3 million was announced last summer.

Also in June, the government gave nearly $6 million to support the Perimeter Institute, which is closely allied with UW and is being established in Waterloo with the help of a $100 million gift from Lazaridis.

"The University of Waterloo carries out $100 million worth of research each year," said Kitchener-Waterloo MPP Elizabeth Witmer, the government's minister of education. "According to Statistics Canada, the university is the starting point for more than 22 per cent of Canada's high-technology-based spin-off companies. This is why today's investment by the government is so important."

[Black and red]

Keystone sends year-end appeal

Staff and faculty members will shortly be getting a "year-end appeal" from the Keystone Campaign -- it's scheduled to go into the mail tomorrow, says Bonnie Oberle in the development office.

"This appeal," she says, "is intended to provide our campus community the opportunity to reduce their 2002 income tax by making a donation to the campaign before the end of December while supporting UW and its students." The Keystone Campaign is the "community" part of Campaign Waterloo, and is aimed at raising $4.5 million for UW from faculty, staff and retiree donations by 2007.

The current Keystone Campaign was launched in June, the usual time of year for annual fund efforts to start. The pre-Christmas reminder is an annual custom too.

Says Oberle: "The urgent need communicated in the appeal is for financial support of student awards, primarily scholarship funds. Donations to Senate Scholarship Funds, the new endowed Retirees Scholarship Fund and the endowed CUPE Local 793 Award Fund are normally matched 1:1 by UW That means for every dollar donated the university will also contribute a dollar. Also, the government offers a 2:1 match to donations supporting Ontario Graduate Scholarships and the Ontario Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technology. Supporting any of these matching gift opportunities offers a greater impact of every dollar donated!"

The envelope coming to each staff and faculty member this week includes a personalized letter from the campaign co-chairs, the Keystone's 2003 desk calendar card (right), a list of "priority projects" for the campaign, a pledge form, and a return envelope.

Plenty on today's calendar

Students in Environment and Resource Studies 150 -- "Greening the Campus" -- will present their term's work today in Arts Lecture Hall room 116. Presentations run from 9:30 to 11:30, and will deal with an "environmental audit" of Federation of Students businesses (Ground Zero, Scoops, Federation Hall and Aussies); the possibility of solar panels on Fed Hall; a "living wall" in the Student Life Centre; a UW "electricity audit"; and a waste audit of the city of Kitchener. Another two hours' worth of "greening" projects will be presented tomorrow, same time and place.

The pension and benefits committee meets this morning (8:30 to noon, Needles Hall room 3004). . . . The joint health and safety committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. in Needles Hall room 3001. Agenda items include recent building inspections and last month's injury reports. . . .

It's the first day of the staff association craft sale in the Davis Centre lounge. . . . Meanwhile, a group from the retirees' association is making a day trip to Toronto for the "One-of-a-Kind" Christmas show and sale today. . . .

Previews continue for the miniature art sale and silent auction in the fine arts department; the sale starts tomorrow with a 3 p.m. reception. . . . "Boggan burgers" are for sale today in Rod Coutts Engineering Lecture Hall, which I think is a fund-raiser for the concrete toboggan team. . . .

A brown-bag session on assertive communication -- "How to Get Everything You Want" -- is scheduled for 12 noon today in Davis Centre room 1302. It's sponsored by the Employee Assistance Program, and features Nancy Mann of counselling services. Preregistrations were requested, but experience suggests that some last-minute seats will be available.

The Institute for Computer Research offers a seminar today under the title "Do You Have Commercializable Technology?" The speaker is Jacqui Murphy of Tech Capital Partners, and here's what she has to say:

Have you created some commercially-valuable IP? Do you have an embryonic company in the works? If so, this seminar will help you understand the process and criteria for getting your company off the ground.
Tech Capital Partners is a venture capital firm, based in Waterloo, that manages $35 million in two venture capital funds. The funds, Waterloo Tech Capital LP and Waterloo Ventures Inc. are focused on early stage technology companies in and around Waterloo, Ontario. Typically, Tech Capital expects to invest about $1-3 million in a company, split between a seed round and follow-on investments.

The talk starts at 2:30 in Davis Centre room 1302; everyone is welcome, and there will be refreshments.

It's "Calypso Christmas" at Federation Hall tonight, the last Boys 'n' Girls Night of the term. . . . The men's hockey Warriors play a game tonight at Wilfrid Laurier University. . . . It'll be "East Coast Night" at the Graduate House, featuring the Nonie Crete Celtic Band. . . . The Math Society's Thursday night movies are "Gone in Sixty Seconds" and "The Fast and the Furious", starting at 7:00 in Davis Centre room 1302. . . .

[Bookstore] Tomorrow morning, the tourism lecture series winds up for this term with a talk by Geoff Wall of the geography department on "Space and Place in Chinese Tourism" (9:30 a.m., Environmental Studies I room 132).

And . . . Susan Parsons of the UW bookstore sends a reminder that this Saturday, November 30, "is the last day to redeem your 25% off coupon at the bookstore. Come in and take advantage of the discount and do your holiday shopping. Any staff or faculty that did not receive a coupon can pick one up at one of our cash desks."

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY
November 28, 1980: Fund-raising officials announce that faculty and staff members have pledged $69,000 to the brand-new Watfund campaign for UW.