![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Thursday, September 23, 2004
|
Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Surrounded by greenery]](/images/2004/0923opentext.gif)
Coming soon:
Tuesday's celebration on the north campus was described as a
"groundbreaking" for the new home of Open Text Corp., but in fact
the ground was pretty broken already. Tammy Gaudun of Open Text took
the picture Tuesday, showing what will be the second major-tenant
building in UW's
research
and technology park. That's the Brubacher
House museum in the background.
|
"As well," he adds, "a UW faculty member has been elected to a high ranking position within the IOI."
The Olympiad, an annual competition in the discipline of informatics (computing science) for senior high school students, was held in Athens, within sight of the main Olympic Stadium. It attracted 296 official competitors from 82 countries. Says Vasiga: "The competition gave the students an opportunity to test their ability in designing, understanding and implementing algorithms."
Canada's Richard (Yang) Peng, of Vaughan Road Academy (Toronto), won a silver medal for his 36th place finish. Aidin Kashigar, of Sir Stanford Fleming (London), finished 82nd, Vishvajit Singh of Markville Secondary (Markham), finished in 115th and Simon Parent, of Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate (Kitchener), placed 124th. Aidin, Simon and Vishvajit each received bronze medals.
"I am also pleased to report that Professor Gordon Cormack, from the school of computer science, has been elected to the International Scientific Committee (which creates the problems for future IOI's). This is a honour, and Professor Cormack will help maintain a very high-level of quality in the competition problems used at the IOI." Cormack, besides teaching and researching at UW, has coached Waterloo's ACM Team to high-ranking finishes in most of the past several years.
In late May, 20 students from high schools across Canada competed at UW for a position on the four-member Olympiad team as part of the second stage of the Canadian Computing Competition. They were selected from more than 1,000 students who took part in the first-stage competition in February.
The CCC is an activity of the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing, based in UW's faculty of math. The centre also runs the annual Canadian Mathematics Competition, which offers a series of math contests for students in Grade 7 through to the final year of high school.
A Native dancer will perform at 4 p.m., ceremonies start at 4:10, and tours of the building and a reception will follow about half an hour later. The event is by invitation.
The event marks "an important milestone in the expanded role of the college at the University of Waterloo", a news release asserts. Speakers will be Graham Brown, St. Paul's principal; David Johnston, UW president; and a graduate student representative.
There will be tours of the new apartments that "have dramatically increased the cultural variety of the college, with students from Canada and around the world. As St. Paul's expands its academic programming in its next phase of growth, significant emphasis is expected in the area of international development," the release says.
"St. Paul's has always been a community of diversity in studies, beliefs and backgrounds, and is home to the UW Aboriginal Student Society.
"The expanded facilities include private rooms for campus visitors. This further enriches the environment, introducing visiting scholars, researchers, speakers, employers and other campus guests to the St. Paul's community. Meeting and conference space is also available."
![[At tennis net]](/images/2004/0922hurlburt.gif)
"Sandie Hurlburt is a UW success story," says a profile posted this
month on
the
Keystone Campaign web site. It's the latest in a series
of sketches introducing staff and faculty members who are supporting
the on-campus segment of Campaign Waterloo.
Says the profile of Hurlburt (left): "She came to campus 22 years ago as a single mother with two young sons, taking a support staff position in health studies. Before long, Sandie enrolled in a BA program part-time and set her sights on jobs that required a degree. Sandie's career goal was sealed after receiving marks of A-plus in two Human Resources courses taught in Psychology."
In spite of "her deep loyalty" to the department where she had started work, she made a transfer in 1988 to the position of benefits co-ordinator in the human resources department. Then six years ago, after completing additional education and a professional designation, she moved into her current job, assistant director, reporting to two HR directors, in a department with a staff of 25.
Has it been all about hard work and discipline, or are your achievements attributable to other factors? "Although I have a strong work ethic, maintaining balance and a sense of humour have helped the most. I found strength during the early years in friends who were also full-time working mothers and part-time students. I couldn't have done it without distance education courses and the tuition benefit for staff. And my sons helped me keep the right perspective with their school activities, friends, pastimes, and lessons at Chicopee Ski Hill."
| WHEN AND WHERE |
|
Career workshops: "Making the Career Fair Work for You"
11:30, "Law School Bound" 1:30, "Teaching English to Speakers of Other
Languages" 3:00, Tatham Centre room 2218,
details online.
'Motivating Students', teaching resources workshop, 12 noon, repeated Tuesday -- details online. Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology presents Dave Boswell of XJPartners, "Highlights from the Essential Guide to the Software (or Any) Business", 12 noon, Needles Hall room 1101, space limited. Mathematics graduate scholarships, information meeting for fourth-year and grad students, 3:30, Math and Computer room 2065.
Faculty of Mathematics Banquet tonight, South Campus Hall, recognizing new and retiring faculty and award winners, by invitation. Graduate Student Association bus trip to Stratford tonight for "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Native communities speaker series begins for this season: Brian Maracle, "Worldview and Aboriginal Languages", 8 p.m., MacKirdy Hall, St. Paul's United College, all welcome. Ontario Universities Fair, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Friday 9 to 7, Saturday 9 to 6, Sunday 10 to 5, more information online. Tourism lecture series begins: Jennifer Lynes, environmental studies, "From Motors to Morsels: The Creation of a New Social Class in Cuba", Friday 9:30, PAS building room 1229. Centre for International Governance Innovation panel, "The Responsibility to Protect: Protecting the Innocent or Promoting Self-Interest?" Friday 3 p.m., CIGI, 57 Erb Street West. Renison College Alumni Council, first annual general meeting, Friday 5:30 at Renison. Destined for Greatness student leadership training announced for this Saturday postponed, will be held later in the year. Debate Novice Training Day sponsored by UW Debating Club, Saturday 10 to 3, CEIT room 1015. Sundance Pow Wow, first annual Aboriginal event, all welcome, Saturday noon to 5, St. Paul's United College, $5 at the door. Programming contest, in preparation for this year's ACM competition, Saturday 1 p.m., details online. Career Fair, more than 170 employers, Wednesday, September 29, RIM Park, details online. |
And then about the Keystone Campaign itself: "I've remained loyal to Applied Health Sciences and believe in what it stands for -- improved quality of life for everyone through various means such as health research. I've also stayed in touch with some students who over the years became friends while I was in health studies. Not surprisingly, I give to AHS student scholarship funds and, because I give, I get invited back to AHS events and stay in touch with colleagues there. It's a win-win arrangement."
![[Eyes shut, mouth open]](/images/2004/0923bananas.gif)
Dale Yim as one of the 'banana boys'. Read the full Eyeopener review . . . Star review . . . Globe review. |
The hilariously smart stage adaptation is based around the experiences of five Chinese-born Canadians (a.k.a. banana boys: yellow or Asian on the outside, white on the inside) growing up in Ontario.
The play depicts the evolving friendship between Luke, Michael, Rick, Dave and Sheldon from the time they meet at the University of Waterloo up to the point where the characters realize the true meaning of friendship. The challenges faced by each character are central to describing all the facets of what it means to be a banana boy and how this affects their personal identities. . . .
Growing up in Sarnia, Woo had to cope with schoolyard bullies who routinely attacked him for being Asian, which left deep emotional scars. Having been alienated by Asians for not being "Asian" enough and being shunned by whites because he wasn't "white" enough left him in a state of cultural dislocation from which he did not recover for years. . . .
It was not until he went to the University of Waterloo for engineering that he was able to gain acceptance and support for the first time in a society that did not automatically judge his background or skin colour.
He learned through this experience that the term banana boy can be negative and positive. Woo has adopted it as his own and he now uses it to reflect uniqueness. He began working on the first draft of what was more like a journal rather than a critically acclaimed novel during these formative years of university life. . . .
After four years on the shelves, the book
received immensely positive feedback from media and fans and
attracted the attention of Leon Aureus, a founding member of the
Fu-GEN
Asian Canadian Theatre Company.
CAR
![[Cheriton]](/images/2004/0923cheriton.gif)
'The Internet: Problems and Future Directions',
distinguished alumni speaker series, David Cheriton (left) of Stanford
University, 4:15, Davis Centre room 1302.