Officials visit for Math 3 opening ceremony

Federal and provincial officials, including a cabinet minister with a brand-new title, will visit campus this morning for an official opening celebration at the new Mathematics 3 building, constructed with government stimulus funding.

The four storey, 90,000 square-foot building (right) came into use in late summer. Attached to the existing Math and Computer building by an overpass, it includes seminar rooms, research laboratories and a 392-seat lecture hall — the campus's largest — along with faculty, graduate student and administrative offices.

"As well, the new building has enabled expansion of the entire faculty of mathematics," says a news release today celebrating the opening. Ceremonies are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at the site.

University president Feridun Hamdullahpur and dean of mathematics Ian Goulden will play host to Peter Braid, the Member of Parliament for Kitchener-Waterloo, and John Milloy, MPP for Kitchener Centre, who on Wednesday was named Minister of Community and Social Services and Government House Leader. Milloy was previously minister of training, colleges and universities; his move is part of a cabinet shuffle by Liberal premier Dalton McGuinty following the recent Ontario election.

The two governments provided most of the funding for Math 3, which was designed by Robbie Young + Wright / IBI Group Architects. The government of Canada invested $18.25 million through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program and the government of Ontario a further $17.75 million. "We are grateful for the federal and provincial government funding we've received in support of this wonderful new facility," says Goulden. "As one of the world’s leading centres for the mathematical sciences, we urgently needed the additional space that the new building provides. This will allow us to expand our research and academic programs to address fundamental issues in today's world. In health care and medicine, for example, our researchers are using mathematical predictive modelling to inform surgical procedures and drug discovery."

The building's main occupants will be the department of statistics and actuarial science and the math-and-business programs, but the new facility enables expansion for all the academic units in the math faculty. The university's board of governors is expected to approve a budget next week for renovation of the sixth floor of Math and Computer, now that many of its occupants have moved to the new facility.

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Convocation will see president installed

The University of Waterloo will officially install Feridun Hamdullahpur as the university's sixth president and vice-chancellor at the 103rd Convocation, to be held in two sessions tomorrow. As well, Waterloo's first class of pharmacy students — 87 in total — will graduate, along with 1,874 other students.

At the first session of Convocation, chancellor Prem Watsa will conduct Hamdullahpur's installation. That morning ceremony begins at 10 a.m. in the main gym of the Physical Activities Complex. Hamdullahpur's appointment as president of the university was approved last March by the university's senate and board of governors.

"Dr. Hamdullahpur brings to the University of Waterloo presidency a deep appreciation of, and commitment to, what is unique about this institution at this important time in its history," says business executive Bob Harding, chair of the board, who led the presidential nominating committee. "He is an academic leader who is driven by a passion for both teaching and research and a genuine desire to demonstrate how quality education can change society and the lives of individuals."

Hamdullahpur’s installation address will be a feature of the morning Convocation ceremony, which will see degrees conferred on 758 graduating students in applied health sciences, arts and social work.

Hamdullahpur (left) previously served as Waterloo's vice-president (academic) and provost and then as interim president. He came to Waterloo in 2009, with a total of more than 34 years of university teaching, research and leadership experience. He is a professor in the department of mechanical and mechatronics engineering. A by-invitation dinner this evening will help to mark the ceremonial beginning of his presidency.

Also at tomorrow morning’s Convocation, Lois Claxton, a former senior executive of the university, will receive the title of honorary member of the university. Claxton (below, left), who served in the university library for twelve years and then as secretary of the university for 20 years more, leaving last winter to join the staff of the Governor General of Canada. As head of the university secretariat, Claxton worked with four presidents and six provosts, guiding the university through a period of significant growth. The secretariat is responsible for the working of the university's governing bodies, policies, committee proceedings and legal matters.

In the afternoon session, Paul Hebert, a professor of integrative biology at the University of Guelph, will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree and address 1,203 graduating students in engineering, environment, mathematics and science. That session begins at 2:30 p.m.

Hebert, dubbed "the father of DNA barcoding", leads a global effort to barcode all species on the planet. His methods have helped to identify hundreds of species previously unknown to science. He is also the director of the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario and the Canadian Barcode of Life Network, and holds a Canada Research Chair in Molecular Biodiversity.

At the same session, David Roulston, an internationally recognized researcher in bipolar semiconductor devices and integrated circuits, will receive an honorary doctor of engineering degree. He developed the BIPOLE fast computer program for numerical simulation of semiconductor bipolar devices, which now is used by industry and universities worldwide.

The retired Waterloo professor, who has published more than 100 technical papers and holds six patents, is being honoured by a weekend-long celebration that also includes a public lecture this afternoon. Roulston (right) will speak at 3:00 today on “Reflections of an Academic Engineer: A Lifetime of University of Waterloo and International Experiences” (Engineering 5 room 2004). A reception and dinner, by invitation, will follow.

Also at the afternoon ceremony, Harry Panjer, a retired professor of statistics and actuarial science, will be named a distinguished professor emeritus. One of only two academics ever elected president of the Society of Actuaries, Panjer played a leading role in nurturing Waterloo's reputation as a centre of actuarial education and research.

Gold medals will be presented to two top graduate students: Ann Berlinsky Kallin, receiving a master's degree in physics, and Jeremy Clark, receiving a PhD in computer science. The two were selected by a committee headed by the associate provost (graduate studies).

Kallin is "the top MSc student in the past five years", according to the physics department, and has now started a doctoral program with supervisor Roger Melko. Clark, who is credited with "a research record which is both diverse and of very high quality", worked with supervisor Urs Hengartner.

In addition, the university is honouring two master's students (Michael Boutilier, mechanical engineering, and Candice Jensen, psychology) and five PhD students (Azmy Faisal, kinesiology; Kui Jiao, mechanical; Gang Meng, planning; Jason Ozubko, psychology; David Snider, earth sciences) with the rubric "outstanding achievement in graduate studies".

Also at the afternoon Convocation tomorrow, Waterloo will graduate its first class of pharmacy students: 34 men and 53 women who will receive a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree (BScPhm). Launched in January 2008, the Waterloo school of pharmacy offers one of only two co-operative pharmacy programs in North America. The program features a strong emphasis on patient care, including patient safety, business and health informatics.

David Edwards, Hallman Director of the pharmacy school and associate dean of science, calls the first pharmacy graduates "truly an exceptional group. As the first to experience our innovative curriculum, they provided the faculty with invaluable feedback that will benefit future generations of Waterloo student pharmacists. We look forward to seeing what kind of impact this vanguard class will make in their role as medication therapy experts in the Canadian health care system."

The graduating students finished their last term of classwork in August, and are currently completing a four-month internship and writing national licensing exams set by the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada. “If everything goes well,” says Edwards, “they will receive their licences very early in the new year.” They’ll be the guests of honour tonight at a reception at the Pharmacy building, which will also welcome municipal leaders who helped make the health sciences campus a reality as part of the economic redevelopment of downtown Kitchener.

CAR

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