Researcher is mourned; other notes

A memorial service will be held today for Chas Mugford, a research associate in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, who died on Sunday. Charles G. A. Mugford (left) "moved to Waterloo to study physics at the University of Waterloo," an obituary notice says. "Receiving his Master's degree, he ultimately made Waterloo his home to continue working in the physics department at the University. He touched the lives of many with his caring and genuine nature, inquisitive mind and humour, love of life, music and the outdoors." He received his master's degree in 2006, with a thesis on "Critical Current Fluctuations in Superconducting Tunnel Junctions" under the supervision of associate professor Jan Kycia. He then continued working in the same research group as an instrument scientist on the SCUBA-2 project, which is involved in applying superconducting tunnel junctions to develop the physics for a state-of-the-art sub-millimetre telescope camera. Mugford is survived by his wife, Allison, and a daughter, Ella. Visitation is scheduled for today from 1:00 to 3:15 at the Erb & Good Funeral Home on King Street in Waterloo; a service will be held at 3:30 in the funeral home's chapel.

The stars should be out tonight, and we’re all invited to join them, as the Department of Physics and Astronomy is hosting a Star Gazing Party. It happens on the north campus soccer pitch (off Columbia Street near the landmark Brubacher House), starting at 9:30, and is the latest celebration of the International Year of Astronomy that’s now under way. Says an invitation: “Please join astronomers and amateurs alike to learn about astronomy, experiment with telescopes from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and explore the wonders of the night sky. Join Dr. David Gilbank in a laser tour of the night sky which will highlight star clusters and planets. We will also be looking for shooting stars as part of the Perseid Meteor shower, and hoping to catch a glimpse of Jupiter. This event will only proceed under clear skies, so please visit astro.uwaterloo.ca for more information and last-minute details.”

This year’s budget for the Federation of Students was approved unanimously by students’ council on Sunday, Feds president Allan Babor has announced. “Included in the budget are financial allotments to Feds services such as the Food Bank, and $30,000 in Special Projects funding accessible to all students for various activities and initiatives for the year ahead. The budget was approved nearly two months ahead of schedule compared to the 2008-09 budget.” Federation vice-president (administration and finance) “has been diligently working to complete the budgeting process”, Babor said. VP (internal) Sarah Cook, who’s responsible for clubs, services and the administration of Special Projects funding, says it’s “crucial our students know what financial resources they can expect from the Federation so they can plan, advertise and run all kinds of diverse activities throughout the year.” Some highlights of the 2009-10 service budgets include $41,000 for special events; “investments into the Government Affairs Commission for advocacy and outreach”; and increased funding for the Campus Response Team and Off Campus Dons services. The total operating budget for the Federation this year is more than $1.5 million. The Feds also manage separate budgets financed through student fees including the Health and Dental Plan and UPass transit fees.

A note from the department of psychology: “We are looking for people between the ages of 30-50 to participate in a study of word reading fluency. To determine whether you are eligible for this study, we ask you to complete a short online questionnaire (approximately 5 minutes) prior to coming into the lab. Questions in this screener ask you to report basic demographic information (e.g., your age), ask you to identify some of your personal goals and accomplishments, and ask you about the quality of your relationships to close others (e.g., romantic partner). If you are eligible, we ask you to come to our lab to complete a series of tasks. You will be asked to write about personal events and complete a series of word reading tasks on a computer. The study takes approximately 30-45 minutes and you will receive a free movie ticket in appreciation of your time. For more information please email jlaglab@ gmail.com. This study is being conducted in the lab of Dr. Jennifer La Guardia, and has been reviewed by, and has received ethics clearance through, the Office of Research Ethics.”

And a reminder of this invitation to staff members from Mark Lisetto-Smith in the office of organizational and human development: “OHD and Human Resources are running an all-day staff orientation session on Friday, August 14, at 8:30 a.m. for new staff to attend. A campus walking tour will be part of the Orientation. As well, a catered lunch will be provided, which will allow you to ask questions and enjoy some refreshments and meet other staff members. The second half of the day will focus on the Basic Principles of a Collaborative Workplace, which are the core values of the University of Waterloo. Staff who are interested should register to attend by contacting m25smith@ uwaterloo.ca. Existing staff who’d like a refresher are also welcome.”

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‘An installation’ beside the Grand River in downtown Cambridge, not far from the UW Architecture building, was the work of graduate students in Arch 684, “Urban Revitalization and Design”, taught by Jeff Lederer. “It was the final project of the course,” says Lederer, “based on work completed in two previous assignments. The first assignment was to prepare urban design guidelines for Galt City Centre. The second involved a creative facilitation exercise with 15 local key informants that helped students develop a series of renderings of targeted areas throughout the downtown.” He says the City of Cambridge “has responded favourably to all these projects,” although that doesn’t mean fuchsia lawn chairs will be a permanent feature of city planning. And it’s too late to try them out: the installation was finished on a Thursday and gone by the end of the weekend.

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Student life office is a triple award winner

Waterloo’s Student Life Office won three awards last month from the Student Affairs and Services Association, a group within the Canadian Association of Colleges and Universities Student Services.

“These awards and grants are quite prestigious,” says Catharine Scott, associate provost (student services). “For the Student Life Office to receive three in a year is terrific testimony to their hard-working and very creative team.”

The office won the Innovation Award, the SASA Program Grant, and the SASA Research Grant. “It’s really gratifying to have the recognition of our peers, which these awards demonstrate,” says Heather FitzGerald (right), director of the Student Life Office.

The Innovation Award, for a new or innovative campus program, went to SLO for its Be Change initiative, which celebrates black culture on campus. The initiative’s most visible element is a banner composed of 84 profiles of influential people in black history. Be Change is a program within One Waterloo, an ongoing campaign run jointly with the Federation of Students, that’s “meant to encourage students to understand and embrace diversity of race, religion, culture, gender, sexual orientation, and ability,” FitzGerald says.

The SASA Program Grant is a cash award of $1,000 to encourage the development of new programs or ideas at member institutions. The Student Life Office won the grant to expand its senior transition programs.

“The first critical transition point for a student is from high school into university: that’s what Student Life 101 is all about,” FitzGerald says. “After that, although it’s important to support students all the way through, the next most critical transition point is at graduation. I think of this as Real Life 101.”

Programs to ease the transition into the real world have been in place and developing for six years, in partnership with alumni affairs and career services, FitzGerald explains. “We hope to expand these further, which is where the grant will help.”

In the meantime, a website for graduating students will be launched this fall, part of a general revamping of the SLO web space. The site will take a graduand from preparing for convocation through career hunting or applying to grad school. It shows which university services they can still access after graduation, how to connect to community services, and on to such real-life challenges as finding a doctor, budgeting, and house-hunting. Also included is a section of detailed directions on how to deal with household headaches, such as a clogged drain, a broken toilet, or damaged drywall.

The Student Life Office also received a SASA research grant of $1,000 to help carry out the first phase of the Campus Climate Study. “We are planning a survey this fall of the whole student body, to try to understand the student experience,” FitzGerald says. The survey will assess attitudes and experience related to race, religion, culture, gender, sexual orientation, and ability, and “identify our successes and areas where we need improvement.” In the second phase, researchers will gather more qualitative data. When it all wraps up, probably within a year, the results will be used to help One Waterloo carry out its educational activities.

CAR

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