Game on: The Waterloo Warrior's men's hockey team took their show on the road on Saturday, September 14 with a visit to the Waterloo Summit Centre for the Environment in Huntsville, Ontario.

The team conducted clinics for local athletes all day before taking on the Nipissing Lakers at Huntsville's Don Lough arena at 7:00 p.m., defeating them 6-0.

It was an especially meaningful night, according to Athletics director Bob Copeland, as the team met (and had the above picture taken with) Olympian Dara Howell (above centre). The team also took the opportunity to celebrate the life and "pioneering UW contributions" of retired Golf coach Jack Pearse with a moment of pre-game silence as Pearse's son and two grandsons were in attendance (a memorial service for Pearse was held Sunday the 15th at Camp Tawingo in Huntsville). The game was also the coaching debut of Brett MacLean, whose inspiring story was recently documented by CBC's Hockey Night in Canada.

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Cheriton Research Symposium a success

by Anna Beard, Faculty of Mathematics.

The David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science hosted its annual research symposium on Friday, September 13.

The symposium showcased the research excellence of twenty-eight graduate students, including twenty-two Cheriton research scholars. In addition, talks showcasing faculty research were given by Cheriton Research Chair, Frank Tip (Data Centric Synchronization), and Cheriton Research Fellows, Kate Larson (A Multiagent Systems Approach for Resource Sharing for Control of Wildland Fires), and Raouf Boutaba (Dynamic capacity provisioning in production clouds).

"The annual symposium is an excellent demonstration of the research quality within the Cheriton School of Computer Science", said Jackie Hilts, administrative support manager, and coordinator of the research symposium. "Collectively, the talks and posters are an opportunity to see the intent of the endowment made by Professor David R. Cheriton, in action."

Thank you to those who helped in organizing the symposium, the graduate students who presented posters, Professors Frank Tip, Kate Larson, and Raouf Boutaba, and Professor David R. Cheriton.

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All's fair in volunteerism and involvement

by Lenore Ramirez and Katie Schafer.

Now that the Fall term is back in full swing and new and eager student faces are once again in abundance, it’s a perfect time to let them know about new opportunities for personal growth.

One of these opportunities is the Get Involved Fair and Centre for Career Action Volunteer/Internship Fair, taking place in the Student Life Centre tomorrow, Wednesday, September 18. It will not only provide an avenue for all students to pursue some of their own interests, but also service the local community.

From volunteer opportunities both on and off-campus in health care and youth work, to environment and community development, over forty organizations will be on hand to recruit our students. Booths and representatives include such prestigious organizations as Campus Response Team, Glow, and The Women’s Centre, to Big Brothers Big Sisters Waterloo Region, Canadian Blood Services, and many more.

Fair organizers have heard from many organizations that they return each year because they are so pleased with the interest and caliber of Waterloo students! A caseworker from Big Brothers Big Sisters praised the event last year:

“We really appreciate the dedicated volunteers from the University of Waterloo who mentor in our programs. As an agency, we require volunteers who are committed, engaged and reliable and have found that the volunteers from the University of Waterloo often exceed our expectations!”

Please help promote the fair and connect our students with this opportunity to cultivate new skills and gain the priceless experience of a connection with the greater community.

The Feds Get Involved Fair will be held in the Student Life Centre's multipurpose room from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The Centre for Career Action Volunteer/Internship Fair will be held in the Student Life Centre's Great Hall tomorrow from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

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Common Book gets students on the same page

by Christine Bezruki, Applied Health Sciences. This piece originally appeared on the Applied Health Sciences website.

A new Faculty-wide initiative is connecting first-year students and helping ease their transition to university life this fall.  Called the common book program, the initiative engaged students before they even arrived on campus and is fostering a sense of community now that they are here.

Over the summer, all incoming Applied Health Sciences (AHS) students were encouraged to read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, a New York Times best-seller chronicling the birth of the famous HeLa cell line. One of the most important tools in medicine to date, HeLa cells were used in the development of the polio vaccine and the earliest successful cloning and gene mapping projects.

Taken from cancer patient Henrietta Lacks in 1951 shortly before her death and without her knowledge, the cells’ unique ability to divide an unlimited number of times in laboratory culture has resulted in an “immortal” resource still in use today.

The book was chosen by the Dean of Applied Health Sciences, Susan Elliott, for its examination of the social, medical and ethical implications of the cell line.

“The theme of the book addresses the complexity of issues relating to health and wellness. It reflects our mandate of protecting and promoting individual and community health, while cultivating an awareness of the ethical implications of research,” said Elliott.

The book already has students talking.

“I’m shocked that doctors were able to take cells from somebody during medical treatment without their knowledge. Every human being has a right to choose what shall be done with their body,” said Claudia Sikorski, an incoming health studies student and participant in the common book program’s online summer discussion forum.

Elliott hopes the content will spark discussions in person as well. 

“The program is intended to encourage students to engage in meaningful conversation with professors, staff and fellow students once they arrive on campus. A shared experience can help students build relationships and become comfortable interacting with new people.”

Applied Health Sciences professors teaching first-year classes were encouraged to integrate the book or its themes into their courses. The AHS community is invited to attend a special lecture by kinesiology professor Dr. James Rush entitled Immortal lessons from the life and afterlife of Henrietta Lacks: A case study in Cellular Sociology on September 19^th at 4:15 p.m.

“At the end of the day, the program’s goal is to help develop a sense of community amongst new students,"said Elliott. "Applied Health Sciences has a long tradition of community-building, and we are committed to making the transition to university as seamless as possible for our students."

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