Art Headlam is mourned

Arthur Headlam (right), one of the builders of UW’s Office of Research, died on June 28. A chartered accountant by training, he was hired in 1965 as the university’s accountant, and later became comptroller. His report on the financial handling of research grants and services led to the creation of the Office of Research in 1981, where he became director of research services, then director of research services and development. He also became president of the American-based Society of Research Administrators. He retired in 1992 and was named an Honorary Member of the University in 1997.

The family of Arthur Headlam invite relatives and friends to a memorial service to remember and celebrate his life at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 16, at Westminster United Church (The Cedars), 543 Beechwood Drive, Waterloo.

Budding planner finds support at UW

The latest Keystone Campaign profiles highlight the university's urgent need for student awards funding, says Shelley Rudd, ODAA. “The student profiles are being developed to show how contributions to the Keystone Campaign are making an impact on student's lives.”

July’s spotlight is on Nancy Goucher—sister of Christine Goucher, formerly of UW Graphics--a first-year Master of Environmental Studies student who has received a UW Graduate Scholarship. She holds a Waterloo undergraduate degree in Planning and worked as a co-op student for the cities of Waterloo and Hamilton and the Ministry of Transportation. Nancy is a member of the Association of Graduate Planners (AGP) and is the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) representative for graduate planners. The profile continues, in part:

“What do you like best about UW? I am most impressed by the high level of support that I receive from faculty and staff within Environmental Studies. I feel reassured knowing that if I need help or advice, there is always someone available to talk to me and that they will do their best to help me. The staff in ES work hard to create a feeling of community. I also value the culture at UW where creating and disseminating knowledge is a priority.

“Why did you choose to attend Waterloo? I chose to attend Waterloo because I knew the program would be flexible enough to let me take an interdisciplinary approach to my studies. I also wanted to work with and learn from my advisor — Dr. Sarah Michaels.

“How did the student awards you received help you? I received a UW Graduate Entrance Scholarship, a Graduate Incentive Award, and a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Scholarship. These awards have helped me tremendously. For the first time since I was 16, I have been able to concentrate 100 percent of my time on school instead of working while attending school. Consequently, I am able to undertake an ambitious topic of study and I hope to be able to have some influential results come out of my thesis.”

More profs going on sabbatical

Here's a further list of UW faculty members who are on sabbatical leave that began July 1:

Jeanne Kay Guelke, geography, has a six-month sabbatical to "complete research on Mormon women and environmental history of Zion National Park."

Phelim Boyle, accountancy, has a six-month sabbatical: "I will study insurance contracts that combine upside participation in the stock market with downside protection for the policyholder. These contracts are difficult for consumers to evaluate. It is hard for insurers to manage the risks. They contain long-term options and their value is also affected by policyholder behaviour. We do not have good theories on how policyholders behave and there is scant empirical data available."

Colin MacLeod, psychology, has a year-long leave: "I will almost exclusively be writing. My intention is to write a series of articles that will complete experiments already conducted; a major literature review on a central aspect of memory; two chapters for edited collections to which I have been invited to contribute; and a sole-authored book on cognitive skill improvement. I also hope to begin new collaborations and to prepare new lines of research for my return. Finally, at the end of the leave, I intend to prepare my NSERC grant renewal, due in Fall 2006."

Forbes Burkowski, computer science, has a six-month leave "to do research in structural bioinformatics (specifically dimension reduction techniques for protein conformation data) and to do publishing. In addition, I am working on an undergraduate text in structural bioinformatics. While on sabbatical I will continue supervising my graduate students."

Jane Buyers, fine arts, is also on sabbatical for six months: "The leave will be spent developing original art works, including sculpture and drawing, which will be exhibited in 2005 and 2006 in a series of curated exhibitions in public places. A catalogue is being produced which includes a 'literary response' to the work by award-winning novelist Ann Ireland in an interview with international art writer Robert Enright. Another body of work, in ceramic sculpture, will also be developed for a solo curated museum show confirmed for all of 2006. In addition to studio based investigations, I will be conducting research into the practice of drawing as a form of archiving, at two extensive drawing collections in England, housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and the Royal Library, Windsor Castle."

Shelley Hulan, English language and literature, has a six-month sabbatical to "complete two projects, one on the work of Susan Harrison and the rhetoric of labour in 19th century Canadian literature, and the other on the medicalization of the emotions in Modernist Canadian writing. I will also finish a study of the reception of Hegel in Canadian critical discourse."

Arokia Nathan, electrical and computer engineering, has a year-long sabbatical leave, to be "spent in Cambridge University, Department of Engineering, UK, working on research related to electronic materials and devices."

Karin MacHardy, history, has a six-month sabbatical: "I have applied for an unpaid leave of absence from July 2004 to June 2005 in order to accept a fellowship at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study. A sabbatical following this will allow me to complete a book contracted by Cambridge University Press (England)."

News briefs for Thursday

More volunteer opportunities: The City of Waterloo is looking for responsible adults or teens 17 or older to help city summer camp staff with group supervision on occasional weekday trips. And the city invites volunteers 18 or older for Sunday shifts to help golfers at the Grey Silo Golf Course. Information for both at 888-6488 or volunteer@city.waterloo.on.ca.

The student think tank on campus, the Forum for Independent Thought, is holding its second and final brainstorming session for the term this Thursday 5 p.m. at SLC 2134. “In this second segment of UW Think!” writes Rajat Suri, the organization’s president, “we'll be mapping resources for the various ideas generated last meeting and discussing the launch of specialized research centers to tackle these issues.”

A note from the Canadian Blood Service: “Every hero deserves a holiday--we just think yours should be incredible. Canadian Blood Services is pleased to announce that everyone who visits a blood donor clinic until September 3 can complete a ballot for an incredible trip to Orlando,  Florida, or one of 35 DVD prize packs featuring The Incredibles.” Your next opportunity is today in the Student Life Centre 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Blood donor clinics run 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. today and Friday, and most of next week, in the Student Life Centre.

And, finally…. a chance to brush up on your Shakespeare

“It is a long standing tradition that the second-year students at the UW School of Architecture produce a play as part of their summer term curriculum,” writes the school’s director Rick Haldenby. “We are pleased to announce that 2B class has chosen to celebrate our new Cambridge home by producing a light-hearted and fun-filled comedy covering all (yes, all) of Shakespeare’s works in less than two hours.” 

“The Compleat Wks of Willm Shkspr (Abridged)” will be performed — with special guest appearances — in historic Tassie Hall at Galt Collegiate Institute, 200 Water Street North in Cambridge, this Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. Advance tickets ($12) can be purchased at Melville Café or Palette Café, or by emailing architecture_play@yahoo.ca . Tickets will also be available at the door.

C&PA