![[University of Waterloo]](/images/logobars/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Friday, February 11, 2005
|
Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Team, flanked by goalie pads]](/images/2005/0207hockey.jpg)
The engineering faculty and student Engineering Society are hosting the OEC, which also involves judges, corporate sponsors and guests. Participants will mostly be staying at the Four Points Sheraton hotel in downtown Kitchener, where dinner tonight opens the conference and a banquet on Saturday night will see the awards presented.
"As the OEC is an event that not only encompasses engineering techniques and problem-solving methods, it also includes a number of liberal arts competitions that ultimately define the engineer in their communication skills," a release from the organizers says.
There are seven areas of competition, up from six last year: editorial communications (sponsored by the Canadian Forces), explanatory communications (sponsored by the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers), corporate design (sponsored by Ontario Power Generation), entrepreneurial design (Research In Motion), parliamentary debate (the Sandford Fleming Foundation and Consulting Engineers of Ontario), junior team design (Husky Injection Molding Systems), and senior team design (The Personal). The "team design" category is divided into junior and senior competitions for the first time. introduced this year after its inclusion in the Canadian Engineering Competition in 2002.
Besides UW, which has two teams at the event, four-member teams are representing the University of Windsor, Royal Military College, Guelph, Ryerson, Carleton University, McMaster, Toronto, Queen's, Western, York, and the new University of Ontario Institute of Technology.
In advance of the main OEC, a High School Competition is being held today, open to all local high school students interested in engineering design. Visitors and spectators are welcome at tomorrow's competitions, being held in the Davis Centre, Rod Coutts Hall and the CEIT building from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
![[Looks like a skipping rope]](/images/2005/0202bipolar.jpg)
'Bipolar Bare'
is one of the eight plays that make up the drama department's
"Upstart" festival this year.
Performances
continue tonight and
all day tomorrow in Studio 180 in the Humanities building.
|
A major afternoon event tomorrow is the reading by Malcolm Gladwell that's jointly sponsored by the library, retail services, and alumni affairs. Gladwell, born in Waterloo Region and well known as author of The Tipping Point, has a new book in print, Blink, about the power of split-second decision making. His talk will start at 3:00 at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, 57 Erb Street West. Response to early publicity was overwhelming, and the alumni office has had to tell hundreds of people: sorry, there's no more room.
| WHEN AND WHERE |
|
Federation of Students candidates' forum 11:30, Carl Pollock
Hall foyer.
'Why Corporate Governance Matters', Randall Morck, Harvard University, sponsored by Centre for International Governance Innovation, Friday 12 noon, 57 Erb Street West. Charity Run at St. Jerome's University, tonight 7:00 to midnight. Walter Foddis, psychology graduate student, releasing his debut CD, "Intransition", performs tonight at the Graduate House. Total Woman Show at Bingemans, Kitchener, Saturday and Sunday, discount tickets available from UW Recreation Committee. Klaus D. Woerner, founder of ATS Automation Tooling Systems and benefactor of UW, memorial service Saturday 3 p.m., Centre in the Square, Kitchener. Valentine's dinner Saturday, University Club, $40 per person, reservations ext. 3801. Cannes International Awards for Commercials "exclusive UW showing" Sunday 11:30 a.m., Princess Cinema, admission $6, hosted by Geoff Malleck, marketing professor in economics. Students' council Sunday 12:30, Federation Hall. Roy Romanow, former premier of Saskatchewan, head of Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada, speaks at St. Jerome's University Friday, February 18, 7:30. Quest down time February 17-28, details online. Reading Week for most faculties, February 21-25; reading period for engineering and math, Thursday-Friday, February 24-25. |
![[Snowflake]](/images/2000/1205snowflake.gif)
Bombshelter will open at night for an all-ages dance party. There is also
a free skate up at the Columbia Icefield from 10:00 to 12."
And piggybacking on Winterfest will be some Warrior Weekends events, including free movies tonight in the SLC: "Cool Runnings" at 9:00, "The Day After Tomorrow" at 10:45, and (starting to see a theme here?) "Ice Age" at 12:45. Saturday night, it's "Mini Monte Carlo Night" in the SLC, along with other activities such as "Valentine's Day crafts".
The UW International Development Student Conference for this year will be held tomorrow at St. Paul's United College. Attendance is free, but pre-registration has been encouraged. The event is held to "educate students on issues in international development; offer students an opportunity to share their development work and research experiences; stimulate debate on development objectives and practices." Keynote speaker will be Lynnita Weber of Fellowship for African Relief, and the day will include a couple of dozen student presentations on such topics as food security, economic reform and urbanization, as well as time to visit an "NGO Fair". Details are on the web.
Sports this weekend: Men's volleyball tonight at 7 vs. Queen's, tomorrow at 8 vs. Royal Military College, in the PAC. Women's volleyball, Saturday at 6 vs. McMaster, PAC. Basketball vs. Guelph tomorrow, women at 1 p.m., men at 3 p.m., PAC. Women's hockey tomorrow at Western; indoor hockey at the Toronto Qualifier tournament all weekend; Nordic skiing in North Bay for the OUA championships; swimming at Brock, also the OUA championships; track and field at the Cornell invitational.
![[O'Donovan]](/images/2005/0211odonovan.jpg)
O'Donovan (left), an innovator in satellite communications, served
as UW's chancellor for six years, ending in June 2003. A member of the Order
of Canada, he was then named chancellor emeritus. He played a key
role in the relocation of UW's school of architecture to Cambridge last
year.
"In addition to helping to facilitate the move of the Architecture school," says a statement issued this week, "he and his family have also been most generous benefactors to the university in several ways, including the creation of endowed research chairs, one in the Faculty of Arts, another in the Faculty of Engineering (the O'Donovan Chair in Engineering). He also donated a number of rare Canadian historical volumes to the UW Library."
The statement quotes Johnston: "Our university community, and indeed all Waterloo Region, has lost a wonderful friend, innovator and leader. We are saddened by his passing and extend our sincerest condolences to his wife Sheila and family.
"Val was one of a kind, a true gentleman in all that implies. He was an exceptional engineer who brought his ideas and spirit of innovation to this region, building Com Dev into an international company of high repute. And he used his success in industry to build a better community around him.
"He not only worked tirelessly for the advancement of UW and higher education, and was instrumental in establishing our School of Architecture in a world-class facility in downtown Galt, he also had a strong interest in his Cambridge community as witnessed by Lisaard House, the hospice he founded with his wife Sheila."
"We shall always treasure everything Val did and stood for at the University of Waterloo."
Downey, who was president during much of O'Donovan's term in office, describes him as "the perfect chancellor. He had the mind of an engineer and the soul of a poet. He also had an authentic interest in young people, and took delight in the act of conferring degrees. In fact, it was always a challenge to get Val to cut short his conversations with them so that we could keep convocation moving."
Born in Cork, Ireland, O'Donovan earned his professional engineering accreditation in England. In 1962, he invented a new type of microwave multiplexer, and a paper he wrote describing the invention won the best paper award in the Journal of the Institution of Electronic and Radio Engineers.
After coming to Canada in 1963, he joined the communications division of RCA in Montréal and participated in the engineering development of the first generation of satellite earth stations. By 1971, he was manager of RCA's satellite transponder department, which was responsible for designing the payloads used in the innovative Canada/United States communications technology satellite and the first domestic U.S. satellites. Drawing on his expertise, he co-authored a book titled Microwave Filters for Communications Systems.
He founded satellite-equipment maker Com Dev in 1974 and, under his guidance, it has become a global leader in satellite and wireless communications technology. In 1979, Com Dev moved from Montréal to Cambridge to take advantage of the talent pool at area universities. In 1993, he received the Laurier Outstanding Business Leader Award from Wilfrid Laurier University. Two years later, UW awarded him an honorary degree, Doctor of Engineering.
A memorial service is scheduled for February 20, time and place not yet announced.
CAR