Waterloo student crowned King of the Nerds

Celeste Anderson, a University of Waterloo computer science student who can solve a Rubik's Cube in seconds, has been named the winner of the TBS reality series King of the Nerds. Was there ever any doubt?

A competitive gamer who has played Halo professionally for seven years, Anderson battled contestants with an equally impressive array of geek credentials. The competitors faced challenges that tested, in the words of the show's website, "their intellect, ingenuity, skills and pop culture prowess." Her opponents included a role-playing game designer, a master hacker, a fantasy writer, a neuroscientist, and a NASA engineer, to name a few.

The show is hosted by Robert Carradine and Curtis Armstrong of Revenge of the Nerds fame. Contestants competed first in teams and then as individuals as the field was narrowed, with one candidate being eliminated each week. Anderson was the only Canadian contestant.

On Friday, after the results were revealed, Anderson tweeted (using her handle @itsBiiTTERSWEET) "Experience of a lifetime that I will always cherish - the nerds, the battles, the celebrations."

Casting has now begun for the show's second season.

Hail to the King.

Photograph courtesy of King of the Nerds.

 

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Snacks get stacked at Canstruction 2013

Student teams from the Faculty of Engineering and the School of Architecture spent the weekend at Conestoga Mall building complex structures from perishable food items as part of Canstruction Waterloo Region 2013, a "creative and fun food raising event that supports the Food Bank of Waterloo Region" that showcases local engineers, architects, students, and designers while raising awareness of poverty and collective food for those in need.

The centrepieces of the event are the “can-structures”, all designed and built with non-perishable food items: bags of rice, boxes of pasta, and—of course—thousands and thousands of cans.

On Saturday, four teams including the Kitchener Rangers, Mosaic Pathways, Walter Fedy, and the School of Architecture began building their structures. The remaining 10 teams, from Google, the Muslim Association of Canada, Pioneer Craftsmen, Conestoga College, Dillon Consulting, MTE, McAfee, Stantec, RQDI, and Waterloo Engineering, built theirs after the mall closed.

The theme of Engineering's can-struction, built with 2000 cans, is CANtendo 64, a tribute to the Nintendo 64 gaming console complete with a Legend of Zelda cartridge and the iconic game controller.

Architecture's 1540-can contribution to the contest was to be "Squidward's Dwelling", home to the curmudgeonly cephalopod from TV's Spongebob Squarepants, however, when the team members arrived at the mall on Saturday morning to begin their build, they discovered that the food products they had ordered had been changed by the supplier. Instead of monochromatic metal cans, the vast majority of the food items were green-lidded plastic bowls, making their original design impossible.

"Demonstrating some exceptional problem-solving skills, the team of 1B students repurposed their green cans to create a scale model of 30 St. Mary Axe, also known as “the Gherkin”", writes Russ Wong of the Faculty of Engineering. Architecture received an Honourable Mention from the judges.

The display runs to Sunday, March 17. The public can vote for their favourite structure either at the mall or online. A $5 donation means 5 points for the chosen team, while $20 provides food for a family of 4 for 4 days.

The People's Choice Awards will be announced on Sunday, March 17 at 5:00 p.m., with the awards presentation starting at 5:30 p.m.

 

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Knowledge Integration eXhibition underway

The annual KI-X Knowledge Integration eXhibition, which is billed as "a convergence of disciplines, teaching methods and creative minds in an exhibition of topical, object-centric displays" is now open in the former Map Library in EV1 246.

The students of the Copenhagen cohort in the Knowledge Integration program are inviting members of the university community to experience the culmination of their third-year design project: The Museum Course.

"After spending ten days in Copenhagen last April and May, we returned to Waterloo in September ready to implement some of the design features we examined on our trip," reads a message from the Knowledge Integration students. "Working in teams to produce these exhibits has been a rewarding and unique experience."

As part of their studies in the Bachelor of Knowledge Integration program at the University of Waterloo, students enroll in a four-part Museum Course. Students use a field trip to an international city to "immerse themselves in museums and culture, honing their observational skills in a new environment." After the trip, they spend seven months combining what they found with what they’ve learned in museum-focused design courses.

The exhibition runs from noon to 4:00 p.m. today, and is open from noon to 7:00 p.m. tomorrow and from noon to 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

"In building our exhibits, we have moved beyond the traditional projects and assignments typical of an undergraduate experience. The creation process allowed us to be self-directed and enabled us to incorporate skills from many different disciplines. The result is an exhibition that showcases our knowledge of museums and their design methods, as well as our teamwork and dedication to something that is a little out-of-the-box."

More information about KI-X and the Knowledge Integration program is available on the exhibition website.

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Senate seats filled by acclamation

The Secretariat has announced that the following individuals have been elected by acclamation to serve on the university's Senate:

• Faculty representatives – James Rush (kinesiology), James Skidmore (Germanic & Slavic studies), Anwar Hasan (electrical & computer engineering), Olaf Weber (environment, enterprise & development) and David Rose (biology), terms 1 May 2013 to 30 April 2016; Bruce Frayne (environment, enterprise & development), term 1 May 2013 to 30 April 2015.
• Faculty-at-large representatives – John Burbidge (economics), Dong-Eui Chang (applied mathematics), David Edwards (pharmacy), Shelley Hulan (English language & literature), Marios Ioannidis (chemical engineering), Susan Leat (optometry & vision science), Daniel O’Connor (sociology & legal studies) and Bryan Tolson (civil & environmental engineering), terms 1 May 2013 to 30 April 2016; Paul Guild (management sciences), term 1 May 2013 to 30 April 2015.
  
• Federated University & Affiliated University Colleges faculty representatives – Jim Pankratz (Conrad Grebel University College) and Tracy Penny Light (St. Jerome’s University College), terms 1 May 2013 to 30 April 2016.
  Graduate student representatives – Coleen Even (French studies) and Boyd Panton (mechanical & mechatronics engineering), terms 1 May 2013 to 30 April 2015; Maya D’Alessio (biology) and Michael Makahnouk (earth & environmental sciences), terms 1 May 2013 to 30 April 2014.

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Monday's notes

Today marks the second anniversary of Feridun Hamdullahpur's appointment as president of the University of Waterloo. Look for a piece in the Daily Bulletin later this week commemorating the event.

 

Here's today's nutrition "myth vs. fact" from Health Services dietician Sandra Ace:

"Myth:"  All foods that contain probiotics will benefit your health.

"Fact:"  Probiotics are live microorganisms that function as “good” bacteria in the digestive tract. They are naturally found in some fermented milk products and may be added to foods such as yogurt, cheese and milk-based beverages. When eaten regularly and in the right amounts, some strains of probiotics may help keep your immune system healthy. Certain types of probiotics may decrease the severity of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and can decrease symptoms of irritable bowel disease. Not all foods with added probiotics will offer health benefits. We’re still learning which probiotics are best, how much to take and how long to take them for different health benefits.

 

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