A third crane showed up at the Engineering 5 construction site on the east side of campus last week. Ben Stegner, of the electrical section in the plant operations department, caught the scene with his camera during a lunch-hour walk, as the new crane delivered air handling equipment to the building's rooftop.

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Extra sanitizer helps UW ward off the flu

Hygiene is in, and staff in UW’s food services have been ransacking the city for extra supplies of hand sanitizer, as people across campus take precautions against the H1N1 influenza, popularly known as swine flu.

“We were over-prepared, which is always good,” university housing officer Chris Read said after some 1,500 students checked into their residence rooms on Sunday, the day before spring term classes began. He said all the students were screened with a questionnaire, and a health services representative was on hand to look at anyone who reported positive for flu symptoms such as fever, headache and cough.

As a result, three students have been temporarily moved to rooms in Columbia Lake Village, either because they were feeling unwell or because they're just back from Mexico, the epicentre of the H1N1 outbreak. "Persons who have symptoms are instructed not to go onto campus or to class and to stay in their rooms," says Barbara Schumacher, medical director of UW's health services. "We are referring to this as self-isolation. The students from Mexico are provided a private room in CLV rather than the traditional residence living arrangement while they monitor their health. They are able to attend classes."

So far there have been no cases of the new flu in Waterloo Region, according to the regional public health department. “There are 51 confirmed cases of human swine influenza in Canada,” its latest bulletin says.

The health unit says that “key messages remain the same. The public should keep doing what they normally do. People can lower their risk by practicing the usual, preventative practices against a range of illnesses; that is, follow proper cough etiquette, wash hands frequently, and stay away from work or school if ill.”

Lee Elkas, director of UW’s food services, said his staff have introduced special precautions in Mudie’s cafeteria in Village I and anywhere there are buffets or salad bars where customers will be handling serving utensils. “We have mandatory hand sanitizing stations,” he said, meaning that either a staff member will pass out dollops of liquid sanitizer, or a dispenser will be available along with a warning sign.

Even if food services is dropping off a catered lunch somewhere on campus, it’ll be accompanied by a bottle of sanitizer (alcohol mixed with glycerin and other additives) to fight the flu viruses that could be lurking.

He said staff visited a number of stores Friday to round up extra supplies of the sanitizer, which is in short supply across North America because of concern about the flu outbreak.

With conference season under way at Ron Eydt Village, everybody from teenage soccer players to participants in a Perimeter Institute advanced workshop will be arriving over the next few days, and they too will face a flu screening when they move in, said Elkas, whose department manages the UW conference centre.

A memo is going out ahead of time to conference organizers and as many participants as possible, he said, so “they’ll know our policy: that if they’re showing signs of illness, they should just stay home!” Someone who does arrive and seems to be a potential flu risk, but can’t immediately head home, can be put into isolation in a Columbia Lake Village unit temporarily, he said. “We’ve got an inventory of rooms at CLV, just in case.”

UW’s athletics department posted signs in the Physical Activities Complex and Columbia Icefield at week’s end, warning about the flu and asking gym users to take precautions: “The risk of infection is very high and the possibility exists that someone returning from Mexico could spread the infection to our students and employees. We ask for your cooperation and understanding that these steps are being taken in the best interests of our community at UW.

“When you have finished using a piece of equipment, follow the Athletics Department Policies and wipe down your equipment with the spray and cloths provided.

“If you have travelled to Mexico, please wait seven days to monitor for continued wellness before using facilities or programs. If you are feeling sick with flu symptoms, have vomited or have had diarrhea, please do not use the PAC or CIF facilities until seven days from the first day of onset of symptoms or 24 hours after the resolution of symptoms, whichever is later.

“Staff will be monitoring the facility for members and participants who appear ill and will be suggesting they obtain medical advice prior to resuming use of the Athletics facilities. These measures will help ensure the safety of all PAC and CIF users.”

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Digital forum in Stratford next month

a release from the UW media relations office

Industry, government, and education leaders will gather June 8 and 9 in Stratford, Ontario, at a “Canada 3.0 forum” to map Canada’s digital future and create opportunities for new business and jobs. Hosted by UW’s Stratford Institute and the Canadian Digital Media Network, the forum is the must-attend event for anyone interested in Canada’s place in the world’s digital economy.

“The advent of social media, the explosion of the Web as a forum for a wide range of rich content, and the growth in high-tech handheld devices to access this content anytime, anywhere are creating new demands and opportunities,” said David Johnston, president of UW and a speaker at the conference. “Educators, those that set public policy pertaining to digital media, and content developers all have a vested interest in ensuring Canada takes its place as a leader in digital media.”

The forum addresses four themes — content and entertainment, technology and business, government, and research and education — and will provide participants with opportunities to actively engage industry leaders and speakers. Some of the featured speakers are Arlene Dickinson, CEO Venture Communications Ltd. and entrepreneur from CBC’s Dragons’ Den; Lisa de Wilde, CEO of TV Ontario; John Cassaday, president and CEO of Corus Entertainment Inc.; Gerry Remers, president and COO of Christie Digital Systems; Paul Salvini, chief technology officer and VP for Canadian operations at Side Effects Software; Peter Bruce, deputy chief information officer, Government of Canada; Ron McKerlie, deputy minister, Ontario ministry of government services; Chad Gaffield, president, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; Sara Diamond, president of the Ontario College of Art and Design.

“Anyone who wants to be part of Canada’s digital future has a vested interest in being at this forum,” said Tom Jenkins, executive chairman and chief strategy officer at Open Text and also a speaker at the event. “Canada has the opportunity to lead by enabling a groundswell of entrepreneurial businesses in the digital media space. Next-generation content and technology will claim Canada’s stake in the competitive digital economy.”

The Council of Canadian Academies has identified new media as having the greatest momentum and the highest growth prospects for Canada, second only to the oilsands. Worldwide, the digital media sector is one of the fastest-growing industries in the knowledge economy, projected to be valued at US$2.2 trillion over the next five years.

“Canada has the talent, expertise, and business environment to ensure that we lead in the digital economy,” said Gary Goodyear, federal minister of state for science and technology, who is participating in the forum. “There’s a digital revolution afoot, and with the current economic shifts we’re seeing, it’s imperative that we support this growth that holds the promise of increased business opportunity and more jobs for Canadians.”

The federal government recently recognized this huge economic opportunity by investing $10.7-million in the CDMN, in part to establish UW’s Stratford Institute and to host critical opportunities like Canada 3.0.

"Innovative thinking is key to overcoming a challenging economy today and emerging as a successful player on the global digital media stage tomorrow," said Ontario minister of research and innovation John Wilkinson, who will speak at the conference. "Bringing together leaders from diverse backgrounds will help jump-start the innovation process, and both help to grow existing companies faster while creating successful new ones. That's why a key part of Ontario's economic plan is supporting the ideas that will shape our future."

Canada’s digerati are invited to learn more and register for the conference online.

The Canadian Digital Media Network network was established earlier this year with $10.7 million in federal funding to link Canada's digital media clusters from coast to coast, creating a digital convergence corridor and enabling collaboration between researchers, implementers and entrepreneurs. UW's Stratford Institute is a think-tank, integrator and training institute devoted to collaboration between digital media, international commerce and culture. The Stratford Institute was established with a $10 million investment from the Government of Ontario and a $10 million investment from the City of Stratford.

CAR

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