Environmental engineering students Caitlin Sykes, Cameron Brown, Jonas Didzbalis, Heather Crone, Paul Javor, and Bridget Schmidt will be off to New Mexico State University over the weekend to take part in the 17th annual International Environmental Design Contest. "This year's design challenges revolve around water, its viability and availability and renewable energy sources," says a news release from Las Cruces. The UW group, advised by Neil Thomson of the civil and environmental engineering department, is working on bacteria and virus removal from pond water.

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International days and other events

International Celebrations Week continues, with the traditional Cultural Caravan from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Student Life Centre. Performances, displays and food are promised. "Students can get a glimpse into the diverse cultures that make up UW's global community," says Heather FitzGerald of the student life office. Earlier in the day, Mudie's cafeteria in Village I will be offering Mediterranean cuisine at midday, including paella, falafel on pita, and a "Mediterranean baguette" straight from the French Riviera. At Renison College, a tea break this afternoon (2 to 5 p.m.) will maintain the international theme.

That makes it a good day to report "some exciting news” received from Akiko Maruoka, the coordinator of Japanese language programs at UW's Renison College. She writes of success in the 25th Ontario Japanese Speech Contest, held in Toronto earlier this month. “The contest had 50 participants from 12 institutions,” says Maruoka, noting that Renison students won the grand prize and four other awards. The grand prize, “equivalent to a return ticket airfare to Japan”, went to Ashley Bissonnette, a former Japanese 201R student, who spoke about Noh (classical Japanese drama). “She participated in the beginner’s level, and will be participating in the upcoming National Japanese Speech Contest.” First place in Advanced Level went to Anton Zolotkov, a current J301R student, who spoke about why he would like to teach English in Japan. He will be participating in the National Japanese Speech Contest as well. Second place in Beginners level was won by Xiao Ou Sun, a current J112R student, speaking about a lesson she learned from her beloved grandmother. Second place in the Open Level went to Lorenzo de Lara, a current J301R student, talking about the difference in the speech culture between Japan and Canada. Finally, a “Special Ozawa Prize” was brought home by Sharon Cook, a current J201R student, for her words about how Japanese culture has influenced her life.

Back on campus, scheduled for today is a lecture that I unfortunately said yesterday would be happening on Friday. It is, in fact, today, at 4 p.m. in Student Life Centre room 2134, the home of Gays and Lesbians of Waterloo, which is sponsoring the event. The speaker is Fraser Easton of UW's department of English, drawing on his research to talk about "Female Husbands and Queer Desires in Eighteenth-Century Popular Culture". An announcement observes: "Both a historical reality and a literary convention, the female husband is an important archetype in the pre-history of lesbian identities and working-class sexualities, one that continues to shadow contemporary figures."

And I have some other details from past Daily Bulletins to correct: The "natural rationality conference" hosted by UW's department of philosophy is being held today, not yesterday. •  The disk jockey who's coming to the 50th Anniversary Dance on May 5 is "Phat" Albert O'Connor, not "Fat" (there's a big dipherence). • Jeff Yoo, who will be valedictorian at June convocation on behalf of science students, is graduating not from honours biology but from honours science with a biology minor.

It was announced a while ago that the keynote speaker for this year's Graduate Student Research Conference will be Roberta Jamieson, chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, who last appeared on campus in 2003. She'll speak in the Theatre of the Arts on Monday evening, April 23, under the title "Globalization: What It Means to Real People". Participants in the conference each get a free ticket, and the rest of the seats are now on sale ($3 apiece from the Humanities box office).

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Supervisory training is on the way

by Brandon Sweet

Staff members should keep an eye on their mailboxes this week for flyers advertising the launch of Successful Supervision, a supervisory training program by the new Organizational and Human Development Office.

Training for effective supervision is high on the list of OHD’s priorities, according to director Katrina Di Gravio, who has been heading up the office since November. It is the result of a series of focus groups consisting of people who had recently become supervisors, as well as executive assistants, department heads and other support staff. “New supervisors were asked what they wished they had known beforehand,” says Di Gravio, “and assistants and department heads were asked what skills they wish their supervisors had.”

Initially, two half-day modules created by leadership training company AchieveGlobal, entitled “Hallmarks of Supervisory Success” and “Delegating for Supervisory Success", are set to begin in April. Enrolment will be open to all UW staff.

“The modules deal with the idea of becoming a supervisor, defining what the term means, the new responsibilities held and the change in relationship to one’s co-workers during the shift from peer to supervisor,” says Di Gravio. “Certainly new supervisors are going to find it interesting, but even supervisors who have been around might learn something from the group discussion.” The supervisory program in general is intended for first time supervisors, but will offer refreshers as well.

These seminars are the first step in a larger plan for the OHD office to offer ongoing training programs that Di Gravio says will help develop consistency across campus using UW-related case studies as their foundation, and will help with the interpretation of policies and harmonize the campus work environment.

The OHD is looking for staff comments and feedback, which can be sent directly to her by e-mail (kadigrav@uwaterloo.ca). “The need has been demonstrated and we are open to new suggestions,” she says. The Organizational and Human Development Office is located in Hagey Hall room 161D behind the box office and is staffed by administrative assistant Mark Lisetto-Smith and two OHD co-ordinators, Susan Grant and Marlene Griffith-Wrubel.

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Assorted news from across campus

Eva Dodsworth (left) is the UW library's new "geospatial data services librarian", an online announcement said a few days ago. "A new position for the Library and a new role for Eva, the Geospatial Data Services Librarian is responsible for the provision of leadership and expertise in developing, delivering, and assessing geospatial data services and programs offered to members of the UW community. Geographic information systems, better known as GIS, combines the collection, manipulation, and use of data for mapping and modeling. 'Supporting the use of GIS data and technology is important for a variety of disciplines at UW, especially in areas that are considered unconventional,' explains Eva. 'It is my job to equip researchers with the skills needed to locate and use GIS data to its full potential.' Eva began her career with the Library in 1995. Over the years she has held various roles, with the most recent being a Library Assistant at the University Map Library." She's a UW graduate in arts and has a master's degree in library science from the University of Western Ontario.

The Ontario government has announced a $5.4 million grant to the Ontario Fuel Cell Research and Innovation Network, based at Queen’s University and involving researchers at UW and other institutions. It's the most recent in a series of announcements of grants from the Ontario Research Fund. OFCRIN will use the money to develop new materials and manufacturing methods. “We are involved in a number of collaborations with the private sector to improve the performance of fuel cells, and are working with several companies who will be the end-users of fuel cell products,” says Brant Peppley, OFCRIN director. “This grant will enable OFCRIN to train the highly skilled personnel who will drive this industry as it grows.” Fuel cells are considered a particularly promising technology for the automotive sector, where manufacturing methods can be easily adapted to produce fuel cell systems.

A memo from the university secretariat announces a sizeable number of faculty members who have been acclaimed to membership on the UW senate, with the close of a recent nomination period. Becoming faculty-at-large representatives as of May 1 (or continuing in senate seats they already hold) are Jane Buyers (fine arts), Peter Douglas (chemical engineering), Keith Hipel (systems design engineering), Elizabeth Meiering (chemistry), John North (English), Metin Renksizbulut (mechanical engineering), and Michael Worswick (mechanical engineering). Taking seats as representatives of specific faculties are Paul McDonald (health studies and gerontology, applied health studies), Tara Collington (French studies, arts), Sujeet Chaudhuri (electrical and computer engineering, engineering), Susan Wismer (environment and resource studies, environmental studies), Frank Zorzitto (pure math, mathematics), and John Honek (chemistry, science). One faculty-at-large seat remains vacant.

The local chapter of Sigma Chi fraternity held a banquet last weekend to celebrate its 20th anniversary, and announced big progress toward its big ambitions, even if fraternities and sororities do remain officially unrecognized by the powers at UW. A fund-raising campaign to build a house for ΣX ("Waterloo's first fully owned fraternity house") has been under way for about a year, the banquet was told, and gifts received that night brought the total on hand to $301,000. "We are now laying plans for acquiring property close to the university," chapter president Ciprian Mihalcea says in a news release.

The engineering faculty's e-newsletter reports that Kaan Inal of the mechanical and mechatronics engineering department has received the Metallurgical Society's 2006 Magnesium Best Paper: Fundamental Research Award. "Although magnesium is strong and light, it is also brittle," the newsletter reminds non-metallic readers. "Inal's mathematical crystal-by-crystal models of magnesium alloys will help metallurgists and engineers better work with it."

The elected staff representative to the dean of engineering nominating committee will be David Walsh of engineering computing, the university secretariat reports. • The huge and popular used book sale sponsored by the local Canadian Federation of University Women is scheduled for April 20 and 21 at the usual site, First United Church. • Here's a reminder that the local chapter of Engineers Without Borders is collecting used computers to support its youth training program in the Philippines.

CAR

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