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Tuesday, October 19, 2004

  • $500,000 gift for mechatronics
  • EWB will list two spring co-op jobs
  • Pixels in the big picture
Editor:
Chris Redmond
credmond@uwaterloo.ca

National School Safety Week


$500,000 gift for mechatronics -- from the UW media relations office

An engineering alumnus has made a $500,000 donation that will be used to create a graduate scholarship fund and develop a mechatronics laboratory at UW. Arthur Church, president and CEO of Mancor Industries, Inc., announced his gift yesterday at an event on campus.

[Chats with computer user]

Donor Arthur Church finds out a little more about what's being done in the mechatronics lab before yesterday's opening ceremony. Photo by Chris Hughes, UW Graphics.

A mechanical engineer who received his BASc degree in 1976, Church previously established scholarships for top students at the entry and upper-year levels of their undergraduate program. A native of Woodstock, Ontario, he also has an MBA in finance from McMaster University.

His contribution to Campaign Waterloo will be used two ways: $300,000 will be designated for the Arthur F. Church Graduate Scholarship Fund to assist graduate students in mech eng, and $200,000 has helped to develop a mechatronics lab that is producing graduates with the necessary skills to design computer-controlled electromechanical systems.

"Art Church's generous gift will play an important role in enhancing both our undergraduate and graduate programs," said Adel Sedra, dean of engineering. "In addition to an excellent undergraduate laboratory, three graduate students every year will be supported by Arthur F. Church Scholarships."

Church, who is a member of the UW board of governors, received the Faculty of Engineering Alumni Achievement Medal in 2002. The award cited his "exemplary business leadership in the manufacturing industry and his ongoing personal commitment to the Faculty of Engineering and the University of Waterloo."

At today's event, the new mechatronics lab was named in honour of Church's father, Fred Church. "My father designed automation systems for TL Hay & Co. in Woodstock for many years and taught me the wisdom of listening to the people in the shop when doing design work," says Church. "He would have been proud to have his name associated with this mechatronics lab at the university."

Arthur Church began working for Timberjack Inc. after graduating from UW in 1976 and rose to become vice-president, engineering. In 1988 he became president and CEO of Champion Road Machinery Ltd., and in 1997 took over as president and CEO of Mancor. Based in Oakville, the company has two plants in Canada and two in the United States, with more than 800 employees. It is a precision manufacturer of metal components and sub-assemblies that use metal cutting, forming, machining, welding, assembly and paint.

[Vickson]

Management sciences professor Ray Vickson officially retired October 1. A faculty member at UW since 1973, he did research on such topics as storage management, optimization models and queueing. Born in Vancouver and educated at the University of British Columbia, with a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he has retired to Victoria.

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  • EWB will list two spring co-op jobs

    A wine-and-cheese event will be held Thursday evening to raise funds for Engineers Without Borders to send two UW co-op students overseas next summer.

    Sonya Konzak, of fourth-year computer engineering, is one of two students who had EWB internships during the spring term this year. She was in Ghana, while economics student Sarah Lewis worked in Cameroon. The two are now working with the UW chapter of EWB to organize next summer's postings, says Konzak, who's now president of the chapter.

    EWB is a national organization that was founded at UW by George Roter, then an engineering student and now co-CEO of the national group. He'll be speaking at Thursday's event along with some of the other UW students who have gone overseas with the organization.

    The role of EWB is to promote human development through access to technology. Its activities include development presentations, public outreach workshops, weekly development discussion sessions, research projects and overseas internships.

    The Thursday wine-and-cheese will run from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, 57 Erb Street West. Tickets are $75 per person, with a reduced price of $40 for UW students. All the proceeds will be going to sending co-op students overseas next summer. Tickets are sold at the door and can be reserved by e-mailing ly2chen@uwaterloo.ca.

    "Postings for the two coop positions will be up on CECS during the Winter 2005 term," says Konzak. "All UW coop students are free to contact the chapter recruiter beforehand at aj2kaufm@uwaterloo.ca if they're interested. "

    She stresses that "Technology is only one small component of development, and as such EWB needs people with a variety of backgrounds. In fact, more students from diverse departments are participating in EWB development projects. The only criterion is that people understand that there will always be a technical component to their projects. People with backgrounds in humanities, business, sciences, engineering and others are all welcome to get involved."

    EWB discussion group sessions will be taking place every Wednesday this fall. Tomorrow's session (6 p.m. in Davis Centre room 1304) will deal with water privatization.

    [Jernigan]

    WHEN AND WHERE
    Accessibility Day at Renison College, showing off projects and raising funds with a bake sale, 11:30 to 1:15.

    'Successfully Negotiating Job Offers', career workshop 3:30, Tatham Centre room 1208.

    Engineering faculty council 3 p.m., Davis Centre room 1302.

    Part-time studies information night for prospective students, 7 p.m., continuing education office, 335 Gage Avenue, Kitchener.

    Free noon concert: Philip Thompson, classical piano, Wednesday 12:30, Conrad Grebel University College chapel.

    Study in Norway information session 2 p.m., Needles Hall room 1043.

    Town hall meeting for faculty and staff with UW's president and provost, Wednesday 4 p.m., Humanities Theatre.

    South African bishop David Beetge, Diocese of the Highveld, member of the Lambeth Commission, speaks about the work of the Compass Rose Society, Wednesday 7:30, Renison College chapel lounge.

    Pascal Lectures on Christianity and the University, this year by Dennis Danielson, University of British Columbia, Wednesday and Thursday 8 p.m., Humanities Theatre. Seminar, "Milton and Copernicus", Wednesday 3:30, Arts Lecture Hall room 208.

    Garage Band Jam trying out "Garage Band" digital recording software at Campus TechShop -- musicians welcome Thursday 10 to 3, lower level of Student Life Centre.

    'Teaching Dossiers' workshop, of interest to students in the Certificate in University Teaching Program, Friday 1:30 to 3:30, Arts Lecture Hall room 211, details online.

    Planet Simpson author Chris Turner, pop culture reporter for Shift, speaks Friday 7 p.m., Arts Lecture Hall, tickets $2 at the bookstore.

    Pixels in the big picture

    The editor of the UW-based literary journal The New Quarterly is one of Kitchener-Waterloo's Oktoberfest "women of the year". Kim Jernigan (right) was one of seven to receive the honour as the Oktoberfest season began. Her category: "arts and culture". Jernigan has been the central figure in TNQ for some 23 years, encouraging new writers to get started and celebrating when more experienced writers bring home prizes for themselves and the magazine. She's also on the board of the Waterloo Regional Arts Council, and maintains a connection with the UW writing clinic. The New Quarterly is based at St. Jerome's University and draws funding from St. Jerome's and the UW faculty of arts. (Photo by Kate Wringe.)

    Blood donor clinics are set to start on Thursday in the Student Life Centre, but something bad has happened: the sign-up booklet that's been available at the turnkey desk for the past few days, to save the time of would-be donors, has disappeared. A new one was to be available by yesterday, says Sharr Cairns of Canadian Blood Services, who's trying to get everything running smoothly for the seven days of clinics. "We are asking for your help," she writes, "in stopping by the turnkey desk to re-enter your appointment. . . . We appreciate your help and look forward to seeing you at the clinic."

    The Warriors are the reported favourites in the OUA golf championships, which began yesterday and wind up today at Sutton Creek Golf and Country Club in Windsor. The par-72 course and the Windsor Lancers will host golfers from all over the province. The Warriors are the defending men's champions and have had a good season, winning three OUA-sanctioned tournaments and finishing in the top three in two others. Head coach Doug Painter observes that "We are as good as anyone, but with the sport of golf and all its variables, you just never know." Tough competition will come from Guelph and Western, who edged out the Warrior team at UW's own invitational tournament a few weeks ago. UW is not a factor in women's competition in the OUA event.

    A bronze sculpture by fine arts professor Jane Buyers was recently installed at RIM Park in the northeast corner of Waterloo. It depicts a Golden Queen hybrid cob of corn and is located near the old farmhouse. Buyers says she wanted to emphasis the importance of agriculture and the Mennonite way of life instead of a "modern vision" for the landscape, which is a boundary zone between up-to-date subdivisions and old-time farming. It's the second major public sculpture of its kind for Buyers, who also created "John Labatt Barley Field" in central Waterloo four years ago.

    The "Know the Score" campaign on responsible gambling continues today in the Student Life centre, and there will also be booths in the Village I cafeteria line this evening. . . . UW's engineering faculty will play host to the Ontario Engineering Competition this year, on the second weekend of February, and is currently lining up corporate sponsors for the events. . . . A general book sale in the South Campus Hall Concourse ("25 per cent off the lowest ticketed price") starts today for the UW bookstore and runs through Thursday. . . . The Engineering Society will hold a bonspiel on Saturday, October 30, at the K-W Granite Club (just off campus) and is inviting teams to sign up now. . . .

    CAR


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