Beware the Pi of March: The "Pi On The Porter" group once again "PI"-ied the Dana Porter library, with each face of the building sporting a Pi day-related word, number, or symbol Wednesday evening.

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Professor wins Japanese science award

Chair of Renison University College's Board of Governors and systems design engineering professor Keith Hipel has received the 2012 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Eminent Scientist Award. The award is Japan's highest research prize for international scientists and is granted to researchers "who posses a record of excellent research achievements and who are mentors and leaders in their respective fields." This is the first time this prize has been awarded to a Canadian academic.

According to the Society's website, the award invites the winners to visit Japan "for the purpose of associating directly with younger Japanese researchers so as to mentor, stimulate and inspire them to greater attainments. The awardees may also be asked to contribute their advice and expertise on ways to enhance the planning, conducting and evaluating of scientific research at Japanese universities and research institutions."

This award puts Professor Hipel, who is also a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, in august company: Three of the four recipients of the 2011 award were Nobel prize winners, as were all three awardees in 2010.

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Kids needed for contact lens study

a message from the Centre for Contact Lens Research

Researchers at the Centre for Contact Lens Research (CCLR) are testing new contact lenses that could reduce nearsightedness in children. The CCLR is actively recruiting participants for a number of upcoming studies involving children. The studies range in length from one month to three years.

• The priority for recruitment, right now, is ASIAN children (i.e. one or both parents of Asian descent), aged 8-15, who already wear contact lenses.

• Other children with and without contact lens experience are also needed for upcoming studies.

The studies involve fitting children with contact lenses designed to slow the progression of myopia (nearsightedness). Myopia typically develops as early as age eight, and progresses throughout childhood. By slowing this early progression, CCLR researchers hope to prevent mildly myopic children from becoming highly myopic.

Contact lenses have been used to correct vision in children as young as six for the last 50 years. More recently, studies funded by the National Institutes of Health have reported that contact lenses are both useful and safe for children.

Children and adolescents aged 8 to 16 are eligible to participate, receiving $20 per hour for their time commitment as well as a supply of contact lenses and follow up care for the length of the study.

This study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through the University of Waterloo Office of Research Ethics.

To learn more about how to volunteer as a research participant in one of these studies, contact the CCLR at 519-888-4742 or cclrrecruitment@ uwaterloo.ca.

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Friday's notes

Students will have a new option for paying for transit fares at the Student Life Centre's Turnkey Desk starting Monday, March 19. Presto is "the new convenient way to pay for transit fares in Ontario," writes Student Life Centre operations manager Scott Pearson. "Presto is accepted across the entire GO Transit system (Bus and Rail) – as well as transit systems in Mississauga, Oakville, Hamilton, Burlington, York Region, Durham Region and currently 12 TTC Subway stations." Funds can be added to Presto cards, though online loads take up to 48 hours to be processed. "Discounts from using a registered card range from 7.5% to 15% off every trip," writes Pearson.

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences presents the 2012 Adrian Smith Lecture taking place on Tuesday, March 20 at 2:00 p.m. in OPT 1129, followed by a reception in the EIT Foyer. This year’s lecturer is Dr. Philippe Van Cappellen, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Ecohydrology, who will speak on “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Earth System (Using the Silicon Cycle as an Example)”. For more information please contact Lorraine Albrecht at extension 32069.

University of Waterloo students are participating in the annual "5 Days for the Homeless" fundraising campaign, which started Monday and wraps up today. The campaign, which sees students spend a week sleeping outdoors, relying on the generosity of others for food, while still attending all their classes, raises money for homeless shelters - some $747,000 since 2005.

The Waterloo campaign was organized by Ameesha Isaac and Sudhershi Kularatnam, and participating students include Karlena Waugh, Jitesh Chauhan, Lauren Ruiter, Jessikah Kumordzie and Ryan Jeethan. They have been camped out at the B1-ESC link.

Donations can be made online on the Waterloo regional site.

The money raised by the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University students, who have organized a similar campaign on their campus, will be donated to Kitchener-Waterloo Reaching our Outdoor Friends (ROOF) and Argus Residence for Young People, located in Cambridge.

Here's the latest "myth vs. truth" nutrition tip provided by Health Services dietician Sandra Ace.

"Myth": Reading food labels is too hard.
"Truth": The “Nutrition Facts” table has information on calories and nutrients. It’s easy to understand when you know what to look for. Follow these three steps:

1. Check the serving size and compare this to the amount you actually eat.
2. Read the %DV to see if a product has a little or a lot of a nutrient; 5 percent or less is a little, and 15 percent or more is a lot.
3. Choose foods with more vitamins, minerals and fibre, and less fat (saturated and trans), sodium and sugar.

If you have any questions or comments about these tips, which are running the month of March in support of Nutrition Month, please contact Sandra.

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