![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Thursday, July 8, 2004
|
Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
The new Trudeau Scholars, all of them doctoral candidates in the social sciences and humanities, are doing research touching on one or more of the four themes of the Foundation: Human Rights and Social Justice; Responsible Citizenship; Canada and the World; and Humans and their Natural Environment.
![[Doerr-MacEwen]](http://trudeaufoundation.ca/images/scholars/doerrmacewen.jpg)
Doerr-MacEwen (right) is working on
"Strategies to Minimize the Environmental Impacts of
Pharmaceuticals and their Metabolites". She explains that
pharmaceuticals are emerging as environmental contaminants that
represent a potential risk to human and ecosystem health. In her
PhD research, she is looking at
possible management
strategies to address the problem of the discharge of pharmaceuticals
and their metabolites into aquatic environments in Canada.
After an undergraduate degree at the University of New Brunswick, she did an MSc in earth sciences at UW, working on "The effects of Mine Drainage and a Reactive Barrier on Metal Mobility in a Tailings Impoundment and an Unconfined Aquifer".
Says a background note from the Trudeau Foundation: "The importance of learning, teaching, and many other aspects of academic life were taught to Ms. Doerr-MacEwen by her father, Dr. Juergen Doerr, a history professor at St. Thomas University, in Fredericton. The completion of her PhD in Planning is a step towards her ultimate goal of working as a planner or policy analyst in the public sector or of becoming a professor at a small Canadian university. Ms. Doerr-MacEwen's research will draw on a broad range of study from earth sciences to sociology. She will further develop her understanding of water chemistry, toxicology, planning and management, risk assessment, social issues, and economics."
And it quotes her: "I chose to pursue a PhD in environmental planning after an initial interest in the natural sciences. Planning allows for a comprehensive, humanitarian approach to solving environmental problems. My goal is to fill the need for planners who understand the scientific aspects and the socio-economic aspects of environmental issues. I believe that my experience as a scientist and my training as a planner will allow me to provide the crucial link between scientists and policymakers.
"I feel very fortunate to be given the opportunity, as a recipient of the Trudeau Scholarship, to debate some of the issues which define who we are and who we will become as a nation. The Trudeau Scholarship will help me make a contribution to the field of environmental planning and management in Canada."
As "the premier doctoral scholarship in Canada for studies in the social sciences and humanities", the Trudeau awards give their recipients $35,000 a year for up to four years plus an additional $15,000 annually to support research-related travel. Students are matched with mentors who are prominent national and international leaders in their respective fields.
The new scholars will participate in the first Trudeau Public Policy Conference, to be held in Montréal in October, on the theme "Ideas Move -- Sharing Knowledge Across Cultural Boundaries and Security Barriers".
![[Vannelli]](/images/2004/0707vannelli.gif)
"I leave you with warmest wishes and continued success," Vannelli wrote in a memo on his last day. "This ends six exciting and challenging years. . . . As the 'head cheerleader', I take the most satisfaction in watching the department grow with the addition of 37 new faculty hires to now 67 and 24 new staff to 43 technical and administrative staff.
"We are now participating in five exciting undergraduate programs with Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering plus new programs in Software Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering and new Nanotechnology Engineering planned for 2005. Our graduate growth has gone from 135 students to over 300 in Fall 2004.
"This graduate and research growth has been fueled by strong successes in CFI, CRC and NSERC Industrial Research Chair programs. All of this has occurred because of your support and commitment to make it happen.
"More important, I leave a department that is united as a family and a unit that wants to find ways to continue to act as a family despite the expected growth to 83~85 faculty by 2010. This is indeed rare in university environments. This is a reflection of you and your commitments and pride in this exceptional department. Keep these values and you will go even farther over the next few years."
Later, Vannelli expanded on some of the achievements in E&CE: "We have a large number of Premier's Excellence Award winners, well over 10 -- I believe the highest number in UW, maybe in Ontario, for a single department," as well as two Canada Research Chairs, two "huge" Canada Foundation for Innovation grants, and an NSERC industrial research chair.
The memo let the E&CE department know that faculty member Claudio Canizares will be acting chair for the summer. "The Dean is finalizing arrangements with a planned new Chair for Fall 2004."
And Vannelli noted that he starts a new appointment as associate dean (research and external partnerships) in the faculty of engineering as of July 1, "followed by a sabbatical in January 2005 (yes, I am taking a break!)."
| WHEN AND WHERE |
|
'The August 2003 Northeast Blackout', electrical and computer
engineering seminar, Claudio Canizares, 12 noon, CEIT room 3142.
'Successfully Negotiating Job Offers', career workshop, 3:30, Tatham Centre room 1208. Swing and Social Dance Club, 5:30, Physical Activities Complex, Studio 1. Sandford Fleming Foundation debates, faculty of engineering, finals Friday 12 noon, outside POETS Pub, Carl Pollock Hall. Warrior movie night, "50 First Dates" and "Eurotrip", Friday from 9 p.m., Student Life Centre. Blood donor clinic July 12-16, Student Life Centre, sign-up booklet now available at the turnkey desk. Biology professors Jack Carlson and Morton Globus, retirement reception, Thursday, July 15, 3:30 to 5:30, CEIT building lobby, RSVP Fran Filipitsch, ext. 2569. |
"The Secretariat website has been updated," writes Karen Jack, administrative assistant in that department -- and indeed, the site has a whole new look this week. "Some links remain the same," she adds, "but most have changed. Most notably, UW's Policies are now HTML instead of PDF." I gather there's been a division of opinion on whether PDFs were the most user-friendly format for policies and similar documents; the new HTML version should improve accessibility.
Something else is new on the web: the "Cecilia on Music" column written by Jan Narveson of UW's philosophy department. It's been appearing in the Gazette regularly for, oh, a quarter of a century. With a long suspension of Gazette publication this summer, Narveson is reaching his audience -- limited, but fanatically devoted to classical music and to his insights thereon -- electronically.
Some 220 young volleyball players hit campus today, as something
![[Taylor]](/images/2003/0609taylor.gif)
called the 14U Provincial Elite Centre, sponsored by the
Ontario Volleyball
Association, begins four days here. Participants are staying
in Village I and eating in the cafeteria there. Activities for the
next four days are a mixture of classroom sessions and gymnasium
practice -- and, tomorrow, several hours on the sand (probably not
the Bombshelter patio) for
for instruction on beach volleyball. They've been warned to "bring
sunscreen, hats & extra drinks".
Karl Taylor (right), head coach of the men's hockey Warriors, will be a guest coach next week at a "development camp" for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. Taylor will join LA head coach Andy Murray and several assistant coaches for the annual rookie development camp. "It is an honour to represent the Warriors and the University of Waterloo at the National Hockey League level," says Taylor, calling the event "an opportunity to learn from professional coaches and work with world-class athletes on the ice". The camp runs July 11-24 at the Kings' training facility in El Segundo, California.
CAR