---

Yesterday Past days Search About the Bulletin

Thursday, April 17, 2003 Top grad researchers are listed Two looks at the CECS building Shadow of a long weekend

Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca Lewis and Clark 200 years

---

Top grad researchers are listed

Ten graduate students have been announced as winners of awards -- and cheques -- following last week's graduate student research conference, in which some 159 students showed off their work either in poster form or in brief oral presentations.

Among the winners is Majid Khadem Sameni (right), a master's student in mechatronics in the mechanical engineering department. He received the award for best poster in "materials and systems", one of the five categories into which the conference was divided.

Sameni is doing his research in the area of control and automation, and his winning poster at the grad conference (held April 2, 3 and 11) was titled "Automated Laser Cladding by Powder Injection".

"Laser cladding," his poster explains, "is a process that uses a high-powered laser beam for melting the coating material and a thin layer of the substrate to produce a coating (50 micrometers to 2 mm thick) perfectly bonded to the substrate. The process is conventionally used to improve the surface hardness, wear resistance and also for repair and reconditioning of industrial components or machine parts.

"Our process uses a concentrated beam of laser light (coming from a 1000w Pulsed ND:YAG Laser) to melt a small bead of a metal substrate's surface. A powder feed system injects a fine metal or alloy powder into the melt pool and a motion system traces the required shape. The

Two looks at the CECS building These images of the new Co-op Education and Career Services building are the work of Chris Hughes of UW Graphics photo/imaging, who took them in preparation for the building's official opening ceremonies on May 5. Because the landscaping around the building still isn't finished, says Hughes, "it was decided to shoot interior images with an artistic flair showing off the extensive use of fine wood products and interesting architecture." These are among the results. A pair of environmental studies students will have something to say about the CECS building today as they present their senior thesis work on "Building Better Buildings". Jason Niles of planning and Mary O'Brien of environment and resource studies say their thesis is "a response to a growing interest in environmental building and the environmentally-biased transition in the building industry". They describe "the achievements and shortcomings towards environmental building" of the new CECS building and, for comparison, some recently built houses in Waterloo. "Our findings provide insight into a changing industry and offer specific recommendations for architects, engineers, builders, buyers, owners, and government to lead rather than be dragged by the current industry transformation." Their presentation starts at 4:00 today in Environmental Studies I room 221.

information needed to direct and control the shape and form the object is extracted from a 3D CAD model. Our Matlab based software slices the CAD solid model into thin layers, then each layer built upon one another using the laser and powdered metal. Although to the naked eye, the process looks to be layering, this is not the case. Instead a true metallurgical bonding is achieved each time the laser melts the bead and the fine powder is injected. The height of the clad being deposited is measured in real time using a vision feedback system."

Work is continuing, he explained, to keep improving the accuracy of the process.

Other winners for best posters:

• Environment: Jennifer Weisinger, Mechanical Engineering
• Health: Drew A. Graham, Kinesiology
• Information Technology: Isaac Chan, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Innovation, Society and Culture: Lori Thompson, Psychology (Behavioural Neuroscience)

And winners for best oral presentations:

• Environment: Vivian Dayeh, Biology
• Health: Jennifer Hunter, Physics and Vision Science
• Information Technology: Alexander Lau, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Innovation, Society and Culture: Baljinder Sahdra, Psychology
• Materials and Systems: Scott Redmond, Systems Design Engineering

Says Penny Pudifin of the graduate studies office, one of the conference organizers: "Each winner received a Certificate of Achievement and a $100 cash award on behalf of all of the corporate sponsors for this year's conference. This year two large plaques were created -- one for poster winners and one for oral presentation winners -- inscribed with the winners' names from the previous two conferences, and the above names will soon be added to the plaques. These plaques will be on display at the Grad House throughout the year, creating some conference history for years to come."

Shadow of a long weekend

Tomorrow, April 18, is Good Friday and a holiday, bringing UW a long weekend. University offices and most services will be closed tomorrow, and no exams are scheduled over the weekend. (Easter Monday, April 21, is a holiday for schoolchildren and some government workers, but it's a back-to-the-grind day at the university.)

Perhaps this is a good time to be mindful that on a "holiday" there are still a number of UW people dutifully at work. The central plant is always staffed (that's where the phone number for maintenance emergencies, ext. 3793, is answered nights and weekends). The UW police (888-4911) are always on duty. The Student Life Centre will be open and staffed as it always is. Grounds staff are at least on call if not on campus. There are still students in the residences, which means there must still be food. And many a lab technician -- to say nothing of many a faculty member -- will be working for at least part of the day, to keep an experiment running or tend the things that need tending. We are a 24/7 community.

The libraries will be open for limited hours tomorrow. Both the Dana Porter and Davis Centre libraries will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and circulation services will be available from noon to 4 p.m. only. Saturday, Sunday and Monday, it's back to the extended exam-time schedule, with both libraries open 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.

For other faiths: religious holidays this week Pesach, or Passover, the Jewish festival of freedom and the law Ugadi, Hindu new year festival Mahavir Jayanti, the main Jain festival of the year Ridvan, a twelve-day Baha'i festival

The bookstore, the UW Shop and other retail services outlets will be closed Friday and Saturday, reopening Monday.

Quite apart from being a holiday weekend, this season is a solemn and exciting time for practising Christians, commemorating the crucifixion (on Good Friday) and resurrection (on Easter Sunday) of Jesus of Nazareth. Special services will be taking place at UW's Renison College (Anglican) and St. Jerome's University (Roman Catholic) as they are at places of worship around the world:

• Today, Maundy Thursday -- liturgy at 7:30 p.m. at Renison; Mass at 7 p.m. at Siegfried Hall, St. Jerome's.
• Good Friday -- 10:30 a.m. at Renison; 12 noon and 3 p.m. at Siegfried Hall.
• Saturday -- "Great Vigil" at 8 p.m. at Renison; Easter Vigil at 8:30 at Siegfried Hall.
• Easter Sunday -- Eucharist at 10:30 at Renison; Mass at 8:30, 10:00 and noon at Siegfried Hall.

The Embassy, the "church for students" that holds its services in Federation Hall, will celebrate at 10:30 Sunday morning as usual.

And in all these Christian places of worship, the congregations will hear such texts as the words of Luke (chapter 24, verse 5): "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen."

CAR

Communications and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1
(519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
bulletin.uwaterloo.ca | Yesterday's Bulletin
Copyright © 2003 University of Waterloo