Campus springs back into action

Spring term classes begin today, and while the University may not be as busy as it is in the fall, there's quite a lot of activity taking place as students make their return to lectures and life on campus.

Services that have been in reduced operation since winter term exams are back to a full schedule, including the libraries, food services, and athletics and recreation. With Athletics, there's one big exception: the PAC main gym will be closed for the spring term for renovations.

Campus Rec registration starts today in the Athletics office or online, and the deadline to register for intramurals is this Friday, May 9, and for instructional programs the deadline is Friday, May 16.

Retail Services is back as well with extended hours.

Student Awards & Financial Aid began confirming enrolment for spring OSAP funding in early May. Students should keep an eye on their OSAP accounts to get information on their status.

For co-op students, the spring/summer work term began on Monday, April 28. The job post for the main group will be open on Saturday, May 17.

The Federation of Students is at work preparing for Spring Welcome Week 2014, which is scheduled to take place from May 12 to 16.

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This hybrid muscle car keeps going and going

A team of University of Waterloo student researchers has been selected as one of 16 North American teams in the EcoCAR3 Advanced Vehicle Technologies Competition (AVTC) launched by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors.

Waterloo’s EcoCar3 team will spend the next four years converting a donated Chevrolet Camaro into a Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle that can deliver optimal performance to Canadian drivers in cold weather road conditions. New research in battery thermal modeling will be incorporated in the vehicle design.

Ben Gaffney and Patrick Ellsworth are two of the project team leads, as members of the University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team (UWAFT). "It’s a very elite opportunity,” said Gaffney. “The top researchers and engineers are recruited almost exclusively from this competition."

UWAFT’s EcoCAR3 vehicle will be re-engineered to reduce energy consumption, tailpipe and greenhouse gas emissions and maintain consumer demand for performance, safety and utility. The Waterloo team will receive funding support of over $1 million from GM Canada and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

The project will study the impact of Canadian driving habits and weather on powertrain design and fuel consumption using data supplied by Waterloo based CrossChasm Technologies. Significant additional sponsorship funding will be raised by the students.

Lithium-ion batteries are recognized as the leading contender for use in hybrid electric and plug in hybrid electric vehicles, addressing the challenge of extreme temperature as one of the most significant factors affecting the state of charge and state of health of a battery. 

At the University of Waterloo, the research expertise of professors Roydon Fraser and Michael Fowler will be a value-add in the Camaro’s design, with the EcoCAR representing an in-situ test bed for Fraser and Fowler’s lithium-ion battery research.

"The EcoCAR3 vehicle is a natural extension of our past vehicle builds,” said professor Fraser, who has been awarded an Applied Automotive Engineering Fellowship by the U.S. Department of Energy.  “Waterloo students receive unparalleled exposure to cutting edge, hybrid electric vehicle technologies, learning and using the same tools that they will utilize in their future careers in industry."

The Camaro will be redesigned and built in the Sedra Student Design Centre with access to over 125 Waterloo professors actively involved in automotive research through Waterloo’s Centre for Automotive Research, the largest hub for university-based automotive research and development in Canada.

"We have gained significant talent and intellectual property as a result of these programs," said James Kolhoff, global chief engineer and program manager, transmission controllers and powertrain electronics at General Motors. "We’re also eager to see how the students will redesign and add more efficiency to an iconic ‘muscle car’ like the Chevrolet Camaro."

"The EcoCAR 3 represents an important piece of technology transfer,” said Pearl Sullivan, dean of engineering. “It will advantage over $60 million in accumulated automotive research infrastructure in Waterloo. The age of the hybrid vehicle is here."

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New Conrad Grebel hires return to their roots

Conrad Grebel University College has announced the appointment of a new Dean and Assistant Professor of Music.

Professor Trevor Bechtel will be stepping into the role of Dean effective July 1, succeeding Jim Pankratz, who has served as dean for 9 years and who will be retiring in June.

He is currently an associate professor of religion at Bluffton University in Ohio, a Mennonite university affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. He has also taught at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and Loyola University Chicago, both in Illinois. His research program is in the area of theology and creation care. He is an ordained minister in Mennonite Church USA at Chicago Community Mennonite Church.

"Trevor brings strong leadership gifts in mentoring faculty, modeling teaching excellence, relating to students, and has a track record of reinvigorating the humanities as relevant fields of study for young people today," says Conrad Grebel President Susan Schultz Huxman. "This is an extraordinary combination of gifts."

Bechtel is the first alumnus to occupy the dean's chair at Conrad Grebel.

Internationally-renowned composer Timothy Corlis has been appointed Assistant Professor of Music beginning August 1, stepping in after Professor Carol Ann Weaver retires in June after 29 years of teaching at Conrad Grebel.

"We are delighted that Professor Corlis is returning to the Kitchener-Waterloo community to join the Music Faculty at Grebel," says Huxman. "Though still very early in his academic career, Tim has already established himself as a recognized music scholar and composer."

Corlis is currently a lecturer in music theory and composition at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has also taught at York University and the University of Waterloo. His musical compositions have been performed all over the world, and he has directed numerous choirs across Canada.

Corlis lived at Grebel while studying at Waterloo, where he sand in the Chapel Choir and was actively engaged in peace and justice issues. He was commissioned to compose a piece celebrating Conrad Grebel's 50th anniversary in 2013.

Photo of Trevor Bechtel courtesy of Bluffton University.

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Notes as the term begins

They can be taught: Cheryl Skingley of IST snapped the above image of a pair of geese using the crosswalk outside the quantum-nano centre. Pedestrians should take a gander and follow these birds' example, especially as construction work continues at the Science Teaching Complex and Needles Hall. In other bird-related bulletins, Renison has set up a livestream of a nesting goose in the East Meets West Garden.

"Microsoft has released a patch to address the recent critical Internet Explorer vulnerability more quickly than expected," writes Jason Testart, director, information security services. "We encourage all Internet Explorer users to apply the patch as soon as possible."

The patch covers all versions of Internet Explorer from 6 through 11 and will be delivered and installed via Windows Updates or the IST WSUS service. For on campus machines using the IST WSUS service, users will need to reboot their machines for the patch to take effect.

Off campus machines, and any not using the IST WSUS service, will get the patch through Windows updates, and a reboot will be required. Users needing help in enabling automatic updates should visit this support page.

"To check to see if the patch was applied, open Internet Explorer > Help menu > About Internet Explorer > check for (KB 2964358) next to the version number," writes Testart.

And for Windows XP users, some good news: "Microsoft had a change of heart and has also decided to release the patch for vulnerable versions of Internet Explorer on Windows XP," the memo continues. "Windows XP users are still strongly encouraged to upgrade to a newer supported operating system as soon as possible as the availability of these patches are expected to end soon."

For more information about the vulnerability please visit the security bulletin. Anyone with questions or concerns can contact the IST Service Desk via email or by calling extension 84357.

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