Manic menagerie: Colleen Richardson of Systems Design Engineering forwarded this photo of students dressing up as part of the Iron Ring Celebration held last weekend. "Our students decorated the sixth floor of E5 as a Zoo," Richardson writes. "One room was an aquarium, one was the a reptile room. It was so creative and good clean fun."

Photograph courtesy of Ryan Walker and Sharon Leung.

 

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New titles for university secretary, Secretariat

"I am delighted to announce that Logan Atkinson has been named University Secretary & General Counsel at the University of Waterloo, effective January 1, 2014," wrote President Feridun Hamdullahpur in a memo circulated yesterday.

Atkinson (left) was appointed Secretary of the University in January 2012 and started work in July of that year, having been university secretary at Carleton University and an associate professor in Carleton's department of law prior to that.

"As a member of the senior administrative team, the University Secretary & General Counsel will continue to provide advice and guidance on effective university governance for the Board of Governors, the Senate, and the executive group," the president writes. "His portfolio of responsibilities also includes coordinating internal audits and risk management, and overseeing the office responsible for policing, conflict management and human rights, equity, safety, and records management."

"Logan’s depth of experience as a lawyer, educator and university administrator will serve him well in his enhanced role as University Secretary & General Counsel."

Concurrently, the University's Senate and Board of Governors have approved the change in name of the Secretariat to "Secretariat & Office of General Counsel."

"While the Secretariat has for many years exercised responsibility for managing the university’s legal affairs, only in the last year have its personnel been licensed to practice law," says the president's memo. "Currently, four members of the Secretariat & Office of General Counsel, including Logan Atkinson, are fully licensed, with a fifth receiving a limited license in January of this year. As a result, the Secretariat & Office of General Counsel is now well-equipped to perform the services of legal counsel to the university."

"This is a fundamental and positive evolution in the department’s functional responsibility," writes the president. "The Secretariat & Office of General Counsel has authority and responsibility for managing our university’s legal risk and will provide legal advice, legal opinions, and other legal services to the university. As lawyers, the Secretariat & Office of General Counsel’s legal staff have an enhanced ethical responsibility, are governed by an independent regulator, and are supervised through the auspices of the Law Society of Upper Canada."

"Logan and his department will continue their tradition of providing excellent service to the university and its members. I am confident that we will benefit from the enhanced services the Secretariat & Office of General Counsel will provide."

 

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Fish need love too, according to researchers

Salmon can spot their true love across a crowded stream, according to research from a university-industry partnership involving the University of Waterloo. Allowing female salmon to follow their heart and mate with the male of their choice produces healthier babies than those who have their mates selected for them.

Open breeding is just one of many unconventional practices in salmon aquaculture developed by the University of Waterloo, Yellow Island Aquaculture, Ltd. and five other Canadian universities.

Professor Brian Dixon of Waterloo's Faculty of Science (pictured above) is investigating the immunology of these fish on a molecular level to understand why these breeding strategies produce a superior salmon. He holds the Canada Research Chair in Fish and Environmental Immunology.

The research team’s work has helped Yellow Island to be become the first commercial salmon farm in Canada to raise certified organic Pacific Chinook salmon.

“Our research has resulted in high-quality salmon for some of the best restaurants in Vancouver,” said Professor Dixon. “The biggest challenge with raising native Pacific Chinook salmon is keeping them healthy. One sick fish can wipe out an entire stock. By creating a more robust stock from the ground up we avoid using antibiotics and vaccines, which are both costly to producers and stressful for the fish.”

To boost resistance, Professor Dixon exposes some salmon to different diseases. Next, the survivors are reintroduced to the main stock and allowed to breed naturally. The new immunity is passed onto the next generation and the overall strength of the stock increases.

“Diseases and parasites that should normally produce up to 80 to 90 per cent mortality, now only cause 20 per cent mortality in the Yellow Island stock,” said Professor Dixon.

This innovation has earned the company and the researchers a 2013 NSERC Synergy Award which will help the team expand their breeding program. This award recognizes outstanding partnerships between industry and universities.

This project highlights the vital role and benefit of aquaculture research. Wild fisheries peaked 18 years ago but the human population continues to grow.

"If we expect to continue eating fish as a main source of protein, we need to work out ways to make aquaculture environmentally friendly and socially acceptable," said Professor Dixon.

More information about Yellow Island Aquaculture’s marine research facility is available online.

 

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Saluting shovellers, snow plowers and salters

"As we all grumble our way through this winter that seems relentless I think we all forget to thank the individuals from Grounds that work so hard and tirelessly to keep our lots, roads and building entrances cleared," writes Sharon Rumpel of Parking Services. "They spend countless overtime hours away from their family and friends working in less than ideal, cold conditions."

So, who are they and what do they do, anyway? Here's a by-the-numbers breakdown:

• There are 30 full-time and temporary staff working on winter maintenance, plus 3 auto mechanics who keep the equipment going.
• The University's fleet of equipment includes 6 trucks fitted with plows (2 of these with sanders), 7 tractors fitted with plows and 5 of those with sanders, 3 tractor-mounted snow blowers, and 6 walk-behind snow blowers
• A number of student snow shovellers are also employed during winter months.
• 6 contractors plow the larger parking lots in Waterloo as well as the Cambridge, Kitchener and Stratford campuses.

"So far this winter we have incurred over 1000 hours of paid overtime largely on weekends," says Tom Galloway, director of Custodial & Grounds Services. "We have used 600 tonnes of salt, 220 tonnes of sand and 20 tonnes of ice melt so far."

 

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Family Day, Reading Week and so on

And just like that, there's a long weekend. Monday is Family Day. In typical holiday fashion, a number of university services will be closed, including Retail Services, the Physical Activities Complex and Columbia Icefield, and Food Services, unless otherwise noted on their schedule of hours. Mudie's in Village 1, for example, is scheduled to be open from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The Dana Porter and Davis Centre libraries will be open from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday.

As always, even on holidays, the university police (519-888-4911) will be at work, the Student Life Centre's Turnkey Desk (519–888-4434) will be open, and the central plant will monitor campus buildings (maintenance emergencies, ext. 33793).

Monday also marks the beginning Reading Week, which means there will be no classes next week. Waterloo's offices and services will be open, more or less as usual, Tuesday through Friday, which are regular working days for university employees.

Many food services outlets will be open during reading week, some with modified hours of operation. However, Bon Appetit in the Davis Centre, Eye Opener Café in Optometry, Festival Fare in South Campus Hall, Liquid Assets in Hagey Hall, ML's Coffee Shop in Modern Languages, the PAS Lounge in the PAS building, Pastry Plus in BMH, the Tim Hortons in the Davis Centre Library, the Tim Hortons in Modern Languages, and (sob) the Tim Hortons in the Student Life Centre are all shuttered for the week.

But before students leave campus, they will find out who their leaders are for 2014-2015. The results of the Federation of Students elections will be released at 11:15 a.m. today. The event will be livestreamed. Referendum results, as well as the results of the student elections to the University's Senate, will also be revealed.

 

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