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Friday, November 14, 2003

  • Drug firm funds stats scholarships
  • Terrorism tonight, peace tomorrow
  • Events are blowing in the wind
  • Once upon a time, FASS returns
Editor:
Chris Redmond
credmond@uwaterloo.ca

The Royal


[White bike, red jacket]

The winter's first snowfall brought slippery walkways and roads, and apparently meant that somebody didn't make it home, at least not by pedal power. Barbara Elve of communications and public affairs caught this scene yesterday in front of the Modern Languages building.

Drug firm funds stats scholarships

The department of statistics and actuarial science celebrated a "strategic alliance" recently with the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, which will support scholarships for graduate students in statistics over the next three years.

As a web page explains, "at least two" GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical Industry Scholarships will be awarded to "full-time students pursuing a Master's or PhD degree specializing in statistics within the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science. Selection and award amounts will be determined by the department. Preference will be given to students with a demonstrated interest in the application of statistics in the pharmaceutical industry." The first two award winners are both doctoral students: Yan Yuan and Denise Babineau.

[Holding plaque]

Department chair David Matthews (left) poses with Reid Robson, an MMath graduate of UW's stats department (in 1990) and now GSK Canada's manager, Therapy Areas, Biomedical Data Sciences. They're admiring the plaque that will list recipients of the new GSK Pharmaceutical Industry Scholarships; it will be displayed on the sixth floor of the Math and Computer building.

"There are a couple of other aspects to the alliance," adds David Matthews, chair of the department. "Each year, GSK holds a Biostatistics Advisory Board (BAB) meeting which biostatisticians from across the company attend. The BAB meeting this year was held in Philadelphia, and two doctoral students from this Department, the first two scholarship recipients, were able to attend under the auspices of the alliance. We expect the same thing to happen for the next couple of years.

"An MMath co-op student, David Doray, is currently spending an 8-month work term at the GSK site in Mississauga, and there likely will be similar opportunities in the future for other MMath Biostatistics students pursuing a graduate co-op degree to find a co-op position at the same location.

"A few graduate students have accompanied Professor Richard Cook during monthly technical sessions that he attends at the Biomedical Data Sciences division of GSK Canada."

ONE CLICK AWAY
  • Manitoba getting ready for Congress of Social Sciences and Humanities
  • How much time do students get with faculty members?
  • Former UW prof heads project that will 'revolutionize ocean science'
  • Western creates an R&D outpost in Sarnia
  • 285 kinds of trees at U of T
  • "Wake-up call" on teaching quality at Alberta
  • RIM's financing and patent difficulties (Globe and Mail)
  • Time to degree: thoughts from Toronto on PhD completion time
  • New music technology lab at U of Guelph
  • Strike shuts Kenya's universities
  • Terrorism tonight, peace tomorrow -- a news release from St. Jerome's University

    "Understanding 'Terrorists' and 'Martyrs': Personal Encounters with Religious Militants" is the title of the 2003-2004 Teresa Dease Lecture, to be given by Cynthia Mahmood tonight at 7:30 in Siegfried Hall at St. Jerome's. Admission is free.

    People have a lot to say about "terrorists" but few people talk to them. In her studies, Mahmood has interviewed Muslim combatants in Pakistan and Afghanistan, Sikh militants in India, and "freedom fighters" in Kashmir. In this talk, she explores some of the reasons people choose to take up arms in the name of religion. She also examines the US-led "war on terror" and explains why it may swell the ranks of such groups.

    Social anthropologist at Notre Dame University, and Senior Fellow at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, Cynthia Mahmood has served as a consultant to the American, Canadian, and British governments on religious conflict. She is the author of three books, the best known being Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues With Sikh Militants. She is frequently featured on American television as a commentator on the aftermath of 9/11 and the war on terrorism.

    Mahmood's talk will be followed on Saturday by the 2003 Challenge for Change event, "Pursuing a Culture of Peace", a one-day ecumenical forum featuring Mary Jo Leddy, director of Romero House for refugees in Toronto. She is author of numerous books, including At the Border Called Hope: Where Refugees are Neighbours and Say to the Darkness: We Beg to Differ; her latest book is Radical Gratitude.

    Workshops and discussion groups will follow Leddy's talk. Challenge for Change takes place at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in downtown Kitchener, and is sponsored by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and several other Christian churches and groups, including St. Jerome's University and the Social Awareness Office of the Diocese of Hamilton. Registration information: 743-1461.

    Events are blowing in the wind

    It's the last day of the flu shot clinic in the Student Life Centre (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). . . . General Motors is holding a lunch in the Tatham Centre today for co-op students who are going to work for the company in the winter term. . . . It's "beef and chicken night" at the University Club, $19.95, reservations ext. 3801. . . . The drama department's production of "As You Like It" has its final performances tonight and tomorrow at 8:00 in the Theatre of the Arts. . . .

    Under new head coach Karl Taylor, the Warrior men's hockey team "has begun a new era to get back to be one of the elite hockey programs in the CIS", says a note from the athletics department. "The new excitement and energy is beginning to build, and this weekend all alumni and parents will get have an opportunity to come together at the annual Warriors Alumni-Parent weekend." Last night the Warriors played at Laurier, falling to the Golden Hawks 7-1. Saturday, The annual alumni game will take place Saturday at 11 a.m. (at the Columbia Icefield), and at 2 p.m. they'll host the Guelph Gryphons, also at the Icefield. The weekend winds up with a dinner reception. "We are very excited about building support from our alumni and parents," says Taylor. "It is important for our alumni and parents to be part of our program and connect with each other and the current Warriors players."

    Other sports this weekend: The volleyball teams host Laurier tomorrow (women at 1 p.m., men at 3 p.m., PAC main gym). The women's hockey Warriors host Queen's tonight and Brock tomorrow, both at 7:30 p.m. at the Icefield. The basketball teams, both men's and women's, are at Toronto tonight and Ryerson tomorrow night. Squash competition begins with a weekend tournament at McMaster. The badminton team is in the OUA championships at Western, and the swimmers are in their divisional championships, also at Western.

    I said yesterday that "Denude", a show by a group of fourth-year fine arts students, was opening on Sunday in East Campus Hall. That was what they originally announced, but in fact the show's opening will be not Sunday but Monday, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Front Gallery at ECH. The show runs for a week, and features the work of Ricki Oltean-Lepp, Tamiae Squibb, Y.shirely Guo, Erika Kottelenberg and Ivana Perija.

    Electrical power will be shut down in Carl Pollock Hall for an hour beginning at 6 a.m. Monday -- which means that people in that building should shut down their computers before they leave today, or over the weekend. The plant operations department says the shutdown is necessary so repairs can be made to an electrical breaker.

    Monday brings the annual "Visionary Seminar" sponsored by the Office for Partnerships for Advanced Skills of the Council of Ontario Universities. It's run as a satellite broadcast, this year originating from Carleton University, with food and conversation locally. Speaker this year is David Dodge, governor of the Bank of Canada; his topic is "Global Challenges, Canadian Opportunities". The UW gathering will be in the Davis Centre, running from 11:30 to 2:00. RSVPs go to Linda Howe at ext. 3580.

    WHEN AND WHERE
    Chinese Christian Fellowship variety night, Humanities Theatre, 7:00.

    Open Mic Night with Matt Osborne at the Graduate House, from 9:00.

    Waterloo Potters' Workshop sale, Friday 1:00 to 9:30, Saturday 10 to 5, Sunday 12 to 4, Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex.

    "Swing on My Mind", presented by the Swing and Social Dance Club, live music and hardwood dance floor, Huether Hotel, Saturday 8:30 p.m.

    Da Capo Chamber Choir, based at Conrad Grebel University College, "The Poetry Is in the Pity", poetry of Wilfrid Owen, music of Benjamin Britten and others, Saturday 8 p.m., St. John the Evangelist Church, Kitchener. Tickets $15.

    Renaissance Singers (involving several UW people) perform Saturday at 8 p.m., St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Kitchener. Tickets $15.

    Toy fair hosted by Hildegard Marsden day nursery, November 19-21 in the Davis Centre.

    Information session about the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology program, Wednesday, 4 p.m., Davis Centre 1302.

    Switzerland, New Zealand and Australia slides by UW's Heather Hergott and John Motz after their year of travel, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., Davis Centre. RSVP johnemotz@aol.com.

    Le café-rencontre du département d'études françaises présente Frédérique Arroyas mardi 18 novembre à 13h00 a la salle Tatham Centre 2218A. Arroyas, qui enseigne la litterature française a l'Université de Guelph, parlera des liens entre le roman français du vingtième siècle et la musique. Ces cafés-rencontres sont ouverts à tous à la communauté universitaire.

    And a quick list of things coming up in the final weeks of the fall term:

  • November 19 -- annual Faculty of Arts Lecture, by Geoffrey Fong, psychology, on behavioural research and smoking, 4 p.m.
  • November 19 -- TalEng, Engineering Society variety night.
  • November 20 -- annual Engineering Awards Dinner.
  • November 21 -- fourth annual Trivia Challenge at St. Jerome's University.
  • November 26 -- grand opening of the new Office for Persons with Disabilities, Needles Hall, 3 p.m.
  • November 26 -- Michael Oren lecture, "The Six Day War and Understanding the Contemporary Middle East".
  • November 26-28 -- fine arts department's miniature art sale and silent auction.
  • November 27 -- last Arriscraft Lecture of the season, by architect Ed Burtynsky.
  • November 27-28 -- staff association craft sale.
  • December 3 -- music department noon-hour concert in the Davis Centre great hall.
  • December 7 -- staff association Winterfest at the Icefield.
  • Finally, here's advance word that the audio-visual centre will hold a "Better Recordings Seminar" on December 10, aimed particularly at faculty and graduate students. "Want better looking and better sounding clips for your PowerPoint presentation or Web application?" a flyer asks. "Having difficulty getting good results on your research recordings?" The event runs for an hour and promises "many helpful tips on achieving better audio and video recordings". RSVPs go to jscharle@admmail.

    Once upon a time, FASS returns -- by Barbara Elve, from last week's Gazette

    Participation in the FASS Theatre Company may be addictive. That's the message from Jennifer Murray, who started working on sets for the annual Faculty, Alumni, Staff and Students (FASS) production as a student in 2000. Never having set foot on a stage, she tried her hand as a grip, in sound, and in various technical fields.

    Now, returning as an alumna, she finds herself cast as producer for the 2004 show. "Once you're in, you tend to get hooked," she laughs.

    UW's longest-running amateur theatre group -- which describes itself as "a live cartoon on stage" -- has lampooned university life for more than 40 years, writing a fresh script and original lyrics for each year's production. The troupe has done take-offs on the Arthurian legend, Superman, and the X-Files. This year, they're setting their satiric sights on fairy tales. The scriptwriters -- volunteers, like all FASS members -- have been busy since last summer, developing a concept and creating a musical that has scores of parts and taps into current issues on campus.

    [A man and two women]

    FASS 2002, a film noir murder mystery comedy under the title "Dial F for FASS"

    Loosely based on fairy tales, this year's show is guaranteed to "have UW at the centre of the plot, incorporating satire, physical comedy and university-based jokes," says Murray. She hints at scenarios that involve taverns being shut down, and a portal to another dimension appearing in Math and Computer. Expect lots of inside jokes "that parents never grasp," she adds.

    As producer, Murray invites staff, faculty and students on campus to "give all positions a try. There are always people around who have done the job in the past and are happy to help, give advice, be supportive. "Depending on what you choose to do, the time commitment varies," she adds. "For those who have only weekends to spend, there is work in the technical aspects -- set, makeup, costumes, etc. -- or minor stage roles." And the producer can always use a hand with selling tickets or posting flyers. Right now, anyone with editing or proofreading skills would be welcome. Work on the script is still underway, and in fact, "the ending has yet to be determined."

    As well, musicians are still needed to provide accompaniment to the songs, which "are parodies of existing songs. We write our own lyrics and adapt the music to suit the instruments on hand." And choreographers, singing coaches and a music director are on the most-wanted list.

    For those who answer the call, FASS offers a chance to flex creative muscles and be part of a community built over the past 40 years. Plus, life in the FASS lane is not all work and no play: the parties are legendary.

    Auditions take place January 5, 6 and 7, and performances run February 7, 8 and 9.

    CAR


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