Research teams join forces, get money to take on antibiotic resistance

Researchers from Canada and the United Kingdom will be receiving more than $7 million over four years to combat antibiotic resistance. Two Canada-UK research teams have been funded through the Canada/UK Partnership on Antibiotic Resistance, a collaboration between the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the UK Medical Research Council.

Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear (above; photo by Chris Hughes, ELED Photography) was on hand to make the announcement, with members of the UK Medical Research Council and researchers participating via video. "Antibiotic resistance is a serious challenge facing Canadians and our health care system," said Minister Goodyear. "Our Government is pleased to support this important collaborative effort to develop new strategies and tools to protect Canadians from antibiotic resistant infections."

The first team is led by Professor Gary Dmitrienko of the University of Waterloo (right; photo by Chris Hughes) and Professor Tim Walsh of the University of Cardiff and will focus on hospital acquired infections with the aim of developing a new treatment for infections caused by bacteria resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics like penicillin. Dmitrienko's team will receive $3,565,700 over four years.

The second team involves researchers from the University of Guelph and the University of Warwick and will focus on increasing understanding of bacterial cell wall growth and production with the aim of identifying new targets for the development of antibiotics. It will receive $3,559,352 over four years.

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Philanthropy Day kicks off Keystone campaign

Jude Doble, Office of Development

Today marks National Philanthropy Day, an annual celebration in Canada and the USA, which pays tribute to people who give their time, talent, and resources to organizations. Waterloo is marking the day with a special thank you to volunteers, donors, and ambassadors, recognizing the important role they play in the university’s success.

National Philanthropy Day also coincides with the annual fall Keystone Campaign appeal, sent to all faculty, staff, and retirees. Keystone brings the Waterloo family together, to give their time, money, and energy in support of student scholarships, innovations, and special projects. Dipali Batabyal, manager of the campaign says, “Our campus community is a critical component in ensuring that Waterloo is an exceptional place to work, study, and thrive.” She continues, “By working together, we make Waterloo great.”

Paul McKone, one of the volunteer Keystone Campaign co-chairs (who doubles as a staff member in the Knowledge Integration Program) says, “What we do here at home sets an example for our alumni, corporations, government, and other partners. We believe in the excellence of Waterloo and its students and we want others to join us in supporting them.”
Keystone supports many programs for students like Kris Kolenc and Prateeksha Ravi. These first-year students received the University of Waterloo Retirees’ Association Scholarship, which gave them the financial support and confidence to participate in extracurricular activities such as the UW Sustainability Project and residence life activities.

Watch for your Keystone appeal package to arrive in your mailbox in the coming week and the 2012 Keystone calendar, which will be delivered the week of December 5.

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Prof given EFF nod

Associate professor of computer science Ian Goldberg  (right) is one of the latest recipients of the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Pioneer Award. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a digital rights advocacy group based in San Francisco, California.

According to the EFF's press release, Goldberg is an "encryption innovator" whose research "has helped expose design weaknesses in the encryption used to protect cell phone conversations and wifi networks, spurring improvements to these systems."

Professor Goldberg received his B.Math at the University of Waterloo in 1995 and completed graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He joined the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science in 2006.

Goldberg is a founding member of the Cryptography, Security, and Privacy (CrySP) research group, a Senior Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and a winner of both the Early Researcher Award and the Outstanding Young Computer Science Researcher Award. He is also co-inventor of the Off-The-Record Messaging protocol, which makes secure instant messaging easy.

Awarded every year since 1992, EFF's Pioneer Awards recognize leaders who are extending freedom and innovation on the electronic frontier. "What does it take to be a Pioneer?" EFF's promotional materials ask before answering, "There are no specific categories, but nominees must have contributed substantially to the health, growth, accessibility, or freedom of computer-based communications." Goldberg joins previous honorees Tim Berners-Lee, Linus Torvalds, Amy Goodman, and Craigslist, to name just a few.

The award ceremony will be held this evening at the Children's Creativity Museum in San Francisco.

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GIS Day and other notes

A note from Eva Dodsworth, Geospatial Data Services Librarian: Interested in learning more about GIS? Want to find out how researchers and students are using GIS on campus? Come out to uWaterloo's annual GIS Day celebration this Wednesday, November 16th from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the EV1 courtyard.

Hosted by the Faculty of Environment and the University Map Library, GIS Day 2011 will include lightning talks by more than 20 students, faculty, and staff; a map gallery showcasing the use of GIS in research; interactive demonstrations; and an information session on how you can get started with GIS. GIS Day cake and other goodies will be served as well. Visit the Faculty of Environment's GIS Day site for more information.

Starting tomorrow, Health Services will be running flu clinics for Waterloo students, faculty, staff, and their families from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., November 16-18 in the SLC multipurpose room.

Also tomorrow, the Federation of Students' Food Bank will be giving away free soup from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the SLC's vendor alley. The soup is being prepared by the Bombshelter Pub and will be given away on Thursday, November 17th as well.

The Food Bank is operated by approximately 150 volunteers each term and provides food to students through both their office and after-hours at the Turnkey Desk. The Food Bank is also the home of Meal Exchange, a program that gets students involved in unique projects to raise awareness of hunger problems and to raise food for the less fortunate groups in the local area.

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