![[University of Waterloo]](/images/logobars/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
|
Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Woman in lab coat tending the brew]](/images/2005/0823dryice.jpg)
Cauldron bubble:
It was dry ice -- left over, I'm told, from keeping something
cold during Sunday's power shutdown --
that produced the steam swirling around the "egg"
sculpture yesterday. The fibreglass fountain by Bruce Watson, southeast of the
Math and Computer building, is officially titled "Break", and has
been a campus landmark since 1971. It had been away for several months
for repairs, but returned earlier this summer.
The photo comes courtesy of a team from
Engineering Science Quest that
was in those parts with a camera.
|
I was taken aback to discover that the Pastry Plus outlet in Needles Hall is closed this week for some flooring work, which means those of us who work in NH are having to scurry over to Dana Porter to meet our coffee needs. Browsers there is one of the few food services outlets that will be open this week and next, a slow time on campus before the fall term picks up. Also open are Bookends in South Campus Hall and Tim Horton's in the Student Life Centre -- though not on its usual 24-hour-schedule. I think that's it. (The mathematics and engineering student coffee shops, in Math and Computer and Carl Pollock Hall respectively, are also still doing business.)
It looks as though the university survived Sunday's power outage, which was scheduled by plant operations to get some maintenance work done on one of the year's least busy days. Of course it meant computer networks and services weren't in operation, and there were some lingering effects yesterday (such as, I couldn't print any files from my computer), but problems were getting cleared away.
Problems? They've got a nice wet one in the Dana Porter Library, where last Thursday's rainstorm and a blocked drain led to some flooding on the first floor, which is well below ground level. No major damage, but the micro room, where microfilm and microfiche are housed, will be closed until further notice so carpets and cabinets can be dried out.
Street performers are starting to arrive at the Ron Eydt Village conference centre, which will house about three dozen of them for the Waterloo Busker Carnival starting tomorrow. . . . UW alumni in the London, Ontario, area are invited to a "social and networking evening" Thursday from 6 to 8 at the Kish Studio on Richmond Street. . . . I note that the position of "senior director, government relations and development" -- recently vacated by Hulene Montgomery -- is now being advertised. . . .
![[Two laughing faces]](/images/2005/0823letson.jpg)
Doug Letson with his wife, Donna, at the April dinner. Photo by Mike Christie. |
The announcement was first made at a celebration dinner on April 29, described in the college's alumni newsletter as "a classic Letson evening: an exotic meal, a good cause, a roomful of laughter. . . . As he retired from St. Jerome's, friends and colleagues celebrated his service to the University and a host of community groups."
The newsletter notes that Letson's successor, current president Michael Higgins, told a few stories during the event, as well as announcing the name for the community centre: "This is the perfect consummation for this evening: dedicating this room after somebody whose labour and energy were committed strongly and constantly, not only to talking about community, but to creating it."
As well, Letson was "gently basted" by Vivian Zochowski of St. Mary's Hospital, Ken Murray of the Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation, Elizabeth Witmer, MPP for Kitchener-Waterloo, and David Graham, who, along with his wife Pat, was co-chair of St. Jerome's Building Together for the Future campaign.
Witmer characterized Letson as "a man of integrity, compassion, conviction: a very passionate advocate for education and the students here." Murray praised Letson's commitment to the Walter Bean Trail, which "would not have been brought to its current state of completion had it not been for his dedication, resolve and personal commitment." Charles Ormston of the Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation surprised Letson with the presentation of the Walter Bean Award for his "extraordinary contribution to our community."
Says the newsletter: "Letson retires after a distinguished academic career that began in 1967. A graduate of the University of St. Jerome's College, he returned to join the English department after receiving his doctorate from the University of Toronto. He served as Academic Dean (1975-81 and 1987-89) and was the University's first lay president from 1989 to 1999. With Michael Higgins, he has co-authored many books, including My Father's Business: A Biography of His Eminence G. Emmett Cardinal Carter (1990), The Jesuit Mystique (1995), and the best-selling Power and Peril: The Catholic Church at the Crossroads (2002)."
In reflecting upon his career, it also reports, Letson paid tribute to his wife, Donna, and their children, Cheryl, Nadine and Rick. He likened his own character to that of the evening's entrée: "Elk is a social critter that once ran free-range and is now domesticated. It's unpredictable under heat, a bit tough if aged too long. Nonetheless, experience shows that it can be amusing to have at the dinner table if it's thoroughly basted and properly tenderized."
As for the work, "Ken McLaughlin is fond of reminding me that we've had a great job here. No heavy lifting and an opportunity to do something we really enjoy." He thanked those assembled for contributing more than $8,500 to the Douglas R. Letson Scholarship/Bursary. "Many of our students are holding down part-time jobs while they are struggling to be successful in their full-time academic lives. Those students need all the support that we can give them.
"Life," he concluded, "is a community experience, a social give and take, and I am grateful for what you have all given me."
Psychology. Geneviève Desmarais, "A Role for Action Knowledge in Visual Object Identification." Supervisor, M. Dixon. On deposit in the faculty of arts, HH 317. Oral defence Tuesday, September 6, 10 a.m., PAS (Psychology) building room 3026.
Kinesiology. Hakam Alkhateeb, "Molecular Bases of Fatty Acid Induced Insulin Resistance and Its Rescue by AMP-Kinase Activation in Mammalian Skeletal Muscle." Supervisors, Arend Bonen and Jim Rush. On display in the faculty of applied health sciences, BMH 3110. Oral defence Tuesday, September 6, 10 a.m., Matthews Hall room 3119.
Psychology. David Hammond, "Human Smoking Behaviour, Cigarette Testing Protocols, and Constituent Yields." Supervisor, Geoffrey Fong. On deposit in the faculty of arts, HH 317. Oral defence Tuesday, September 6, 10 a.m., PAS (Psychology) building room 4288.
Chemical engineering. Michael Jeremiah Leaman, "Kinetic Investigation and Modelling of Multi-Component Polymer Systems with Depropagation." Supervisor, A. Penlidis. On deposit in the faculty of engineering, CPH 4305. Oral defence Thursday, September 8, 8:30 a.m., Doug Wright Engineering room 2534.
English. Michael Truscello, "The Technical Effect: Free and Open Source Software, and the Programming on Everyday Life." Supervisor, Randy Harris. On deposit in the faculty of arts, HH 317. Oral defence Friday, September 9, 10 a.m., Humanities room 232.
Psychology. Brandon Wagar, "The Good and the Bad of Affective Guidance: Insights from the Influence of Automatic Racial Prejudice on Complex Decisions Under Uncertainty." Supervisor, Michael Dixon. On deposit in the faculty of arts, HH 317. Oral defence Friday, September 9, 10 a.m., PAS (Psychology) building room 3026.
Chemistry. Shahab Derakhshan, "Structural and Thermoelectric Properties of Heavy Element Pnictogen Compounds." Supervisor, H. Kleinke. On display in the faculty of science, ESC 254A. Oral defence Tuesday, September 13, 2 p.m., Chemistry II room 361.
History. Andrew Thompson, "In Defence of Principles: NGOs, Human Rights and the Supreme Court of Canada, 1985-1992." Supervisor, John English. On deposit in the faculty of arts, HH 317. Oral defence Tuesday, September 13, 2:30 p.m., Humanities room 334.
Chemistry. Amanda Lee Doherty-Kirby, "Studies on the Serine Protease Inhibitor Eglin c and a Related Peptide from Chymotrypsin Inhibitor 2." Supervisors, G. A. Lajoie and J. G. Guillemette. On display in the faculty of science, ESC 254A. Oral defence Friday, September 16, 1:30 p.m., Biology I room 266.
Psychology. Michael Reynolds, "Reading Aloud Is Not Automatic: Processing Capacity Is Required to Generate a Phonological Code from Print." Supervisor, Derek Besner. On display in the faculty of arts, HH 317. Oral defence Friday, September 16, 2 p.m., PAS (Psychology) room 3026.
And there's a change of time for a previously announced oral defence to be held this Friday, August 26. Jooyoung Lee of combinatorics and optimization will defend the thesis at 10 a.m. in Math and Computer room 5158.
CAR