Daily Bulletin, Wednesday, November 27
Chris Redmond
[1][University of Waterloo]
DAILY BULLETIN
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[2]Yesterday
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Wednesday, November 27, 2002
* _Institute for Quantum Computing opens_
* _About the new Scotiabank labs_
* _Grad student president notes concerns_
* _The talk of the campus; some events_
Editor: Chris Redmond cred...@uwaterloo.ca
_[6]Jimi Hendrix would have been 60 today _
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[Holding unframed prints]
_Art for sale:_ The annual sale of miniature art is a big fundraiser
for the fine arts department. Kelley Bruce, left, a fourth-year fine
arts student, is donating a photo resembling a sheep to the sale,
which is being coordinated by fine arts slide librarian Jean
Stevenson. The preview of mini art will be held today through Friday,
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the actual sale starts Friday.
Institute for Quantum Computing opens
UW's [7]Institute for Quantum Computing will celebrate its official
opening today, and UW chancellor-to-be Mike Lazaridis will announce a
"major donation" to the institute, the university's news bureau
[8]says.
A news release says Lazaridis, founder of the high-flying spinoff firm
[9]Research In Motion, "will formally announce a personal and major
donation to the IQC" at a reception this afternoon.
It's scheduled for 3:00 in the Festival Room, South Campus Hall,
following the opening ceremonies of the IQC at 2:00 in room 171 of
Chemistry II.
The Institute for Quantum Computing was [10]approved last spring. Says
the news release: "The institute, which draws some of the best
researchers and students in computing, engineering, mathematical and
physical sciences, is funded through grants from the Canadian
Foundation for Innovation, Canada Research Chairs, Natural Sciences
and Engineering Research Council, Ontario Research and Development
Challenge Fund, Premier's Research Excellence Awards and Ontario
Innovation Trust.
"The funding will allow the IQC to set up a theoretical and
experimental program to study the implications of quantum mechanics
for information processing. The research will encompass theoretical
investigations of quantum algorithms to laboratory realization of
quantum mechanical devices.
"The impact of quantum information extends from fundamental science
(what are the fundamental limits to information processing?) to new
technologies and even questions of national security (when will
today's public key cryptography be broken?).
"The IQC seeks to advance knowledge in relevant areas of engineering,
mathematics and science to enhance the developments in the field of
quantum computation and information processing."
About the new Scotiabank labs _-- a release from the UW news bureau_
[Under a giant Scotiabank sign] Frank Tompa, director of the school
of computer science, speaks at yesterday's opening celebrations.
Scotiabank and the University of Waterloo yesterday marked the
official opening of the Scotiabank Software Engineering Labs.
The labs are designed to support group work among students, enabling
them to build software in teams -- an important aspect of UW's
[11]software engineering program. At an event on campus to launch the
labs, students used the specialized equipment to demonstrate projects
involving sophisticated robot programming.
Scotiabank contributed $1 million to build and equip the labs, part of
a $2.5 million gift allowing UW to create a software engineering
degree program, establish a student scholarship endowment and fund two
faculty research chair positions in software engineering.
"This is a significant milestone in our partnership," said Peggy
Mulligan, executive vice-president, systems and operations,
Scotiabank. Both partners have a "strong mutual dedication to building
a talent trust in this country," she said, adding that software
engineering is an important factor in this effort. The software
engineering degree program is offered jointly by UW's school of
computer science and the department of electrical and computer
engineering.
Sujeet Chaudhuri, dean of engineering, said this is "an initiative
this country needs," adding that research programs are to follow.
Frank Tompa, director of the school of computer science, said the labs
are an "essential part" of software engineering and computer science
studies and research.
Joanne Atlee, director of software engineering, said the labs allow
for much-needed group study by students. She also thanked Scotiabank
for its contribution that has provided "generous scholarships" for
students.
Grad student president notes concerns
"The face of graduate studies at UW is going to change," the president
of the Graduate Student Association, Shannon Puddister, says in a new
newspaper for grads that's being launched today.
Says Puddister: "In light of a number of significant
[12]recommendations made by Dr. Adel Sedra, who will soon be taking
the reins as UW Dean of Engineering, it is clear that the priority
assigned to graduate studies will be moving northward. . . . The
feedback I have received has been very consistent. Most responses have
had a belief that the report, in spirit, represents a significant and
long-overdue challenge to the University."
[Front page] A launch party for _The Third Degree_, which is
[13]available online and in print form in grad mailrooms across
campus, will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 tonight at the Graduate House.
Grad students interested in being involved in producing the newspaper
are especially welcome.
In his front-page article in _The Third Degree_, Puddister continues:
"The unanimous concern of all respondents, however, has been one of
uncertainty. . . . Maintaining the strong undergraduate program while
improving graduate studies will require investments of time and money
not seen at UW in a very long time. . . .
"Already faced with situations where students are required to share
computing resources . . . and with other students forced to use fume
hoods as desk space, the first question coming to mind is, where are
we going to put all these new people? If we are serious about doubling
of graduate enrolment, can we expect a similar increase in the number
of faculty and staff? . . .
"The issue of quality seems underaddressed in the recommendations
presented. Few students are aware of the signals coming from the
Federal Government regarding postsecondary education. With lofty goals
being set for increases in graduate enrolment across the nation,
concerns surrounding quality are sure to increase. While increased
competition for grad students is likely to work in favour of current
students, what this will do to the quality of grad students at UW is
uncertain. More egocentrically, what will this do to the longterm
value of our degrees? Students were unanimous in their support for
improving grad studies, but opening the floodgates to every willing
(and sometimes unqualified) participant hardly seems the best
approach."
He goes on to talk about funding for grads themselves, and Sedra's
proposal that UW "guarantee" five years of funding for students in PhD
programs: "Students in historically underfunded programs such as those
in the Arts may have something to look forward to; although that could
very well be nothing more than a decrease in the number of graduate
student colleagues. A concern voiced by a number of students and
faculty, and certainly echoed by my own belief, is that guaranteed
funding without a guaranteed source will result in the shrinking of
programs incapable of pulling in the big grants. UW has staked its
reputation on innovation, and the unfortunate prevailing and
unjustified theory all too often regards the humanities and social
sciences as a cost, rather than a value-add."
He adds a warning that grads may see their fees go up sharply: "Given
that the only means of quickly increasing revenues beyond government
grants is through tuition fees, you can bet that any improvements will
be financially borne by students, undergraduate and graduate alike,
and by compromising the once-held value of accessibility. . . .
"Before subsidizing future growth with our current quality of life, we
need to ensure that students have adequate housing, offices and lab
space, that quality day-care services are available to students with
families, that graduate students aren't living below the poverty line
and that, more generally, our community is well taken care of."
The talk of the campus; some events
Increasingly, people are talking and thinking about the Christmas and
New Year's holiday that lies just ahead. For the record, here are some
dates:
* Last day of lectures: Tuesday, December 3
* Last day of exams: Friday, December 20
* _Last working day in 2002_: Monday, December 23
* Winter fees due (by bank transfer): Tuesday, December 31
* First working day in 2003: Thursday, January 2
* Winter term classes begin: Monday, January 6
And if winter comes, can spring be far behind?
The UW news bureau has [14]issued a brief release about the talk given
Tuesday by Charles Baillie, head of the TD Bank, in the annual
"Visionary Seminar" in which UW took part. In his address, entitled
"From Vision to Reality -- Our Country, Your Future", Baillie
discussed the critical need for Canada to improve its standard of
living. He cautioned his listeners to not be lulled into a false sense
of security. "You need only look at our cities' crumbling sewers,
overburdened transit systems and rising homelessness levels to see how
thin the veneer of quality really is." He went on to say: "If we want
to keep head offices in Canada, we need to have a _better educated,
more productive workforce_ than the alternative choices." He also
stressed the need for more partnership between academia and business.
New photocopiers are coming into use all over campus, says [15]an
update from UW Graphics about the conversion from Ikon to Ricoh brand
machines. "We are pleased to report," it says, "that we are now in the
final stages of the installation process. Almost all of the Ricoh
units have been installed at the departmental level and Ricoh
technicians are busy _installing public copiers_ for coin and WatCard
use. Some areas experienced installation delays due to the dock worker
strike in British Columbia which delayed shipment of parts for several
weeks, and in some cases, for over two months. This certainly caused
some unexpected and unfortunate delays. We still expect installations
to be complete by our target date of December 1."
_UW Graphics holds its open house from 11:00 to 3:00 today
at the main graphics facility. _
UW's Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing holds its
seventh annual [16]Canadian Open Math Challenge today. It's "an
extra-curricular mathematics activity" -- to be specific, a
_150-minute math test_ with a total of a dozen problems. The top
students in the test could be on their way to the Canadian Mathematics
Olympiad, but "several of the problems are designed specifically to be
within the reach of any student with a good knowledge of Grade 10
mathematics," the CEMC web site stresses. It's the first of a series
of math tests for high school students that UW will sponsor this year.
As the Muslim month of Ramadan continues, there's _a special meal
tonight -- "iftar"_, the fast-breaking after the sun goes down. The
event is hosted by the Pakistani Students Association in cooperation
with several other groups: the Arab Students Association, the Iranian
Students Association, the Bangladeshi Students Association, the South
Asian Students Association and the Association of Caribbean Students.
The meal starts at 5:00 at Federation Hall, and all are welcome;
tickets are $5, today at the Student Life Centre or tonight at Fed
Hall. Some Muslims will come to the event straight from evening
prayers, being held from 5:00 to 5:15 in the great hall of Village I.
I don't know whether it's just coincidence, but today's noon-hour
concert at Conrad Grebel University College features music from the
largest Muslim country in the world, Indonesia. It's a concert of
_gamelan and wayang music_, 'with the Gamelan Gong Sabrang", it starts
at 12:30 in the Grebel chapel, and admission is free.
A professional development seminar on _"Writing CVs and Cover
Letters"_, aimed at graduate students, is scheduled for 12 noon in Math
and Computer room 5158. . . . The [17]Mathematics Society, which
embraces _all undergraduate math students_, will hold a general
meeting at 5:30 today in Math and Computer room 2038. . . . The
_basketball Warriors_ host Wilfrid Laurier University tonight in the
Physical Activities Complex, with the women's teams playing at 6:00
and the men at 8:00. . . .
A presentation of work by students in the _"Greening the Campus"_
course, Environment and Resource Studies 250, is scheduled for
tomorrow morning in Arts Lecture Hall room 116. . . . The staff
association's _9th annual craft sale_ runs Thursday and Friday in the
Davis Centre lounge. . . .
CAR
TODAY IN UW HISTORY
_November 27, 1969:_ The Federation of Students sponsors a teach-in at
the Campus Centre about the war in Biafra (Nigeria). _November 27,
1997:_ A party celebrates the success of Campaign Waterloo, which has
raised $86 million.
[18]Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1
(519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
http://www.bulletin.uwaterloo.ca | [19]Yesterday's Bulletin
Copyright ) 2002 University of Waterloo
References
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3. http://www.bulletin.uwaterloo.ca/previous.html
4. http://www.bulletin.uwaterloo.ca/bulsearch.html
5. http://www.bulletin.uwaterloo.ca/aboutus.html
6. http://www.musicfanclubs.org/jimihendrix/
7. http://www.iqc.ca/
8. http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infonews/release/2002/242%20Advisory:%20Institute%20for%20Quantum%20Computing%20to%20open,%20November%2025,%202002.html
9. http://www.rim.net/
10. http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/bulletin/2002/mar/22fr.html
11. http://www.softeng.uwaterloo.ca/
12. http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/bulletin/2002/oct/18fr.html
13. http://www.thirddegree.org/
14. http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infonews/release/2002/241%20Visionary%20award%20presented,%20November%2025,%202002.html
15. http://www.graphics.uwaterloo.ca/content/printing/fleet.html
16. http://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/CMCEnglish.cfm
17. http://www.mathsoc.uwaterloo.ca/
18. http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infoipa
19. http://www.bulletin.uwaterloo.ca/2002/nov/26tu.html