FASS 2010 (“Final Fassity MMX”) cast rehearse their opening song. Staged annually (and new each year) by faculty, alumni, staff and students, the show goes on stage Thursday, February 4, at 8 p.m.; Friday, 7 and 10; Saturday 8, Humanities Theatre. Details.

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Student leaders and volunteers honoured

by Johnny Trinh, Student Life Office

The 2009 President’s Circle Awards for Leadership and Volunteerism have been announced. Each year, members of the President’s Circle donate funds that recognize students for their outstanding accomplishments within UW and their community.

The awards presentation took place at the University Club on January 14. President David Johnston presented each recipient with a certificate of recognition. Members of the president's circle as well as deans and faculty representatives shared in the celebration dinner.

The President’s Circle Award for Leadership was established in 2007 to acknowledge the outstanding performances of student leaders at the University of Waterloo. The awards recognize students who have left a lasting impression on the UW campus through encouraging of student participation, acting as role models, enabling others to become leaders, or taking initiative to lead by example to make the university community better.

The President’s Circle Award for Volunteerism was established in 1997 to recognize the significant contributions of students in volunteer work both within UW and the community at–large. The award honours the extra–curricular contributions of students in a variety of service areas, some of which may not be highly visible but are nonetheless important to the community.

Updates on the 2010 President’s Circle Awards nomination process will be posted soon.

Here are the 2009 President’s Circle Award recipients:

For leadership:

Catharine Hay (left), fourth-year systems design engineering, has filled leadership roles within the Engineering Society, Women in Engineering, Student Life 101, and Orientation Week, and held the position of class representative. One of Catharine’s references stated, "Cat has raised the profile of the Engineering Society as one that contributes positively within and outside the university."

Kieng Iv, fourth-year accounting and financial management, shared his leadership skills as a Federation Orientation Committee member, an Organizational and Human Development Student Leadership Program facilitator, and a peer leader in Housing and Residences. He is often called upon to represent the School of Accounting and Finance.

Barbara Macdonald, fourth-year computer science, has filled many roles including math councillor in the Federation of Students, volunteered and worked extensively in the UW Orientation program, and volunteered at the Canadian Association of College and University Student Services 2009 national conference.

David Pritchard, PhD candidate in combinatorics and optimization. David has served as the Graduate Student Association (GSA) vice president: communications and organization, as director on the GSA Board, and as co-chair of the Graduate Studies Endowment Fund. He co-organized the 2009 Ontario Combinatorics Workshops. As a leader, David has shown tremendous initiative, and greatly improved communications within the GSA.

Nick Soave (right), fourth-year geography, has held many leadership positions, including environment student councillor, Federation Orientation Committee member, and vice-president of the Environment Student Society. Nick is described as an outstanding individual who is selfless, continually putting the needs of others before himself, willing to do whatever it takes to get a task done, and consistently reliable.

For volunteerism:

Elissa Cooper, fourth year therapeutic recreation, has volunteered as a peer mentor, volunteer mentor, and tutor for organizations including Pathways to Education, Pioneer Youth Services, Children’s Health and Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan, and the Optimist Help Them Hear Camp.

Dragana Kukic, third year Faculty of Science, has volunteered with the Grand River Hospital, Freeport Centre and Cancer Centre, and the Oath to Kosovo Christian Charitable Organization. Through the Waterloo Student Refugee Program, Dragana supported refugee students in getting accustomed to life in Canada and their studies at UW.

Catharine Lau (left), third year psychology, is the founder of the Healthy Active Living program and the Waterloo chapter of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, and has volunteered as a senior camp counsellor and life guard with the Peacekeeper Parks Special Needs Adventure Camp.

Erika Murray, PhD candidate in chemical engineering, continually volunteers in promoting science and engineering within the community. Erika is an executive member of the Canadian Association for Girls in Science, has often represented Women in Engineering, and enthusiastically took a leadership role in GoEngGirl. She has also volunteered with the Hope Spring Cancer Support Centre. She balances these responsibilities while continuing to excel in her research.

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Waterloo students shine at OEC; other notes

The annual Ontario Engineering Competition was held at Waterloo this year, hosted by the Faculty of Engineering and the student Engineering Society. Following the events of the weekend, it’s been announced that Waterloo students ranked in the top three in each of the categories. First- and second-place winners go on to the Canadian Engineering Competition to be held at the University of Toronto, March 18 to 21. The Waterloo winners are:

• Parliamentary Debate, first place: Keith Peiris and Uzair Chutani
• Engineering Communications, second place: Rana Tehrani Yekta
• Consulting Engineering, second place: Tim Bandura, Adriana Cameron, Will Zochodne, and Ian Davies
• Senior Team Design, second place: Maple Leung, Jeff McClure, Cody Prodaniuk, and Nevin McCallum
• Innovative Design, third place: Alexander Fefer, Scott Kuo, Alexandru Roman, and Miron Vranjes
• Junior Team Design, third place: Ray Zhou, Fred Ting, Wilfrid Ngo, and James Anselm

The Office of the Registrar yesterday sent out an email message to “approximately 27,239” undergraduate students, informing them that class enrolment for the spring term will take place February 8-13. They are invited to sign into Quest to view enrolment appointment times, see courses scheduled as a result of pre-enrolment selections and course selections done by the student’s school or department, and to add their own course selections. Open class enrolment begins on February 15. Deadlines set out here.

At this time of year, many people are thinking about their RRSP contributions. With that in mind, Human Resources reminds faculty and staff that, as explained on the HR website, “March 1, 2010 is the latest date a contribution can be made for the 2009 taxation year, based on earnings and the value of the pension benefit earned during 2008 (pension adjustment). The rules for calculating allowable tax-assisted retirement savings were established for the 1991 taxation year; however, in 2009 the maximum contribution was increased to $21,000.” Full details are here.

Finally: although the groundhogs saw their shadows today, it's been a relatively easy winter so far. It was “the driest January in 30 years,” reports Frank Seglenieks, coordinator  of the University of Waterloo Weather Station, “while temperatures were about average. . . . The big story for January was the lack of precipitation, both solid and liquid. The total precipitation was only 27.9 mm, making it the driest January since 1981 and tied for the fourth driest since records began in the area in 1914. . . . It is understandable that people have been commenting on the lack of shovelling they have had to do this winter, as we have only had 47 cm so far this snowfall season compared to the average of 97 cm.  It is also quite a contrast to last year when we had around 200 cm at this point.” Full details and statistics are on the station’s website.

CPA staff

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