![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Tuesday, November 2, 2004
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Red graph]](/images/2004/1102radiation.gif)
Dark
at night and bright in the daytime -- that was the pattern for most of
last month at the north campus
weather station.
The graph shows incoming shortwave radiation in watts per square metre
for the 31 days of October.
"Temperature was very average," reports station coordinator Frank
Seglenieks, noting that temperature variation was unusually small in the
latter part of the month when there were a number of cloudy days.
Seasonal omen: "The temperature went below 0 degrees Celsius at 7 a.m. on
October 5 for the first time since May 4."
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"Usually, the reason given for banning smoking in the workplace is to benefit non-smokers and this is a valid and important reason," says OTRU's Thomas Stephens. "What this study shows is that the bans also have health benefits for smokers themselves." The OTRU, co-sponsored by UW, is based at the University of Toronto. Two of its principal investigators are Paul McDonald of health studies and gerontology, and Steve Brown of statistics and actuarial science.
Says Stephens: "A lot of people assume smokers in smoke-free workplaces compensate for being without cigarettes while at work by smoking more at lunch, during breaks or after work, but overall they don't. People are more likely to cut down or to give up cigarettes."
Using data from Statistics Canada's comprehensive 2001 Canadian Community Health Survey, the study determined that 24 per cent of employed adult Canadians are daily smokers who consume an average of 17 cigarettes daily. In workplaces where smoking is banned, 18 per cent of workers smoke daily and their average consumption drops to 15.4 cigarettes per day. By contrast, when there are no bans, 40 per cent of workers are daily smokers and average 20.1 cigarettes daily.
The OTRU study results, presented recently at the International Congress of Behavioral Medicine, apply to adults between the ages of 20 and 64, regardless of age, sex, occupation, education or income. The results were not affected by work stress, depression or attempts to quit smoking within the past 12 months. Stephens says the data have particular impact because they apply to "workers in all kinds of occupations and conditions, and it's recent data that's Canadian."
In Canada, two provinces (Manitoba and New Brunswick) and two territories (Northwest Territories and Nunavut) have recently introduced comprehensive legislation banning smoking in all indoor enclosed workplaces. In Ontario, smoking in the workplace is restricted to a lesser extent by the Smoking in the Workplace Act, the Tobacco Control Act and a variety of municipal bylaws. The Ontario government has promised to introduce province-wide legislation restricting smoking in public workplaces and public places.
![[Seasons]](/images/2004/1020seasons.gif)
Associate
dean (undergraduate studies and educational liaison) in the faculty of
environmental studies is now Mark Seasons of the school of planning.
He took over the associate dean's post on July 1 for a three-year term.
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For anyone looking for a great idea to turn into a business, having a great idea but not knowing where to start, or just wanting to be involved in an exciting new venture, more details can be found at the project's web site.
"LaunchPad is a new and exciting process for students, researchers and community members to join together in teams, develop business plans and start successful businesses," said Kimberly Zheng, student leader of the program at UW.
Organized by UW and WLU, the competition is modelled on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology $50K competition and provides a network of resources for teambuilding, mentorship and networking. Cash prizes and in-kind services totaling $50,000 in value will be divided among the three winning teams. Geoff Malleck, associate director for student development for the Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology, said that "although the prizes are significant, the true reward comes from the actual launch of a business, both to the entrants as well to the community as a whole."
Things get rolling with a workshop today on "Defining the Venture" (5 to 7 p.m. in the CBET classroom on the first floor of Needles Hall). More workshops are planned in the new year. Project presentations and judging are scheduled for the first weekend in May.
The LaunchPad site offers an electronic tool called Team Builder that enables individuals to connect with each other electronically. By reading and posting messages, users can recruit team members or find a team to join based on interests, skills and experience.
"The Waterloo Information Technology and Information Systems Conference was such a success last year," an announcement says, "that the organizers are bringing it back. The date is December 7, 2004. We hope that this will firmly establish the conference as an important professional forum for sharing expertise among our IT workers."
It says the theme of the conference "will be to underscore the importance of 'collaborative IT' in UW's mission to provide teaching and research excellence in an academic institution. The Conference is all about getting together, for one day, the people who do computer support from across campus to publicly share their knowledge and experiences with their fellow professionals.
"Much of the day-to-day interaction of IT staff on campus happens by electronic correspondence. It is hoped that this conference will bring us out of the back rooms and allow us to put a face to the e-mail address."
The schedule will be similar to last year's, with three concurrent streams -- Teaching, Research and Institutional Support -- and a new fourth stream for tutorials. "There are topics of interest to everyone such as Spam and Security."
The web site has conference information now, and registration will be available there as of tomorrow.
| WHEN AND WHERE |
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Jocus toy sale today and Wednesday, 9 to 2, Early Childhood
Education Centre, PAS building.
Engineering debates continue today and tomorrow, 11:30, Engineering II room 3324, finals Friday noon, Carl Pollock Hall. German lecture: Karl-Heinz Bausch, University of Mannheim, "Was ist Deutsch? Ein Überblick über Standardsprache und Dialekte in deutschsprachingen Raum." 1:30, Humanities 373. Auditions for two drama student projects, "Perfect Pie" and "Corpus Christi", from 3:30, Humanities 180 -- sign-up sheet and details in drama department, Modern Languages. Career services workshops: "Letter Writing" 3:30, "Resumé Writing" 4:30, Tatham Centre room 1208. Ottawa alumni reception, 5:30, Brookstreet Hotel, Kanata, details online. German 359 film: "Das Boot" (1981), 6:30, Rod Coutts Hall room 308, free. Vendor focus day Wednesday at Campus TechShop, Student Life Centre: Acer, 10:00 to 3:00. Classical Indian music by Anwar Khurshid, Wednesday 12:30, Conrad Grebel University College chapel, free (postponed from last week). Waterloo Centre for German Studies reception to honour supporters, Wednesday 4 p.m., South Campus Hall. Author Carrie Snyder reads from her book of short fiction, Hair Hat, Wednesday 4 p.m., St. Jerome's University room 3027. Women in Mathematics speaker series: Lisa Jeffrey, University of Toronto, "Hamiltonian Flows and the Stationary Phase Approximation", Wednesday 4:30, Math and Computer room 5158, aimed at upper-year undergrads and graduate students. Fit Challenge, an attempt to set the record for largest indoor fitness class in Canada", Wednesday 4:45, Columbia Icefield. Perimeter Institute public lecture: James Robert Brown, University of Toronto, "The Role of Visualization in Mathematical and Scientific Reasoning", Wednesday 7 p.m., Waterloo Collegiate Institute, free tickets 569-7600 ext. 6152. East Asian Festival November 4-7 begins with literary luncheon Thursday noon, Renison College, guests Judy Fong Bates and Wayson Choy, free tickets 884-4404 ext. 657. Computer science distinguished lecture: Barbara Grosz, Harvard University, "Beyond Mice and Menus", Thursday 4:15, Rod Coutts Hall room 101. 'Sustainable Living': "Lessons from a Costa Rican Eco-Village," report on trip by 15 UW students last year, Thursday 7:15, CEIT room 1015. Gem and Mineral show organized by earth sciences museum, Saturday and Sunday, details online. '2,000 Hail Marys' prayer day organized by Youth for Christ, Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Notre Dame Chapel, St. Jerome's University. Aboriginal Charity Gala, Saturday 5 to 10 p.m., War Memorial Hall, University of Guelph, details online. Pamela Wallin gives the 2004 Visionary Seminar sponsored by Office for Partnerships for Advanced Skills, Council of Ontario Universities, interactive videoconference Monday, November 8, 11:30 to 2:00, Davis Centre room 1301, RSVP ext. 3580. |
![[McBryde]](/images/2004/1102mcbryde.gif)
W. A. E. (Pete) McBryde (right), a pioneering faculty member at UW
and dean of the science faculty 1960-69, died
Friday. He was 87. McBryde came to UW in 1960, after a dozen years on
the faculty at the University of Toronto first as chair of the chemistry
department, which had just been established, and then as dean; he
continued as a chemistry professor until retiring in 1986. His career
in teaching, research (particularly analytical chemistry and metals) and
administration was recognized with many honours, including creation of
the
McBryde Medal by the Canadian Society of Chemistry. Pete McBryde was well
known for his interest in Scottish country dancing, his work in the
Presbyterian church and his service through the Rotary Club. Visitation at
the Edward R. Good Funeral Home is scheduled for tomorrow, with the funeral
to be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church.
The on-campus United Way campaign officially ran through October, but local agencies continue to need funding and the campaign continues to accept donations. At midweek last week some 75 per cent of the $165,000 goal had been received, and organizers said they were confident the rest was on its way or soon would be. "The K-W United Way funds 43 agencies, allowing them to continue to provide 87 programs to those that need them," a letter from campaign co-chairs Pat Cunningham and Winston Cherry reminds staff and faculty members. "If you have already contributed, then we thank you for your generosity. If you haven't already given, we urge you to take the time now and please do so." How much? Well, "$2 a week provides a woman with a day of support and shelter at Anselma House. . . . $20 a week provides a group treatment program, Divorce Planet, for children who are suffering from the impact of parental separation or divorce through the Catholic Family Counselling Centre."
I'm told that individual invitations went out to staff and faculty members last week for the "Black and Gold Lunch" that will be held Friday as a feature of Homecoming weekend. The invitation includes a "ballot" that can bring prizes associated with the East Asian Festival, says Jude Doble in the alumni affairs office, where Homecoming is organized. And "every person who purchases a meal at the Black and Gold Lunch will receive a free Naismith Basketball Tournament session ticket." The lunch runs from 11:30 to 1:30 on Friday at two locations: the Renison College cafeteria, for those preferring "Tastes of East Asia", and the Graduate House.
Speaking of Renison College . . . the latest issue of the Renison alumni newsletter has a photo of the college's librarian, Lois Clifford, posing with "one of five copies of One Day at a Time: The Autobiography of Robert John Renison recently donated to the college. Interested in acquiring a copy of the biography written by Bishop Renison, Caroline Woerns, director of development and alumni affairs, wrote to 29 book dealers to ask if they would consider donating their copy. . . . To date, 5 copies have been generously donated to the college."
Alternatives Journal, published in UW's faculty of environmental studies), has been nominated for a 2004 Utne Independent Press Award for best environmental coverage. "Utne has been surveying the best of the alternative press for the last 20 years," says Marcia Ruby, a staff member of what she calls "Canada's most enduring environmental magazine". The award winners will be announced in the January/February edition of Utne. The next issue of Alternatives, on the theme of "Green Buildings", should be available in about a month.
The Daily Bulletin will have some more listings of PhD thesis defences shortly, but here's one that can't wait, as the defence is being held tomorrow: Computer science. Robert Kroeger, "Admission Control for Independently-authored Realtime Applications." Supervisor, W. B. Cowan. On display in the faculty of mathematics, MC 5090. Oral defence Wednesday, November 3, 3 p.m., Davis Centre room 1302.
Two UW student teams will be taking part in the East Central North America regionals of the ACM Programming Contest, to be held this weekend at Sheridan College in Oakville. . . . The UW Shop is holding a "monster sale" on UW crested clothing today and tomorrow. . . . While more than 3,000 of this year's first-year students were born in 1986, and more than 1,000 in 1985, other years are well represented, from 1988 (three students) all the way back to 1952 (one student), the registrar's office says. . . .
CAR