Skip to the content of the web site.

Friday, March 16, 2012

  • Professor wins Japanese science award
  • Kids needed for contact lens study
  • Friday's notes
  • Editor:
  • Brandon Sweet
  • Communications and Public Affairs
  • bulletin@uwaterloo.ca

Beware the Pi of March: The "Pi On The Porter" group once again "PI"-ied the Dana Porter library, with each face of the building sporting a Pi day-related word, number, or symbol Wednesday evening.

Back to top

Professor wins Japanese science award

Chair of Renison University College's Board of Governors and systems design engineering professor Keith Hipel has received the 2012 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Eminent Scientist Award. The award is Japan's highest research prize for international scientists and is granted to researchers "who posses a record of excellent research achievements and who are mentors and leaders in their respective fields." This is the first time this prize has been awarded to a Canadian academic.

According to the Society's website, the award invites the winners to visit Japan "for the purpose of associating directly with younger Japanese researchers so as to mentor, stimulate and inspire them to greater attainments. The awardees may also be asked to contribute their advice and expertise on ways to enhance the planning, conducting and evaluating of scientific research at Japanese universities and research institutions."

This award puts Professor Hipel, who is also a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, in august company: Three of the four recipients of the 2011 award were Nobel prize winners, as were all three awardees in 2010.

Back to top

Kids needed for contact lens study

a message from the Centre for Contact Lens Research

Researchers at the Centre for Contact Lens Research (CCLR) are testing new contact lenses that could reduce nearsightedness in children. The CCLR is actively recruiting participants for a number of upcoming studies involving children. The studies range in length from one month to three years.

• The priority for recruitment, right now, is ASIAN children (i.e. one or both parents of Asian descent), aged 8-15, who already wear contact lenses.

• Other children with and without contact lens experience are also needed for upcoming studies.

The studies involve fitting children with contact lenses designed to slow the progression of myopia (nearsightedness). Myopia typically develops as early as age eight, and progresses throughout childhood. By slowing this early progression, CCLR researchers hope to prevent mildly myopic children from becoming highly myopic.

Contact lenses have been used to correct vision in children as young as six for the last 50 years. More recently, studies funded by the National Institutes of Health have reported that contact lenses are both useful and safe for children.

Children and adolescents aged 8 to 16 are eligible to participate, receiving $20 per hour for their time commitment as well as a supply of contact lenses and follow up care for the length of the study.

This study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through the University of Waterloo Office of Research Ethics.

To learn more about how to volunteer as a research participant in one of these studies, contact the CCLR at 519-888-4742 or cclrrecruitment@ uwaterloo.ca.

Back to top

Friday's notes

Students will have a new option for paying for transit fares at the Student Life Centre's Turnkey Desk starting Monday, March 19. Presto is "the new convenient way to pay for transit fares in Ontario," writes Student Life Centre operations manager Scott Pearson. "Presto is accepted across the entire GO Transit system (Bus and Rail) – as well as transit systems in Mississauga, Oakville, Hamilton, Burlington, York Region, Durham Region and currently 12 TTC Subway stations." Funds can be added to Presto cards, though online loads take up to 48 hours to be processed. "Discounts from using a registered card range from 7.5% to 15% off every trip," writes Pearson.

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences presents the 2012 Adrian Smith Lecture taking place on Tuesday, March 20 at 2:00 p.m. in OPT 1129, followed by a reception in the EIT Foyer. This year’s lecturer is Dr. Philippe Van Cappellen, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Ecohydrology, who will speak on “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Earth System (Using the Silicon Cycle as an Example)”. For more information please contact Lorraine Albrecht at extension 32069.

University of Waterloo students are participating in the annual "5 Days for the Homeless" fundraising campaign, which started Monday and wraps up today. The campaign, which sees students spend a week sleeping outdoors, relying on the generosity of others for food, while still attending all their classes, raises money for homeless shelters - some $747,000 since 2005.

The Waterloo campaign was organized by Ameesha Isaac and Sudhershi Kularatnam, and participating students include Karlena Waugh, Jitesh Chauhan, Lauren Ruiter, Jessikah Kumordzie and Ryan Jeethan. They have been camped out at the B1-ESC link.

Donations can be made online on the Waterloo regional site.

The money raised by the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University students, who have organized a similar campaign on their campus, will be donated to Kitchener-Waterloo Reaching our Outdoor Friends (ROOF) and Argus Residence for Young People, located in Cambridge.

Here's the latest "myth vs. truth" nutrition tip provided by Health Services dietician Sandra Ace.

"Myth": Reading food labels is too hard.
"Truth": The “Nutrition Facts” table has information on calories and nutrients. It’s easy to understand when you know what to look for. Follow these three steps:

  1. Check the serving size and compare this to the amount you actually eat.
  2. Read the %DV to see if a product has a little or a lot of a nutrient; 5 percent or less is a little, and 15 percent or more is a lot.
  3. Choose foods with more vitamins, minerals and fibre, and less fat (saturated and trans), sodium and sugar.

If you have any questions or comments about these tips, which are running the month of March in support of Nutrition Month, please contact Sandra.

Back to top

Link of the day

The Irish in Canada

When and where

Warrior sports this weekend: Men's curling at CIS Championship vs. Carleton, Friday, 11:00 a.m., vs. Alberta 4:00 p.m., vs. Brock Saturday, 9:00 a.m. Badminton at OUA Championship Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Systems Design Symposium 2012, Friday, March 16, 10:00 a.m., Davis Centre foyer.

Knowledge Integration seminar, Luigi Ferrera, "Systems of Sharing: The Next Economy," Friday, March 16, 2:30 p.m. St. Paul's room 105.

Bechtel Lecture with Professor John D. Roth Thursday March 15 and Friday March 16, 7:30 p.m., Conrad Grebel Chapel. Details.

Teresa Dease Lecture featuring Dr. Kathleen Mass Wiegert, "The Call to Nonviolence in a Violent World: What Does the Catholic Social Tradition Offer?" Friday, March 16, 7:30 p.m., Siegfried Hall. Part of St. Jerome's Lectures in the Catholic Experience series.

The UW Cabaret Club presents La Vie Du Cabaret, Friday, March 16, 9:00 p.m., Federation Hall.

"LIFT" worship night featuring speaker Ken Taylor, Sunday, March 18, 6:30 p.m., Federation Hall. Presented by UW LIFT. Details.

Engineering Shadow Days, Monday, March 19 to Friday, March 30.

Mechatronics engineering design symposium, Monday, March 19, 1:00 p.m., Davis Centre foyer.

Vision 2015 Town Hall for engineering faculty, Tuesday, March 20, 2:30 p.m., EIT 3142.

The Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (I.B.M.B.) seminar series featuring Prof. Donald Spratt, Department of Biochemistry, Western University. "Structure and Mechanism of E2 and E3 Enzymes in Ubiquitylation", Tuesday, March 20, 3:30 p.m. C2-361.

Waterloo Research Institute in Insurance, Securities and Quantitative Finance (WatRISQ) presents Tong Yu, associate professor of finance, College of Business Administration, "By Force of Habitat? On the Dynamics of Insurers' Government Bond Portfolio Durations," Tuesday, March 20, 4:00 p.m., M3 3127.

Capital Markets Roundtable: Energy, Opportunities and Challenges in 2012 and Beyond, Tuesday, March 20, 5:30 p.m.. Presented by the Accounting and Finance Student Association (AFSA). Details.

Electrical and computer engineering design symposium, Wednesday, March 20, 9:30 a.m., Davis Centre foyer.

Noon hour concert series, "Paraguay Primeval" featuring Rebecca Campbell (vocals), Carol Ann Weaver (piano), Katie Honek (flute), Ben Bolt-Martin (cello), Kyle Skillman (percussion), Wednesday, March 21, 12:30 p.m., Conrad Grebel chapel.

Centre for Career Action Webinar: Writing an A+ resume, Wednesday, March 21, 4:30 p.m. Details.

ECE Design symposium, Wednesday, March 21, 9:30 a.m. Davis Centre.

Street party at Mudie's, Wednesday, March 21, 4:30 p.m.

Vision 2015 town hall for engineering undergraduates, Wednesday, March 21, 5:30 p.m., RCH 301.

Waterloo Lecture: Homer, the Brain, and Rhetoric, hosted by the Waterloo Stratford Campus, Wednesday, March 21, 7:00 p.m., Stratford Public Library.

Co-op Student of the Year Awards, Thursday, March 22.

World Water Day Graduate Research Fair and Water Celebration, Thursday, March 22, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Federation Hall.

Vision 2015 Town Hall for engineering staff, Thursday, March 22, 12:00 p.m., EIT 3142.

Careers in Health Informatics and E-Health (CHiE) 2012 Career Fair, Thursday, March 22, 4:00 p.m., Kitchener City Hall. Register online.

Presentation by Som Seif, “Engineering Success” Thursday, March 22, 4:30 p.m. HH 1108. Details.

First annual Management Engineering Design Symposium, Friday, March 23, 10:00 a.m., Davis Centre foyer. Details.

First annual nanotechnology and software engineering design symposia, Friday, March 23, 10:00 a.m., Davis Centre foyer.

Scarboro Missions Lecture featuring Dr. Heather Eaton, "One Earth, Many Religions: The Spiritual Quest for a Sustainable and Just Future." Friday, March 23, 7:30 p.m., Siegfried Hall, St. Jerome's University. Part of the Lectures in Catholic Experience series.

University senate Monday, March 26, 3:30, Needles Hall room 3001.

Yesterday's Daily Bulletin