Daily Bulletin

Aerial robotics team to rise again

That's the good news for the Waterloo Aerial Robotics Group, recently returned from the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Aerial Robotics Competition in Washington state, after having grappled with a series of tribulations worthy of Job.

"The Waterloo team has had to face several unexpected challenges getting prepared for this year's competition," says faculty advisor David Wang of the electrical and computer engineering department in his understated way, "beginning with a theft one month ago of several key helicopter components which greatly hindered the team's efforts to complete the final stages in developing the control system for the helicopter."

The yet-unsolved break-in at the group's lab threatened to scrub the project, but for a "team of engineers obsessed with winning the Millennial International Aerial Robotics Competition," the potential catastrophe became just another challenge. Security was tightened around the project and with an all-out effort, the group managed to rebuild in time for the big contest last week.

That's when disaster struck. "A large fire in Richland (Washington) not only postponed the competition, but threatened the nearby Hanford Nuclear Facility," continues Wang. When the contest finally began after a series of delays, the theft came back to haunt the team. Valuable time for test flights had been lost both because of the demands of rebuilding the project, and because of the heavy rains that grounded the helicopter this spring.

"Although the team was not able to perform an autonomous flight at the competition, the team's total score was only eighty points lower than the second place team. Because of the theft, there was a delay in the submission of the competition journal paper, which to the team's surprise, cost them 100 points, dropping the team out of the runner-up position. This was due to a miscommunication between the competition organizer, who approved the team's late journal submission because of the theft, and the panel of judges who applied the 100-point penalty," explains Wang.

Ranked number three going into the contest -- on the basis of performances in qualifying competitions over the past few years -- the UW team faced mechanical failure in the end. The winner was a team from the Technische Universitaet Berlin.

"Despite this, the team is still upbeat about next year's competition and are determined to put this year behind them," says Wang. "This year's team has shown tremendous character. They are disappointed with the results and all the roadblocks they have faced, but I am very proud of the way our students have tried to persevere."

What's in the UW magazine

"Every shard tells a story," writes James Elliott. "Maria Liston has thousands of them . . . literally the bare bones of history." The bone fragments were uncovered during "rehabilitation" work on the site of the battle, in which American invaders were driven off in one of the many skirmishes that made up the War of 1812.

"The bones have been the subject of intense scrutiny by Liston and her osteology students," says the magazine's article. "After initial examination -- which culled out the odd pig or cattle bone -- they were scrubbed with toothbrushes, sorted according to type, and determined to be the remains of 21 bodies." It appears that most of the soldiers killed were in their 30s, Liston finds, and healthier and better nourished than historians of the border war have assumed.

"Liston holds up one reconstructed skull," Elliott writes, "and taps the temple to indicate a nickel-sized hole on one side and a loonie-sized hole on the other. . . . She is assuming the wound was caused when a .75 calibre musket ball was fired from relatively close range."

Also in the spring issue of the UW Magazine, mailed to some 85,000 Waterloo alumni and other friends of the university:

• Computer simulation of a frog dissection, designed by Norm Scott of the biology department (written by Barb Elve, based on her earlier reports in the Daily Bulletin and the Gazette).
• A briefing on planned construction projects, including the Centre for Environmental and Information Technologies, the co-op and career services building, and Mackenzie King Village.
• A report on the Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference held at UW in March.
• Campus news, briefs on what alumni are doing now, and a calendar of campus events.

On a balmy Wednesday and beyond

Conrad Grebel College presents the UW Choir in "The Joy of Singing: Songs from Baroque to Broadway," a concert today at 12:30 p.m. in the Davis Centre, Great Hall. Admission is free.

The UW and WLU Jewish Students' Association is hosting a "My Name is Joe and I am Canadian" Canada Day barbecue ("a little late") today at 6 p.m. at the Grad House. Kosher and vegetarian food will be available.

The Ontario March of Dimes, Waterloo Region, is looking for support for its inaugural Waterloo Region Golf Classic, a fundraiser on July 27 at the Elmira Golf Club. Proceeds for the tournament will help sustain March of Dimes programs for the disabled. It's $125 per person or $500 per foursome to register. To join the tourney, call Patricia George (519) 579-5530.

Positions available this week

University Policy 18 provides maximum opportunity for promotion of regular, internal staff members. Those interested in applying for an available position are invited to call Human Resources at extension 2524 for more information or are welcome to visit during regular working hours to view a detailed job description. Human Resources is located in the General Services Complex, Room 130. A current resume is required with your application.

Due to the number of applications received, we regret that we can not respond to external applicants who apply to the vacancies listed below unless an interview is scheduled.

If there are no qualified internal applications, a decision may be made, no earlier than seven working days from the job posting, to seek external candidates. All applications received after this decision will be treated on an equal basis, without consideration of the internal status of the candidate.

• Publications specialist/writer, information and public affairs, grade USG 9.
• Controls technologist, plant operations.
• Food services assistant, food services.
• Kitchen porter, food services.
• General cafeteria helper, food services.
• Assistant catering serviceperson, food services.
• Mover/truck driver, central stores, grade USG 4.
• Instructional support coordinator, computer science, grade USG 8/9.
• Residence life co-ordinator, housing and residence, grade USG 7.

The university welcomes and encourages applications from the designated employment equity groups: visible minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and aboriginal people. For more information call University of Waterloo, 885-1211 ext. 2524.

Barbara Hallett

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