![[University of Waterloo]](/images/logobars/goldbar.gif)
| Friday |
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Brzustowski]](/images/2005/1010brz.jpg)
Recently retired as president of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Brzustowski brings a broad knowledge of the government and science scene across Canada. Said the memo from provost Amit Chakma: "With Dr. Brzustowski's guidance, UW will explore, identify, and analyse strategic initiatives in the natural sciences and engineering with a particular emphasis on quantum computing. He will fulfill a special role in advancing the Institute by establishing linkages with industry and governments as well as national and international research organizations and individuals. . . .
"We are thrilled that he has agreed to assist UW in this important role."
The mission of the IQC, says its web site, is "to advance fundamental experimental and theoretical knowledge in relevant areas of Engineering, Mathematics and Science to enhance the developments in the field of Quantum Computation and Information Processing. This is to be achieved by providing a unique facility and environment to bring together some of the best researchers and students in computing, engineering, mathematical and physical sciences."
Last year the IQC received a $33 million gift from Research In Motion founder (and UW chancellor) Mike Lazaridis and his wife, Ophelia. This year they boosted the gift to $50 million, in anticipation of a "Quantum-Nano Centre" to be built near the centre of UW's campus. The IQC is already listing seven faculty members and two dozen graduate students among its researchers.
Brzustowski was a professor of mechanical engineering at UW from 1962 to 1987, and served as vice-president (academic) starting in 1975. In mid-1987 he added the title of provost when that position was created. He left UW in September 1987 to become a deputy minister in the Ontario government, and he moved to be president of NSERC in 1995.
![[Even has a foil hat]](/images/2005/1011foil.jpg)
Foiled again:
That was C har lene S chumm, director of scheduling, examinations and
convocation in the registrar's office, after a couple of friends, if
that's the word, did a number on her office in Needles Hall.
The two-hour job on Thursday saw Tanya Wilson and Tina Obediah wrapping
everything from the telephone receiver to the lampshades -- not to
mention two desks. If she hadn't run out of foil, "I would have
individually wrapped each of her pens," Wilson says. The aluminum
extravaganza (a birthday gift) is still on display today.
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As a memo from the student services office explains, the President's Circle Awards for Volunteerism "were established in 1997 to recognize the significant contributions of students in volunteer work both within the University and the community at-large. The awards honour the extra-curricular contributions of students in a variety of service areas, some of which may not be highly visible but nonetheless important to the community.
"A Committee normally selects ten recipients each year to receive awards of $250 each."
The funding and prestige of the awards comes from the President's Circle, an association of high-level donors to UW. The memo points out that President's Circle members "play an important role in the development of the University, not only directly through their contributions to UW, but indirectly through the example they set for corporations, foundations, alumni and other individuals."
Nominations for the annual awards can come from other students, staff, or faculty of the university, or member of the community at-large. "As well, because volunteer work often has a low profile, students are very much encouraged to apply for the award."
According to online information about the awards, volunteer work "means work done on behalf of or for people, the community, service agencies, student organizations (in other than leadership roles) or any work done to assist other people and organizations in work that benefits society and the community. It does not normally mean leadership roles at UW such as Orientation, FOC or Society executive roles. . . . Activities will be considered volunteer if they are defined as such by the organization under which they are administered regardless of any nominal compensation."
Undergraduate and graduate students, full-time and part-time, are all eligible. They should have "three terms of volunteer service (roughly 12 months, not necessarily consecutive), or is currently in his/her third term of service either within the university community or with the surrounding community."
Nomination forms and the other necessary documentation are available at various offices (including the Federation of Students in the Student Life Centre) or online. This year's deadline for nominations and applications is November 1, with references and supporting information due a week later. More information is available from the student life office.
The President's Circle includes "over 1,000 committed faculty, staff, alumni and individual donors," the memo notes. "There are now three annual giving Circles within the President's Circle umbrella. President's Circle recognizes annual gifts of $1,000-$2,499, Governors' Circle recognizes annual gifts of $2,500-$4,999, and Chancellor's Circle recognizes gifts of $5,000 and above. In the last fiscal year, Circle donors contributed almost $22 million for scholarships, equipment, library resources, academic and research programs and other priorities of the University. These donations were instrumental in helping the University meet and exceed its $260-million goal for Campaign Waterloo this past June."
| WHEN AND WHERE |
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Faculty of arts reception in honour of new faculty 3:00,
Humanities 373; arts faculty council 3:45, room 334.
Professional and Post-Degree Day with representatives from 72 institutions' programs in law, nursing, education, business and other fields, Wednesday 11:00 to 2:00, Student Life Centre. Music department noon concert: "Opera and More" (tenor, baritone, piano), Wednesday 12:30, Conrad Grebel University College chapel. Playwright and novelist Cordelia Strube reads from her work, Wednesday 2:30, St. Jerome's University room 2011. 'Competing Against America': Author Michael Alexander "discusses why Canada has fallen behind in the race for talent and wealth", Wednesday, October 12, 7 p.m., Architecture building, sponsored by UW bookstore. Architecture lecture series: Christopher Hume, Toronto Star architecture critic, "The Tower in the 21st Century," Wednesday 7:30, Architecture lecture room, ticket information from Cambridge Galleries. Wind energy lecture by Paul Gipe, author and energy expert, Wednesday 8 p.m., Humanities Theatre, free, sponsored by Solar Technology Education Project. New Classroom workshop series, for faculty members interested in using online teaching techniques, this Thursday and October 27, or October 17 and 31, 9:30 to noon, details from Centre for Learning and Teaching Through Technology. Bill Gates, Microsoft founder, speaks in Humanities Theatre Thursday 10:30. Tickets are gone; lecture will be shown by video in other buildings, details to be announced. James Bater, department of geography and former dean of environmental studies, retirement celebration Thursday: reception 3:00, dinner 6:30, University Club. Information and dinner tickets from Susie Castela, ext. 2433. Faculty of Mathematics Distinguished Lecture: Randy Ellis, Harvard Medical School and Queen's University, "From Scans to Sutures: Computer-Assisted Orthopedic Surgery in the 21st Century," Thursday 4:30, Math and Computer room 2065. Reception follows. Oktoberfest evening at Bingemans, organized by Federation of Students, Thursday, buses from the Davis Centre; tickets $8 from Feds office in the Student Life Centre, or student societies. 'Beauty and the Beast' at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse, outing sponsored by Graduate Student Association, Thursday 7 p.m., a few tickets left, $27 at Graduate House bar. Homecoming 2005 October 28-30, details online. |
Several days ago I had some words in this space about the "oldest building on campus", first saying it was the Graduate House, built 1925, and then admitting that if you count the Brubacher House on the north campus, it's the clear winner, dating from about 1850. Now it seems there's a whole new error, caused by my reading the buildings list too literally. Gene Starchuk of the plant operations department points out that several structures on the list -- not just the Grad House but the Klemmer Day Care house and a couple of buildings on UW's out-of-town land -- carry the 1925 date but weren't necessarily built then. "They predate our records," he says, "and were all assigned 1925 as a default, an arbitrary date that I pretty much picked out of the air. . . . My hope was that someone with an interest in the history of the area might eventually provide more accurate and authoritative information. In any case, 1925 shouldn't be taken as gospel, nor used to settle bar bets."
Tracey Peressini, sociology faculty member at Renison College, is guest editor of a special issue of the Canadian Journal of Urban Research, to be published in the summer of 2007. Topic of the special issue: "Homelessness". She has also been commissioned to write three books on homelessness, for Canadian Scholars Press, including a textbook that will appear next spring.
UW's school of planning held its annual Induction Ceremony for new students on October 1, Sheree Solomon from the school's office reports. "We had an excellent turnout," she writes, estimating 185 people, including faculty and staff, students, and family members. "As in the past the actual ceremony was held at the Arts Lecture Hall, where the attendees were addressed by President (David) Johnston, the School's Director, Murray Haight, the associate dean (undergraduate studies), Mark Seasons, and Brian Zeman from MacNaughton, Hermsen, Britton Clarkson Planners Ltd. Following the ceremony a luncheon was held in the Environmental Studies courtyard, and following that four showcase presentations were provided to the students and their families covering Strategic Planning, Urban Design, Geographic Information Systems and Student Prospectives."
The engineering faculty's e-newsletter reports that two faculty members -- Keith Hipel of systems design engineering and Khaled Nigim of electrical and computer engineering -- received the "best paper award" at the recent 8th International Symposium on the Analytic Hierarchy Process. Their work "helped to significantly advance the fields of multiple criteria decision analysis and disaster management, thereby assisting in the reconstruction of devastated regions around the world."
And . . . members of the Fraternity & Sorority Awareness Society (which largely means members of the fraternities and sororities, not officially recognized, that involve UW students) have an event tomorrow, "jumping in to the aid of our brothers and sisters across the border whose lives have been affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita." Writes Kristen Augustino of Kappa Kappa Gamma: "With a $5,000 goal, participants will jump for 12 hours straight to fundraise and heighten awareness of the recent devastation in the south." The "jumpathon" will run from 11:30 to 11:30 tomorrow in the Student Life Centre. Proceeds go to the Canadian Red Cross. Augustino adds that "a motivated group of Sigma Chi brothers have decided to actually drive down to the devastation and physically lend a helping hand in the reconstruction following our fundraiser."
CAR