![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Overlooking Tatham Centre stairs]](/images/2004/0922tatham.gif)
Students
who worked for the department of co-op education and career services
during the spring term posed for a photo as their jobs were winding up:
Donny Martin, Gillian Gothard, Hanif Khalili-Pooya, Yun Lu, John Slaboda,
Cody Neath, Jonathan Steel, Ka-Lun Ho, Alina Judet, Nicole Wright,
Roxana Rozembaigher, Michelle Russell, Elaine Dawson.
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George Dixon, the dean of science, announced that Jake Thiessen, who is associate dean of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at Toronto, will serve "for a period of at least a year" while UW makes plans for the school, which has been described as a "satellite" of the Toronto pharmacy school. It's scheduled to open in 2006 or 2007 on a "health sciences campus" in downtown Kitchener.
Thiessen is experienced not just in administration but in planning for big projects, Dixon said, noting that he had chaired the users committee for U of T's new pharmacy building, which is now under construction at the northwest corner of Queen's Park and College Street.
"His mandate here will be to basically guide us," said Dixon, adding that there's also a standing committee in science, chaired by chemistry professor Gary Dmitrienko, that's coordinating the "limitless" to-do list for the new school.
Over the coming months, the dean said, faculty members in science will be working out the pharmacy curriculum (with involvement from U of T); setting a time line, including a schedule of when faculty members need to be recruited and hired; and starting to plan the building, which will go on a site being provided by the city of Kitchener, at the corner of King and Victoria Streets.
Provost Amit Chakma told the senate meeting that the Ontario government has given UW the go-ahead to submit a formal application for approval of the new school. He also said a land transfer agreement with Kitchener is being prepared.
At the ceremony -- to be held at the Perimeter building at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday, October 2 -- the university will give honorary degrees to three internationally known physicists who will be here to take part in the Perimeter events, including an open house later that day.
The three scientists -- James Hartle, Sir Roger Penrose and Steven Weinberg -- will be awarded honorary Doctor of Science degrees. All three have garnered scores of international accolades and awards and are acknowledged leaders in their fields. One is a Nobel laureate.
"This special convocation was an opportunity to put a focus on the importance of theoretical or pure research, and on these brilliant men who are involved in the ultimate quest for knowledge," says a statement from Johnston being issued today by UW's media relations office. "The University of Waterloo is proud of its strong links with the Perimeter Institute, and this special convocation is an excellent way for Waterloo, which is also known for its strong science and physics programs, to play a role in celebrating scientific enquiry and the Perimeter Institute's public opening."
The Perimeter Institute was founded through the leadership of Mike Lazaridis, co-CEO of Research In Motion (RIM) and UW's chancellor. Funded by personal donations from Lazaridis and fellow RIM executives Jim Balsillie and Doug Fregin, the Institute established itself as an international focal point of cutting-edge research in foundational theoretical physics.
Although separate from UW, it has close links, with many of the Perimeter physicists holding adjunct appointments in UW's department of physics.
Weinberg, of the University of Texas at Austin, is holder of the Josey Regental Chair of Science at Texas. His work has been in quantum field theory, elementary particle physics and cosmology. He is the author of well-known scientific treatises, and he has written several books for general readers, including the prize-winning First Three Minutes, and Dreams of a Final Theory, Facing Up, and Glory and Terror. In addition to receiving the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979, he was awarded the National Medal of Science by President George H.W. Bush. He will deliver the convocation address.
Hartle, professor of physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is known for his work on quantum mechanics and quantum gravity. His early research made important contributions to the understanding of gravitational waves, relativistic stars, and black holes. More recently, his interests have turned to quantum gravity and the foundations of quantum mechanics. His 1983 paper with noted physicist Stephen Hawking, "Wave Function in the Universe", is renowned, and the Hartle-Hawking wave function is commonplace nomenclature amongst researchers and students of early universe cosmology, gravitational physics and other fields.
Penrose, Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University, is a distinguished mathematician and theoretical physicist who is well known for his work in general relativity, including a "singularity theorem" paper with Stephen Hawking, non-periodic tilings, and twistor theory. He is the author of prize-winning books, including The Emperor's New Mind, winner of the 1990 Science Book Prize, and The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe. He has won numerous awards, including the 1971 Heinemann Prize and shared the 1988 Wolf Prize with Hawking. He was knighted for his work in 1994 and received the Order of Merit in 2000.
The VP, Paul Guild, said the winners were chosen by the awards committee at a meeting in late July. Here are the citations he provided for the four winners:
Michael Ross, department of psychology: "A preeminent scholar among psychologists internationally, Michael Ross is widely acknowledged as one of the world's leading social psychologists. His work has had a major impact on the field with numerous publications that are very highly cited. Within the last three years he has held grants from SSHRC, NSERC and CIHR as well as the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in the US. One of the most eminent social psychologists today commented on the breadth of his contributions which include the study of causal attribution, autobiographical memory, reconstructive memory, the accuracy of predictions about the future, the study of heuristics, and research on well-being. Many of his articles are classics. Dr. Ross is clearly one of the influential social psychologists of his generation; his colleagues and peers refer to his work as 'elegant', 'brilliant' and 'highly influential'."
Scott Vanstone, St. Jerome's, combinatorics and optimization: "Scott Vanstone has achieved an exceptional international reputation for his academic accomplishments with an impressive record of research publications, and has played a prominent role in promoting elliptic curve cryptography as a practical security technology. Through his research expertise, dedication, and vision, the Combinatorics & Optimization department has become world-renowned for excellence in Cryptography. Dr. Vanstone has a distinguished record of contributions in cryptography over the past twenty years and his academic and commercial activities have had a tremendously positive impact both on research at UW, and on the Canadian information security industry. His vision and ability to explain his work at the appropriate level to engineers and security experts have been very influential in determining the information security roadmap, and his research and innovation are now having a global impact."
Peter Bernath, department of chemistry: "Peter Bernath is well known internationally within his discipline; his work involving the observation of water on the sun and his leadership of the recently launched "Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment" atmosphere monitoring satellite have brought substantial public notice to the University. Dr. Bernath's initiative and leadership of this project, and the spectroscopic expertise essential to its success, promise to provide a great wealth of information essential to the understanding of atmospheric pollution and chemistry and of climatic change. He has had a consistently high level of research support and his numerous invited lectures at national and international events clearly attest to the very high regard in which he is held by his peers. Dr. Bernath has published over 270 refereed research papers, 25 book chapters or Conference Proceeding papers, and two books, one of which is a widely used graduate level textbook which has been through three print runs, and for which a second edition is now in preparation."
John Cherry, department of earth sciences: "John Cherry has had a profound and sustained impact internationally on the field of hydrogeology. His impact is simply but aptly stated in a reference letter: "His name is indelibly etched on the field, much like Einstein is related to E=mc2". Dr. Cherry is prolific in both publishing and presenting research results internationally, the textbook he co-authored with Alan Freeze has been the standard text in hydrogeology courses world-wide since its first edition in 1979. His counsel is sought throughout the world by businesses, academics and government and he has enhanced the reputation of the University. In addition to the large number of awards he has won in North America, Dr. Cherry has also been presented with the William Smith Medal by the Geological Society of England. This is their highest possible award for contributions to applied sciences, named after one of the most eminent geologists in history. There is no doubt that he has a major international reputation and continues to influence geologists around the world."
| WHEN AND WHERE |
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Research and Technology Park announcement and ceremony at the
R&T Park construction site, north campus, 10 a.m.
On-campus part-time job fair noon to 2 p.m., Student Life Centre. TB screening clinic, 4 to 7 p.m., Health Services. Womyn's centre open house, 5 p.m., Student Life Centre. 'Starting Your Own Business' career workshop, 5:30, Tatham Centre room 1208, register online. Canadian Federation of University Women local chapter meets 6:30, First United Church, Waterloo, details online. Volunteer fair Wednesday, 11:00 to 2:00, Student Life Centre. 'Benefits of Yoga' interactive session sponsored by Employee Assistance Program, Wednesday 12 noon, PAC Studio 2, register with Johan Reis, health services. Smarter Health seminar: "My Care Source: A Web-Based Patient Portal", Glen Kearns and Claudette Delenardo, Grand River Hospital, Wednesday 3 p.m., Davis Centre room 1302. Waterloo-Germany exchange program information session Wednesday, 3:30, Modern Languages room 245, more information online. Graduate studies in mathematics: information session for third and fourth year undergraduates, Wednesday 4 p.m., Davis Centre room 1350; scholarship information meeting for grad students and fourth-year undergrads, Thursday 3:30, Math and Computer room 2065. 'Motivating Students', teaching resources workshop, Thursday 12 noon, repeated Tuesday, September 28 -- details online. |
"Honouring Our Future Leaders" is the theme of the powwow, which organizers hope will become an annual celebration of First Nations culture -- as it is on university campuses across North America.
As a forum for "many different nations to gather together in celebration our relationships and of life," explains UW Aboriginal education counsellor Jean Becker, the powwow is open to all, both native and non-native. While the event is designed to help create a sense of community for native students at the university, says Becker, the powwow will promote cultural awareness for non-native participants.
The message of the powwow: "We exist, we're here, we're not in the past."
"Powwows were suppressed for many years," Becker adds, "and began to come back in the 1960s." Although powwows serve as a link to the past, they also showcase styles of Aboriginal dance that have evolved over recent years "as viable, vibrant contemporary practice.
"We walk a delicate balance between retaining our traditional cultural values and practices, and living in a modern society. It's something we have to negotiate every day." The powwow can bridge between these two worlds,
The event is organized by UW Aboriginal Student Services and SUNDANCe, a group of staff, students, faculty and community representatives from Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph. Performers will come from those areas and from native communities throughout southern Ontario.
As well as the beat of the big drums, traditionally played by men, the powwow will feature the UW women's hand drum group. The host drum -- responsible for providing music for the dancers -- is from Brock University.
Vendors at the event will offer a range of food, crafts and information booths. Admission to the powwow is $5, with proceeds helping to fund bursaries for Aboriginal students at Waterloo, Guelph and Wilfrid Laurier universities.
CAR