Daily Bulletin

University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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Tuesday, May 20, 1997

Computerized room opens today

An opening ceremony will be held this morning for an innovative "computer-assisted lecture room" in Engineering I.

A donation from Shell Canada Ltd. paid for computer equipment for the classroom, used by mechanical engineering students. Roy Pick, chair of the mechanical engineering department, said 42 computers will be shared by 84 students using the classroom.

The event, to be attended by Shell Canada and UW officials, begins at 11:30 a.m. in E1 room 2536.

Board executive will meet

UW's 1997-98 operating budget is the big item on the agenda as the board of governors executive committee meets this afternoon to get business ready for the board's June meeting. Today's session starts at 2:30 in Needles Hall room 3004.

Among other matters on the agenda:

A constitution for the Waterloo Environmental Studies Endowment Foundation -- something that's been pending literally for years, as negotiations and tinkering have continued over the exact relationship between the student-funded Foundation and the university itself.
Adjustments to the fees paid by students for the Federation of Students, Federation Hall, and the "student coordinated plan" (including the Student Life Centre).
Promotions, administrative appointments and sabbatical leaves.

In confidential session, the agenda papers show, the committee will talk about "board self-assessment", a "building & properties matter", and the "president's performance/achievements".

Then tonight, the senate

The university senate will meet at 7:30 p.m. in Needles Hall room 3001, also to talk about the 1997-98 budget. Among other things to be dealt with: approval of hundreds of names of students who will receive their degrees at convocation ceremonies next week.

The routine reports from faculties include, as usual, potted biographies of new professors who are coming on strength at Waterloo. Listed this month:

Michael J. Dixon, psychology, "conducting cutting-edge, award-winning research in the area of cognitive neuropsychology", most recently at McGill University.
Xianguo Li, mechanical engineering, arriving with tenure from the University of Victoria: "area of expertise is in modelling and experiments on liquid atomization and spray characteristics applied to open and enclosed fires".
Laura Johnson, urban and regional planning: "her field of interest is the nexus between social needs and the physical design of buildings and communities"; she has worked at the University of Toronto, York University, the Centre for Urban and Community Studies, and other agencies.
Mary Hardy, statistics and actuarial science, "continuing her research in models for the life insurance industry".

Now that Victoria Day is past

The co-op department reminds students that the sign-up form for the May 27 "interview skills" workshop is being posted today on the Needles Hall bulletin boards, and that posting #2 for fall work term jobs will be up at noon today.

Teaching assistants are invited to a brown-bag workshop on Friday (12 noon) on "Facilitating Effective Discussions". The teaching resource office (ext. 3132) is accepting registrations.

And . . . Engineering Week begins today, I learn from reading the fine print in the EngiNewsletter. The editor has kindly agreed to send over each week's issue, and in the latest one I find -- besides quite a lot of bad jokes -- a few paragraphs about Deep Blue, the computer that recently beat chess champion Gary Kasparov. Title of the ENL's article: "Cool Thing Designed by Engineers of the Week". ENL also warns that the next Scunt (that's "scavenger hunt" to most of us non-initiates) is set for this Friday. And in the fine print, the editor's desperately trying to give away a $20 gift certificate from HMV.

What about your newsletter? Please make sure that my office is on your mailing list for any newsletter published at UW; not only will it provide possible filler for the Daily Bulletin and news ideas for the Gazette, but it'll end up in a folder that we will some day send to the university archives to be preserved for posterity.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY May 18, 1993: The manager of telephone services announces that UW is acquiring a voice-mail system.

May 19, 1984: Ken Fryer, an associate dean of mathematics and one of the most popular professors since UW's earliest days, dies at 59. He would receive a Distinguished Teacher Award posthumously the following week.

May 20, 1993: A reception is held in Federation Hall to honour Alan George as he ends his term as vice-president (academic) and provost.

Editor of the Daily Bulletin: Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
credmond@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca -- (519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
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