Chief information officer starts today

David Wallace (right) takes up his duties as the university's new Chief Information Officer today. A leading information technology strategist with more than 30 years of experience, Wallace was most recently the CIO at the City of Toronto, the first person to hold that position. He oversaw approximately $500 million in current and future projects and approximately 700 staff members supporting the technology infrastructure operation at the city.

Vice-President, Academic and Provost Sallie Keller announced his appointment in May.

Wallace holds a Bachelor of Business Management (Ryerson University), Business Administration Diploma (Computer Science and Accounting/Finance Majors) (Ryerson University), Master of Business Administration (University of Toronto), and an Information Systems Professional designation from Canada’s Association of IT Professionals.

“The University of Waterloo has an international reputation, recognized excellence and a commitment to innovation,” said Wallace when his appointment was announced. “I am eager to work with the students, faculty and staff in realizing Waterloo’s compelling vision.”

The Chief Information Officer is the senior-most executive responsible for information systems and technology that support the University’s operations and strategic goals. Working with deans, senior administrators and information technology teams, the Chief Information Officer is a strategist and manager who leads the forging of an integrated infrastructure that is best in class, and advance a collegial process of strategic change across a distributed IT community.

The CIO is responsible for overall strategy, policy formulation and administration pertaining to the university’s information technology, services and resources. The position is responsible for providing the vision, leadership and advocacy for the development and use of institutional systems to further the academic mission and to support the administrative requirements of the university.

Wallace succeeds Alan George, Associate Provost (IST), who retired in May.

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President speaks at climate change conference

President Feridun Hamdullahpur is in Istanbul, Turkey for the Global Conference on Global Warming 2012, which is being held at the Istanbul Technical University (ITU), his alma mater.

He will be delivering a keynote address today entitled "Equinox Blueprint: Energy 2030 - A technological roadmap for low-carbon electricity production."

If that title sounds familiar, it should - the presentation is based on the results of the Equinox Summit: Energy 2030 conference hosted at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics last June. The conference was the first initiative of the Waterloo Global Science Initiative, a partnership between the University of Waterloo and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. The summit was a multinational, interdisciplinary, and intergenerational collaboration that brought together pioneering scientists, policy advisors, entrepreneurs and future leaders.

The resulting Equinox Blueprint, launched in February 2012 at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), contains recommendations that offer real-world strategies for a lower carbon energy future, based on the latest thinking. With a horizon of 2030, the aim of the Equinox Blueprint is to act as a catalyst, spurring private and public partners to focus research and funding in five key areas that will help meet global energy needs in a safe, sustainable way.

Hamdullahpur will also be chairing a session entitled "Biomass Energy" on Tuesday, July 10.

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Homepage info sessions and other notes

Communications and Public Affairs will be hosting information sessions about the new uWaterloo homepage and related web pages scheduled for launch in August 2012. Students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend.

The two sessions will be held in July:

• Session 1: July 11 2012 in DC 1351
  
• Session 2: July 17 2012 in AL 113
  

The same information will be presented at both sessions. Communications and Public Affairs will share the strategic planning process involved in the updated website design, and how the new design works to meet the university’s strategic objectives and the user-experience needs of website visitors.

Graduate students and faculty from the University of Waterloo's Biology, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Environment and Resource Studies departments will be heading to Ottawa tomorrow to participate in a "Death of Evidence" funeral procession. The protest rally, which takes place at noon and coincides with the Canadian Society of Ecology and Evolution Conference, promises to feature hundreds of research professionals donning lab coats to "stand in solidarity" against federal cuts to scientific funding, the closure of research facilities, sweeping changes in Bill C-38, and the "muzzling of government scientists."

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