![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
![[Pumpkin]](/1996/oct/smallpumpkin.gif){kind=small}
| Friday |
Monday, October 20, 2003
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Warrior jerseys and hockey sticks]](/images/2003/1014dj-0hockey.gif)
Suited for action
is UW president David Johnston -- who once skated for Harvard --
with members of the hockey Warriors. Left to right are Matt McGahey,
Adam Metherel, Geoff Rivers, Johnston, Chris Hopiavuori and Trevor Graham.
The president dropped in before a recent home game to honour the five,
who were Academic All-Canadians last season.
The Warriors fell to Western 3-2 on Friday night, and will be away this
weekend for games at Lakehead.
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Ann Simpson, manager of the SLC, sends this description of what's been done to the building: "On the new third floor -- which is designated as 'quiet space' -- we have a beautiful new reading room with a spectacular view, a new prayer room which includes an alcove with a foot basin, a bench and some lockers (which are on their way). The UW Chaplains, Legal Resources and the Ombudsperson all have new offices on this floor as well. We have two service offices, one of which will be for Waterloo Warrior Weekends. Finally, there is a large meeting room, which will be available for the service offices to book and may also be used as a quiet meeting area.
![[Construction worker looking in]](/images/2003/1020slc.gif)
View from inside the third-floor addition to the SLC, near the end of construction last month. |
"The space previously occupied for Student Services will now house Federation of Students Clubs, and the area which was occupied by the Clubs has been renovated to provide a large meeting area which will be a suitable space for conference meetings and large groups. This room can also be divided for two functions.
"The Food Bank is now on this level and the old multi-faith prayer room has now become the TV room. The piano has been moved to a new room on this level as well -- this provides more space so 2-3 people could practice together. The old piano room has not been allocated at this time.
"We are still awaiting the installation of the sliding wooden doors on the Multi Purpose Room, which will open into a pocket and allow the MPR to become an extension of the Great Hall. Windows have been installed in the MPR doors on the Brubakers side, which opens up the feel of the Great Hall space. This will also provide more Great Hall lounge seating. The MPR can continue to be booked -- but this will be limited, as the intention is to try to keep the Great Hall space as an open lounge/meeting/social area for the students."
Simpson also summarized how the renovations came to be: "The idea of expanding was initially brought to the Student Life Centre Management Board by the Federation of Students president (Christine Cheng). The idea was approved, and was then taken to a working committee of administrative and student members. Approval was granted for this project to be a part of the Waterloo Capital Campaign."
A student referendum in November 2001 approved a fee to pay for expansion of the SLC as well as the Columbia Icefield. "Many groups and individuals were involved in the planning for the SLC and the Athletics designs," says Simpson. "SLC Management Board, turnkeys, societies, dons, FOC, clubs, Campus Rec Advisory Council and several individual students were instrumental in assisting in both the ideas stage and the planning stage. Essentially, these ideas were given to the architectural firm and they designed a plan and a smaller committee of student members, administrative staff and management oversaw this process.
"I think students will be very pleased when they see and use the new spaces and the renovated spaces. The SLC is very open and bright and is very welcoming."
The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the next three days, in the Student Life Centre. According to Patti Cook, UW's waste management coordinator, the fair will include displays from such groups as the Residential Energy Efficiency Program, Grand River Transit, Engineers Without Borders, STEP, Waste Management, Midnight Sun Solar Race Team, WPIRG, Emissions Calculator, and a CCEAC pledge. Special events during the three days will include films and workshops on energy, climate change, alternative transportation, and alternative energy technology.
Today's events include a film showing at 11:30 and a 2:00 talk on climate change by geography professor Ellsworth LeDrew. Details of a workshop tomorrow about solar energy, involving the group that raised funds to put solar panels atop Federation Hall, are to be announced.
The grant comes as the result of a proposal by Sabina Khan, a student working with the sustainability project (UWSP), for a "Climate Change Education and Awareness Campaign". She wrote: "The campaign will be delivered by students, and especially reaches out to students, since these are the individuals who will be the leaders of tomorrow, and would be responsible for the continuity and proliferation of climate change mitigation initiatives already undertaken today. . . .
"The desired result of these activities would be the increased interest of the UW community to make environmentally and socially responsible decisions regarding issues related to climate change. These decisions may consist of anything from conserving energy, to utilisation of active transportation alternatives, to reduction in vehicle idling incidents on campus, to support in implementing renewable, specifically solar, energy systems on campus."
The money comes from $7.5 million in federal funding announced last week for Lornet -- Learning Object Repositories Network. The network involves researchers from six campuses: Université du Québec's Télé-Université, Simon Fraser University, the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Ottawa, École Polytechnique de Montréal and UW.
More than 30 partners from the public and private sectors will contribute close to $1 million to the project. They will also provide expertise and resources to ensure that the research results are disseminated widely. The network plans to train some 40 graduate students and six postdoctoral fellows each year.
At UW, Mohamed Kamel of the systems design engineering department, who is Canada Research Chair in Cooperative Intelligent Systems, will lead a team to conduct work on knowledge extraction and learning object mining. The research will be carried out by the Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence group, including Otman Basir, Fakhri Karray and Hamid Tizhoosh. Their work is also supported by contributions from two local companies: Pattern Discovery Software Systems and Voice Enabling Systems Technology.
"The main goal of Lornet is to build new knowledge in computer and cognitive science to help design and develop the architectures, the tools and the methods in a network of learning objects repositories to maximize its usefulness and efficiency for education and training on the Web," Kamel said.
Learning object repositories are used to make documents, tools and Web services available for learning and knowledge management within organizations.
"Telelearning means accessing knowledge and instruction where and when they are wanted, and it is essential if Canada is to successfully meet the challenges of the global knowledge economy," MP Yvon Charbonneau said on behalf of Allan Rock, federal minister of industry and minister responsible for NSERC. "Canada has invested a great deal in providing access to an on-line infrastructure, but this strategy can be effective only if combined with the development of electronic content," said Charbonneau.
Lornet's director will be Gilbert Paquette, Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Engineering of Tele-training at Québec's Télé-Université. Lornet is supported by NSERC through its Research Networks Grants Program.
In short, the term and the year are moving along. Sabrina Mu wrote in the Iron Warrior a few days ago: "As the school term progresses, it is curious to see how one's living conditions degenerate as workload increases and stress mounts. By the time mid-term arrives, a lot of things 'have to go' to make way for impossible schedules. No more network games, MSN messaging, weekend BBQs, Bomber nights, etc. But in my opinion, there are three essential things that cannot be neglected in order to have a good life -- sleep, food and a great sense of style."
I notice she didn't mention flu shots, but it's the season for those too. Flu vaccine is available at health services now for students in defined "high-risk" groups, while staff and faculty in the high-risk category are being encouraged to visit their own doctors for inoculation. Flu shot clinics for the campus at large will begin November 11.
Almost as much fun as flu shots are meetings, and there are plenty of those today, including the senate graduate and research council (10 a.m., Needles Hall room 3001); the engineering faculty council (3 p.m., Carl Pollock Hall room 3385) and the senate long-range planning committee (3 p.m., Needles Hall room 3004).
The university senate itself will meet at 4:30 p.m. in NH room 3001. Agenda items begin with a presentation on "Dealing with the Double Cohort: Lessons Learned", and continue with reports from the president and vice-presidents, the annual report of the University Tenure and Promotion Advisory Committee, and final, formal approval of the degrees that are to be presented at Saturday's Convocation ceremonies.
An information session will be held today (4:00, Davis Centre room 1302) about the Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) program. Offered by the Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology, MBET is "a unique graduate business program designed specifically to address Canada's pressing need for more successful innovators. It provides the critical business skills that enterprising individuals require to guide innovative ideas along the road to commercial success."
A blood donor clinic is scheduled for next week (October 27-31), and an appointment sign-up sheet is available at the turnkey desk in the Student Life Centre starting today. . . . The UW retirees association will hold its annual fall luncheon today in the Laurel Room of South Campus Hall. . . . Chartered accounting students who are looking for co-op jobs in the winter term will get news today, as the job match results will be posted by 3:00 in the Tatham Centre. . . . The UW Debian Interest Group (that's a computer operating system) will meet at 6:00 in Davis Centre room 1304. . . . Engineers Without Borders present a panel on "education in international development and the politics of developing countries" at 6:00 in Tatham Centre room 1208. . . .
Tomorrow, the drama and speech communication department presents the fourth annual Silversides Theatre Artists Event, featuring Studio 180 -- a professional company founded by UW alumni. Studio 180 performed the Canadian premiere of "The Laramie Project", a collective play about the notorious murder of a gay man in Wyoming. They'll be here to talk about their work starting at 12:30 in the UW bookstore in South Campus Hall.
Also tomorrow, the UW branch of the Waterloo County Education Credit Union presents a talk on Registered Education Savings Plans, at 12:15 in Davis Centre room 1302. . . . UW Graphics will hold a noon-hour seminar tomorrow about its Courseware Solutions program -- call ext. 2210 to reserve a space. . . . Wednesday, Janice MacKinnnon, former finance minister of Saskatchewan, will speak on "A New Prime Minister, A New Agenda: Health Care versus Education" (4 p.m., Humanities Theatre.) . . . The staff association social committee is selling tickets for a November 15 trip to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and has extended the ticket deadline through today. . . .
CAR