![[University of Waterloo]](/images/logobars/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Thursday, April 20, 2006
|
Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Graphic on black cover]](/images/2006/0420connected.gif)
Cover graphic on the new Connected annual report and brochure |
"This 24-page high-quality production is a new way of presenting annual report type of information on the university's activities in an accessible, interesting way," says Martin Van Nierop, director of C&PA.
"Called Connected, it highlights UW's distinctiveness, its outward-bound nature and some of the ways we're connected to the real world. It's also designed as an outreach piece that can carry other material because it has a flap for information and inserts inside the front cover."
Rather than trying to be an exhaustive report on all UW activities and plans, which would have taken many times this report's 24 pages, Connected uses a few key stories drawn from across campus to illustrate Waterloo's successes. It's focused on a few individuals drawn from across campus who have made a difference. There's also a web site that offers additional links and information on the faculties and colleges (as well as a PDF version of the printed report).
Leading off with a message from President David Johnston, the report goes on to highlight stories such as UW's Alternative Fuels Team; drama and speech communication professor Diana Denton and the Canadian Centre of Arts and Technology; applied health sciences professors Jim Rush, Jack Callaghan and Richard Staines, all Canada Research Chairholders; staff member Chandrika Anjaria's volunteer efforts in the community; UW's new School of Pharmacy; and UW's chapter of Engineers Without Borders led by alumni George Roter and Parker Mitchell and student Sarah Lewis.
The report will be distributed to key officials, stakeholders and donors, and will be available in the Visitor Centre in South Campus Hall, the starting point for people touring UW, including parents checking out UW with their sons and daughters. Others who need copies of the report can call or e-mail Linda Howe in C&PA: ljhowe@uwaterloo.ca, phone ext. 3580.
![[Saini]](/images/2006/0420saini.jpg)
Deep Saini (right), who arrived from the Université de Montréal on January 1 to take over the dean's post, was reporting on the Sixth Decade planning process in ES and the kinds of things the university's smallest faculty hopes to do over the years ahead.
"We are positioning ourselves as an integrative faculty," said Saini, who told the senate that ES had completed a plan late in the fall term, but has reopened discussions over the past few months to make it "more ambitious".
"Environment is arguably the biggest factor in front of mankind today," said Saini, who pointed out that ES has a "unique strength" as a meeting place for technology and social science. As a result, he sees four themes for his faculty: environmental decision-making and governance; environmental informatics; biophysical processes (for example, ecosystem remediation); and community planning, design, infrastructure and development.
With the departure of the school of architecture to be part of the faculty of engineering, ES is left with three academic units: geography, environment and resource studies, and planning. The concept that unites them all, said the dean, is "environmental health and sustainability".
He told the senate that he foresees some growth in ES enrolment, particularly as new programs are introduced, particularly one in geomatics (geographical data management). That program will be "highly profitable" for ES even after new faculty positions are created, Saini said. He noted that a big problem for environmental studies, particularly in attracting students, is the quality of its existing space in the ES I and II buildings, which he called "a turn-off". Major renovations are in the works.
The thermometer hit 20 Celsius yesterday, and so we have a winner in the UW weather station's annual contest. Says station coordinator Frank Seglenieks: "After flirting with 20 degrees a few times in the last couple of weeks (19.3 on March 31 and 19.7 on April 13), the temperature hit 20.1 at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday. This year's winner is Jude Billard, who guessed the exact time of 2:15 (this is only the second time the somebody has guessed the exact time). Jiye Li was second with a guess of 2:00 p.m. They will both be receiving an outdoor thermometer for being so good at predicting the weather. At 754 entries, it was the highest number of people to enter the contest, and this year's date of April 19 is the latest date we have hit 20 degrees in the 8 year history of the weather station. We look forward to holding the contest again next year, and as always hope for an earlier winning date. (In the 7 years we have held this contest the winning date has always been later and later, and now people are starting to blame the contest for jinxing the weather.)"
| WHEN AND WHERE |
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'Driving and Aging: An In-Vehicle Approach', Michelle Porter, University
of Manitoba, Hallman Visiting Professorship Lecture Series, applied health
sciences, 3 p.m., Clarica Auditorium, Matthews Hall.
Book launch for Speaking of Power: The Poetry of Di Brandt and Re:Generations: Canadian Women Poets in Conversation, music by Carol Ann Weaver and others, 8 p.m., Conrad Grebel University College chapel. Information systems and technology professional development seminar on pandemic planning, Friday 8:45, IST seminar room. Germanic and Slavic studies departmental conference Friday, Humanities room 373, sessions on linguistics, Slavics, Germanics, program online. 46th annual used book sale sponsored by Canadian Federation of University Women, Friday 9 to 9, Saturday 9 to 1, First United Church, King and William Streets. Centre for International Governance Innovation presents Daniel Schwanen, CIGI director of research, "Economic Aspects of Greenhouse Gas Reduction", Friday 11:45, 57 Erb Street West, reservations rsvp@cigionline.org. Warrior rugby camp for high school and other local players, Saturday 9:30 to 3:00, Columbia Icefield, with UW coaches, Warrior players, and Martin Gallagher of Rugby Canada, e-mail Tom.Mandich@wcdsb.edu.on.ca for information., 'Park Crawl' by bicycle to mark Earth Day, including market visit, community cleanup and picnic, Saturday 10:00 to 3:00, starts at Kitchener market (King Street entrance), sponsored by Green Party and other groups, organized by two UW graduate students. 'Der Diener zweier Herren' drama in German presented by Theaterakademie Vorpommern as part of an exchange with UW Drama, Saturday 8 p.m. and Sunday 2 p.m., Theatre of the Arts, tickets $12 (students $10) 888-4908. Weight Watchers at Work 10-week program begins Monday, 12 noon, Math and Computer room 5136B. Information: ggoodfel@math.uwaterloo.ca. |
![[O'Neill]](http://www.graphics.uwaterloo.ca/photo/archivesimages/20041127.jpg)
Daniela O'Neill (right) of UW's psychology department will
give a "community
lecture" tonight, sponsored by the UW Centre for Child Studies.
Title: "Children Learning to Talk: A Meeting of Minds".
Parents of small children are especially invited to the hour-long
talk, with questions following. O'Neill, a flyer explains,
"will discuss how learning to use a language is influenced
by children's growing understanding of other people and their own
and others' minds, beliefs, and differing perspectives. Results of
ongoing research will be used to highlight that once children have
started to acquire the words of a language, they begin to learn
how to use those words in social interactions with other people.
This talk is relevant to anyone who has an interest in language
and communication." It starts at 7:00 in Tatham Centre room 2218.
Free tickets are available at ext. 2812. (O'Neill will be in the spotlight
again next Tuesday, when she repeats the talk in morning and afternoon
sessions for parents of children in the psych department's Early
Childhood Education Centre.)
Most United Way fund-raising events around here take place in October, but the faculty of engineering is getting an early start, a message from Karen Dubois in the dean's office explains: "Play on-line bingo to support the United Way and for a chance to win cash. It's easy to play: just e-mail kdubois@uwaterloo.ca to purchase one card for $2 or three for $5. Starting May 1, three numbers a day will be drawn and e-mailed to you. When you get a bingo, winners will split 70 per cent of card sales and the rest of the money will go to the United Way. At the same time you can play Survivor Bingo. It's perfect for people who don't want to check winning numbers each day. Both bingos are open to all bingo aficionados including staff, students, faculty, and people outside of the University." Details are online.
A memo from UW's safety office notes that the minutes of the Joint Health and Safety Committee meeting from February are now available online in the usual way. (A glance indicates that topics at the February meeting included asphalt fumes, which "do not generally pose a health hazard", and the asbestos removal project in Carl Pollock Hall.) Also now online are the October minutes from the JHSC that's been set up specifically for the Architecture site in Cambridge.
Mathematics has joined the list of faculties that have announced their valedictorians for June convocation ceremonies. Those are the students who will speak at the ceremonies on behalf of the graduating class. Math will have two convocation ceremonies for the first time, and that means two valedictorians. In the morning, for math generally, the speaker will be Kesi Walters, graduating with a BMath in statistics. In the afternoon, in a ceremony specifically for computer science, the speaker is Anja Holovac, graduating with a BMath in CS and bioinformatics.
A group from the UW Recreation Committee has reached R in its A-to-Z dining project, and will be out at Rushes restaurant in the Waterloo Inn tomorrow night. . . . The art gallery exhibition by Cesar Forero, graduating in the Master of Fine Arts program, has been partly dismantled, but parts will be on display in East Campus Hall "for a little while longer", the gallery says. . . . Unofficial grades from winter term courses will start appearing on Quest this weekend, as soon as the exam period is officially over, and will continue being added as professors submit them. . . .
CAR