President celebrates links with China

UW president David Johnston is in Nanjing, China, today, speaking at a celebration of the Sino-Canadian College and the academic programs that UW offers jointly with Nanjing University. Here's some of what he will say in his speech:

“The partnership between Nanjing University and the University of Waterloo can be traced back almost 20 years, to 1989, when a faculty member from our institution spent two months as a visitor at NJU, hosted by Professor Wong Ying, who is now a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the recipient of an honorary degree from the University of Waterloo.

“That UW faculty member was Professor Bruce Mitchell, an internationally acclaimed specialist in water management and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. The initial visit led to the joint development by Waterloo of two multi-million dollar research and development projects, first with Nanjing, and then with other Chinese universities, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency.

“One area of focus was in Hainan Province, with the development of a diploma program for government public servants to enhance their capacity and understanding relating to sustainable development. Some of these public servants went on to obtain degrees from Nanjing University. Another key element has been the opportunity for graduate students from Nanjing and Waterloo to conduct fieldwork and take courses at the partner institutions.

“It is Bruce’s view, and also my own, that the rationale for our partnership is as valid today as it was 20 years ago. Three faculties at the University of Waterloo – the Faculties of Environment, of Mathematics, and of Science — are involved in the Sino-Canadian College that we are celebrating today.

“The first Nanjing students started the 2+2 joint undergraduate degree program in September of 2006, and just last month I had the honour of welcoming those first students to our campus in Waterloo, where they will be completing their final two years in our Faculty of Environment. Their numbers are modest initially, but both Nanjing and Waterloo are comfortable with that, as it allows for more attention to be given to the students as they start their studies at UW.

“Since the establishment of the Sino-Canadian College, we have been able to increase the international exchange of ideas between our institutions. Faculty members have made important contacts and contributions, such as Dr. Doug Dudycha, who has taught a geomatics courses at Nanjing University, and Dr. Mary Louise McAllister’s online course on sustainable Canadian cities which has been taken by students during their first two years of study in Nanjing.

“Professor Judi Jewinski, from Renison University College at UW, has been to Nanjing four times to test the students in their understanding of the English language, and to provide guidance as to how they can improve their skills to make the most of their time at Waterloo. We are actively working to fully integrate Renison’s English language training into our 2+2 and 3 + 1 programs to assist our students and ensure their success at our institution.

“Later today, we will see the signing of the agreement for computer science, another reason to celebrate! UW’s three participating Faculties have all committed scholarship funding to support outstanding NJU students. And discussions have started in our Faculty of Arts to determine which academic programs can be added to the Sino-Canadian College, which will mean that four UW Faculties will be involved in this exciting partnership.

“We are also discussing the development of integrated short-course training packages that would be available to government officials in Jiangsu Province as well as to the private sector. Such packages would be certificate-based and could lead to a professional Master’s degree. This training would take place at both the Sino-Canadian College and at UW.

“We are also exploring the establishment of joint graduate degree programs. A first step towards that goal is the establishment of the 3+1 undergraduate degree program in Computer Science, with the expectation that students will stay at UW for their graduate studies.

“We will also begin to offer financial support to facilitate visits from faculty members at Nanjing University to our campus in Waterloo, in order to create more opportunities for future research collaboration, and for the sharing of approaches for both teaching and learning. Such visits are what provided the impetus for our successful partnership almost twenty years ago. From these visits we hope to see new collaborative research and development projects emerge that will further strengthen the bond between our institutions.”

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High schoolers, parents visit tomorrow

from the UW media relations office

The University of Waterloo's fall open house tomorrow promises an in-depth look at the university and campus life for prospective students and their families.

About 3,500 visitors are expected at the all-day event — mostly on the main campus, with some at UW's school of architecture in Cambridge. The event is held as students are making up their minds about which universities best suit their interests.

"The day showcases the university's academic strengths, world-leading co-op program, student life and leadership opportunities," said Kim McKee, manager of the visitors centre in South Campus Hall. "Visiting the campus is the best way for people to see for themselves what the University of Waterloo has to offer. They will be able to experience the university's strong sense of community."

They will also be able to preview the new innovative virtual campus tour and watch current UW students present their co-op work-term projects. Parents can stop by the parents' corner for tips on how to help with the process of applying to universities.

The open house runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with tours starting from the Student Life Centre. As well, information booths will be open all day long. More detailed academic presentations will be offered by the various faculties.

The day includes residence tours and visits to the colleges. The future students are invited to eat in the SLC's coffee shops and browse in the bookstore and UW Shop. Free parking is offered all day in half a dozen main campus lots.

Students who favour UW and decide to apply will be encouraged to attend the March break open house, an event aimed at those who have applied for admission in September 2009.

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New federal minister, and more

Prime minister Stephen Harper announced a post-election cabinet shuffle yesterday, with finance minister Jim Flaherty keeping his job but a number of veteran ministers being moved and some new ones arriving. The changes include creation of a post of minister of state for science and technology, and the job went to an MP who knows UW well: Gary Goodyear (left), a Waterloo graduate who represents the Cambridge riding. He'll be working with Tony Clement, of Parry Sound-Muskoka, who had been health minister and now takes over as minister of industry. The innovation is good news, says a statement from the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada: "Adding a minister of state to the Cabinet responsible for science and technology issues sends a strong signal of the important role of research, science and technology in Canada's economic and social development."

The Waterloo Institute for Health Informatics Research now has a Canada-wide reach, with the founding of the National Institutes of Health Informatics, “Canada's first national organization dedicated to fostering Health Informatics research and education . . . a virtual, self-sustaining institute of institutes facilitating the development of a diversity of local initiatives”. Says a news release: “Health Informatics research in Canada is widely geographically dispersed. Centres of excellence exist in specialty areas, but the greatest strength and profile would be derived from uniting these centres of excellence and integrating their endeavours in national-scale projects. The virtual union of these organizations will have the multidisciplinary diversity and capacity to address problems of national and international significance and to attract major funding. . . . NIHI has evolved from the concepts on which the Waterloo Institute of Health Informatics Research was founded. Ultimately, though, NIHI will go in directions determined by its participants, powered by their enthusiasm and commitments. Over the next several months the opportunity to participate will be expanded to include students, health system professionals, and individuals from the private sector organizations, government and other agencies that serve the health system.”

A paragraph in this Daily Bulletin the other day talked about UW researchers attending the annual meeting of the American Academy of Optometry, being held in Anaheim, but it turns out some of the details were wrong. The names listed weren’t all from Waterloo — some were, but others were speakers from elsewhere, taking part in a symposium at the conference organized by UW’s Centre for Contact Lens Research as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations. At the same time, a number of Waterloo optometry faculty from fields other than contact lens research were also at the AAO gathering, says Alisa Sivak of the CCLR. She adds that the optometry school hosted a reception during the conference as an additional way of celebrating the CCLR anniversary.

And . . . "We've had so many of these phishing attacks," says Paul Snyder of information systems and technology. Phishing? That's the in-the-know terminology for e-mail messages that try to trick users into revealing passwords, account numbers or other personal information. "Attention Uwaterloo E-Mail Account Holder," says one variant, "We are currently performing maintenance for our Digital Mail Account holders due to the rate of identity informations problems being encountered," going on to ask for userid and password. "There are several aspects of this email that are suspicious," says IST's electronic security web site. "Support staff will never ask for your password under any circumstances. . . . The grammar and usage in this phishing email are sub-par; official communications are carefully worded." Examples of some other recent phishing messages are displayed on IST's site.

CAR

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