Staff, volunteers take UW to the Fair

Thousands of next year’s first-year students will be faces in the crowd today, tomorrow and Sunday — the crowd at the annual Ontario Universities Fair, being held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

It takes a crowd in return, more than 300 students, staff members and faculty, to hand out information about UW and answer the questions of potential students and their parents, says Jody Berringer, who’s at the heart of the excitement as manager of liaison and visits in the office of Marketing and Undergraduate Recruitment.

The annual Toronto fair, now in its 12th year, provides an opportunity for high school students and their families to find out what all the Ontario universities have to offer, Berringer explains. “Attendance at the Fair has increased every year since its inception, with last year’s event drawing 108,000 visitors. In addition to responding to thousands of inquiries at our booth (above), the Waterloo team will also host presentations, including co-op-specific talks. New this year is the Waterloo Pre-Show, an exciting interactive feature for students and parents.”

The fair (admission free) is open from 9 to 6 today, 10 to 5 tomorrow and Sunday. Ontario high school students, the primary audience for the fair, are looking ahead to the main application deadline for September 2010 admission to the province’s 21 universities, which is January 13. (Some programs have earlier deadlines; the overall deadline for programs where space is still available isn’t until March 31.)

I plan to drop in at the Fair today, and will send an update or two to those who follow the @uwdailybulletin account on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Berringer’s nine-member “liaison team” has started this year’s road trips to bring the Waterloo story to high schools outside the Greater Toronto Area. “In the next few months,” she reports, “they’ll be taking the Waterloo message to high school students in 400 individual schools in Ontario as well as schools in other provinces coast to coast. They’ll also be participating in eight weeks of organized events under the umbrella of the University Information Program (known as UIP).

“This year, we’ve added technology strategies to enhance our in-person presentations and to allow virtual visits to other schools though video conferencing and face-to-face online conversations.”

Jocelyn Ridgway, also of the MUR office, is heading in a different direction. “Our international recruitment efforts are continuing,” she reports, “with a trip to the Eastern United States from September 23 to October 2. Building on the work the Faculty of Mathematics has done in the US over the past two years, the central recruiting team will be participating in fairs in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Stamford, and Boston. We will be participating in a tour organized by the Canadian Embassy in Washington and traveling with 22 other Canadian colleges and universities.”

And back on campus, MUR will hold an information session October 7 on “Navigating Through the University Application Process”. Says a flyer: “Are you a staff or faculty member who knows a student who is planning to apply to university? Join us for a brown bag lunch session and learn more about the process of applying to universities in Ontario. Speakers will cover topics including the university application process, housing and residences, financing their education, and the UW tuition benefit. UW recruitment and admissions staff will also be available to answer your questions about UW's undergraduate programs.” The session will take place at noon on the 7th, a Wednesday, in Needles Hall room 1116. Registration is not required.

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Ottawa, province give millions for E6

“Our researchers will have the tools they need,” Kitchener-Waterloo Member of Parliament Peter Braid said yesterday as dignitaries attended a ground-breaking ceremony for Engineering 6 building on the east side of campus. That building is part of the “Engineering and Math Project” expansion at UW that is receiving federal and provincial funding through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program and Ontario’s 2009 budget.

Braid was joined by John Milloy, the MPP for Kitchener Centre and Ontario minister of research and innovation, as well as UW officials including vice-president (external relations) Meg Beckel and dean of engineering Adel Sedra.

E6 is to be a five-storey, 113,000-square-foot home for parts of UW’s chemical engineering department, including four research groups: bio-chemical and bio-medical, green reaction, polymer science and material science. Completion is scheduled for March 2011.

As approved by government, it’s part of a twinned engineering and mathematics project receiving $36 million toward two new buildings to support “research in biochemical and bioprocessing, tissue engineering, green energy, environmental systems, computational intelligence, health informatics and new media technologies”. A government news release says the new buildings will accommodate 35 additional faculty members and 310 graduate students, many new research labs and infrastructure facilities as well as interaction rooms used for research and outreach. “In addition, three 80-seat classrooms and two 30-seat classrooms will be added to alleviate pressure on math teaching space campus-wide.”

In total, the governments of Canada and Ontario are putting $1.5 billion into 49 projects at colleges and universities. “Through the renewal of college and university facilities, our researchers will have the tools they need to be global leaders in their fields and pursue world-class excellence,” said Braid. “Attracting and retaining workers who drive innovation and growth in the global knowledge economy strengthens Canada’s position as a world leader in science and technology to the benefit of all Canadians.”

“By investing in the University of Waterloo, we are investing in some of the most promising research and innovation sectors,” said Milloy, the provincial minister. “This investment will help create jobs in Waterloo, give students and staff the facilities they need and keep Ontario at the forefront of scientific advancement.”

In a statement, UW president David Johnston said the funding “strengthens Waterloo's ability to meet growing enrolment demand in high-tech fields and gives innovative research programs room to grow.” The E6 project will allow the Douglas Wright Engineering building, which currently houses chem eng laboratories, to be vacated and renovated to meet the growing needs of civil and environmental engineering.

UW is still seeking donations to support its share of the cost for E6 and for the Engineering 5 building that’s already well under way, said Ibrahim Inayatali, director of development for the faculty of engineering. “Our fundraising for the new engineering buildings is part of the larger $120 million Vision 2010 campaign,” he said, “aligned with the Faculty of Engineering’s Vision 2010 strategic plan that seeks to make the Faculty among the top engineering schools in North America. Thus far, the University has raised $61.2 million towards this campaign, which was publicly launched in June 2007.

“There is currently a shortfall of approximately $25 million for the two buildings (Engineering 5 and 6) that have already been approved for construction. Of this amount, $4 million is urgently needed to ensure that Engineering 6 will be fully completed (i.e. without having to shell two of the five floors). The buildings are being equally funded by three parties, the provincial and federal governments, the University of Waterloo and the private sector.”

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Athletics hall of fame reception Saturday

A celebration of “50 years of sporting excellence” tomorrow afternoon will be a key event of the weekend’s Homecoming, as the UW department of athletics and recreational services marks the 25th anniversary of the Athletics Hall of Fame.

The reception-style event will be held at the Open Text Corporation, next door to Warrior Field on the north campus. It starts at 5:30 Saturday, right after the UW-Windsor football game. (Left: members of the football Warriors turned out for a charity "tailgate party" at lunchtime Wednesday at TechTown on the north campus.)

Those attending will pay tribute to the current members, celebrate history and traditions, and set new guidelines as the athletics department moves forward. “This year’s event,” says a news release, “will mark a turning point in the Hall of Fame and will recognize and celebrate all University of Waterloo Athletes of the Year over our 50-year history. Ninety-two former winners will be invited back to campus to re-visit their outstanding accomplishments. In addition, the 1996 CIAU National Championship Women’s Cross Country team will be inducted into the team category.”

Says the coach of the 1996 team, Brett McFarlane: “I am thrilled and honoured that UW is going to induct these women into the Athletics Hall of Fame. No team in Waterloo or CIS (CIAU) history has accomplished what they have — an unranked team wins both the OUAA and CIAU championships. Coaching that team to an upset and surprising provincial and then a national title was my greatest coaching accomplishment.”

The Athletics Hall of Fame was established on March 23, 1984, and has grown to include 186 individuals in five categories: Athletes, Athletes of the Year, Coaches, Builders, and Campus Recreation. Six national championship teams have been inducted in the team category.

“We have made a number of changes to the Hall of Fame event, including moving the date to coincide with Homecoming,” said director of athletics Bob Copeland. “This year’s Hall of Fame will be a celebration of our rich history and the foundation of Waterloo athletics over the past 50 years. As we move forward as a department and university, we will continue to showcase the outstanding accomplishments of our present membership that have provided the groundwork for our future Warriors."

Other highlights of Homecoming 2009 include a Saturday morning “family carnival”, this year’s Aboriginal PowWow at St. Paul’s University College, and the East Asian Festival at Renison UC. The keynote lecture for Homecoming is “Pushing the Digital Envelope” by Facebook vice-president (and 1999 engineering graduate) Chamath Palihapitiya, to be given at 4:00 tomorrow in the Humanities Theatre. Details are online and the full Homecoming schedule is at right.

CAR

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