Research in the arts, humanities and social sciences at the University of Guelph received a $900,000 boost today.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) announced it's investing nearly $81 million in research projects at 94 universities and colleges. U of G's share is for 12 projects. These projects range from the history of Canada’s health food stores to the earnings and employment outcomes of post-secondary graduates to comparing and understanding the differences between aboriginal traditional and western science knowledge systems.

“I was very pleased to learn that my study had received funding from SSHRC,” said integrative biology professor Steve Crawford.

He received $189,963 to support his effort to improve communication between aboriginal and western science knowledge systems. The award will allow Crawford to develop a model to represent the structure and function of both knowledge systems. “This model should be a very practical tool to compare and contrast aboriginal traditional knowledge and western science in a neutral environment,” he said.

Anthropology professor Renée Sylvain received $70,973 to study human rights and social justice from the perspective of marginalized indigenous San living in remote areas of three southern African countries.

“I'm quite pleased because this is an opportunity to contribute to research capacity-building among San, publicize human rights issues that don't get a great deal of attention internationally, and promote networks between the academics at the University of Guelph and southern African scholars,” said Sylvain.

History professor Catherine Carstairs received $43,009 for research on the history of Canada’s health food stores. She’s conducting interviews with 30 of Canada’s health food leaders and examining health magazines to trace the history and trends of the industry.

Other professors who received SSHRC funding are:

• James Amegashie, Economics, $35,401 to study revenge and third-party intervention in conflicts.

• Rob de Loë, Geography, $97,030 for a study of water allocation in Alberta and in New South Wales, Australia

• Michael Hoy, Economics, $38,900 to research the effectiveness of private and social insurance policy options

• Ric Knowles, English and Theatre Studies, $68,258 for a study of how Toronto’s multiculturalism is reflected in its performance arts

• Jesse Palsetia, History, $107,022 to examine the public career of Indian businessman Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy

• Troy Riddell, Political Science, $65,842 for a study of the federal judicial appointment process

• Norman Smith, History, $75,015 to research Chinese narratives of alcohol and opiate addiction in the popular culture of Manchuria from 1900 to the 1940s

• Henry Thille, Economics, $47,377 to explore the link between the size of firms in a market and the use of inventories to smooth prices

• David Walters, Sociology and Anthropology, $54,772 for a study on the earnings and employment outcomes of post-secondary graduates.

Confucius Institutes are established through the Office of the Chinese Language Council International (Hanban), in Beijing and are designed to strengthen relations between China and other countries by offering opportunities for students, world-wide, to study Chinese language and culture. An initiative of the Chinese Government, it is the mandate of Hanban to build 100 such institutes across the globe.


The signing of a letter of intent to establish a Confucius Institute at Renison College, University of Waterloo.
Back Row L to R. Consul of Educational Affairs, Mr. Wu Xiaochuang, Associate Vice-President Academic, Dr.Gail Cuthbert Brandt, Consul General, Madam Chen Xiaoling, Director of Development, Ms.Caroline Woerns, Associate Provost Academic Affairs, Dr. Bruce Mitchell, Front Row L to R, Renison College Principal, Dr. John Crossley, University of Waterloo President, Dr. David Johnston, Consul of Educational Affairs, Ms. Zhang Linyi


Renison College Principal, John Crossley says, “a Confucius Institute at Renison offers tremendous advantages for teaching, research exchange and collaboration as we build our East Asian Studies Centre and academic program. The Institute represents an important step forward in our internationalization strategies and will greatly strengthen Renison’s ability to meet the needs of both UW students and members of Waterloo region who wish to acquire a deeper understanding of Chinese language and culture. This is an excellent opportunity and one that will greatly benefit the College, the University and our community.”

University of Waterloo President, David Johnston, Associate, Vice-President Academic, Gail Cuthbert Brandt, and Renison College Principal, John Crossley have the honour of welcoming Education Consuls, Ms. Zhang, Mr. Wu and Consul General, Madam Chen, to formalize the agreement at the University of Waterloo on June 13, 2006.

The winning team contributes to the Regenerative Braking Systems project, which provides student researchers an opportunity to work with hybrid technologies, an emerging area of research for the automotive industry. The team is investigating how to advance regenerative braking systems to enhance hybrid systems through new design methodologies. )

Final Placement:

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First Regenerative Braking Systems University of Waterloo $4,500

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Second Regenerative Braking Systems University of Windsor $3,000

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Third Neuro-Fuzzy Systems for Queen's University $1,500

Inspection in Manufacturing

Processes

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Fourth On-Board Fuel Cell Powered Queen's University $1,000

Auxiliary Power Units

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"These four finalist teams exemplify the research excellence required for the development of leading edge technologies," said Dr. Peter Frise, AUTO21 CEO and Scientific Director. "The University of Waterloo team impressed the international judging panel with their dedication to innovation and a passion for exploring ways to improve existing technologies. The judges were challenged to select just one winner."

Honda Canada, the sponsor of the poster competition provided a total prize purse of $20,000 for the competition, with the purse divided between the final round of judging at the Scientific Conference and previous rounds of judging at an earlier event in May. The winning team was selected from a group of four finalist teams who advanced from an initial pool of 71 teams evaluated in May. The winning team received $4,500 in cash, with the other teams receiving cash prizes as well.

"Honda Canada is committed to supporting youth in the areas of engineering, environment and education," said Jim Miller, executive vice president Honda Canada. "This event pays tribute to the highly qualified people as determined by AUTO21. Mirroring Honda's spirit of innovation and the passion to pursue dreams, these are the men and women creating a stronger promise of continued innovation and success for the auto industry."

The Honda Canada HQP Poster Competition is part of the AUTO21 Scientific Conference, taking place June 13 and 14 at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre. AUTO21 researchers and industry and government representatives are attending automotive research presentations and hearing from industry leaders from major automotive manufacturers and other parts of the sector.

AUTO21 currently supports more than 230 researchers and nearly 450 student researchers working on 41 auto-related research and development projects at 39 Canadian universities. The projects are supported by more than $12 million per year in combined public and private sector funding. Research is conducted in the areas of health, safety and injury prevention; societal issues; materials and manufacturing; design processes; powertrains, fuels and emissions; and intelligent systems and sensors. AUTO21 is funded through the Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada program.

This bronze medallion is commissioned by the Office of the Governor General of Canada. It goes to the graduating student with the highest overall academic grade average for all courses in a diploma-level program.

The winner is Alicia Weber of Kitchener. She is graduating from the Electronics Engineering Technology * Telecommunications Systems program. The program deals with the design, development and application of electronic devices and circuits used in analog and digital communications systems, in networks and transmission media, and in digital signal processing. She compiled a composite average of 95.50 per cent, including marks of 100 per cent in ten of the program courses.

The James W. Church Award

Established by Conestoga's founding president, the James W. Church Award recognizes excellence in a combination of areas: achievement in learning, concern for the dignity of the individual and a personal contribution of benefit to society. The award consists of an inscribed and framed program shield, plus a cheque for $1,000.

Sherry Zettler of Walkerton is this year's winner. She is graduating from the post-graduate Early Childhood Education Resource Teacher program, and previously completed the Early Childhood Education program. She is employed by Bruce County Social Services as a traveling preschool resource teacher.

From an early age, she has been involved with community, volunteer and caring activities in various ways: with a program for special needs children called Extend-A-Family; as a personal support helper to a child afflicted with cerebral palsy; as a home child care provider for a disadvantaged family; and as a peer mentor to student colleagues at Conestoga. She has been recognized by employers and supervisors for exemplary work as a community support services worker, early childhood educator and teacher's aide.

The Conestoga College Mastercraft Award

Established by former Conestoga President Kenneth E. Hunter, this award recognizes outstanding technical achievement by an individual or a student team in the creation of a program-related technical project. Eligible projects must first win a program-level competition to qualify for College-wide judging. The prize consists of an inscribed and framed program shield, plus a cheque for $500.

The winning project was developed and produced by Stephen Connell of Paris, Jonathan Musselman of Kitchener and Derek Novakowich of Kitchener. Connell and Novakowich are graduating from the Computer Engineering Technology program and Musselman from Electronics Engineering Technology * Telecommunications Systems. The three collaborated on their final-year, comprehensive technical project. Known as the DigiPhase Acoustic Processor (DAP), it employs a remote mobile calibration module that provides quality digital sound processing for home entertainment centres * regardless of how the owner arranges the system components and furnishings in the room containing the centre. The DAP allows any system to sound at its best by automatically compensating to ensure sound quality.

The Aubrey Hagar Award for Teaching Excellence

The College's top honour for a faculty member, this award is named for Aubrey Hagar, a distinguished member of the Conestoga community for more than 20 years. A member of the College's founding Board of Governors, he went on to provide valuable service to Conestoga as Director of Academic and College Planning, then as Director of Strategic Planning. The award consists of an inscribed and framed Conestoga Coat of Arms, a specially designed Conestoga College Liripipe and a professional development bursary of $800.

This year's winner is Geoff Johnstone, a professor in the School of Liberal and Media Studies. He holds a baccalaureate degree from the University of Wales and a master's degree from McMaster University. His fields of study were economics and social studies, and sociology. He has been at Conestoga since 1970, earning a reputation for excellence in developing curriculum in areas such as science and diversity, multiculturalism and the multidisciplinary courses in Conestoga's four-year degree programs. The author and co-author of a number of research papers, he also co-wrote a sociology textbook now in use at a number of Ontario colleges. He has been an active member of a number of academic committees and groups at the College, has been varsity soccer head coach since 1971 and has received a recognition award from Conestoga for his contributions to student life.

Alumni of Distinction Awards

These awards, which consist of an inscribed and framed program shield for each recipient, recognize outstanding graduates for their personal and professional achievements, as demonstrated through career success and commitment to others through community and volunteer work.

This year's awards go to four alumni:

* Cindy Coulas (Nursing, 2001; Registered Nurse * Critical Care

Nursing, 2003; Cardiac Care for Registered Nurses, 2003), who is a resource nurse at St. Mary's General Hospital in Kitchener, in the cardiovascular intensive care unit. She is also active as a part-time instructor at Conestoga, a coordinator of first aid programs, a volunteer computer skills teacher to elementary school children and engaged in degree studies at both Wilfrid Laurier University and Memorial University of Newfoundland.

* Treena Diebolt (Law and Security Administration, 1999), who is

Director of Human Resources with Waterloo-based Barber-Collins Security Services Ltd. She has made her mark through the development and introduction of new programs, such as one for employee recognition, and has coordinated the firm's United Way campaign.

* Brett Tucker (Civil Engineering Technology, 1987), who is in

management with Freedom 55 Financial/London Life Insurance Company in Waterloo Region. In addition to a high degree of involvement with professional associations and groups, he has served as President of Conestoga's Alumni Association and was recently appointed to the Board of Governors of the College.

* Eva Vlasov (Social Services, 1995), who is Executive Director

with Argus Residence for Young People, located in Cambridge. She is very active in the community through her participation on a number of groups and committees dealing with issues of homelessness, emergency shelter and youth counseling.

Convocation comprises four ceremonies, recognizing more than 3,000 graduating students. The afternoon ceremony on Wednesday, June 14 involves full-time and part-time programs from two academic areas * the School of Engineering and Information Technology, and the School of Trades and Apprenticeship. The Wednesday evening ceremony is for full-time and part-time programs from the School of Business. On the afternoon of Thursday, June 15, participating programs are from the School of Liberal and Media Studies, plus all Health Sciences programs and programs directly administered by the Continuing Education Division. The evening ceremony is for Community Services programs.

Nortel and NSERC establish UW research chair with focus on wireless

WATERLOO – Nortel announced June 9 it is co-sponsoring a research chair at the University of Waterloo focused on technologies that will help shape the future of wireless networks. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)-Nortel Chair in Advanced Telecommunications Technologies was established today at a ceremony with Mike Zafirovski, president and CEO, Nortel; Colin Carrie, parliamentary secretary to the minister of industry; Nigel Lloyd, executive vice-president, NSERC; and David Johnston, president, University of Waterloo.

Amir Khandani, professor in electrical and computer engineering, University of Waterloo, was appointed senior chair. Khandani is well- known in the industry for his research in communication systems design. He is the author or co-author of more than 200 refereed articles and several high impact patents, including a patent on symbol-based turbo-codes, a technique that is incorporated in multiple telecommunication standards. Another notable contribution is the shell mapping algorithm that is widely used in commercial wire- line modems. Khandani currently holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Wireless Systems from the federal government.

The research program will focus on third (3G) and fourth (4G) generation broadband wireless technologies, leveraging Nortel’s wireless innovation leadership, the University of Waterloo’s reputation as one of the world’s top technology research centres and NSERC’s proven track record of supporting Canadian university research in science and engineering.

Currently deployed by major service providers around the world, 3G represents an important technical milestone for wireless communications because it extends cellular services beyond voice and text. 3G networks will make possible such services as mobile telehealth, instant Internet applications, new online financial and shopping capabilities, as well as entertainment services that include rapid music downloads, live sports, and mobile gaming. 4G will take wireless technology even further, achieving speeds comparable to wireline broadband and allowing for such sophisticated uses as wireless sensors to monitor and manage everything from traffic stress on a bridge, to air pollutants, to personalized environment settings in the home.

“Moving to 3G and beyond requires a significant increase in speed and bandwidth capabilities for wireless networks. Each step forward requires large technical jumps to push technologies past their existing limitations,” said Zafirovski. “As one of Canada’s leading innovators, Nortel understands the value of university research partnerships in bringing together the best and brightest to create new technologies that not only greatly improve communications, but that are also commercially viable.”

The NSERC-Nortel chair is one example of how Nortel is working with government and academia to drive innovation in Canada by helping to turn academic research into successful, commercial products and services. The program is also intended to provide the necessary support to increase the number of graduate students in advanced telecommunications research at the University and to train future leaders of the telecom industry.

“Nortel and the University of Waterloo have partnered since the university's very beginning almost a half century ago to strengthen Nortel’s ties to leading university research, to promote advanced communication research in Canada and to meet the country’s need for high-technology graduates,” said Johnston. “The NSERC-Nortel chair strengthens this relationship and will provide a strong talent pool of future leaders for the wireless industry in Canada.”

Nortel has a long and successful history of partnering with academic institutions. The company has investments in approximately 50 technology innovation initiatives with more than 20 major universities around the world to help ensure it is solidly positioned to meet customers’ needs now and into the future.

About NSERC NSERC is a federal agency whose role is to make investments in people, discovery and innovation for the benefit of all Canadians. The agency supports some 22,000 university students and postdoctoral fellows in their advanced studies. NSERC promotes discovery by funding more than 10,000 university professors every year and fosters innovation by encouraging more than 600 Canadian companies to participate and invest in university research projects.

About the University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo is a national leader in producing highly qualified and recruited graduates and co-operative education (work- term) students for the information technology sector. With approximately 3,000 students in computer science and electrical engineering programs, Waterloo is also the largest player in the nation in this important educational area.

"If you ask a student where a carrot comes from, most will tell you 'the grocery store,'" says Elaine Alexander, principal, Withrow Avenue Public School. "This vegetable garden offers an important life lesson about where food comes from and what it takes to get from seed to table. Bringing nature and natural processes to the school yard gives students an opportunity to touch and see - which is a much richer experience than sitting inside listening as we show pictures."

According to Evergreen's research, only 0.5 per cent of Canada's 16,000 schools have food gardens - in the United Kingdom five to ten per cent have food gardens and in California it's as high as 30 per cent. Canadian schools are still figuring out how to make their food gardens thrive - Withrow School is setting its garden up for success by involving students, teachers, parents, the daycare, school caretaker and by employing a garden coordinator. The school is also experimenting with an innovative nature-based design idea inspired by spider webs, with radiant beds and a teaching circle rather than the standard garden rows which don't hold children's attention.

The benefits of growing food on school grounds are numerous, from making highly nutritious snacks available for students, to encouraging children to eat vegetables (children love to eat what they grow themselves). Gardening at schools can also help to build community, as well as offering many curriculum-related activities.

"Toyota Canada and our Dealerships have helped green 715 school grounds over the past six years, teaching children at an impressionable age how to care for and nurture the environment," says Kenji Tomikawa, president and CEO, Toyota Canada Inc. "This is one of the first school ground food gardens that Toyota is funding, and we are proud to be a part of this initiative."

"This is such a great opportunity to extend the classroom outdoors and give students the chance to learn through touching and seeing first hand what their efforts produce," said Rick Telfer, Trustee (Ward 15). "This vegetable garden will provide such a rich learning experience for students versus sitting in a classroom."

Examples of how Withrow Public School's vegetable garden is being used as a teaching tool:

- Grade 1: Creating garden etiquette rules
- Grade 2: Preparing and looking after worm compost bins
- Grade 3: Conducting soil surveys
- Grade 4: Learning about medieval life through growing and using herbs
- Grade 5: Using mapping skills to help plan the garden
- Grade 6: Science lab exploring communities, soil and plants

The largest grant secured to date for the creation of the food garden has been received through the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds program (Evergreen's national program, sponsored by Toyota Canada Inc.). The grant program brings teachers, students and the community together to create healthy and safe school grounds where students can play, learn and develop a genuine respect for nature and each other. Mr. Tomikawa, and Brian Rowntree, owner of Yonge-Lawrence Toyota presented the $1,200 cheque on behalf of Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds to the school today.
Withrow Public School's food garden includes 31 varieties of vegetables. The garden is divided into different sections corresponding to different social periods, such as:

- Early Canada: a plot with potatoes, beets and cabbage - crops that
kept settlers well fed.
- Native North and South America plot: corn, Jerusalem artichokes,
squash.
- Early civilization plot with many roots, grain and vegetables from
South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East: yams, tatsoi, peas.

"Something as simple as greening a school ground has the potential to enrich the quality of life, education and environment for young people," says City Councillor for Toronto-Danforth, Paula Fletcher. "School ground greening projects not only benefit students, they are in the best interest of teachers, parents, school boards and society as a whole."
"Evergreen was founded on the idea that nature is a critical element of healthy, vibrant cities and nowhere is that more important than at our children's schools," says Geoff Cape, Executive Director, Evergreen. "When we bring nature back to our school grounds, we nurture learning and cultivate communities."
This year, the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds program is distributing $247,250 in grants to 126 schools across Canada. Since 1993, the program has provided over $1 million in grants to 1,800 schools across Canada. Since 2000, Toyota Canada Inc. and its 229 dealers have contributed $4 million to Evergreen's national program.

About Evergreen:

Evergreen is an innovative charity that builds the relationship between nature, culture and community in urban spaces. Since 1991, it has engaged people in creating and sustaining healthy, dynamic outdoor spaces across Canada - in schools, communities and homes. Its entrepreneurial approach to social responsibility creates vibrant neighbourhoods, a healthy natural environment and a sustainable society for all.

Dignity Day, a creation of the Young Global Leaders community, is the initiative which saw Young Global Leaders fanning out into nine schools across the Vancouver area to share their personal experiences and knowledge with students on issues ranging from global dignity to climate change, to overcoming adversity and combating racism. The Global Dignity Project is a larger initiative launched by a group of Young Global Leaders in 2006 that seeks to promote the five principles of global dignity. For more information see www.globaldignity.org.

Students at King George Secondary School heard John Bryant, Founder of Operation Hope, recount his childhood in South Central Los Angeles. "You cannot have a rainbow without a storm," he told a captivated young crowd. "Dignity is allowing everyone to have a chance," said Caroline Casey, Founding Chief Executive Officer of the Ireland-based Aisling Foundation, who is legally blind and who recounted her dream of driving a car, a dream she finally fulfilled. "As you walk through life, don’t give up at first failure," echoed Scott J. Freidheim, Global Head of Strategy at Lehman Brothers.

"Dignity Day was a great opportunity for Young Global Leaders to share their experiences as leaders, inspire the next generation and show them that it is possible to make change happen. And the enthusiasm from Dignity Day will certainly energize our work over the next few days," said Nicole Schwab, Director of the Forum of Young Global Leaders, at a reception attended by Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia.

"The Province of British Columbia is honoured to welcome the Forum of Young Global Leaders to Vancouver for a discussion of issues that touch the lives of people here in Canada as surely as they do the lives of people all around the globe," said Gordon Campbell. "In a city as diverse as Vancouver and a province that sits at Canada's gateway to the Pacific Rim, we're very conscious of the role we all have to play in shaping our shared social and economic future. I look forward to seeing the ideas that come forward at this Summit and to exploring how they can apply to the future we are building here in British Columbia."

The Annual Summit of the Forum of Young Global Leaders from 8-11 June will focus on four themes, each associated with one of the ancient elements of Greek science and philosophy (Air, Water, Earth and Fire). Within each theme, participants will analyse the business, social and human implications of future developments. Leading experts will put forward new insights and brainstorm on unconventional ideas and impending challenge

One was the 2004 Youth in Transition Survey, a longitudinal survey designed to examine the major transitions in the lives of youths, particularly between education, training and work. The second was the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which assessed the achievement of young people in reading, and mathematical and scientific skills.

The study found that students with higher levels of reading competency were more likely to graduate from high school.

On the other hand, those in the lowest two levels of reading literacy were more likely to drop out of high school or still be in high school at 19.

Similarly, postsecondary participation rates increased progressively with higher levels of reading literacy. This pattern remained strong even after controlling for other important factors related to postsecondary participation.

While the majority of youth with the knowledge and skills to pursue postsecondary education do so, a small proportion of youth with very high reading proficiency levels did not pursue postsecondary education by the age of 19.

The study noted that effective literacy skills and education credentials do not guarantee success in later life. However, without them, there are greater risks of facing barriers to employment, reduced financial security and poorer social outcomes.

Young people who had dropped out of high school by 19 had lower reading scores at 15

A total of 87% of Canadian youth who were 15 years old in 2000 had graduated from high school four years later, by 19. Another 5% were still enrolled in high school and 7% had left high school before completion.

The study found that reading ability at 15 affected the subsequent status of students in high school by the time they had reached 19. (Reading proficiency was rated on the basis of levels one to five, that is, lowest to highest.)

Those who had dropped out of high school by the age of 19 had an average reading score of 457 at 15. This compared with a score of 547 for those who had graduated, which is equivalent to level 3. This means that, on average, high school dropouts were performing more than a full reading proficiency level below graduates.

A difference of one proficiency level can be considered comparatively large, and indicates a substantive difference in the nature of reading tasks that students can perform. These students may lack the higher order skills for further education.

On a provincial basis, high school dropouts had significantly lower average reading scores than graduates in all provinces, except Alberta and British Columbia. In these two provinces, the difference in the average scores of dropouts and graduates was not statistically different.

This may reflect a variety of factors, including sampling error associated with these estimates and labour market opportunities available to youth in these two provinces.

Proportion of youth who finished high school by age 19 rose with reading proficiency

Another way of exploring the link between high school status and reading performance is to examine high school completion rates on the basis of reading proficiency.

The proportion of students who completed high school increased with their proficiency level as measured at the age of 15. While 87% had completed high school by 19, only 62% of those at Level 1 and 77% at Level 2 had done so. Almost all students who were at levels 4 and 5 had completed high school by 19.

Reading proficiency had an impact on high school graduation even after taking into account the effects of gender, mother tongue, parental education, family income, location of residence, and academic and social engagement.

The findings suggest a threshold effect, with those at level 2 and below at particular risk of not completing high school by age 19.

However, the relationship between reading ability at 15 and high school completion by 19 was not necessarily deterministic. Over half of students at level 1 or below and level 2 graduated from high school.

At the other end of the scale, a notable proportion of students with higher levels of reading ability had not graduated from high school at 19 — 11% of those at level 3, 5% of those at level 4 and 2% of those at level 5.

Reading proficiency related to pursuit of postsecondary education

Proficiency in reading at 15 was related to the pursuit of postsecondary education by 19.

On average, students who had not pursued postsecondary education by 19 were performing more than a full proficiency level below those who had pursued postsecondary education.

In total, 65% of youth who participated in PISA in 2000, and who were not still enrolled in high school, had enrolled in some form of postsecondary education by the age of 19.

In contrast, only 28% of young people with the lowest proficiency in reading (level 1 and below) had pursued some form of postsecondary education. This rose to 45% at level 2, and 65% at level 3.

Postsecondary participation rates increased significantly after that — 76% for those at level 4 and 88% for those at level 5.

The study found that gender, parental education, household income and mother tongue were also significantly related to postsecondary education, but not location of residence.

As was the case with finishing high school, the relationship between reading literacy at 15 and postsecondary participation by 19 was not necessarily deterministic. More than one-quarter of youth who were at the lowest level of reading proficiency had pursued postsecondary education by 19.

At the other end of the spectrum, 12% of youth with the highest level of reading proficiency had not yet pursued postsecondary education by time they were 19.

It should be noted that the transition from high school to postsecondary education is a process and does not necessarily follow a traditional linear trajectory. Consequently, youth who are not currently participating may still do so later on.

Note to readers

This release is based on the report Educational Outcomes at Age 19 Associated with Reading Ability at Age 15, available today. It uses data from two surveys.

The Youth in Transition Survey (YITS) is a longitudinal survey designed to examine the patterns of, and influences on, major transitions in young people's lives, particularly with respect to education, training and work. YITS was first implemented in 2000 with two cohorts of youth: a group aged 15 and a group aged 18 to 20. Among its objectives was to gain a better understanding of the determinants of postsecondary participation.

With this in mind, it was decided to link YITS to a well recognized measure of knowledge and skills: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which is an internationally recognised assessment of youth knowledge and skills. Among other things, it was designed to evaluate if youth are able to analyse, reason and communicate their ideas effectively.

Linking the two surveys provides a unique opportunity to better understand major transitions in youth life, including participation in postsecondary education.

The first cycle of YITS was collected in 2000. Youth aged 15 also participated in PISA. In 2004, when they participated in YITS for the third time, these young people were aged 19. This report is the first to take advantage of the unique feature of the YITS/PISA study. It examines the relationship between reading ability at age 15 and educational outcomes, namely high school completion and postsecondary participation.

The selection committee for dean of the College of Physical and Engineering Science will present three candidates to the University community this week. All presentations will take place from 9 to 10 a.m. in Room 113 of the MacNaughton Building.

Candidates will give a 20-minute public presentation outlining their background, experience and accomplishments that are particularly relevant to being dean of the College of Physical and Engineering Science at U of G, and will talk about the challenges and opportunities facing colleges of science and engineering in the next ten years. A 30-minute question and answer period will follow the presentation. The sessions will be audio-taped; the tapes will be available by calling Carol Sherman at Ext. 53846 or at the Provost’s Office, Room 424 of the University Centre.

Rob Lipson, a chemistry professor at the University of Western Ontario will give a public presentation June 7. Tony Vannelli, an associate dean in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo, will speak June 8. John Berlinsky, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at McMaster University, will speak June 9.

A brief biography for each candidate will soon be available online and full curricula vitae is available through Sherman.

Members of the community are encouraged to attend the public lectures and to provide written comments to the selection committee. Comments must be received no later than June 19 and can be directed to the committee by mail or e-mail . All comments will be held in strict confidence and will be shared with the committee in full, provided the writer is identified. Anonymous comments will not be reviewed.

WATERLOO- The University of Waterloo will host Camp Keystone -- complete with a parade, games and lunch -- this Thursday to launch the annual Keystone Campaign fund-raising appeal and celebrate its many achievements.

UW president David Johnston will open Camp Keystone at 11:40 a.m. by leading a parade. Faculty, staff and retirees will march along ring road, from B.C. Matthews Hall to the green space near the grad house. Once there, they will take part in a scavenger hunt and a variety of other games.

The Keystone Campaign is the annual giving program that represents donations from UW faculty, staff and retirees to support the university and its students. It is the campus community portion of the university's broader Campaign Waterloo: Building a Talent Trust, which has a goal of $350 million.

The Keystone Campaign, which began in June 2002, has raised $5.8 million so far, with the support of 1,950 donors. After reaching its original goal of $4.5 million last year, the campaign set a participation target of 2,007 donors by 2007 -- UW's 50th anniversary and the year the campaign will end.

"I am really pleased with the way that the campus community is throwing their support behind the Keystone Campaign," said manager Jennifer Lorette. "It is inspiring to know that our cumulative participation rate is 43 per cent, up from 15.3 per cent pre-campaign.

"We also have an awesome team of dedicated volunteers who do an exceptional job of organizing this event. Without them, it wouldn't be possible."

Currently, the campaign has more than 200 volunteers and 60 sponsors helping to lead the program.

Throughout this week, volunteers will be distributing about 3,600 Keystone Campaign appeal packages to faculty and staff, while 1,100 retirees are receiving packages in the mail.

The larger Campaign Waterloo was launched publicly in March 2004 as part of UW's commitment to educating the leaders and entrepreneurs of tomorrow. Intent on increasing the concentration of talented people at UW, the campaign is structured around four pillars: rewarding talent, enabling talent, making room for talent and creating a culture where talent will flourish.

These pillars are working cohesively to help UW continue to attract excellent students, strengthen research and graduate studies, reaffirm its leadership in co-operative education, harness technology to enhance learning and much more, organizers say.

Recent accomplishments from funds generated through Campaign Waterloo include the new school of architecture in Cambridge, the expansion to the Lyle S. Hallman Institute for Health Promotion and the development of the health sciences campus in downtown Kitchener, featuring McMaster University's satellite medical school and UW's school of pharmacy.

* Dakon Construction Ltd., commercial and industrial construction
contractors;

* Fackoury's Building Supplies, suppliers of a diversified product
line of materials for interior and exterior building infrastructure and finishing;

* Ian Cook, of Cook Homes, a company noted for development and
construction of residential communities, attuned to family and environmental factors;

* Jamesway Construction Group, a provider of design and
construction services and solutions, from consulting and planning through to project completion;

* M&M Meat Shops, the well known national chain of specialty
frozen food stores;

* Sleeman Breweries Ltd., one of the fastest growing premium
brewers in North America;

* The Economical Insurance Group, one of Canada's largest property
and casualty insurers;

* The Lyle S. Hallman Foundation, a charitable endowment fund with
a strong interest in community development through education;

* The MerSynergy Charitable Foundation, a foundation that receives
and distributes charitable gifts in furtherance of community development initiatives;

* The Walter Fedy Partnership, a full-service architectural and
engineering firm in all aspects of project development and management;

* The Yves Landry Foundation, a foundation active in the support,
encouragement and promotion of efforts to reduce current and future skills shortages;

* Conestoga Golf Classic (proceeds from the 2005 event); and

* Alumni, friends, faculty and staff of Conestoga.

These funds are being used for the preparation and renovation of the facility for its initial use by Conestoga, as well as for the acquisition of learning equipment and resources to be used in program delivery.

"In keeping with our 'neighbour helping neighbour' philosophy, The Economical Insurance Group is pleased to support youth and education in our community," says Noel Walpole, CEO of the Waterloo-based company. "We are truly excited about the impact this new Construction Skills Education Centre will have on the future of our youth and adult learners for generations to come."

The support generated so far is part of an ambitious $7,000,000 campaign associated with the Waterloo expansion. The new location allows Conestoga to grow its operations in Waterloo by at least 58 per cent immediately. The facility is on 12 acres, now provides 123,000 sq. ft. of space and can eventually be expanded to as much as 250,000 sq. ft.

"Donors in our community are stepping forward to make the promise of this exciting new campus a reality," says Ingrid Town, Conestoga's Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations. "In helping Conestoga address skills shortages, these individuals, corporations and foundations are making a profound and lasting contribution to higher education in our community."

Prof. Kim Renders, School of English and Theatre Studies, has received the 2006 Teaching Excellence Award from the Central Student Association (CSA).

The student-sponsored award is presented each year to a U of G instructor who demonstrates profound dedication to undergraduates and to post-secondary education. Renders was recognized for her ability to motivate student learning and for her student-centred teaching approach.

“Getting recognition from my students is a great honour, and this is also a nod to the quality of our contract teaching faculty,” says Renders. “I love teaching for the exchange of ideas and for the opportunity to be challenged with situations that I’ve never encountered before. It’s like living in the fast lane; you’re always dealing with unexpected situations.”

Renders was also named the 2006 recipient of the Maggie Basset Award, which is presented annually to an individual who has made a sustained and significant contribution to the development of theatre in Ontario.

A founding member of Nightwood Theatre, Canada's oldest feminist theatre company, Renders has performed in most major theatres across Canada and is a member of Theatre Ontario's Professional Theatre Training Committee. She specializes in using theatre as a tool for community building and for empowering marginalized groups.

University of Guelph Chancellor Lincoln Alexander is one of two finalists for the honour of “Greatest Hamiltonian of All Time.”

The contest, sponsored by the Hamilton Spectator newspaper, is based on CBC’s Greatest Canadian project. It aims to inspire discussion and debate about important figures from the city’s past and present and recognize Hamilton natives who have had a lasting effect on the region.

Two months ago, the newspaper proposed a list of candidates, both living and deceased, and asked readers to vote for their top choice. The names of two finalists — Alexander and Arthur Weisz, a philanthropist and founder of the Effort Trust Company — were released today. The winner will be announced June 10 in a special section of the Spectator that will commemorate the 160th birthday of the city and newspaper.

Alexander has served as Chancellor at U of G since 1991, having been reappointed to an unprecedented fifth term in 2003. He serves on the University’s external relations committee, Board of Trustees and Board of Governors, and has been an active public supporter of the University.

Alexander was appointed Ontario Lieutenant Governor in 1985. Prior to that, he was elected to the House of Commons in 1968 as Member of Parliament for Hamilton West and became federal Minister of Labour in 1979. He is the first Black Canadian to hold all three positions.

Born in Toronto to West Indian immigrants, he was the first member of his family to receive a university education. He served with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Upon his return to Canada, he entered McMaster University, graduating in 1949. He graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1953. He has served as a Queen’s representative, a lawyer, cabinet minister, United Nations observer and chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. In 1992, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada and to the Order of Ontario.

In 2002, the University established the Lincoln Alexander Chancellor’s Scholarships to reflect his commitment to enhancing the diversity of Canada’s university student population.

Voting for “The Greatest Hamiltonian” concludes at 1 p.m. Sunday. Ballots may be cast online at www.thespec.com or by email: greatesthamiltonian@thespec.com. Ballots may also be mailed to “Greatest Hamiltonian,” c/o the Hamilton Spectator, 44 Frid Street, Hamilton, ON, L8N 3G3.

The “Greatest Hamiltonian” is part of Hamilton’s Memory Project, which is collecting anecdotes, artifacts and trivia about all aspects of the city’s history.

WATERLOO- Two leading University of Waterloo experts in smoking, one focusing on the impacts of tobacco control policies throughout the world and the other on smoking cessation, are applauding Ontario-wide restrictions that come into effect this week. Geoff Fong and Paul McDonald believe new smoking regulations will save lives.

McDonald, who co-directs the Population Health Research Group at UW, says the new regulations that take effect on May 31 are a positive step forward and long overdue. “I have absolutely no doubt that the new regulations will improve and protect thousands of lives over the coming decades.”

He believes the regulations will have three key impacts. First, they will protect smokers and non-smokers from second-hand smoke, which may be more dangerous than previously thought. Second, they will assist current tobacco users to quit or to reduce the amount they smoke. Third, the restrictions lessen the visibility of smoking, which studies have shown influence whether or not young people smoke.

But McDonald stopped short of calling the regulations anything more than a first step. “While I applaud the government of Ontario for implementing the new regulations, there is still more that can and must be done.”

Fong, a psychology professor who is leading key aspects of the first international cohort study of tobacco use, called the regulations “a superb advance for public health in Ontario.” They offer more uniformed protection than did municipally based rules, which protect some citizens and leave others vulnerable.

Fong finds it an appropriate way to mark World No Tobacco Day, created in 1988 by the World Health Organization. He also finds it a fitting way to remember a waitress who just lost her very public fight to raise awareness of the dangers of second-hand smoke.

“Heather Crowe became the public face of all those put at risk by second-hand smoke in the workplace,” said Fong. “She recently lost her fight against cancer. This seems like an appropriate way to honour her.”

Fong is a leading world expert on the impact of tobacco control policies, focusing on such areas as smoke-free laws, warning labels, advertising and promotion restrictions, and taxation. He recently received $4.1 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to further his efforts over the next five years.

He is the chief principal investigator of the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC Project), the first international cohort study of tobacco use. The collaboration involves more than 40 researchers in nine countries with nearly half of the world’s smokers.

Fong has presented his research to high-level policy audiences throughout the world. He presented to the World Health Organization this past February, before an audience of policymakers from over 50 countries that have ratified the first-ever international health treaty, which is devoted to tobacco control policies.

McDonald works with partners in the public and private sectors to identify and evaluate methods for reducing the health and economic burdens of tobacco use. His research includes the development of a national strategy to help current smokers, the development and evaluation of a new tool to triage smokers into different types of cessation treatment, and the development of smoking prevention and cessation resources for youth.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation, the National Cancer Institute of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Health Canada and other sources have funded McDonald’s researcch. He has authored several self-help books and websites on smoking cessation, including On the Road to Quitting, Quit 4 Life, and One Step at a Time.

Both Fong and McDonald hope the Ontario-wide ban, World No Tobacco Day and the passing of Heather Crowe will help raise awareness of the dangers of smoking to both smokers and to non-smokers and will ultimately reduce tobacco use.

A baptized Roman Catholic, who is shown as an English-language Roman Catholic school board supporter on the municipal assessment list;

Not an employee of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board or any other district school board or school authority in Ontario.
Information about the role of Trustees as well as the interview and selection process is available on the Board's web site at:

www.wcdsb.edu.on.ca/ap_memos.html OR
by contacting the Secretary of the Board.
Interviews will be held in the Boardroom on Wednesday, June 28, 2006 and Thursday, June 29, 2006. Applicants must provide a signed resume and confirmation of their qualifications (suggested length: 3-5 pages) by 4:30 p.m., Friday, June 16, 2006 to:

Secretary of the Board
Waterloo Catholic District School Board
35 Weber St. W., Unit A, P.O. Box 91116
Kitchener, ON, N2G 4G2
FAX: 578-5291

Emailed resumes will not be accepted and all correspondence is subject to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

WATERLOO, Ont. - Three teams with students from the University of Waterloo's master of business, entrepreneurship and technology (MBET) program took the top three spots in the recent 2006 LaunchPad $50K Venture Creation Competition.

Cellugen Inc., which is developing a cell-based therapy for a type of leukemia, won the first prize of $25,000, along with three months of free services in the Waterloo Research + Technology Park Accelerator. Cellugen is made up of Diana Low, Liam Gore and Ryan Bentley, all candidates for the MBET degree, while Sabrina Perry is a PhD candidate in experimental medicine at McGill University.

The second-place team of College and University Explorations (CUE) won $15,000. CUE offers chaperoned tours of post-secondary institutions for high school students. Teammates Gerry DeLuca and Josh Bohnen are MBET candidates, while Jason Lyall is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University’s business administration program and Adam Pearsall is a graduate of the commerce program at Ryerson University.

Third place went to Zapweed, consisting of Kshitij Kaushik, an MBET candidate, and Jennifer Prine, an engineering candidate at the University of Guelph. Zapweed is developing an environmentally friendly product that will remove weeds from lawns with little physical exertion by homeowners. The prize for third place is $10,000.

"The strong showing of teams from the MBET program continues a successful business plan competition year," said Paul Doherty, associate director of the Centre for Business Entrepreneurship & Technology (CBET), which offers the master degree program.

Last March, Cellugen Inc. placed second in the IBK CapitalIvey Business Plan Competition and had strong results in the USF-PSI International Business Plan Competition run by the University of San Francisco. Other MBET teams finishing in the top 10 teams in various international business plan competitions include RPT Inc., a recycling firm, and Nanodrivers, a technology-based firm.

For more information about LaunchPad $50K competition, please visit www.launchpad50K.ca. For more information on the MBET program and its competition placements, please visit http://cbet.uwaterloo.ca.

TORONTO - The Association of Canadian Deans of Education, a national not-for-profit organization representing those responsible for preparing 21,000 teachers annually for Canada's public schools, today released a statement declaring their support for teachers and teacher education in Canada. The Accord on Teacher Education represents the first time that all Canadian education deans have come together to urge provincial governments to support university teacher education programs.

In recent years education faculties have suffered from funding cuts, increased student quotas, and limits to program length. Canada's education deans are responding to the developing crisis in teacher education programs by asking governments and the public to increase their investment in the programs.

"Teachers in Canada's public schools need our support," says Alice Collins, president of the association and dean of education at Memorial University of Newfoundland. "If the Canadian public cares about its education system, then it must care about the preparation of teachers. The quality of the education provided in our public schools is directly dependent on the caliber of the teachers. For Canada to have the best possible teachers, provincial governments need to make a significant investment into university teacher education programs."

Michel Laurier, dean of education at the Université de Montréal, agrees with Collins. "We rely on our public school system to produce the innovators of tomorrow," Laurier says. "If we are not producing high quality teachers, then the education system, and ultimately the whole country, pay the price." The Association ratified its Accord on Teacher Education in October 2005. Members will sign the Accord today during their annual meeting at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, held at York University. To obtain a copy of the Accord on Teacher Education, email: acde.educ@ubc.ca.

WATERLOO - The Elliott Avedon Museum and Archive of Games at the University of Waterloo has just opened a new exhibition for animal lovers who like to play games.

Animal Games features card games, board games, puzzles and children's games -- all based on animal themes. Visitors can discover new games and gain hands-on experience with them.

"The public can see the type of animal games that people used to play 100 years ago and have fun trying out newer games that share the same theme," said Jinhee Chung, museum technician and a graduate student in recreation and leisure studies. "There is lots of fun for both children and adults alike."

She said visitors can also learn about the history of classic games, such as Snakes and Ladders, Monopoly, Rummy and Uncle Wiggily.

The free exhibit is open to the public in the museum's public gallery through December 2006. Cash donations are welcome. The gallery is located in B.C Matthews Hall, off the Columbia Street entrance to UW. There's a public bus stop in front of the building and a parking lot ($4 coin entry) to the right of the building.

Spring visiting hours are Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., until June 15. Summer hours are Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To book a group tour, call 519-888-4424.

Chung said that museum staff can answer public questions about old games and that the museum welcomes donations of old games. "Help us to further the legacy of this unique institution for generations to come."

The museum collection includes more than 5,000 physical objects -- many of which have been exhibited in the public gallery since 1971. Private, public and corporate donations have supported the acquisition of artifacts from many parts of the world.

A few hundred of these objects are documented on the museum's website: www.gamesmuseum.uwaterloo.ca.

The website features photographs and documentary text about many individual items in the collection. Presented in the form of "Virtual Exhibits," each documentary web page includes one or more illustrations of collection objects. Continuing its primary research mandate, the museum answers email inquiries on an individual basis.

The museum is operated by the recreation and leisure studies department, staffed by graduate students and co-op students, and administered by the faculty of applied health sciences as part of the Waterloo Heritage Collections Association. Funding is provided by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, and the federal Department of Canadian Heritage.

TORONTO - Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics is hosting an important gathering of Ontario's top physics teachers for a three-day conference examining science education, teaching methods and the transformative potential of modern physics.

The Institute, in conjunction with the Ontario Association of PhysicsTeachers (OAPT) will provide special, interactive workshops and sessionswith invited international guests including:

- Assoc. Prof. Paula Heron, Physics Education Researcher, University of Washington
- Gary Williams, National Coordinator, Institute of Physics Teachers Network, UK
- Kiran Sachdev and Bogdan Luca, award-winning creators of "Al's Relativistic Adventures"

Talks will feature leading scientists from Perimeter Institute as well asDr. Howard Burton, Executive Director, on "Research, Outreach and Beyond". Over 90 teachers from across Ontario will attend. Full details and schedule are available at this link:

www.perimeterinstitute.ca/activities/community/OAPT_Conf_2006/index.php.

WATERLOO – Two academics, two former politicians and a motivational financial writer/speaker are being awarded honorary doctorates at this spring’s five Wilfrid Laurier University convocations.

On June 8, in Waterloo, Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees will be awarded to James Breithaupt and Dr. Alfred Pletsch.

The following day, also in Waterloo, an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree will be awarded to David Chilton, and an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree to Dr. Don Morgenson.

On June 14, in Brantford, an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree will be awarded to The Honorable Robert Nixon.

“Each of these recipients is remarkable in his own right,” said Laurier president Robert Rosehart, “and we are indeed fortunate to be able to pay tribute to them in this way. An honorary doctorate is the greatest honour a university can bestow on an individual.”

Breithaupt, a Waterloo College student from 1952 to 1954, completed a BA in honours economics at the University of Western Ontario then earned a master’s degree from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall.

He taught economics and political science courses at WLU from 1962 to 1967 and from 1978 to 1981. In 1967, he was elected to the Ontario legislature as the Liberal MPP for Kitchener. He was re-elected four times over 17 years and was, at various times, finance critic, house leader and justice critic, as well as chair of the public accounts committee and chair of the select committee on company law.

Breithaupt joined WLU’s board of governors in 1969 and was vice-chair in 1973, when he suggested that Wilfrid Laurier University be added to the names being considered when Waterloo Lutheran University would become a publicly funded institution.

From 1984 to 1993, Breithaupt was chair of the Ontario Law Reform Commission and then of the Commercial Registration Appeal Tribunal.

Pletsch, a professor of geography at Philipps University in Marburg, Germany, not only teaches Canadian geography, but is also a leader in promoting Canadian studies in Germany.

It was Pletsch who began the Philipps-Laurier student exchange program in 1983, under which more than 100 students, plus faculty and staff, have gone in each direction between the two universities.

Pletsch has produced virtual geography texts on Canada and Germany, and was the first recipient of the prestigious John G. Diefenbaker Award from the Canada Council for the Arts.

Of his well over 200 publications, more than 60 are on Canada. Pletsch has been a researcher with and is currently a member of the advisory board of the Viessmann Research Centre on Modern Europe, which is based at Laurier.

Chilton is president of Financial Awareness Corp. of Waterloo, but he is best known for The Wealthy Barber, a self-published book on financial planning for the general audience that has sold more than two million copies in North America since first appearing in 1989.

Chilton, a Laurier economics graduate, is now a speaker-in-demand and behind-the-scenes philanthropist. He is also unstinting in his support of his alma mater, speaking to students and graduates whenever called upon because he genuinely believes in the importance of educating young people about their economic realities.

Morgenson has been a fixture at Waterloo Lutheran University/Wilfrid Laurier University since 1960, when he was hired as an assistant professor of psychology and was also promptly made acting director of athletics.

Through his more than four decades at the university, Morgenson has been an award-winning teacher (including being named Canadian Professor of the Year in 1986 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education), prolific researcher and writer (including numerous articles in the popular press), department chair and a member or chair of numerous committees.

Off campus, Morgenson has been active in Amnesty International, Big Brothers, the John Howard Society, the World Federalists of Canada, Oxfam and the Kitchener-Waterloo Human Rights Caucus.

Although long past the normal retirement age, Morgenson continues to teach at Laurier and receives glowing teaching evaluations.

Nixon succeeded his father, Harry Conwin Nixon, as Brant MPP in 1961. Nixon senior spent 42 years as an MPP, including three months as premier. Robert was leader of the Ontario Liberals from 1967 to 1976 and was provincial treasurer from 1985 to 1990.

He became Agent General of Ontario in Great Britain, led a federal task force studying the Pearson Airport privatization deal, and was chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of Canada.

Nixon is being honoured for his many contributions to public life in Ontario, in particular to Brant County.

WATERLOO – The University of Waterloo is about to become the first academic institution in North America to use a new inventory and security system from 3M. The university and the company are today announcing a $1-million gift-in-kind involving 3M’s One Tag radio frequency identification (RFID) system.

RFID technology is a relatively new concept in the management of library collections and security. The 3M One Tag differs from other systems by fastening a single RFID tag to library resources. The tag, or chip, contains all of the information necessary to locate and identify library materials, ensure security and streamline the checkout process for library users and staff.

“This state-of-the-art technology from 3M will enhance UW’s image as a leader in technology and innovation, while improving the overall efficiency of how our library’s collection is circulated,” said Mark Haslett, university librarian. “The system will also resolve a long- time cause of some small frustration for our community. Students, faculty and guests using the Davis and Porter libraries will no longer need to have their backpacks checked for library materials by the attendant stationed near the building’s exit.”

3M’s RFID technology will be installed in the Davis Centre Library this fall and in the Dana Porter Library by September 2007. 3M security systems are already installed in the university map library and the Musagetes Architecture Library.

An official announcement of the gift will take place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. today in the ICR Corporate Partner Lounge in the William G. David Research Centre at the University of Waterloo.

3M and Waterloo have enjoyed a long and productive business relationship for more than 25 years. 3M has been an active employer of UW co-op students and now employs over 50 UW graduates at its North American locations. In addition to matching gifts, the company established the 3M Canada company bursaries for students enrolled in engineering, business, science and computer science programs at UW. 3M is a global diversified technology company serving customers in more than 200 countries around the world. With global head offices in St. Paul, Minnesota, the company is a leader in a variety of major markets including consumer and office; display and graphics; electronics and telecommunications; safety, security and protection services; health care; industrial and transportation. Established in 1951, 3M Canada Company was one of the first international subsidiaries opened by 3M and today it is one of the largest.

CMA Centre for Responsible Organizations set to mould new generation of business leaders

TORONTO - The Certified Management Accountants of Ontario (CMA Ontario) and the School of Business & Economics (SBE) at Wilfrid Laurier University are pleased to announce the official opening of the CMA Centre for Responsible Organizations on Wednesday, May 24, 2006.

The Centre is the only multi-disciplinary initiative at a Canadian university dedicated solely to the advancement of research and knowledge devoted to the development of responsible organizations. The new CMA Centre for Responsible Organizations at Laurier is made possible by a $250,000 investment provided by the Certified Management Accountants of Ontario. Building on the strength of established business programs, SBE's new CMA Centre for Responsible Organizations will further the world-class expertise of southern Ontario's educational institutions.

"CMA Ontario is pleased to take this active part in developing the new generation of business managers who will lead their organizations to success, while being committed to corporate social responsibility," said David Hipgrave, president and CEO, Certified Management Accountants of Ontario. "CMAs are well-placed and in demand to provide leadership in organizational strategy during an era of increasing business and stakeholder complexity. The new CMA Centre for Responsible Organizations is a testament to this leadership."

The CMA Centre for Responsible Organizations at Laurier is unique in Canada because of its breadth. It will conduct research in a variety of areas ranging from ethical conduct in business to international organizational sustainability. Because of this, it will attract scholars from many different academic disciplines.

The Centre aims to be Canada's leader in theoretical and applied research on responsible organizations in areas such as:

i) innovation and design of responsible business models, products and operating procedures;

ii) development of performance measurement and evaluation metrics;

iii) community building, by which organizations pursue core objectives while still enhancing societal goals; and,

iv) foster development of social entrepreneurship.

"The Certified Management Accountants of Ontario is an outstanding organization with whom we have had a long and mutually beneficial relationship," says Scott Carson, dean of SBE. "Support for this research centre brings CMA's standing in the business school community of Canada to a new level. We are delighted to be working with them on this exciting new initiative."

"The British government announced Monday that it will commit at least $15 billion to finance education in Africa over the next decade," reports Agence France Presse.

"'In total, Britain will commit at least $15 billion over the next 10 years, four times as much as the $3.5 billion of the previous 10 years,' British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown told the 'Financing for Development: From Commitment to Action' conference of African finance ministers in Nigeria's capital Abuja. Brown said he would press other G8 finance ministers at their meeting in June in St. Petersburg to follow suit and commit their share, starting with closing the immediate $400 million funding gap in the World Bank's fast track initiative. ..."

The Associated Press and Dow Jones write that "... Brown asked African leaders to come forward with proposals for additional funding. 'On your part you need to demonstrate immediately that you have the plans in place that are ambitious, showing step by step over 10 years, your route to providing education for every child and the appropriate skills for your economy,' Brown said. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said Nigeria has already prepared an educational plan to take advantage of the UK financing. ..."

Xinhua (China) notes that speaking at the conference "...Obasanjo said with the program in place, he believed the country was ready to benefit from any foreign aid in the sector. ... He emphasized the need for donor countries to honor their pledges with concrete actions and charge the conference to evolve 'a thorough assessment' of how to achieve goals and provide the resources needed. ...

"While thanking the governments of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Luxembourg and Netherlands for keeping aside 7 percent of their GDP as development aid, Obasanjo called for a concrete plan of action on international aid to Africa. ... The Nigerian president believed that unless concrete action was taken, it would be difficult for any sub-Saharan African countries to attain the UN millennium goals by 2015."

Reuters adds that "Irish rock star Bono met Brown at a Nigerian primary school on Monday, as Africa moved to hold the rich world to account over promises to fund a 'Marshall Plan' for the continent. ... 'Education for every child is the most cost-effective investment the world could ever make,' Brown said, adding that every extra year of schooling also had measurable impact on a country's health and prosperity. ... Brown said Russian President Vladimir Putin had already agreed to put education on the agenda at the next Group of Eight meeting in Russia in July. ..."

The Guardian (UK) notes that "...Britain has been backing the clean-up efforts of President Olusegun Obasanjo's administration, and ... Nigeria's Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She has been spearheading attempts to ensure that money from the write-off of $18 billion of debt earlier this year finds its way into improving the lives of the 100 million Nigerians who live on less than a dollar a day."

In related news, The Vanguard (Nigeria) reports that "Nigeria Sunday signed a loan agreement for $43 million with the African Development Bank

(ADB) to finance skilled training and vocational education. The deal was signed by ADB President, Donald Kaberuka and Okonjo-Iweala at a ceremony in Abuja. Kaberuka said the agreement was significant because it marked the third intervention by the bank in the education sector in Nigeria. ..."

The Day (Nigeria) notes that "a United Nations education team arrived in Abuja to begin a process of developing a blueprint for Nigeria's education sector. Tagged the 'National Education Support Strategy' (NESS), the project, according to the team, is aimed at achieving an operational modality for implementing the Global Action Plan on Education at country level. ... The team plans to identify strategic areas of technical cooperation and capacity building and education sector development priorities as frame works to drafting and applying the National Education Support Strategy. ..."

Laurier’s very own executive chef Tim Brooke and catering manager Kelly Ough recently took part in an Iron Chef Competition that was part of the first annual Chef’s Conference in Niagara Falls.

The pair were teamed with two other chefs from Toronto and Barrie and together they beat out 17 other chefs from across the country.

The competition, which ended the conference, gave each team four hours to prepare two courses (an appetizer and an entrée) and decorate their stations according to the type of food they were cooking. They were judged on how well they prepared, their presentation and the quality of their cuisine. 50 guests were then invited to sample each of the stations.

As part of the winning team, Ough and Brooke were presented with a plaque and culinary knife set.

The conference, which took place Sunday, May 7 to Tuesday, May 9, also held workshops and lectures on a variety of topics, including how to use herbs and edible flowers, cooking with wine as well as catering and hospitality.

Also present at the conference were Canadian chefs Michael and Ann Olsen from the Food Network.

“It was a great opportunity for Kelly and Tim,” says Rob Sexton, Manager of Food Services. “They represented Laurier very well and all of the organizers were impressed. I’m very proud of both of them.”

And will students be seeing edible flowers in their meals from the dining hall come September?

“I’m not sure about that,” says Sexton. “But Kelly and Tim can definitely use what they learned at the conference to enhance the food quality at Laurier.”

Best Student Recruitment Plan - Bronze

Encompassing everything from the Admissions Viewbook to the website to the many campus tours, Laurier’s student recruitment plan took home bronze for its extensive efforts. The yearlong recruitment process includes one of the best campus tours in the country, with thousands of visitors coming to experience the Laurier community. Liaison staff also visits well over 600 high schools, connecting the guidance counselors, parents and students with Alumni, professors, and trained staff.

The helpful efforts have paid off with an increase of Ontario Scholars applying to Laurier and also preferring Laurier as a first choice. Judges were impressed with the content, “use of third-party endorsements” (alumni, students etc), outreaching to the guidance community and a strong and consistently-applied Laurier brand, which is “vibrant, youthful and comprehensive.”

CCAE PRIX D'EXCELLENCE is a national annual awards program that recognizes outstanding achievement in alumni affairs, public affairs, development, student recruitment and overall institutional advancement. The awards will be presented at a special Awards Luncheon in Ottawa, Ontario, June 3 – 6, 2006.

OTTAWA - The Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) welcomes the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) initiative to develop a Composite Learning Index (CLI) as a positive development.

"The Index has the potential to enrich the debate on public education outcomes and move it beyond the narrow scope of school rankings and standardized test scores supported by groups such as the Fraser Institute," says CTF President Winston Carter.

Carter furthers explains that his federation supports a broad definition of learning outcomes that goes beyond high test scores on subject matters that are easily measurable.

"CTF has a longstanding policy on learning that emphasizes that it be broad in scope and holistic in nature in order to meet the needs of children, community and the larger society," says Carter.

The CLI Index is inspired by the UNESCO Delors Report (http://portal.unesco.org) and measures four critical dimensions of learning that are the essence of a balanced education: <<

- Learning to Know (knowledge development);
- Learning to Do (vocational development);
- Learning to Live Together (social development); and
- Learning to Be (personal development).


"CTF recognizes there are weaknesses and limitations in obtaining quality data on a number of the outcome indicators in the CLI. Although more research is required to improve the index, we are encouraged that the Canadian Council on Learning has recognized the importance of producing and publicizing a balanced education index that values and measures outcomes that go beyond standardized test scores.

"We believe that the CLI will make a significant contribution in helping enhance the public's understanding and appreciation of the multiple purposes of education and their links to lifelong learning," concludes the president.

CTF is the national voice of over 215,000 teachers across Canada.

TORONTO - Teachers from all of Ontario's publicly funded school systems, who are the members of the Ontario Teachers' Federation, participated in a national survey on commercialism in public education.

Issues raised by the study include:

- inappropriate corporate involvement or intrusion into schools, including long term exclusive contracts with soft drink manufacturers;

- increasing user fees for supplies, essential course materials, field trips, school sports and activities, which make participation difficult for children from low-income families; and

- increasing dependence on school level partnerships with corporations to support programs.

Last year in Ontario, $41.5 million was spent by Ontario teachers to provide resources for classrooms and students -- an average of $286 per teacher per year. According to parent advocates, Ontario parents raised $42 million for elementary education and $21 million for secondary education in that same period.

The national study shows that fundraising dollars are used in over half of Ontario schools for library books, in more than one-third of Ontario schools for technology and, in almost a third, for academic programs. OTF President Marilies Rettig said, "While the McGuinty Government in Ontario is reinvesting in public education, there is still a significant gap and this funding void continues to be filled with fundraising. The reliance on fundraising is reaching the point of institutionalization."

"This new reality must be challenged. This study helps inform a debate about the adequacy of funding for public education and the need to ensure that all students have the same access to a successful education experience," said Rettig.

The study was conducted by the Canadian Teachers' Federation, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Fédération des syndicates de l'enseignement (CSQ) of Quebec.

The Ontario Teachers' Federation is the advocate for the teaching profession in Ontario and for its 144,000 teachers. OTF members are full-time, part-time and occasional teachers in all the publicly funded schools in the province -- elementary, secondary, public, Catholic and francophone.

TORONTO - Six Ontario university professors will receive their profession's top provincial honour: a prestigious award acknowledging their outstanding skills.

The awards, determined following a provincewide competition adjudicated by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) Awards Committee, will be handed out at an awards luncheon in early June.

"These teaching awards represent a recognition of the major accomplishments of these six worthy recipients," says OCUFA President Michael Doucet. "There were a number of nominations received this year making the OCUFA Awards Committee's task in choosing the six best extremely difficult." The recipients will be honoured at an awards ceremony at the Renaissance Toronto Hotel Downtown, 1 Blue Jays Way, Toronto, June 9, 2006 at noon.

Six professors will receive teaching awards at the ceremony: Professor Deborah Cook from the Departments of Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McMaster University, Geography and Environmental Studies Professor Michael Fox from Carleton University, Biology Professor Jon Houseman from the University of Ottawa, Professor Anna Moro from the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics at McMaster University, Professor Sarah Todd from the School of Social Work at Carleton University, and Trent University Geography Professor Susan Wurtele.

Individual news releases providing information about each award recipient can be obtained at www.ocufa.on.ca.

Scientists at the University of Guelph received more than $5 million on May 16, to advance seven innovative food and bio-materials research projects. They range from understanding consumer acceptance of functional foods and nutraceuticals to assessing and identifying risks of novel plant and animal food products to studying bacteria and biofilms.

The funding is being provided by the national Advanced Foods and Materials Network (AFMNet). The U of G projects are among 20 research initiatives that the network is investing $12 million in over the next three years. More than 75 researchers at 24 universities across Canada are involved. Industry and other public sector partners will contribute an additional $3 million.

“AFMNet is helping ensure Canada’s pre-eminent role in foods and materials research,” said Prof. Rickey Yada, the network’s scientific director and a U of G food scientist. AFMNet supports the strong collaboration between diverse research disciplines, industry, government and policy makers, which is key to its success, he added.

"It allows research results to journey beyond the lab to government groups and industry partners that can change policies and make new, more healthful products, available to Canadians.”

AFMNet was established in 2003 and is part of the national Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) program, which fosters partnerships among university, government and public and private agencies. There are 23 NCEs across Canada, overseen by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Industry Canada.

Based at U of G, AFMNet includes some 87 Canadian researchers from the natural sciences, engineering, health sciences, social sciences and law. It’s the only NCE in Canada focussing on food research.

Each of the projects that received support today is led by one or more expert researchers who will co-ordinate a national team of investigators.

Microbiologist Prof. Terry Beveridge is involved in two projects. He and Guelph physics professor John Dutcher received $1.2 million to study the structure, growth and nanotechnology applications of bacteria, biofilms and foods. The second project, a $7000,000 initiative involving researchers at Dalhousie University and Saint Francis Xavier University, involves examining bacterial porin proteins.

Cecil Forsberg, also of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, received $450,000 to support his research on assessing and identifying risks of novel plant and animal products.

Chemistry professor Jacek Lipkowski received $1 million to study protein and peptide self-assembly, while philosophy professor David Castle and a collaborator from the University of Alberta will run a $645,000 project exploring the social issues involved in nutritional genomics.

Food Scientist Yoshinori Mine received $475,000 to continue his studies on functional peptides and amino acids to improve health.

Launched a registry of bullying-prevention programs.
Invested $7.83 million this year to help schools purchase, create or expand their bullying-prevention programs.

These initiatives will help address concerns that have been raised in research done by the government and other sources. The government’s province-wide School Safety Audit of Ontario schools showed that 86 per cent of the respondents surveyed want access to an inventory of available, effective violence prevention programs.

“Safe schools are a prerequisite for student achievement,” said Education Minister Sandra Pupatello. “That’s why our government is committed to making sure every publicly funded school has a bullying-prevention program and resources for better school safety.”

According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, roughly one in three students in grades 7 to 12 report having been bullied at school, and just under a third report having bullied someone else.

In December 2004, the McGuinty government launched its Safe School Strategy to ensure that students feel safe at school and on school grounds. The strategy includes a bullying-prevention program in every school, school resources, training for teachers and principals, and a partnership with Kids Help Phone.

OTTAWA -On May 15 the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) released an innovative and powerful tool to inform Canadians about their progress in learning-the Composite Learning Index.

While some findings of the learning index paint a discouraging picture of Canadians' overall status as learners, the national organization that created the index says there is hope for improvement if we rethink our notion of learning to make it lifelong.

Examining factors that contribute to learning, from youth through to adults, both in and out of the workplace, the index points clearly to the fact that Canadians are strong learners when they are in school but don't fare as well once they graduate.

Overall, Canadians get a passing grade-73 on a scale of 100-but in some areas they lag behind. For example, 42% of Canadian adults are considered not to have the literacy skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based economy, and only 35% of Canadians are offered on-the-job training.

And that, says CCL president and CEO Paul Cappon, is a problem. "It is clear from our findings that Canadians do relatively well as learners throughout the formal education system. But after graduation we collectively fall short. To be competitive, we need to do better," says CCL President and CEO Paul Cappon.

The Composite Learning Index map shows at a glance where Canadians need to improve their learning, and CCL highlights the value of doing so. By tackling questions raised by the index, communities can start their progress toward gaining the benefits of a learning society.

"Learning cannot start and end in the classroom. For Canadians to succeed, they need to continue learning throughout their lives. Our social cohesion, our health, our economic growth and our role in the world depend on it."

CCL is not alone in making this assertion. Findings of a CCL poll released in April 2006 revealed that 97% of Canadians agree that lifelong learning is central to Canada's success. However, when shown data about key areas of learning, survey respondents felt that Canadians were not making the grade in nine of 11 areas. For example, Canadians think that at least 61% of employees should participate in job-related courses, whereas currently only 35% of Canadian employees participate in such programs.

The index is both a research tool and a catalyst for change, says CCL's president. "By connecting the dots between different facets of learning, we have a much better sense of our strengths and weaknesses," said Cappon. "The Composite Learning Index will help get to the root of why we are falling short in some of the most critical areas of learning. It will promote a long overdue, national dialogue on the importance of lifelong learning in Canada."

Composed of 15 different learning indicators, the index reflects learning throughout all phases of life. The index includes, for example, data related to youth development, post-secondary attainment rates and the availability of workplace training. These indicators are combined to calculate a 'score' that illustrates the extent to which learning conditions in Canada support economic and social well-being. The index will enable Canadians to monitor differences at the community level and assess their progress over time.

Full results of the Composite Learning Index are available through an interactive map of Canada on CCL's website at www.ccl-cca.ca/cli, including community-by-community results for Canada's 27 major cities.

The Canadian Council on Learning is an independent, not-for-profit corporation funded through an agreement with Human Resources and Social Development Canada. Its mandate is to promote and support evidence-based decision making about learning throughout all stages of life, from early childhood through to the workplace and beyond.

Laurier faculty and staff, past and present, were invited to a barbecue Tuesday to celebrate the success of the 2005 Our Community, Our Laurier campaign and to launch the Open Our Hearts, Open the Door 2006 Campaign.

The barbecue, which was hosted by Dr. Robert Rosehart, Laurier’s president and vice-chancellor, was held in the Quad with more than 600 people in attendance. There were hamburgers, hot dogs, salads and refreshments for everyone. A Laurier brass quintet was the feature entertainment, along with Laurier’s very own Golden Hawk.

The Our Community, Our Laurier campaign is the university’s annual campus campaign which builds support from faculty, staff and retirees. In 2005, the Laurier community came together to raise funds for various areas across the university. Thanks to the generosity of those who participated, the campaign exceeded its ambitious goal by 55%, with $387,680 raised in new gifts and pledges.

Funds raised during this year’s campaign will open many doors for our students through:

bursaries
scholarships
internationalization
student services support
improvements to the library.

“These are priorities for the university and to our students,” says Rosehart. “The barbecue is just one way for us to say thank you for your support of these initiatives. We hope that you will continue to open your hearts, and open the door for all Laurier students.”

Donors may also direct their support to an area or program of personal interest, or they may make an unrestricted gift that allows the university to use their donation to address an area of greatest need on campus.

To make a gift online, please contact Wendy Zufelt-Baxter at e-mail at wzufeltbaxter@wlu.ca.

The regional agricultural colleges at Alfred, Kemptville and Ridgetown will sport new names to reflect their membership within the University of Guelph community.

The campuses, which have been part of the the University's Ontario Agricultural College since 1997, will now be known as Université de Guelph - Campus d'Alfred, University of Guelph - Kemptville Campus, and University of Guelph - Ridgetown Campus.

The name change was formally announced in Alfred by Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario’s minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “I want to congratulate the three campuses as they officially change names to reflect their closer relationship with the University of Guelph,” she said.

With the name change, each campus will adopt a new graphic logo that integrates the campus name with the University’s distinctive identifier.

“Today’s announcement reinforces the integral role of the three regional campuses in the delivery of education, research and outreach programs for Ontario’s agri-food and rural sectors,” said University of Guelph president Alastair Summerlee. “It also supports the University’s vision of developing regional innovation centres as part of our multi-campus strategy.”

In addition to diploma, certificate and continuing education programs currently offered, the University will introduce degree programming at regional campuses beginning in September 2006, Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Bio-Resource Management will spend the first two years of their four-year program at one of the regional campuses, then complete their studies at the main campus in Guelph.

“Today’s announcement recognizes the evolution of the three regional campuses,” said OAC dean Craig Pearson. “They will become increasingly important access points for undergraduate and technical programs. The name change recognizes their national and in some cases, international reputations for applied research for the benefit of Ontario.”

He added that each of these campuses has a long history, unique culture and distinct mandate, with strong ties to their local community. Likewise, OAC has a 130-year tradition of excellence and a reputation as a global leader in life sciences education and research for food, agriculture, the environment and rural communities.

“Officially establishing the colleges as branches of the University of Guelph honours these unique histories and our joint commitment to continuing this tradition of excellence in a unified manner,” Pearson said.

U of G took over the research and education programs at the three regional campuses, as well as at other research facilities previously overseen by OMAFRA, in 1997 as part of the Enhanced Partnership agreement with the ministry. The regional campuses, as well as 14 other agricultural research stations, are managed by the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario.

Local elementary students introduced to careers in the skilled trades

On Thursday, May 18th, Grade 7 and 8 students from 19 schools within the region will be participating in a Trades and Technology Day being held at Conestoga College’s Doon Campus. This is a joint initiative organized by Conestoga College, the Waterloo Region District School Board, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, the Wellington Catholic District School Board, and the Upper Grand District School Board. The primary objective of this program is to introduce young people to careers in the skilled trades and technologies through hands-on workshops in one of 12 areas, including architecture, broadcasting, carpentry, precision machining, electrical engineering, woodworking, early childhood education and more. While participating in their assigned workshops, students will also learn about the many skilled trades and technological career opportunities.

Six members of the University of Guelph community have been named recipients of the YMCA-YWCA’s 2006 Women of Distinction Awards. The 11th annual awards ceremony was held Thursday at the River Run Centre, with several hundred people attending.

Forty-six women were nominated for their achievements in eight categories: arts and culture; business, labour, the professions and entrepreneurs; education, training and development; public service; science, technology and research; voluntary community service; wellness and health; and young woman of distinction. In addition, four women were honoured for lifetime achievement from among the various categories.

Virginia Gray, director of U of G’s Office of Open Learning, received a lifetime achievement award in education and training. Gray’s career in education spans more than 35 years, and under her leadership, Open Learning’s offerings have grown from 55 to 208 degree courses, and enrolment in distance courses has surpassed 17,000, with students coming from more than 50 countries. She also helped create the Science @ Guelph Experience (S@GE), which introduces students in grades 7 and 8 to science and university life.

Another lifetime achievement award went to Dr. Margo Mountjoy, a sports medicine physician who works with the University’s Health and Performance Centre. She was recognized for her voluntary community service and for being a local, national and international advocate for sports and fitness. A former competitive synchronized swimmer and the team physician for the Canadian Olympic synchronized swimming team, she is the first Canadian and the first women to serve as chair of the Fédération Internationale de Natation, the international federation that governs all aquatic sports. She is also the first female member of the International Olympic Committee’s Sports Medicine Committee.

Cyndy McLean, director of U of G’s Health and Performance Centre, received the award for voluntary community service award. She is a national ambassador for the Rick Hansen Foundation and was instrumental in bringing to Guelph the annual Wheels in Motion fundraising event, which has raised more than $40,000 in the past two years to help local residents with spinal cord injuries. McLean also volunteers to help families who have loved ones with disabilities and is an outspoken advocate of the need for education, research and improved accessibility.

“It was tragedy that brought me to the Rick Hansen Foundation,” said McLean, a former marathon runner and elite-level athlete who became paraplegic in 2003 after falling more than 100 feet off a cliff. But life-changing incidents can offer new beginnings, she said, adding that she now encourages the people she mentors to look at the roadblocks in their lives merely “as speed bumps.”

The science and technology award went to Prof. Moira Ferguson, chair of the Department of Integrative Biology. Ferguson, who is also a U of G graduate, is the first woman to chair a department in the College of Biological Science. She was recognized for her contributions as a scientist studying genetics and evolution, as an educator and for her service to the broader scientific community.

Cathy MacMillan, a 1991 BA graduate of Guelph, received the award for business, labour, the professions and entrepreneurs. She was lauded for being a role model for women in business as the owner and chief operating officer of MacMillan Marketing Group, which has a primarily female workforce. MacMillan is also active in numerous volunteer community groups.

Another U of G graduate, Philomena Bonis (B.Sc. ’86) was honoured in the education and training category. An award-winning teacher, she is known for encouraging students, especially girls, to follow non-traditional career paths. Bonis is the first public school teacher to be accepted into the prestigious International Space University in Pomona, Calif.

WATERLOO -- University of Waterloo student engineers will unveil this year's model of the competition-ready UW formula race car on Monday (May 15).

The event takes place between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at UW's "C" parking lot, near the intersection of University Avenue and Seagram Drive.

"Activities include a driving demonstration of the new model, a chance to meet the student designers and a barbecue," said Gareth Kenworthy, team leader for the UW Formula SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Team.

Each year, a team of about 15 engineers designs, builds and tests an open-wheel race car from the ground up and to the limits of performance and weight. "The entire car is designed by students, with the exception of a few parts, like the engine which is sourced from a Honda CBR600 motorcycle," Kenworthy said.

The team will compete in the annual Formula SAE competition to be held May 17-21 in Pontiac, Mich. Considered the largest student-engineering competition in the world -- with 140 universities representing more than 11 countries -- the student teams aim to prove their designs in presentations and on-track racing.

The Formula SAE competition seeks to evaluate each car's design, cost, marketability and dynamic performance through a series of events testing each team's knowledge and ability.

Last year, UW's team placed fourth overall, a result current team members hope to surpass next week.

"Highlights of this year's design are a well integrated tubular steel space frame that mounts a re-designed suspension, which has improved stiffness and control," Kenworthy said.

"The engine is custom dyno-tuned to use electronically controlled, variable intake runner lengths and staged fuel injection for improved power. A bespoke lightweight limited slip differential provides better control over wheel spin."

Kenworthy said the innovations could not be possible without the team's sponsors. "Their support is greatly appreciated," he said.

Broadcasting - Radio and Television has long been a popular program at Conestoga. Offered at the Doon campus in Kitchener, it explores many aspects of the broadcasting profession: news and entertainment, on-air performance, programming, mobile production, regulations, sales, camera operation and videography, editing and management. Senior-level students specialize in either radio or television, and all students in the program gain considerable experience at Conestoga's television studio and at 88.3 CJIQ-FM, Conestoga's radio station that has a signal that covers most of southwestern Ontario. Many students add to the value of their studies by working part-time in the broadcasting industry during their period of enrolment.

Beginning in the fall of 2006, the program will be restructured into two programs, each two years in length. One will be titled Broadcasting - Radio, the other will be Broadcasting - Television. This decision has been made for several reasons: the increasing level of specialization required in each broadcasting field; the opportunity for students to choose their specialization and complete their studies sooner, in order to start their careers sooner; and the increased ease of linking to related university programs that allow advanced standing for diploma graduates.

Winners of multiple awards are:

* Christina Marshall of Eden Mills --

The $250 Carl A. Pollock Memorial Award (sponsored by Electrohome Ltd.) for the highest academic standing in the second year of program studies and the $250 Broadcaster of the Year Award (CTV/CKCO-TV) for outstanding talent and excellence in programming and production;

* Ken Milmine of Kitchener --

The $500 Betty Thompson Memorial Bursary (CTV/CKCO-TV) for community involvement through volunteer work and the $250 Broadcasting Faculty Award (CHUM Radio) for outstanding support of the program's teaching team;

* Matt Schichter of Waterloo --

The $500 John Larke Memorial Award (CHYM-FM/CKGL 570 News) to pursue further broadcasting-related education and the $300 K.A. MacKenzie Memorial Award (former faculty colleagues and friends) for innovative use of technology;

* Jennifer Vallee of Kitchener --

The $250 Creative Writing Award (CJCS/107.7 MIX-FM) for excellence and variety in commercial writing and the $250 Community Programming Award (FM 98.5 CKWR) for radio production related to community activities or stories.

Winners of individual awards are:

* Mark Araujo of Ayr --

The $250 Station Manager's Award (Rogers Television) for excellence in production of local television during field placement with Rogers;

* Jamie Gibson of Cambridge --

The $250 third-year Announcer of the Year Award (CHYM-FM) for progress and excellence in announcing;

* Daniella Huber of Plattsville --

The $250 Promotion Award (106.7 KICX-FM) for achievement in developing a specific promotional campaign within a predetermined budget;

* Jeff Johnson of Drumbo --

The $250 Newsperson of the Year Award (CJOY/MAGIC-FM) for enterprise and expertise in news reporting;

* Nikki Konarski of Waterloo --

The $250 91.5 The Beat Student Achievement Award (CanWest Global) for significant academic improvement demonstrated during the second year of program studies;

* Adam Krulicki of Kitchener --

The $250 second-year Announcer of the Year Award (CHYM-FM) for progress and excellence in announcing;

* Matt Pancer of Kitchener --

The $500 Award for Excellence in Radio Programming (CHUM Radio) in recognition of demonstrated advanced skills in documentary or magazine-format programming;

* Barry Rooke of Guelph --

The $250 Radio Production Award (107.7 MIX-FM) for demonstrated individual ability in creative commercial production;

* Randy Sachs of Dobbinton --

The $250 first-year Announcer of the Year Award (CHYM-FM) for progress and excellence in announcing;

* Steve Vanderheide of Kitchener --

The $500 Pat Fitzgerald Award (CKCO-TV staff) for collegiality with respect to other students through demonstration of motivation, goodwill, patience and consideration;

* Tim Vanderspek of Waterloo --

The $250 Award of Contribution (Rogers Television) in recognition of a student volunteer on field placement with Rogers who demonstrates outstanding commitment to local television;

* Lyndsey Woolcock of Kitchener --

The $500 Christopher-Allen Rawnsley Award (SONY of Canada) for the demonstration of exceptional visual production skills.

On May 9, 2006 Mayor Kate Quarrie congratulated Conestoga College on yesterday’s announcement by Chris Bentley, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities that confirmed support for the school’s co-op/ apprenticeship/ diploma program and committed $11.5 million in funding for skilled trades to colleges across Ontario over the next four years.

The growth of this innovative apprenticeship curriculum will expand the millwright program at Conestoga College’s Guelph campus. Students will have the to opportunity make contacts with prospective employers that could be converted to full-time apprenticeships. Employers will see the tax credits for training new apprentices and the ability to see them working before taking them on as a full-time apprentice. The net result is a growing number of youth involved in Ontario’s economy.

"Given the importance of skilled trades in our economy, I am pleased that Conestoga’s Guelph campus will play such a key role in training and supplying apprentices to employers the area and the province."

WATERLOO - Canada's Nobel Prize Laureate John Polanyi is among the speakers sharing their visions of nanotechnology at the 2006 Ontario Nano Symposium to be held May 19 at the University of Waterloo.

The all-day event seeks to build and strengthen local nanotechnology research communities, as well as spawn new collaborations, said Flora Li, one of the graduate student organizers. She added that the event will offer information about UW's new nanotechnology initiatives.

"The Ontario Nano Symposium will provide an excellent opportunity for students and researchers from across the province to present their work in the area of nanoscience and nanotechnology," said Li, also a member of the Giga-to-Nano Electronics Laboratory at UW. "It will allow for an exchange of ideas and create an environment for collaborative work with fellow researchers."

Polanyi, a professor of chemistry at the University of Toronto, will give a talk on the Nanoscale Printing Press. A researcher exploring the molecular motions in chemical reactions in gases and at surfaces, Polanyi received the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Other featured speakers include: Peter Grutter, director of the NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council) Nano Innovative Platform; Jim Webb, director of the Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences; and Gehan Amaratunga, a professor at the University of Cambridge in Britain, who heads the Electrical Power and Energy Conversion Research Group.

Organizers expect to attract scientists and researchers from diverse backgrounds, including physics, biology, chemistry, engineering and medicine. The event will consist of invited talks by speakers at the forefront of research, poster presentations, along with a panel discussion.

Nanotechnology is a branch of science and engineering devoted to the design and production of atom-sized structures in order to produce breakthrough properties.

For example, the next generation of electronic devices may contain smaller and faster circuits built from single strands of carbon nanotubes, or powerful drugs may be delivered precisely to targeted areas in the body by means of customized carrier molecules.

The symposium, organized by graduate students in the electrical and computer engineering department, is supported by the NSERC Nano Innovative Platform, Ontario Centres of Excellence and UW.

Challenges, say members of the City of Waterloo Town and Gown Committee, that can be addressed through collaboration and through an ongoing and collective focus on providing a happy, healthy and safe community. Although the Town and Gown Committee has existed in Waterloo for many years, and in many different forms, 2005 marks the first year that the committee has opted to create a report highlighting the many ways this group has worked together to affect change and foster a spirit of collective and inclusive resolution.

Explains Kaye Crawford, Chair of Waterloo’s Town and Gown Committee and Manager, Community Relations, for the City of Waterloo, “This report provides the first comprehensive list of programs, activities and initiatives that town and gown stakeholders have put their energy towards over the past school year. As we head into the next school year, it will be an excellent foundation for our committee because we can look back on our past successes, as opposed to starting from scratch every time.”

Working on the Town and Gown committee are representatives from the universities, the college, area municipalities, the region, local residents, students and police. The report highlights the areas of education and prevention, policing, planning and by-law enforcement, licensed establishments and community relations.

“There have been some real successes in Waterloo” says Crawford, “and they aren’t all focused on responding to complaints. We’ve developed a welcome bag program that asks permanent residents to pass on information about Waterloo to new students, worked together to unveil the Veterans’ Green Parkette.”

A new initiative for the committee this past year was the Door Knocker Program, a program headed by Waterloo Regional Police Service that brought together enforcement officials from the police, the city and the campus in a door-to-door campaign in neighbourhoods near the university to welcome newcomers and give out information about living in Waterloo.

“We are doing lots of really good work,” said Wilfrid Laurier University Dean of Students David McMurray, who chaired the subcommittee that wrote the report. “Until you put all of the information together, it’s hard to get a clear picture of all of the things that are being done to better address the concerns and issues of people living close to the universities. This report reflects the many ways the Town and Gown Committee is working not only to understand the issues, but to be part of a solution.”

In addition to the local committee, the City of Waterloo also supports a provincial initiative for town and gown communities focused on sharing information across Ontario. Through a new website and a symposia held each year, all stakeholders have an opportunity to learn about trends and successes from each other. For more information see www.tgao.ca.

The newly formed Town and Gown Association of Ontario will host its fourth symposium in Brantford on May 11 and 12, 2006, focusing on ‘Building an Educated Community’. The evening dinner and key note address, featuring former Ontario premier Bob Rae, is open to the public. Tickets can be obtained through townandgown@wlu.ca.

WATERLOO – The Link, a student-run association for Laurier business undergraduates, and the Laurier school of business and economics have partnered to present the fourth annual Leadership in Business conference, an opportunity for Grade 11 and 12 students from across Ontario to experience business studies at Laurier.

The four-day conference will be run Thursday, May 11 through to Sunday, May 14. Participating students will spend three nights in Macdonald residence and take part in a case simulation and experience university life. In addition, participants will have the chance to interact with industry leaders, Laurier alumni, fellow high-school students, and university students, staff and faculty.

“Our purpose is to connect past, present and future students of Laurier,” says Darren Quinton, president of The Link. “The high-school students can come and experience business at Laurier and meet successful alumni, which will hopefully aid them when they’re thinking about a career.”

The theme for the weekend is financial management. The students will be divided into groups headed by Laurier undergraduates and participate in academic sessions and workshops and work through their case simulation, which they will present on the last day of the conference. A gala dinner will feature keynote speaker Laurier alumnus Dennis Kavelman, chief financial officer of Research In Motion, who was recently named by The Globe and Mail as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40.

“The conference has grown since its first year,” says Quinton, who remembers participating in the original Leadership in Business conference when he was in high school. “The sessions are bigger and the calibre of guest speakers is elevated.”

Established in April 2002, The Link is a student-run association with a mandate to create a cohesive business community and offer opportunities for students to be involved both creatively and academically outside of the classroom. The Link also partners with the school of business and economics to host a speaker series, which has presented notables such as Angela Mondou, a renowned entrepreneur and creator of ICE Leadership, and David Chilton, author of the bestseller The Wealthy Barber and a Laurier alumnus.

This investment supports construction of a $34-million, 54,000-square- foot facility on the corner of King and Victoria streets. Besides classrooms and state-of-the-art technology for the medical students, there will be a family medicine teaching clinic. This facility will be co-located with UW’s School of Pharmacy, which is currently under construction.

“This Region has a tradition of making community investments which set it apart from many others “ said Regional Chair Ken Seiling. “In the area of health care, it has long seen the value of supporting health care capital projects. This is one that will be looked on in future years as a key investment that was pivotal to the future health and prosperity of our people.”

The Ontario government has put $8 million towards the capital costs. It will also pay the operating costs of the satellite medical school, estimated at $70 million over the next 10 years.

The McMaster satellite medical school will start with 15 students in September 2007 and grow to a complement of 90 within seven years. Physicians will be recruited to Waterloo Region to teach them and, by 2012, more than 140 students and residents will have a medical experience in Waterloo Region each year.

Gerry Thompson, associate vice-president of strategic initiatives at UW said: “These changes will have a noticeable effect in alleviating the shortage of physicians in this area.”

The Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, the second-largest medical school in Ontario, produces physicians faster than other schools -- in three years rather than four. The school is world- renowned for its innovations in teaching doctors using a small group, problem-based learning style with early exposure to patients and community focus.

“The Region of Waterloo has proved its reputation for innovation and vision again with its support of this unique opportunity to locate the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine with a school of pharmacy,” said Dr. John Kelton, dean and vice-president of the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University and dean of the medical school. “This will be specifically beneficial to the community, as well as the province and Canada.

“We’ve been honoured by the warm welcome we’ve received from everyone in the Region of Waterloo.” The innovative project builds on Kitchener's $30-million commitment and gift of land to the University of Waterloo. The UW Health Sciences Campus is expected to attract a wide range of health professionals and address the need for expertise in health technology, health informatics, biosciences, population studies and biomedical engineering, while filling the urgent demand for more pharmacists and doctors in Ontario.

“Our partners are McMaster and the region, and we at the University of Waterloo, are committed to seeking excellence in all that we do,” said David Johnston, president of the University of Waterloo. “This innovative partnership demonstrates what a community can accomplish when its members seek to turn a unique situation into an opportunity.”

Among the benefits for the community in Waterloo Region:

* Locating a satellite medical school in Waterloo Region will improve attraction and retention of doctors to an under-serviced community. It is known that a high percentage of physicians tend to practice where they are trained.

* McMaster University will offer its students a choice of campus based on preference and geographic background.

* The development of a primary care clinic and specialist clinics across the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) will improve community access to an integrated spectrum of health care services.

* UW and McMaster are ready to collaborate in several integrated teaching opportunities, including some joint learning of the medical and pharmacy students.

* A dynamic community with innovative thinking as its hallmark, along with a rapidly growing population, will allow for transformation of research advances and knowledge into health benefits, economic opportunities and improved health care.