December 19, 2002

Thursday, December 19, 2002

What UW says about innovation
Proud of Waterloo: 'it's home'
Library system down; other notes

Editor:
Chris Redmond
credmond@uwaterloo.ca

[Bathrobes and angel wings]
The Christmas story in one more Sunday school retelling: The University Bible Fellowship, a student group that generally meets off campus, held its Christmas worship and pageant (and party afterwards) in the great hall of Conrad Grebel University College last Sunday.

What UW says about innovation -- from the current draft of UW's "response to the challenge" in the federal innovation white papers

"The University of Waterloo believes it can contribute significantly towards Canada's Innovation Strategy. As a research-intensive institution committed to discovering new knowledge and finding ways it can be used for the benefit of society, our proposal ensures a strong economy for Canadians.

"UW fundamentally endorses the goals and targets in Knowledge Matters: Skills and Learning for Canadians, and Achieving Excellence: Investing in People, Knowledge and Opportunity. We also endorse enthusiastically the AUCC submission that details unique UW current or proposed responses.

"We are prepared to take on challenging new initiatives in academic entrepreneurship that will become our defining characteristic, and a national entrepreneurship institute will set a new standard for such practice in Canada.

"Our Advanced Co-operative Education will be significantly transformed through graduate-level programs, distance delivery of curriculum and research into its effective operation.

"UW's Research and Technology Park will include a cluster accelerator to enable Waterloo Region's academic institutions to collaborate to contribute some $5 billion of economic benefit locally by 2010. Our model for transfer of research knowledge will foster inter-institutional co-operation. . . . With continued support from all levels of government and the private sector, we will achieve our goal to be recognized by 2010 as one of 10 community clusters in Canada.

[Guild] Paul Guild, vice-president (university research), is working on UW's innovation plan, and brought Version 8 to the UW senate for discussion on Monday. These paragraphs are an excerpt.
"These new initiatives will reach a further plateau of effectiveness beyond what we can achieve by acting alone, with the support of Industry Canada and Human Resources Development Canada.

"Our strategy has four initiative areas: Management of Knowledge Transfer, Enhanced Cooperative Education, Entrepreneurs in Academe, and Innovation Management and Strategic Infrastructures.

"Some proposed actions depend on government support for implementation, such as increasing the number of graduate students receiving UW advanced degrees by seven per cent annually from 2002 to 2010, and increasing five-fold the number of international visa students during that period.

"Interdisciplinary scholarly expertise will be engaged to better articulate the significance of the Kyoto Accord. Examples of strategic infrastructures -- biometrics for security and civil infrastructures -- will be researched to overcome existing barriers to innovation and economic prosperity in specific sectors.

"Specialized initiatives would include Advanced Training in Intellectual Property Management; Professional Certificate in Technological Innovation Management; National Undergraduate Option in Management of Technology; Professional and Practitioner Conference in Technological Innovation Management; and a student-organized National Business Plan Challenge.

"We anticipate the initiatives will add significantly more Canadian high-tech workers who understand and manage innovation and technological change. There would also be radically more Canadian firms eager and able to participate in the commercialization of innovation.

"The initiatives will establish a new standard of excellence for the transfer of research knowledge and legitimize and propagate entrepreneurship as a proper study and pursuit in academe.

"With that in mind, our proposals strive to seek transformative innovation to involve academe, industry and governments at all levels. While some initiatives begin with local interventions, the aim is to have an impact nationally by engaging a broad base of collaborators and to share lessons learned and best practices."

Proud of Waterloo: 'it's home'

In its series of profiles of staff and faculty across campus, the Keystone Campaign this month turns to Nancy Heide (below), the community relations manager in the office of information and public affairs. The profiles run as free advertisements in the Gazette and serve to draw attention to faculty and staff members who support the Keystone effort to raise $4.5 million for UW over the next five years.

Heide, says the latest profile, "is perhaps best known across campus for making Canada Day happen each gear for the nearly 50,000 people who attend from Kitchener-Waterloo. In addition, Nancy arranges everything from press conferences and official government visits to ribbon cuttings and ground breakings."

She is also, says the ad, "a valued Keystone Campaign volunteer" as chair of the volunteer working group. Heide has a great affection for UW: "It's more than just a place to work, it's like home to me."

[Heide] Why does the University of Waterloo mean so much to you? "There are so many reasons, but in particular, I appreciate all of the opportunities available to us. I enjoy all of the drama productions, lectures, and workshops we can attend. Plus I was able to earn my Bachelor of Arts degree a few years ago by taking courses part time."

Why do you give to Waterloo? "I give because I believe in the cause. As my knowledge of UW has grown, so has my giving because I understand what the needs are. I'm happy to be part of helping make our goals happen."

What projects have you designated your gifts to? "I give to the campaign's highest priority projects. When I first started giving, I really didn't know where to designate my gift, so I started with that. As well, I happen to love music. Over the years I've participated in the University Choir and I often attend Grebel's noon hour concerts, so 1 also allocate a portion of my gift to Conrad Grebel University College."

What is going on right now that impresses you most about UW? "The amount of construction taking place here excites me. I'm proud that UW is growing. The new Research and Technology Park is a big development for us and for the Region of Waterloo. I look forward to seeing how the campus will change and grow over the next few years."

What is your favourite spot on campus? "I enjoy the beauty of our campus. The Peter Russell Rock Garden is one of my favourite spots. It's so peaceful there but it's right in the heart of the campus."

Library system down; other notes

The Trellis computer system, shared by the libraries at UW, Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Guelph, will be out of operation for the next few days for a software upgrade. The shutdown begins today at 6 p.m. and runs through some time Monday.

"During the upgrade," an announcement explains, "a backup Web version of TRELLIS will be available for users. The information displayed will be current to Dec. 18, but item status information will not be available."

While the system is down, library users will not be able to place their own holds and recalls or use online renewal and self-registration but, otherwise, access to the regular and reserve collections will be normal, the library says. Self-charge will not be available, but full circulation services will be available at the circulation desks (until 11:00 tonight, 7 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; the libraries are closed Monday).

Other services and resources accessed from the library's web site (including indexes, databases, electronic journals, interlibrary loan and TUGdoc delivery) will remain available. The upgrade is expected to be completed and full Trellis services restored before the end of the day on Monday.

A preview of the new version of Trellis is available on the web. New features include "a convenient bookbag" for saving item records for future reference.

Also today: A reception today from 2 to 4 p.m. (Needles Hall room 3005) will honour Audrey Babensee, who's retiring after 16 years in the Waterloo Centre for Process Development and now the technology transfer and licensing office. "Audrey has played a key role," says TTLO manager Jerry Gray, pointing to "her encyclopedic knowledge" as well as enthusiasm and interest. Friends from all over campus are invited to say farewell.

The Computer Help and Information Place, or CHIP, will close early today -- open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. only. Tomorrow, its last day for 2002, the CHIP will be open 8:00 to noon and 2:00 to 4:30.

The university's flags will be lowered today in memory of Rt. Hon. Ramon J. (Ray) Hnatyshyn, Governor-General of Canada 1990-1995, who died yesterday.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY
December 19, 1973: Paul Cornell resigns as dean of arts; Pat Rowe takes over as acting dean.