Taking a leaf out of the Christmas book: The merry elves at the Dana Porter and DC libraries have done it again.

Teams gathered on Wednesday to build trees like this one at the Davis Centre (pictured above) out of green-bound books, taken from the National Union Catalogue, which is known as the bibliography to end all bibliographies.

Pictures of Dana Porter's tree will be posted soon.

 

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United Way campaign exceeds goal

by Jacqueline Martinz.

Over a quarter of a million dollars has been donated to the University of Waterloo’s United Way Campaign by faculty, staff, and retirees.

The extraordinary demonstration of support for Waterloo region comes at a crucial time – the United Way KW told The Waterloo Region Record on December 4 that it might not meet its $5.1 million goal for this fall by about $100,000, citing lasting effects from the recession and worries about job stability as reasons some people aren’t able to give.

This is the largest amount the University’s campaign has ever raised, and it will assist the organization in providing valuable opportunities and programs for locals in need.

“The campaign started on October 1 and we wanted to have $240,000 in donations by the end of this season, but have received over $251,000 so far,” said Campaign Co-Chair Alexandra Lippert. “It’s inspiring to see so many people on and off campus taking action to make a difference within this area.”

Lippert, along with co-chair James Skidmore, believes the campaign’s success is also the result of dedication from volunteers, along with efforts from President Feridun Hamdullahpur, Vice-President, University Relations Tim Jackson, and Dean of Arts Doug Peers.

For anyone who is interested, information about how to contribute is available online. The 2014 campaign will start next October.

Photograph courtesy of the United Way Campaign.

 

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Keystone spotlight: Matt Kloosterman

by Maris Weiss. Originally published on the Keystone Campaign website.

What do applied mathematics, planktonic ecosystems, and calculus have in common?

Answer:  scholarship recipient Matt Kloosterman.

Matt (right) came to the University of Waterloo in 2010 to pursue a Master of Applied Mathematics degree.  He is now working toward his PhD, researching planktonic ecosystems using mathematical equations.

When asked why he chose Waterloo, Matt replied, "The University of Waterloo has a fantastic applied mathematics program."  Living near family was an added bonus that sealed the deal for him.

Matt is proud to be this year’s recipient of the University of Waterloo Retirees’ Graduate Scholarship.  Supported by retired staff and faculty, the award is presented annually to an outstanding graduate student from any faculty.  Awards such as these are made possible by donations to the Keystone Campaign donors, allowing current students to receive financial assistance to help them along in their studies. 

“Scholarships allow students to focus on long-term goals, rather than having to worry about the immediate future,” said Matt.

Matt lives a quiet life and enjoys focusing on his academic studies.  This term, he is teaching Calculus 1 for science students. He finds it rewarding to be able to share with his students the knowledge he has gained over the years.  "Math can be a difficult subject, so it’s a great feeling to witness that moment when it just clicks for a student, when they finally get something they’ve found to be confusing!” 

Good luck with your research endeavors, Matt!

 

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Thursday's notes

Information Systems and Technology (IST) is reporting that the university's OnBase servers are going to be migrated to the NEXUS domain on Friday, December 6 between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. During this time, OnBase will be unavailable, and OnBase documents viewed from or using other systems will also not be available. Consider yourselves warned.

While we're on the subject of shutdowns, there are a number of utility shutdowns to be aware of:

• Biology 2 will have its de-ionized water, domestic cold water, domestic hot water, heating, ventilation, and A/C shut off on Saturday, December 7 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The hot and cold water shutoff will affect rooms 250 and 251, while the deionized water will affect rooms 154, 155, 156, 250, 251, 252, 253, 357 and 357A. The HVAC shutoff affects the entire building. The reason for this shutdown? Modifications to a fumehood in Room 153.
• Chemistry 2 will be the location for two utility shutoffs: first, on Tuesday, December 10 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., de-ionized water in labs located in rooms 068, 068A, 069, 070, 073 and 077 will be shut off as renovations take place in Room 061A. And second, the entire building will be without domestic hot water on Thursday, December 12 from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. as maintenance is performed on the building's piping system.

The Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo (FAUW) will be holding its Fall General Meeting on Monday, December 9 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in MC 4041. A light lunch will be provided.

Human Resources is reporting that retiree Geoffrey Downing (right) died November 21. A veteran of the Second World War, Downing owned a garage specializing in foreign car repair before becoming the vehicle maintenance foreman for the University of Waterloo until his retirement in June 1992. He was 85. Photograph by Peter Russell.

 

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