"This major investment is helping AUTO21 advance Canada's reputation as a leader in automotive research and development," said Peter Frise, AUTO21 Program Leader and CEO. "The strong collaboration between government and industry supporters and the Canadian research community is leading to new technologies and also a steady stream of highly qualified student researchers who will lead the country's future automotive sector."

AUTO21 research takes a multidisciplinary approach, pairing non-traditional fields together to spark innovative solutions. A project may consist of engineers, occupational therapists, nurses, economists, chemists, and psychologists. AUTO21 research occurs in six key areas: health, safety and injury prevention; societal issues; materials and manufacturing; design processes; powertrains, fuels and emissions; and intelligent systems and sensors.

Geography professor Jean Andrey tells the donor tour about campaign projects in environmental studies, including a proposed "green wall" inside the building.

Donors get bus tour and thanks

The passengers (besides me, along to take notes) were mostly major donors to the university, who had been invited for a very special campus tour before the Campaign Waterloo celebration event last Tuesday. Most of them were making a day of it, with an invitational dinner at president David Johnston's farm scheduled that evening.

The idea was that donors would get a first-hand look at the changing face of the campus, while a series of key UW people -- with Johnston acting as emcee -- would tell them about some of the projects that their gifts (and others) had made possible. A specially printed map showed 23 buildings that have been erected or renovated with campaign funding, from the Tatham Centre to the RBC "information commons" in the Davis Centre library.

A recent gift from Economical Insurance "will be used to create a student galleria" in the Dana Porter Library, university librarian Mark Haslett told the group at one point. He said the third-floor area will be "an enclosed reading room unlike anything else you'll see on campus".

At the Columbia Street side of campus, Mike Sharratt, dean of applied health sciences, pointed to the just-opened wing of the Lyle Hallman Institute for Health Promotion. "Our smallest faculty was the first one to exceed our target" in the campaign, he said proudly.

And Tony Vannelli, an associate dean of engineering, spoke of the "metamorphosis" of that faculty, thanks to many gifts including a sum from Hydro One that's underwriting an online training program in power engineering.

At least a couple of the donors were aboard the bus to hear themselves mentioned, such as Greg Mumford, a recently retired Nortel executive and member of the UW board of governors whose gift to support a graduate scholarship in environmental engineering was noted by Vannelli. Most of the speakers made it clear that they had time to mention only a sample of the gifts UW has received from some 42,000 campaign supporters. "Thank you," Johnston told those who were aboard, "for helping this great university achieve its best dreams."

It was hot on that bus, and the passengers were issued with ice water and plastic battery-operated fans to help them survive the 75-minute trip. The ride was rough, too -- Bob Kerton, the dean of arts, got a solid bump on the head when the bus lurched just as he stood up to begin his brief talk. He recovered to tell the donors that arts is now at 68 per cent of its campaign goal and is looking forward to the rest. Three building projects are on the way, Kerton said: a proper home for the school of accountancy, an addition to the Modern Languages building to house the Canadian Centre of Arts and Technology, and a little addition linking PAS to Environmental Studies II, with office space for graduate students.

The tour also swung past Optometry (also in line for a building addition soon), visited the north campus to see progress on the Research and Technology Park, saw a little crowd of students and staff welcome them with confetti rockets on the Village green, and ended up at the Centre for Environment and Information Technology to get a quick show-and-tell from dean of science George Dixon.

Other things new under the sun

A report to UW's senate at its Monday night meeting indicated that the graduate calendar "will be published in electronic form only, effective 2005-06", following the precedent of the undergrad calendar. . . . Senate also gave approval to the renaming of the "Bachelor of Environmental Studies" degree in architecture to "Bachelor of Architectural Studies", now that the architecture school is in the faculty of engineering. . . . And the "studies in sexuality, marriage and the family" program is now "sexuality, marriage and family studies". . . .

The construction job on University Avenue, which was announced for Monday morning, hasn't exactly started yet. There's been a technical hitch, I was told in a phone call from the Waterloo Region offices yesterday, but the crew is expected to be at work (and closing the outside lanes in both directions) tomorrow morning.

WHEN AND WHERE

Office supplies trade show sponsored by procurement and contract services, 10:00 to 3:00, Davis Centre lounge. Smarter health seminar: Sam Marafioti, Sunnybrook and Women's College Hospital, "eHealth Is Changing Health Care Culture", 3:00, Davis Centre room 1302. Waterloo Advisory Council (co-op employers) spring meeting begins with reception and dinner tonight, University Club, with speaker Nancy Johnston of Simon Fraser University, on "Co-op, Current Trends and Future Opportunities". Renison College alumni reception tonight, information 884-4404 ext. 657. 'Pension Crises' conference Thursday in Toronto, sponsored by Institute for Quantitative Finance and Insurance and Institute for Insurance and Pension Research, details online. Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology presents Flavio Gomes, LogiSense, "Surviving and Thriving as a Software Vendor", Thursday 12:00, Needles Hall room 1101, reservations ext. 7167 by Wednesday. Front desk security seminar for staff who work in isolated reception areas, Thursday 12 noon, Davis Centre room 1304, no registration required. Conrad Grebel University College banquet to support the Lebold Endowment for Leadership Training, Thursday 6:30 at Grebel, information 885-0220 ext. 223. San Francisco alumni reception Thursday 6 to 8 p.m., Canvas Gallery, details online. Perimeter Institute presents Rob Myers, Perimeter researcher and UW physics faculty member, "The Superstring Adventure", Friday 7 p.m., Rozanski Hall, University of Guelph, reservations 824-4120 ext. 53965. Warrior Weekend events in the Student Life Centre: Friday evening salsa lessons, café, Italian movies; Saturday evening "International Amazing Race", origami, movies; more information online. 'Teaching Dossiers' workshop sponsored by teaching resource office, June 29, 1 p.m., Arts Lecture Hall room 211, reservations online.

POSITIONS AVAILABLE

On this week's list from the human resources department: Maintenance technician, audio-visual, USG 6 Faculty undergraduate administrator, office of the dean, environmental studies, USG 6 Undergraduate advisor (environment and business) and outreach coordinator, office of the dean, environmental studies, USG 6 Undergraduate administrative coordinator/advisor, biology, USG 5 Computer hardware and electronics technologist, civil engineering, USG 8 Chemistry storeskeeper, chemistry, USG 5 Departmental assistant, telephone services, information systems and technology, USG 4 Project assistant (2 positions), Centre for Behavioural Research and Evaluation, USG 7 Fitness and lifestyle consultant, UW Fitness, applied health sciences, USG 8 Serviceperson I, carpenter, plant operations Gift processing assistant, development and alumni affairs, USG 4 Customer care representative/admissions support specialist, registrar's office, USG 5 Co-ordinator, co-operative education and career services, USG 11 Longer descriptions are available on the HR web site.

Speaking of construction: "Exciting things are happening at the Bookstore," writes marketing manager Susy Kustra, who's back on campus after her maternity leave. "We will be undergoing a mini renovation starting Monday, June 27. The carpet will be replaced and the information desk will move in order to improve access to information resources and customer service. Throughout the renovation, the Bookstore will continue to operate from the lower level of South Campus Hall where textbooks will be available as well as a limited number of general books. Bookends Café will remain open and the Bookstore staff will continue to work throughout the renovation. Renovations will be complete in time for Student Life 101 Day, July 23." The entrance to the bookstore will be from the ring road level on the east (engineering) side of South Campus Hall.

In the wake of last week's UW convocation ceremonies, Conrad Grebel University College points out in a news release that it held its own convocation earlier in the spring, on April 17. In part that event was to honour Grebel-related students (this year 93 of them) who were about to receive UW degrees. "However," the release notes, "Grebel does grant the Master of Theological Studies degree." There were four MTS graduates this year -- Betty Pries (who spoke at the ceremony), Nak Sun Kim, Ilene Bergen and Jacob Shelley. "Since it began in 1990," Grebel says, "the program has graduated 46 students that have moved on to serve the church and its institutions in a variety of ways."

Waterloo's recently-formed orchestra, called orchestra@uwaterloo, continues to rehearse on a compressed schedule this term, in preparation for a performance to an unfamiliar audience. The orchestra will be playing from the outdoor stage at UW's north campus Canada Day celebrations on July 1 (its turn comes at about 6 p.m.). Meanwhile, the orchestra is holding an auction to choose a piece to play at its next indoor concert, on December 1. At last word, Lutoslawski's "Little Suite" was in the lead with a $50 bid, followed by Aaron Copland's "Billy the Kid" and a number of other favourites including Beethoven's 3rd Symphony. The auction closes August 19; I'll be keeping an eye on it.

Water will be turned off in much of the Student Life Centre from 4 to 7 p.m. tonight for maintenance work. . . . The Computing Help and Information Place will be closed tomorrow (Thursday) over the noon hour. . . . Washrooms in the Physics building will be closed, and the water supply turned off, from 7:30 a.m. to noon tomorrow. . . .

And . . . following yesterday's job match for fall term employment, successful co-op students are scheduled for "acceptance of employment" meetings today and tomorrow. There's a schedule on the web. Information sessions for students who are going to the United States for their work terms are also being held today.

CAR