Guelph - Once again, the University of Guelph has been ranked Canada's No. 1 comprehensive research university in two surveys released today by an independent national consulting firm.

U of G was named "Research University of the Year" in an annual ranking published by Research Infosource Inc. It's the fourth time Guelph has garnered the top spot.

The rankings are based on total sponsored research income, faculty research intensity, total publications, publication intensity in leading journals and publication impact. The report divides Canada’s top research universities into three categories: medical/doctoral, comprehensive (research universities without a medical school) and undergraduate, and names a winner in each division.

In the comprehensive category, U of G received an overall score of 83.6. The University of Waterloo ranked second with 78.9, and the University of Victoria third with 68.8.

Research Infosource also published a second survey today, its annual Top 50 Research Universities List, which ranks Canadian universities based solely on sponsored research income from both government and non-government sources.

In that survey, U of G was the top comprehensive university for the sixth year in a row, with research income in excess of $149,000, an 18.9 per cent increase over the previous year. Compared to Canadian universities in all three categories, U of G ranks 12th.

“Todays recognition is first and foremost a recognition of the faculty, staff and students who make our university the creative and innovative place it is," said Alan Wildeman, vice-president (research).

"The rankings are based on quantitative measures, but beneath the statistics are the more important qualities of commitment, hard work and dedication and U of G's strength in these areas is immeasurable."

Seventeen Ontario universities made the "Top 50" list, together bringing in $2.3 billion in total sponsored research income. Overall, Canada's universities reported $5.53 billion in sponsored research income in 2006, a 6.4 per cent increase from 2005.

Research Infosource is a division of The Impact Group, a Toronto-based organization that provides information about the research activities of Canadian companies, universities and governments.

WATERLOO - A new endowed research chair at the University of Waterloo will investigate ways to protect and restore the quality of groundwater in order to provide a reliable supply of safe and clean drinking water.

The UW chair in groundwater research, based in the department of earth and environmental sciences, will improve the quality of water by preventing contamination from pollutants or by removing those pollutants after contamination. About 35 per cent of North Americans depend on groundwater for drinking water. Since aquifers convey water downstream to lakes and rivers, pollutants pose a threat to surface water quality.

"There is ample evidence from around the world that water - especially clean drinking water - is becoming increasingly scarce," says George Dixon, UW's new vice president of university research and a water researcher. "The impact on people and their economic activities will be enormous, but there's also tremendous opportunity for researchers and industry leaders determined to seek innovative solutions."

Imperial Oil will help launch the endowed $4-million chair, with a $250,000 donation over five years. UW will contribute $1.5 million toward the endowment, with the rest coming from private sector contributions.

"Imperial Oil is pleased to support the University of Waterloo's groundwater research program and its innovative work in the area of groundwater and surface water management," says Cindy Christopher, manager of safety, health and environment at Imperial Oil. "Supporting environmental research, education and conservation has long been a priority at Imperial. Meeting the demand for energy in an environmentally responsible manner requires that we endeavour to support research in many different fields of science."

Imperial is now encouraging other industry leaders to support this chair.

The new research chair will honour the founding chair of the department of earth and environmental sciences, the late Robert Farvolden, whose vision and leadership at UW were instrumental in building its worldwide reputation in hydrogeology since the 1970s. The department has named an annual groundwater lecture after Farvolden.

Over the years, UW has developed, patented and commercialized many innovative groundwater remediation technologies. For example, researchers have developed barriers that remediate or remove pollution from the groundwater. These barriers are now widely used around the world.

The specific topics to be explored by the research chair could include industrial contaminants in groundwater, contaminant transport processes in groundwater, groundwater in resource industries, role of groundwater in the ecology of wetlands, physical hydrogeology, or any combination of those areas.

The main thrust of the research chair's work will be to protect groundwater and encourage conservation, expanding on Waterloo's current expertise in water technology and contaminant remediation. Other key goals include increased industrial research collaboration and training of professionals required in the field.

The holder of the new chair will be an internationally renowned scientist in the field of groundwater research. The process of recruiting the chair will begin once $1.5 million has been raised from the private sector.

Imperial Oil's gift was raised as part of one of Canada's most successful campaigns in the post-secondary sector. Campaign Waterloo reached its $260-million goal two years ahead of schedule, increased the goal to $350 million, and has so far raised $413 million.

Toronto, Guelph and Royal Military Named Research Universities of the Year

Toronto - Seventeen Ontario universities are on Canada's Top 50 Research Universities List 2007, released today by Research Infosource Inc. Together these universities took in $2.3 billion in sponsored research income, up 8.9% over last year. Canada's top 50 research universities reported $5.53 billion in sponsored research income, a 6.4% increase over Fiscal 2005, doubling last year's growth of 3.2%. Ontario universities accounted for 42% of total research income in Fiscal 2006. Sponsored research income includes both government and non-government sources. The lion's share of sponsored research income at Canadian universities continued to come from Government sources, accounting for 69% in 2006. Corporate sources made up 13%, while Non-corporate sources (individuals, foundations, etc.) contributed 14% of the total. Investments/endowments and other income made up the remainder.

Research University of the Year

The University of Toronto, University of Guelph and Royal Military College of Canada were named "Research Universities of the Year" in their respective categories by Research Infosource Inc., which today also released Canada's Top 50 Research Universities List 2007.

For Research University of the Year, in the Medical/Doctoral category, University of Toronto came 1st with 100 points, McGill University was 2nd with 74.3 points, and University of British Columbia was 3rd with 67.2 points. The University of Guelph topped the Comprehensive category with 83.6 points followed by University of Waterloo with 78.9 points, and University of Victoria rounded out the category with 68.8 points. In the Undergraduate category, Royal Military College of Canada was in 1st place with 77.2 points, Trent University came 2nd with 76.1 points, and University of Northern British Columbia was 3rd with 65.4 points. Half the points were awarded based on financial indicators and the other half based on research output and impact measures.

"This was a solid year overall for Ontario's research universities. Their income grew at more than the national rate", said Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource.

For the regional picture, in Fiscal 2006, B.C.'s four universities took in $606.9 million in sponsored research income, an increase of 21.7% over 2005 for 11% of the overall total. Alberta's three institutions took in $658.9 million, down -3.3% over last year for 12% of the total. Saskatchewan's 2 universities posted a decline of -4.2% in sponsored research income with $129.8 million for 2% of the total. Manitoba, also with two institutions, declined by -4.6% in sponsored research income in 2006 with $144.2 million, 3% of the total. Ontario's 17 universities took in $2.3 billion, an increase of 8.9%, representing 42% of the total. Quebec's 12 universities increased their income this year by 2.9%, receiving $1.4 billion. New Brunswick's two institutions posted $52.7 million, up 12.5%. PEI with its one university received $12.7 million, up a substantial 30.1% this year. Nova Scotia's 6 institutions took in $140.3 million, up 5.2% and Newfoundland, with one university posted $77.2 million in sponsored research income, an increase of 25.6%.

Overall, research intensity (sponsored research income per full-time faculty) grew by 3.9% between Fiscal 2005 and 2006, reaching an average of $155,600 per faculty position. Alberta universities posted the highest research intensity with $202,000, followed by Ontario with a research intensity of $172,200 per faculty. Quebec was 3rd with $164,400 and British Columbia was a close 4th with $164,000. Manitoba was 5th at $102,500, Saskatchewan came 6th with $90,700, followed in a very close 7th position by NFLD with $90,300, Nova Scotia was 8th with $76,300, New Brunswick was 9th at $58,600 and PEI was 10th with $57,900.

The University of Toronto remained in top position on Canada's Top 50 Research Universities List 2007, reporting $763.5 million in sponsored research income for Fiscal 2006, increasing 7.7% over Fiscal 2005. Increasing their research income by 4.2% over last year, Université de Montréal maintained 2nd spot again this year, with $447.2 million. University of British Columbia was #3, moving up 2 spots from last year with $422 million, an increase of 17.4%. McGill University came in 4th, down from 3rd last year with $397.1 million of research income, with a decrease in income of -6.1% over 2005. University of Alberta's research income also declined this year by -3.5% moving them down 1 spot to 5th place with $382.8 million. McMaster University had a -3.9% decline in sponsored research income but maintained their 6th place ranking with $331.6 million. University of Calgary also posted a negative growth this year of -3.4%, maintaining their position at 7th with $262.2 million. Université Laval picked up a spot moving from 9th last year to 8th with $258.9 million and a year over year growth of 12.1%. University of Ottawa dropped a spot to 9th from 8th with $244 million and University of Western Ontario rounded off the top 10 research universities with $225.9 million and a substantial increase of 25.6%.

The Sun Grant Initiative involves a network of land-grant universities collaborating with the Department of Energy to reduce America’s dependence on petroleum through development of a biobased economy.

The idea is to strengthen American agriculture while simultaneously improving rural economies and developing environmentally friendly manufacturing products and technologies.

The new cooperative agreement with SDSU’s North Central Sun Grant Center will focus on three main tasks important to developing biofuels: education and outreach, feedstock assessment, and feedstock development.

Authorized by Congress in 2004, the regional Sun Grant Centers include South Dakota State University, Cornell University, Oregon State University, Oklahoma State University and the University of Tennessee. These regional centers emphasize research, higher education, and Extension programs on renewable energy and biobased industries. The national Sun Grant Association coordinates their efforts.

Doolittle said the outreach work will build on an Internet-based effort to provide open access to biomass science information. Called BioWeb, that project is an Internet library of peer-reviewed papers and information related to bioenergy and bioproducts.

The feedstock assessment component calls for using Geographic Information Science (systems) technologies such as satellite imagery to estimate feedstock supply and come up with supply curves. That work will help in siting biorefineries.

Co-director Matthew Hansen of SDSU’s Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence is coordinating that work for South Dakota and the other regional states that make up the North Central Region. Similar GIS projects are going on in the other Sun Grant regional offices to estimate feedstock supply there.

SDSU will assemble the national data set and work with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to analyze the data.

The feedstock development part of the project will get the largest share of federal funds, Doolittle said. The Department of Energy is looking for large-scale field research on both herbaceous and woody feedstocks.

Researcher Wally Wilhelm from the USDA Agricultural Research Service office in Lincoln, Neb., will lead a team that will look at the sustainability of using cornstalk residues as biofuel feedstocks, answering questions about impact on soils.

WATERLOO — Are there limits to thinking of humans as purely physical beings? How do thoughts and desires impact the physical world? What are our ethical obligations to other people and societies?

Interesting questions, yet most of us wouldn’t know where to begin to find the answers. But for a group of Laurier master’s degree students, exploring answers to these questions will become the focus of their academic year.

As part of Laurier’s new master’s program in philosophy — Self, Agency and Community — students will examine various dimensions of the self and how the self relates to others at the individual, societal and political level.

“This program is the only one of its kind in Canada,” says philosophy department chair Dr. Neil Campbell. “What sets us apart from other philosophy programs is our focus on a particular theme.”

Recognizing the need to develop a master’s program that could compete with existing philosophy programs elsewhere, Campbell and his colleagues knew that “we had to come up with something unique, something that would draw students to Laurier.”

Once they decided that a thematic approach was their best way to capture a “niche market,” faculty members examined their own research interests. “We found that there is a surprising amount of overlap in our work on the nature of the self, and relations between selves and communities,” says Campbell. “The intersection on these issues came from a wide variety of angles.”

The faculty’s research interests helped shape the program’s theme, as well as the number of different philosophical perspectives from which students will examine the issues. The perspectives include metaphysics, epistemology, social and political philosophy.

To highlight the program’s uniqueness, Laurier chancellor Bob Rae will officially open the new master’s degree program on Friday, Oct. 26 with a 20-minute presentation.

“It’s a privilege to have Bob Rae inaugurate the program,” says philosophy professor Dr. Ashwani Peetush. “With his legal and political insight, he will lend a valued perspective to our theme of self, agency and community.”

The one-year program is one of six new master’s programs introduced at Laurier this year. In addition to its thematic approach, other unique program features include a research seminar that helps students jump-start their major research papers, and student participation in a year-end conference. The program is designed to prepare students for doctoral study or careers in government or the private sector.

The program’s opening event will take place Friday, Oct. 26 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Room 101 of the Bricker Academic building. The event is open to Laurier faculty, students and staff. For further event information, please contact Dr. Ashwani Peetush (apeetush@wlu.ca). For further information about the program, please contact Dr. Neil Campbell (necampbe@wlu.ca), or Dr. Jill Rusin (jrusin@wlu.ca).

WATERLOO - The University of Waterloo will host a special presentation next week on India's emerging global trade interests, featuring a senior executive of the Tata Group, one of the India's largest business enterprises.

Alan Rosling will give the Tata Lecture on Monday, Oct. 29. He will discuss India's internationalization efforts and how to do business with the world's second most populous country. The talk will be held in UW's laurel room, located in south campus hall, from noon to 2 p.m.

As an executive director of Tata Sons, Rosling is a member of the Tata Group Corporate Centre and is responsible for the group's drive to internationalize.

In his talk, Rosling will explore a number of ideas and issues related to doing business with India and its rapidly emerging manufacturing sector.

"The Tata Group is at the forefront of establishing long-term mutually beneficial relationships with universities around the world for decades, including Waterloo," says UW president David Johnston. "Waterloo and the Tata family of companies share a common set of values, namely integrity, understanding, excellence, unity and responsibility."

In 2003, UW and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), part of the Tata Group, signed a memorandum of agreement in order to create co-operative education work placements for UW undergraduate students and establish collaborative research.

"We are pleased to be partnering with the University of Waterloo to bring Alan Rosling to speak as part of the ongoing Tata Lecture Series," says Mukesh Gupta, TCS director of strategic relations. "Our goal through the Tata Lecture Series is to further the understanding and education of UW students about India and the Tata Group."

The Tata Group, founded by Jamsetji Tata in the mid-19th century, comprises 98 operating companies in seven business sectors: information systems and communications; engineering; materials; services; energy; consumer products; and chemicals.

The enterprise has operations across six continents, with its companies exporting products and services to 80 countries. It is one of India's largest business conglomerates, with revenues in 2005-06 of $21.9 billion.

Among key figures at the presentation will be Akhilesh Tripathi, of Tata Consultancy Services; Neena Gupta, of Gowlings, the event's premier sponsor; and John Tennant, of Canada's Technology Triangle Inc.

OTTAWA - The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry, met with the presidents of 80 of Canada's universities and degree-granting colleges at the annual meeting of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) held october 24, 2007.

"Canada is a country with extraordinary potential to be a positive force in the world," said Minister Prentice. "Canada's universities and colleges have a significant role to play to ensure that the work of researchers in our universities is translated into tangible benefits for Canadians."

In May 2007, the Government of Canada announced the Science and Technology (S&T) Strategy, Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage, a multi-year framework designed to create a business environment that encourages the private sector to innovate and to guide intelligent, strategic investments of public funds.

The Strategy sets out three distinct Canadian advantages: an Entrepreneurial Advantage that encourages firms to be innovators; a Knowledge Advantage that puts Canadians at the international forefront of research and discovery; and a People Advantage that helps Canadians acquire the skills they need to participate in the knowledge-based economy. These advantages will enable researchers, innovators and businesses to improve Canada's productivity performance, create high-quality jobs and enhance Canadians' quality of life.

"Our S&T Strategy is aimed at getting the conditions right so that we, as a country, can get better at transforming discoveries into products that make a difference in people's lives, and turning knowledge into wealth," said Minister Prentice. "We must mobilize professors and students to pursue research excellence at nothing less than world standards, partner when appropriate to ensure that leading-edge knowledge is used to improve the standard of living and quality of life of Canadians and focus in areas of opportunity for Canada."

In Budget 2007 the Government of Canada announced $1.9 billion in funding for a number of the policy commitments in the S&T Strategy, almost all of which will go to support S&T-related activities at Canadian universities and community colleges.

Conestoga College has recently received additional funding from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to expand its academic upgrading classes at the Stratford campus, 130 Youngs St. For many years, academic upgrading has been a daytime activity. Now, classes are also available from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday evenings.

According to Marilyn Haslam, Coordinator of Academic Upgrading, "We are the best-kept secret in Stratford, and these new evening classes are a great opportunity for those with daytime jobs to return to school and prepare for college or apprenticeship training. What many people don’t know is that a high school diploma is not required for entry to college diploma programs. The college preparation classes offer all the academic upgrading courses required for college entry."

College preparation courses cover subjects such as English and communications, mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics. There is no tuition charge and no charge for textbooks.

"Academic upgrading is not like being back in high school,” Haslam adds. “Classes are small, you learn only the things you need to, and teachers provide plenty of one-to-one assistance. You learn at your own pace, and you can build your schedule around work and home responsibilities."

Students can study subjects they missed in high school, increase their marks in subjects they did take in high school, or refresh their knowledge in subjects they studied several years ago.

The Stratford campus is next to the Stratford General Hospital and easily accessible by city bus.

For further information and to discuss details, contact Marilyn Haslam at 519-271-5700 ext. 227. Information is also at www.conestogac.on.ca, by following the quick links to these topic headings: Prospective Students, and Apply without a Grade 12.

WATERLOO — Are there limits to thinking of humans as purely physical beings? How do thoughts and desires impact the physical world? What are our ethical obligations to other people and societies?

Interesting questions, yet most of us wouldn’t know where to begin to find the answers. But for a group of Laurier master’s degree students, exploring answers to these questions will become the focus of their academic year.

As part of Laurier’s new master’s program in philosophy — Self, Agency and Community — students will examine various dimensions of the self and how the self relates to others at the individual, societal and political level.

“This program is the only one of its kind in Canada,” says philosophy department chair Dr. Neil Campbell. “What sets us apart from other philosophy programs is our focus on a particular theme.”

Recognizing the need to develop a master’s program that could compete with existing philosophy programs elsewhere, Campbell and his colleagues knew that “we had to come up with something unique, something that would draw students to Laurier.”

Once they decided that a thematic approach was their best way to capture a “niche market,” faculty members examined their own research interests. “We found that there is a surprising amount of overlap in our work on the nature of the self, and relations between selves and communities,” says Campbell. “The intersection on these issues came from a wide variety of angles.”

The faculty’s research interests helped shape the program’s theme, as well as the number of different philosophical perspectives from which students will examine the issues. The perspectives include metaphysics, epistemology, social and political philosophy.

To highlight the program’s uniqueness, Laurier chancellor Bob Rae will officially open the new master’s degree program on Friday, Oct. 26 with a 20-minute presentation.

“It’s a privilege to have Bob Rae inaugurate the program,” says philosophy professor Dr. Ashwani Peetush. “With his legal and political insight, he will lend a valued perspective to our theme of self, agency and community.”

The one-year program is one of six new master’s programs introduced at Laurier this year. In addition to its thematic approach, other unique program features include a research seminar that helps students jump-start their major research papers, and student participation in a year-end conference. The program is designed to prepare students for doctoral study or careers in government or the private sector.

The three-hour reopening event, featuring a live lab demonstration for industry professionals and academics, takes places Thursday, Oct. 25, beginning at 11 a.m. in Carl Pollock Hall, room 1333, on the UW campus.

The HVEL lab, which does studies on such areas as power transmission and insulation, suffered a costly fire March 7, 2005. The lab now is rebuilt and ready for business. The two-storey lab, covering 4,200 square-feet, is based in the department of electrical and computer engineering.

"HVEL is one of the most research-intensive facilities in North America and features state-of-the-art technology," says Shesha Jayaram, director of the laboratory and a professor of electrical and computer engineering.

She says the electrical and power engineering researchers at UW bring together expertise in insulation, applied electrostatics, nanodielectrics (high voltage insulating materials with unique properties), pulse power applications, power electronics, renewable energy, power quality and distribution systems.

Alain Francq, director of industry and government relations, adds: "Our strength is in our flexibility to go beyond standard testing, to produce innovative research and top engineering talent for the energy industry."

MONTREAL - Concordia's Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science will hold its first annual Awards of Distinction. This year's honourees are James Gosling, best known for designing the Java computer programming language and implementing its original compiler and virtual machine and John Holding, a prolific aeronautics designer who developed an unprecedented one marketable aerospace product a year. Holding has designed programs for both Canadair and Bombardier Aerospace.

As a leading centre of Canadian research on agriculture and development, the University of Guelph has been approached by the World Bank to provide feedback on its 2008 World Development Report (WDR).

The WDR is an annual publication that highlights important and current development issues; this year's report focuses on agriculture for development.

Interested members of the U of G community are asked to read the report, which is available online, and attend a presentation Oct. 23 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in Room 1715 of OVC's Lifetime Learning Centre.

The presentation will be conducted by Jimmy Smith, a senior livestock specialist from the World Bank's Agriculture and Rural Development Division and one of the advisers on the WDR report. He will make similar presentations next week to the Canadian International Development Agency and the International Development Research Centre.

"The fact that the World Bank is interested in hearing from U of G faculty, staff and students speaks highly of our reputation in agriculture and development," said Alan Wildeman, vice-president (research).

"Our feedback will be carried back directly to the WDR team, and our input will be valuable in subsequent discussion on the report."

McGuinty's Tuition Fee Increase Drives up National Average

TORONTO - A new Statistics Canada report confirms that tuition fee increases introduced when Dalton McGuinty cancelled Ontario's tuition fee freeze in 2006 are driving up the national average. Students call for the new government of Ontario to roll back tuition fee increases and reinvest in equal opportunity for all Ontario students.

"Today's report shows that Ontario students are paying the third highest tuition fees in the country, with a rate of increase that is nearly double the rate of inflation," said Jen Hassum, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario. "We haven't seen fee increases this steep since Mike Harris was Premier."

The Statistics Canada report on tuition fees released today reveals that tuition fees for Ontario undergraduate students increased by an average of 4.4% since 2006-2007, as compared to the national rate of increase of 2.8%. Two provinces have kept tuition fees frozen again this year and, in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, fees have been reduced by nearly 10%. This year, Ontario's undergraduate tuition fees have reached an average of $5,381, or $6,081 including ancillary fees. In some programmes like law at the University of Toronto, annual fees are well over $18,000.

"While other provinces are holding the line on tuition fee increases, the McGuinty government is allowing Ontario fees to reach record levels," said Hassum. "Polls show that 75 per cent of Ontario voters think that tuition fees should be reduced. Dalton McGuinty has a mandate and a responsibility to roll back his tuition fee increases and reinvest in affordable post-secondary education."

"Not only is there a massive disparity in affordability between provinces, but also between programmes of study. This will have a negative impact on access as well as on academic choice," said Hassum. "A college or university education should be a way to achieve your potential, today it would appear that you can only become the person you can afford."

Canadian full-time students in undergraduate programs are paying on average 2.8% more in tuition fees for the 2007/2008 academic year. This compares with a 3.2% increase for the previous year, and average annual increases of 4.3% during the last decade.

Canadian full-time undergraduate students are paying an average of $4,524 in tuition fees for the 2007/2008 academic year, up from $4,400 the year before. In 1998/1999, they paid $3,064 on average, and in 1988/1989, they paid $1,185.

During the 1990s, the undergraduate tuition fees increased at an annual average rate of more than 9.6%. Since 2000, increases have slowed to an average of 3.8%.

Canadian full-time graduate students are paying an average of $5,447 in tuition fees for the 2007/2008 academic year, up from $5,387 a year before.

This reflects government moves to limit tuition increases. Even with limited increases, the tuition paid by full-time undergraduate students has increased on average at a faster rate than that of inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index. However, since 2001/2002 both rates of increase have tended to be closer.

Tuition fees up in six provinces

Tuition fees for the 2007/2008 academic year for full-time undergraduate students rose in six provinces, including Quebec, where a freeze on tuition fees for residents, in place for more than 10 years, was lifted earlier this year.

The biggest increases were in New Brunswick and in Quebec, where fees rose 4.8%, and in Ontario, where they grew 4.4%.

Fees declined in two provinces: Prince Edward Island (-9.8%) and Nova Scotia (-8.5%). They remained virtually unchanged in Newfoundland and Labrador and Saskatchewan.

Despite substantial declines, the highest fees were again seen in Nova Scotia, where tuition cost undergrads $5,878 on average.

Even with Quebec's decision to lift the freeze, Quebec's students still paid just $2,025 on average, less than half the national average. Fees were also below the national average in three other provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Manitoba.

It should be noted that in Quebec and Nova Scotia, the tuition fee structure includes a different fee for resident and non-resident students. The calculations of weighted averages take that distinction into account.

The tuition for Canadian full-time students in graduate programs increased at a lower rate than for undergraduate students this year. In 2007/2008, Canadian full-time graduate students faced average tuition fees of $5,447, an increase of 1.1% over last year. This increase is less than half the rise in undergraduate tuition.

Tuition fees in professional fields still appear to be the highest

Compared with the 2006/2007 academic year, the biggest increases in undergraduate tuition fees for full-time students this fall were in the fields of physical and life sciences and technologies (+4.6%), in visual and performing arts and communication technologies (+3.9%) and in engineering (+3.8%).

Undergraduate students in medicine pay the highest tuition, $9,937 on average, up 2.9% from the previous year. Those in law saw a 2.5% rise to an average of $7,334.

The highest fees paid by Canadian full-time students in graduate programs are in business, management and public administration ($13,702) and in medicine ($7,168).

The biggest increases in graduate tuition fees from 2006/2007 were found in humanities (+3.7%), social and behavioral sciences (+3.7%) and in architecture and related technologies (+3.5%).

It should be noted that the subject with the highest tuition, business, management and public administration, is also the only one that showed a decrease from the previous year.

Full-time undergraduate international students also faced increases in tuition this fall. Nationally, these students are paying fees that are 4.5% higher than the previous academic year.

The average tuition fees for full-time undergraduate international students are $13,985, over three times the fees that Canadian students pay.

Tuition fees for international students rose in all provinces except Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.

Increases ranged from highs of 6.2% in Quebec and 5.6% in Saskatchewan to lows of 1.7% in Manitoba and 0.2% in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Additional compulsory fees on the rise

The bundle of services included in additional compulsory fees varies from one institution to the next and can also change over time. Typically, they include fees for recreation and athletics, student health services, student association and other fees that apply to full-time Canadian students.

Additional compulsory fees are generally exempt from any provincial tuition fee policy.

Additional compulsory fees for undergraduates make up 12.8% of the total fees a student is required to pay to the institution. This proportion was 10.7% in 1998/1999. Nationally, additional fees this fall rose by 10.0% over last year.

On average, students are paying $663 in additional compulsory fees in the current academic year, up from $603 last year.

The highest additional compulsory fees are in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, while the lowest are in New Brunswick. The largest increase in additional compulsory fees was in Nova Scotia, with the next highest increase in Quebec.

Additional compulsory fees remained stable in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Note to readers

The Survey of Tuition and Living Accommodation Costs for Full-time Students at Canadian Degree-granting Institutions (TLAC), which was administered from April to June 2007 to collect data on 2007/2008 tuition fees, has undergone important modifications.

The survey universe was increased from around 60 institutions in previous years to 102 institutions this year. In addition, the program classification, according to which tuition data are obtained, adopted the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) coding.

This new coding structure is now used for all postsecondary surveys and the Census of population. This allows the use of more recent and more accurate university enrolment data, which are also based on CIP, for the calculation of weighted tuition fees. Finally, data on the subject specific tuition fees paid by graduate students are now as detailed as those for undergraduate students.

These changes have a minimal impact on the interprovincial comparability of tuition data. But the comparability of tuition data across fields of programs will be affected. Given that a different subject classification is used, it is impossible to produce weighted average tuitions paid in a manner consistent with previous years.

In some cases (e.g., medicine, education and a few others), the classification remained consistent. For these disciplines, the only factor affecting the comparability of weighted averages to previous years is the number of institutions that provided tuition data.

In other cases (e.g., arts and sciences), the category no longer exists and the tuition for programs under that category may now appear under two or three different categories. It is not possible to map the tuition provided in the new categories to the categories used in preceding years.

All fees are reported in current dollars.

Data shown represent only a portion of all costs incurred for attending university. TLAC is an administrative survey with minimum response burden and resource requirement. Such a survey can only provide a portion of the total real cost of obtaining a university education. Additionally, data in this release do not account for the student financial assistance provided.

Guelph - Physicists at the University of Guelph have detected the first "on-the-spot" evidence of significant amounts of water still existing on Mars.

Rather than existing in pools, the water is trapped in sub-surface soil on the red planet, most likely the remnants of oceans or pools that evaporated, according to lead researcher Iain Campbell.

"Our work is the first in situ evidence for total bound water in the Martian subsurface,” said Campbell, a professor emeritus who has been working on the project for two years with fellow physics professor Ralf Gellert. U of G physicist Joanne O'Meara also provided computations that were a crucial element of the analysis.

The discovery was made courtesy of the Mars Spirit rover, a robotic device that has been exploring the Red Planet since early 2004 and sending back information about the planet's surface to scientists here on Earth, including Gellert and other members of the Mars rover team.

An X-ray spectrometer called an APXS on the rover's arm captured the data about the trapped water. "Other instruments suggest the possibility — the APXs lets us determine the actual amount," said Campbell, whose research group created a computer package that is used to help analyze data collected by the spectrometer on the Mars rover.

The water appears to be contained in mineral compounds in sulphur-rich soil just beneath the planet's surface, Campbell said. The distinctive bright white material was churned up by the rover's wheels as it moved across the soft red surface in the Columbia Hills region of the planet.

In a paper that is in the final stage of review by the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, the team says the bright, sulphur-rich material contains up to 16 per cent water.

Besides fuelling new evidence that there is water on Mars — considered a requirement for life on Earth's planetary neighbour — the discovery is helping scientists in designing a more sophisticated system for capturing information about the Red Planet.

“We've learned a lot from these new types of samples,” said Gellert. “Finding samples with the rovers in an otherwise dry and arid environment helps us to understand what happened to the water in the Martian past.”

Gellert is the lead scientist for the current APXS, which he helped to develop before arriving at U of G in 2005. He is now principal investigator for an international group of scientists developing a new APXS for the Mars Science Laboratory mission scheduled for late 2009. The device will arrive at Guelph next spring for testing and calibration before being delivered to NASA for installation on a new, souped-up rover.

WATERLOO — Laurier Reads, a community reading event, celebrates its official opening on Thursday Oct. 18 at 1:00 p.m. in the lower concourse of Wilfrid Laurier University.

Staff, students and faculty are invited to enjoy snacks, enter their names in a draw for free books or purchase a copy of the featured 2007 Laurier Reads books at a discount.

Dr. Max Blouw, Laurier’s president and champion of the event’s first book, The Chickens Fight Back, will be on hand for tomorrow’s launch from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. to speak about why he reads and to introduce the book’s author, David Waltner-Toews.

Laurier Reads is a campaign to encourage people to read, debate and discuss works of literature. It runs until Jan. 31, 2008, and features three books of local interest, each with its own advocate from the Laurier community. Throughout its run there will be author readings, discussions and free giveaways.

“This is the first year of what we hope will become an annual event,” says Clare Hitchens, publicist for the Wilfrid Laurier University Press. “We’re excited about the possibilities the Laurier Reads campaign will provide for authors in the Laurier community. It was important to us to plan an event that could unite the whole community — students, faculty, and staff — in the love of reading.”

This year’s books include The Chickens Fight Back by David Waltner-Toews; Last Notes and Other Stories by Tamas Dobozy; and Watermelon Syrup by Annie Jacobsen. Multiple copies are on reserve at the university library, and each book can be purchased at a discount at the Laurier Bookstore.

In addition to Dr. Max Blouw, participating campus personalities include Ginny Dybenko, dean of the Laurier School of Business & Economics, and Keren Gottfried, president of Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications. They will each read a book and keep a blog of their thoughts at http://www.clublaurier.ca.

WATERLOO - Close to 1,500 students will celebrate the successful completion of their studies as the University of Waterloo hosts its fall convocation ceremonies this Saturday. A total of 934 undergraduate and 555 graduate students will receive degrees and diplomas at morning and afternoon ceremonies in UW's physical activities complex.

"Convocation marks the end of a long journey filled with hard work," says UW registrar Ken Lavigne. "This is a proud moment for both the graduates and their families."

During the morning ceremony, which begins at 10 a.m., the university will confer degrees on 473 undergraduates, 205 master's degree students and 10 doctoral candidates in the faculties of applied health sciences and arts.

Toronto Star columnist Richard Gwyn, among Canada's most celebrated political commentators and biographers, will receive a doctor of letters and address the graduands.

The university will also bestow honorary doctor of laws degrees on Annie Wong Leung Kit Wah, a Chinese artist and philanthropist; John A. Pollock, a business leader and UW benefactor; and Bob Hunter, a facility executive of such venues as Ontario Place and Air Canada Centre. As well, Donald Iverson, a health researcher and founding director of UW's centre for behavioural research and program evaluation, will receive a doctor of science degree.

In the afternoon, the university will award degrees or diplomas to 461 undergraduate students, 269 master's degree students and 71 doctoral candidates in the faculties of engineering, environmental studies, mathematics and science.

Eminent earth scientist Christopher Barnes will receive a doctor of science degree and address the convocation ceremony, beginning at 2:30 p.m. A former chair of UW's earth sciences department, Barnes leads the NEPTUNE Canada, which is developing the world's largest cable-linked sea floor observatory off North America's west coast.

UW will bestow three other honorary doctorates in the afternoon ceremony. Engineering inventor Wai-Cheung Tang will get a doctor of engineering; energy researcher Angus Bruneau, a doctor of engineering; and computer scientist Richard Karp, a doctor of mathematics.

The university is also honoring Michael Howard, a retired professor of economics and a key figure in launching UW's doctorate program in applied economics, naming him distinguished professor emeritus.