Banners flash Waterloo’s bold new look

New pole banners in dramatic black and bold colours are going up around the Ring Road and in the surrounding streets this week, in time to greet students and parents arriving for Student Life 101 on Saturday.

The banners, designed by a team at Graphics, were mentioned in the joint memo from the president and V-P external relations circulated last week, as “reflecting the spirit of the new marketing-oriented visual identity for Waterloo.” They are almost the first public glimpse of some of the elements that will be associated with the new visual identity, and a hint of the direction that will be taken.

Meg Beckel, vice-president external relations, describes the banners as transitional. “We are not using the new logo, but we are introducing elements of the new visual identity: the Gotham font, the bolder look, and the colours.” She adds: “This is an evolution, not a revolution. We are gradually getting the new look out there, testing it and playing with it.”

The banners come in two kinds. The black one (left) shows “University of Waterloo” emblazoned prominently in white, with intensely coloured lines curving dynamically along the length of the banner. Eight others show the curved lines in white, along with one each of eight words — such as innovative, collaborative, and creative — on a strongly coloured background: red, teal, orange, green, deep pink, and two different blues.

They also come in two sizes. A larger set, 24 by 66 inches, will hang along the streets that frame the campus: University, Westmount, and Columbia avenues, and Phillip Street. The slightly smaller set, 17.75 by 61 inches, will hang around the Ring Road. They will be hung either in pairs, a black and a coloured one side by side, or in sequence, with a black and a coloured banner alternating.

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Laflamme talks on research and giving

In June, President David Johnston (left) sat down with Raymond Laflamme, director of the Institute for Quantum Computing, to discuss the field of quantum computing and the way private donation (especially from Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis) has supported quantum information research at Waterloo.

The conversation, which was filmed in Laflamme’s MRI lab, was intercut with scenes of Laflamme teaching and other researchers at work, and produced as a video to honour the members of the 1957 Society — donors whose cumulative gifts have reached $100,000 or more. Entitled "What great philanthropy can do," the video is now online.

Here is some of what Laflamme said:

On what IQC plans to do with the more than $300 million in private and government funding it has received: “My colleagues and I are trying to reach for excellence at the highest international level, and we’re focusing that excellence in three main directions. First, getting the best brains of the world to come to Waterloo and providing resources so they can do their research. Second, bringing the best graduate students to come and work at IQC. They are the ones who will take these ideas and apply them. And third, bringing this knowledge to government, industry, and the general public, so it’s not only focused within the academic community.”

On the impact of the work done at IQC: “It’s always hard to think about the impact of fundamental research – we can’t look in a crystal ball and say what’s going to happen. If we go back in history about 60 years, someone named Charles Townes invented the laser. It was just curiosity-driven. And suddenly today, lasers are everywhere, from the grocery checkout, to surgery, to your CD player. We know some of the applications of quantum information processing, from better and faster computers to cryptography and private information. But I’m sure when we look back in 30 or 40 years, we’ll say, ‘We were very naïve in 2009 at the University of Waterloo, thinking of only these few applications!’ There will be a lot more, and that’s the exciting thing about this field.”

On the impact and example of Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis’ gift of more than $100 million to IQC: “This donation inspires people and is changing the dynamics of how research is being funded in Canada. At IQC, Mike and Ophelia’s great philanthropy created a partnership between the university and government, enabling us to do something that has never been done in Canada before: gathering a concentration of talent so we can excel at the top international level. We’ll be able to compete with the MITs, Harvards, and Caltechs of this world. Waterloo can play its part and be known as the place where quantum information has flourished.”

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SDE students design to harvest energy

from a UW Media Relations news release

Waterloo systems design engineering students will display product designs this week that explore energy harvesting and sustainability in the home, community, transportation, and communications.

On Friday, 12 student groups in a third-year systems design engineering course will present the product design exhibition. The event runs 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. in Davis Centre room 1301.

"Fossil, hydro and nuclear sources will not address the world's increasing energy needs," says John Zelek, professor of systems design engineering, and event organizer. "Ambient energy sources such as the sun, wind, and waves and tides are alternative resources. Human kinetic motion is another source for powering small wearable electronic devices such as mobile phones, iPods and GPS navigators."

The student groups were each required to choose a problem area, identify a design problem objective, and solicit needs from stakeholders, then develop the concepts that are prototyped for display at this week's exhibit.

Among the problems addressed: reducing the amount of energy used in home water-heating systems; capturing wind energy in urban settings; using kinetic energy to power mobile devices and home gaming systems; tracking animals in Africa; sustainable cooling of an car's engine and interior; minimizing energy losses for refrigerated delivery trucks; capturing wave power for recreational boats; cooling computer server systems; and recovering energy from landfill sites.

The course and theme meet several engineering design learning objectives. It exposes students to relevant world issues which may lead to cost-effective solutions. It also shows that engineering plays a key role in society, improving the quality of life for all.

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Student Life 101 prep for staff and faculty

Student Life 101 is coming up this Saturday and these members of the student co-ordinating team look ready to take it on: (from left, rear) Joe Collins, Cassandra Piroutz, and Abeer Rahman; (front) Josh Layton, Nilani Logeswaran, and Keriece Harris.

For faculty and staff members who want to know more about what to expect on the big day, the student leaders who run the program are offering two information sessions on Thursday in Needles Hall room 1101. The first session, at 10:30 a.m., is for staff who are brand new to Student Life 101. The second, at 11 a.m., is for staff who have taken part in SL101 before.

“If you are interested in being a part of Student Life 101 in 2010,” says Cora Dupuis, student life co-ordinator: first-year experience, send her email.

CPA staff

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