![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Friday |
Monday, September 13, 2004
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
Tree and leaf outside, detritus inside in the former architecture studios.
![[Greenery outside, gloom inside]](/images/2004/0913es2.gif)
Empty of people, but still equipped with battered furniture and decorated with past years' graffiti, the second-floor area of Environmental Studies II is awaiting a cleanout and renovation for its new occupants. And one of them, the department of environment and resource studies, has an ambitious vision for what can be done there.
ERS faculty member Bob Gibson is looking forward to moving into the south side of the now-empty space from the department's current, crowded quarters in Environmental Studies I. The north side of the studio space will go to the school of planning.
ERS will be glad to have more space, says Gibson, showing a preliminary plan that includes offices, seminar rooms, and a lecture room that would seat about 70 -- big enough for all the ERS students in one year's intake, convenient enough to be used for all the department's core courses and start to feel like home for its students.
But there's more. "We would like to have space that reflects the subject matter," says Gibson. His ambition: a building that scores high on the "Green Building Rating System" known as LEED, for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED assigns points for many features of a building -- everything from energy efficiency to the availability of a shower, so people can bicycle to work comfortably.
"It's good for teaching," he says about the green building that he envisions. "It's also good for recruitment, if you look like you walk the talk."
![[Dinosaur and quartz at lower right]](/images/2004/0910laz.gif)
Mike Lazaridis,
UW's chancellor and the chief executive of Research In Motion, and his
wife, Ophelia, were guests of honour Tuesday night at a party in the
Centre for Environmental and Information Technology. Themes were family,
community, and the good things that will happen thanks to the
multi-million-dollar Lazaridis gift for quantum computing at UW,
announced
earlier this year. UW president David Johnston, right, had Waterloo
jackets for the stars of the evening.
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"There's a host of technologies that are now available to deal with energy, lighting, water," he says. "Part of our plan here is to extend to greening it, updating and humanizing it." He'd like that to include all of ES II, not just the area to be occupied by ERS but the planning school area as well, the "smart classroom" that will go in where architecture had its "green room", and the downstairs area that's occupied by other parts of the environmental studies faculty.
He's also hoping for improvements to the landscaping outside ES II, particularly on the south side facing the PAS building, where an unimaginative stand of trees could be so much more. Ecological restoration is a part of the ERS curriculum, he noted, and where better to try out the latest techniques?
"It's going to take some money to do this," says Gibson, noting that ERS will be working with the development office to see where the funding might come from. "This is at early days, certainly."
"After more than a year of planning, the Davis Library reopens this morning. Improved study space with power and natural light, reorganized book stacks ready for browsing, and new public service desks are some of the changes. The renovation is not quite complete. Work will continue for the next several weeks to complete the new entrance and exit and other areas within the Library.
"Faculty, students, and staff should look for the temporary entrance to the Library on the campus side of the Davis Centre (look for the signs). While information and circulation services will be limited until networking is completed, the Reserve collection is available from the new circulation desk. In a few weeks, the copy centre and the real entrance and exit should be open.
"The project is actually the first phase of a complete renovation planned for the Davis Library. Phase one has been made possible by a gift from RBC Financial Group. Check the Library homepage for updates."
![[Pancake breakfast Tuesday at Brubakers]](/images/2004/0908pancake.gif)
Those instruments are the biggest gaps in the ensemble at present, says Alison Boyd of UW's development and alumni office, who plays the flute and is a staff representative on the orchestra committee.
Music ensembles welcome studentsNot related to the new orchestra, several music ensembles are getting organized through the music department at Conrad Grebel University College, as they do every term. "The Chamber Choir, Chapel Choir, University Choir, Instrumental Chamber Ensembles and Stage Band are open to all students," a flyer says. "For more information on any of these ensembles, or to set up an audition time, contact the Music Department at music@uwaterloo.ca or 885-0220 ext. 226." |
The orchestra is open to students, staff, faculty and alumni. "Students should notice," says Boyd, "that the orchestra cannot be used for a music credit." Anyone interested can register online and come to the open rehearsal on Thursday (7 to 8:30 p.m.). Any questions can be sent by e-mail to orchestra@uwaterloo.ca.
Rehearsals will be held on Thursday evenings, and the first concert will take place on December 2, also in the Humanities Theatre.
| WHEN AND WHERE |
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Bookstore, UW Shop and Techworx open today through
Thursday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Regular hours are Monday-Friday 8
to 5, Saturdays 12 to 4.) ArtWorx, East Campus Hall, open today
and tomorrow, 11 to 7; regular hours Monday-Thursday 11 to 3.
Used book sale organized by mature student services, today and Tuesday, Modern Languages foyer.
Baseball Warriors play two today: against Guelph at 5:00, against Western at 7:30, both at Pearson Park, Guelph. Men's basketball Warriors team meeting, new players welcome, 5 p.m., PAC room 2021. The Embassy church fall barbecue, 7 p.m., Village Green. Spring term grades available on Quest -- graduate students today, undergraduate students Thursday. Pension and benefits committee Tuesday 8:30 to 12 noon, Needles Hall room 3004. Renison College Town & Gown Society, 10th anniversary afternoon tea, Tuesday 2 p.m., information 884-4404 ext. 620. Library books borrowed on term loan before August 1 are due Wednesday, September 15, or can be renewed through Trellis. Karen LeDrew, associate registrar, retirement reception, Wednesday 3:30 to 6, University Club, information jldean@uwaterloo.ca. |
Power was out for much of yesterday in several UW buildings, including parts of engineering as well as the Dana Porter Library, which was scheduled to be open from noon to 6. Something in the electrical distribution system failed around 2 a.m., and a temporary fix was put in place about 2:30 p.m. Today the plant operations department will be continuing its investigation of what went wrong.
Big news comes from the Midnight Sun solar car team over the weekend: "Waterloo's Midnight Sun VII solar car that is on a 40-day tour of North America has surpassed the world distance record of 13,054 km established by Aurora Vehicle Association of Melbourne, Australia, in 2002. The team and solar car are in upstate New York near the New York and Vermont border and are nearing the final leg of the tour. On August 26, the Midnight Sun team broke the official record, recognized by Guinness World Records, of 7,043.5 km held by Queen's University set in July 2000. The new record, which is subject to ratification by the International Solar Car Federation, and Guinness World Records, will be for the longest distance in a single journey by a solar-powered car. The Midnight Sun team has been driving the newest generation solar car -- Midnight Sun VII -- every day since August 7, across Canada and the United States." My apologies, by the way, for having referred to the car as VIII, rather than VII, a couple of days ago.
Several sessions are planned this week to provide information about graduate scholarships to present and potential grad students, the UW graduate studies office says. Today it's a meeting with representatives of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council to talk about graduate and postdoctoral scholarships (9 a.m. to noon, Davis Centre room 1302). Tuesday, there's a session on scholarships in arts and applied health sciences (3:30, Needles Hall room 3001). Wednesday, it's engineering and science scholarships (3:30, Davis Centre room 1302). And Thursday it's scholarships in environmental studies (4 p.m., Environmental Studies I courtyard).
Here's a reminder from Michelle Robinson of the athletics department: "We have changed the way that we offer our fitness classes." She elaborates: "Instead of individual registration, participants can now purchase a 'shoe tag' or 'punch card' for the classes. Shoe tags are good for the entire term, for as many fitness classes as the participant wants to take. The punch card is good for 10 fitness classes. Faculty and staff can purchase their shoe tag or punch card now -- they don't have to wait." She adds that fitness classes aimed particularly at staff (who may have different fitness needs from students, since they're typically older, and are available mostly at noon hour) will begin the week of September 20 and finish December 17. A shoe tag that covers the noon-hour staff class, "plus anything else they want", will cost $45 for the term.
And . . . I have only a few of the weekend's sports scores, but here they are. The football Warriors fell to the McMaster Marauders 55-17; the baseball Warriors split a doubleheader with Toronto, losing 8-0 but then winning 2-0.
CAR
![[Fed 101 tonight from 10 p.m.]](http://www.feds.ca/graphics/pic3big.jpg)
Imaginus poster sale, today through Friday in the
Student Life Centre, 9:00 to 8:00 daily except Friday 9 to 5.