Four UW systems design engineering students are travelling to Austin, Texas, on Thursday to display their new automotive engine control development system at NIWeek 2007, a conference and exhibition on automation, manufacturing and design. Their system, WaterlooSPEED (Soft Platform for Express Engine Development) “cuts man-years off development time when producing a new car,” says Stephen Litt, the group’s president and spokesman. “This is a fourth-year design project that is turning into a start-up company.” As a demonstration, the students redesigned the engine control system in a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta that will be their star attraction in Austin. Left to right are Litt, Chris Kinvig, Rishi Lukka, Devin Koopmans, and faculty advisor John McPhee.

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Global research centre gets approval

from the proposal for a new Centre for Global Governance Research at UW, approved by the university senate in May

Global governance is about power and authority in the international arena, about who makes the rules affecting billions of ordinary lives, and what norms ought to be involved in the management of global society. It is focused not just on state interactions, but also on civil society and other actors that contribute to the establishment and functioning of global rules, norms and institutions.

In this field, policy-relevant research and teaching about problems of global governance must go beyond the rigidities and formalities of established disciplinary boundaries to be effective. Global governance issues are particularly rooted in complex webs that span a variety of disciplines, including economics, politics, history, and environmental studies. The proposed Centre is designed to meet the demand for interdisciplinary research and training in this rapidly emerging field.

The proposed Centre for Global Governance Research will facilitate interdisciplinary research on five main themes: Global Political Economy; Global Environment; Peace and Security; Global Justice and Human Rights; Multilateral Institutions and Diplomacy. The Centre will work in close collaboration with the Centre for International Governance Innovation, especially on research projects, and will play a role in providing an institutional linkage between the University and CIGI for students enrolled in the MA and PhD programs in Global Governance.

There are already a number of proposed core members of the UW Centre who are affiliated with CIGI. They include John English (History), Executive Director of CIGI; Andrew Cooper (Political Science), Distinguished Fellow and Associate Director of CIGI; Eric Helleiner (Political Science) and Jennifer Clapp (Environmental Studies; director designate of the Centre), CIGI Research Chairs; Ramesh Thakur (Political Science), Distinguished Fellow; and Bessma Momani (Political Science), Senior Research Fellow. It is also anticipated that CIGI will play a role in co-hosting and co-financing research projects and workshops with the proposed UW Centre. This close relationship will provide opportunities for students and faculty at UW to become involved in the work of CIGI.

The proposed Centre will take on University-specific roles, and will not duplicate the efforts of CIGI. These University-specific tasks include: facilitate research on global governance amongst faculty from different disciplines; serve as a focal point for the new graduate programs in Global Governance; provide training opportunities for graduate students; apply for research and conference grants from granting agencies such as SSHRC.

Faculty members from History, Political Science, Economics, Philosophy, Environment and Resource Studies, Geography, and Planning have all expressed interest in becoming core members of the Centre. The Centre will encourage collaborative research amongst UW faculty and between UW faculty and other researchers off campus, and will liaise with and have some overlapping research projects with CIGI. The Centre aims to attract Post-doctoral Fellows conducting research on global governance. These Fellows will likely be funded by SSHRC or other external agencies.

The University of Waterloo has long-term strategic plans for the "internationalization" of the University. These were articulated in the 1999 report, Beyond Borders: A Strategy for Enhanced Internationalization at the University of Waterloo, and recently reiterated in the follow-up report issued in June 2005 entitled Strengthening our Global Connections: The Next Phase of Internationalization at UW. The goals of the University in this area include internationalizing curricula, research activities, and building international partnerships. One of the key aims is to make UW an internationally recognized institution within the next decade.

By focusing on global governance issues and establishing partnerships with other research centres around the world that also focus on global affairs, the Centre for Global Governance Research will be an important component of Waterloo's internationalization strategy in the social sciences. In conjunction with the new graduate programs, the proposed Centre, through its facilitation of global governance research and international networking, will help put the University of Waterloo on the map in this field, not just in Canada, but globally.

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Mature student office reorganized

a memo from dean of arts Ken Coates

Mature Student Services has changed its name to Arts Mature Students Office.

The Faculty of Arts has long valued mature students and the contribution their life experience brings to the classroom. For two decades Mature Student Services has provided academic counselling to students in Arts and acted as a referral service for mature students interested in other Faculties. With the creation of the Admission Specialist positions in the Registrar's Office a few years ago and Faculty-specific admission information in the calendar, detailed admissions help is now available for all mature students.

It seems a fortuitous time to change the name to one more in keeping with the Arts Undergraduate Office and to one more reflective of the primary service the office provides: academic counselling to distance education, part-time and mature students interested in, or admitted to, programs in the Faculty of Arts.

The Arts "mature student" of today is part of a very diverse group: recent college grads, parents seeking to improve their lives, those returning to academics part-time after several years of working, and senior citizen first-time students — there are many who call themselves "mature"! A common need of this diverse group is to have a higher level of information available "anytime" and to that end the Arts Mature Students website has been re-created. The website will provide find answers to commonly asked questions, news on upcoming events, new courses and other information of interest to mature students.

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Rolling across Canada 'like rock stars'

from the engineering faculty e-newsletter

Next-Generation team members Eric Vieth and Benjamin Sanders now have an idea what it feels like to be rock stars. The pair, who graduated last month from electrical and computer engineering at Waterloo, say they received celebrity treatment while speaking at a Regina high school, one of 29 they visited on their bike trip across Canada to spread the word about creating a greener environment.

"More than 800 students packed the gym and there were TV cameras and newspaper reporters capturing the event. An eager pack of student volunteers were on hand to assist with the audio-visual setup," says Sanders. "We even had an escort motorcade — my aunt who lives in Regina offered to drive ahead of us to show us the way to the school. There were some girls in the hallway giggling as we rolled into the school wearing bike tights. With all the fuss, it felt a bit like we were in a rock band."

In North Bay, Vieth and Sanders were greeted by throngs of students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 waving hand-drawn welcome signs. "We modified our presentation slightly, tailoring it to a younger audience and they turned out to be our most attentive and eager group on the tour."

Travelling 7,900 kilometres on bikes from Victoria, British Columbia, to St. John’s, Newfoundland, Sanders and Vieth spoke to students about energy consumption and ways to help create a cleaner, more sustainable future. While Sanders and Vieth say it would have been possible to visit a greater number of schools travelling by car, they feel biking across the country with their message was more effective.

The pair equipped their bikes with the latest technologies: hydrogen fuel cells, solar panels, RIM BlackBerrys, a Global Positioning System transmitter (GPS) and an interactive, online mapping software interface.

After almost three months on the road the pair planned to take a break from biking. "However no more than two days after our return we had already unboxed the bikes, re-assembled them and gone for a spin," says Sanders. "Hard to break a habit, I guess."

Vieth and Sanders are considering what they'll do now they've completed their undergraduate engineering degrees and their bike journey — Vieth is trying to decide between starting a job and doing a master's degree, while Sanders says his plans are less concrete. "Engineering, particularly at Waterloo, opens a wide range of opportunities and it can be difficult to decide on a specific direction." Right now he and Vieth are experiencing three emotions — relief, accomplishment and exhilaration. "I can't believe we pulled it off."

CAR

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