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.

Guelph - The University's chancellor, Pamela Wallin, was appointed today by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to a five-person panel aimed at deciding the future of Canada's presence in Afghanistan after the 2009 deadline for the current mission expires.

Wallin, who is currently senior adviser to the president of the Americas Society and the Council of the Americas in New York, will be sitting on the independent advisory panel with Canada's former ambassador to Washington Derek Burney, who was Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney's chief of staff; former clerk of the Privy Council Paul Tellier; former Conservative health minister Jake Epp; and former Liberal minister of finance and industry John Manley.

Chaired by Manley, the panel is expected to report to the prime minister at the end of January on the best mix of military power, diplomacy and development aid for the country.

CHONGQING, CHINA — Wilfrid Laurier University has opened an office in one of the most dynamic regions of China to promote academic collaboration, research partnerships, and faculty and student exchanges.

The new office is based at Chongqing University, a major comprehensive university in the municipality of Chongqing, located on the Yangtze River in southwest China.

“The Laurier office in China will provide our students and faculty with the support needed to access an unprecedented number of opportunities to gain understanding of Asian and global perspectives,” said Dr. Max Blouw, president and vice-chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University. “Our objective is to increase co-operation in addressing some of the most important economic, social and environmental issues of the day.”

The office will provide Laurier with a central support unit for its many academic initiatives in China while furthering the university’s efforts to enhance its relationships with international partners.

“We are delighted to be opening this new office in China, which will help with internationalization at Laurier, one of the strategic objectives of our academic Century Plan,” said Dr. Sue Horton, Laurier’s vice-president: academic. “We are delighted to partner with universities in Chongqing, given the importance attached to higher education in China.”

A number of universities from around the world have partnerships in the Chongqing area, but Laurier is the first Canadian university to establish an office in this strategically important region.

“China is becoming a leading force in the economic, scientific and academic realms,” said Peter Donahue, director of Laurier International, who was in Chongqing for the announcement. “The establishment of an office here — especially in an important commercial and academic centre like Chongqing — provides Laurier with excellent opportunities for academic collaboration and faculty and student exchanges.”

The collaboration and exchanges will include a variety of disciplines, from business to social work, and from the sciences to the humanities and social sciences.

“The Chinese are growing their expertise in the humanities and social sciences, not just in science and engineering,” said Donahue. “They are very interested in the way we teach such subjects as business and social work.”

The Laurier office in China will initially consist of a manager and an assistant who will work with the Canadian Consulate in Chongqing to broaden relationships with Laurier’s existing 18 partners in China and to pursue new opportunities.

Chongqing is an influential municipality of 32 million people and some 50 universities and colleges. China’s central government is promoting the region as a hub of economic growth and reform under the country’s Western Development Strategy. Approximately 25 Canadian companies already have investment or commercial interests in the area.

The Laurier office will be based at Chongqing University. However, Laurier will use the office to work with other post-secondary educational institutions in the region: Southwest University, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing Jaotong University, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, and Southwest University of Political Science and Law.

Chongqing University is a major comprehensive university that has received preferential support under the Chinese government’s “211 Project,” which aims to strengthen and improve the country’s top universities. Chongqing University has 24 colleges, a graduate school, the City College, the College of Continuing Education, and the College of Networking Education. As of 2006, total enrolment stood at 57,472 students, including 12,000 master’s and doctoral students.

The China office initiative was spearheaded by Laurier International, an office of the univiersity that strives to provide leadership, service and support to Laurier’s international presence and activities

• Matthew Certosimo, a lawyer and member of the Ontario Citizens Assembly, the government-appointed commission that proposed the idea of mixed-member proportional representation (MMP).

• David Docherty, political scientist and dean of the Faculty of Arts at Laurier.

• Barry Kay, a Laurier political scientist.

• Geoffrey Stevens, journalist, author, and adjunct professor of political science at Laurier.

• Brian Tanguay, chair of Laurier’s Department of Political Science.

The panel discussion, which will be moderated by political science professor Andrea Perrella, will be held in Laurier’s Paul Martin Centre from 12:30 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. Audience comments and questions will be welcome.

WATERLOO - The University of Waterloo's Energy Days event to be held Oct. 23-25 will explore the challenges involved in building a sustainable energy system in Ontario.

The public event, sponsored by UW and co-ordinated by its faculties of environmental studies and engineering, draws on the expertise of campus and guest researchers to offer a series of lectures, discussions and displays. A related event, the third annual green energy youth conference for middle- and high-school students, will be held Sunday, Oct. 21 on the UW campus.

"Access to energy services is critical to human well-being, but our energy systems need to change since they are currently not sustainable," says Ian Rowlands, associate dean for research of the faculty of environmental studies.

"New policies will have to be part of the answer, and these new policies will have to be developed at every level -- locally, here in Ontario, nationally in Canada and globally around the world," Rowlands says. "The challenge for us all is to discover ways in which advanced energy technologies that can provide us with vital energy services in a sustainable manner can be encouraged."

The event will showcase a wide range of research into sustainable energy technology, including solar, wind and biogas energy sources, nuclear and clean coal efforts, carbon dioxide capture, hydrogen fuel cells and advanced battery technology. As well, studies of the power grid itself and clean-vehicle technology will be presented.

UW Energy Days offers the following talks, discussions and displays, all open to the public:

* Tuesday, Oct. 23, 7 to 9 p.m. -- a public talk and discussion will be held on Ontario's Electricity Future: Opportunities and Challenges. Location: Centre for International Governance Innovation, 57 Erb St. W. Admission is free.

The event features Amir Shalaby, vice-president of Power System Planning for the Ontario Power Authority, and discussion moderator Jatin Nathwani, Ontario Research Chair in Public Policy for Sustainable Energy Management, based at the University of Waterloo. Shalaby oversees the long-term integrated plans for the development of Ontario's electricity system.

* Wednesday, Oct. 24, 6 to 9 p.m. -- Energy Days open house. Location: William G. Davis Centre for Computer Research, foyer, UW campus. Admission is free.

The open house exhibits poster presentations and offers hands-on demonstrations of applications promoting green energy from various faculties at UW. As well, there will be a display of UW's green achievements, such as the Midnight Sun, Challenge X, Clean Snowmobile, Sustainable Technology Education Project and Residential Energy Efficiency Project.

* Thursday, Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m. -- a public talk and discussion will be held on Hot Air: Meeting Canada's Climate Change Challenge. Location: Arts Lecture Hall, room 116, UW campus. Admission is free.

The event features Mark Jaccard, a professor of resource and environmental management at Simon Fraser University. He has served on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development. His 2005 book, Sustainable Fossil Fuels: The Unusual Suspect in the Quest for Clean and Enduring Energy, won the Donner Prize for the best book in Canadian public policy. His latest book, Hot Air: Meeting Canada's Climate Change Challenge, co-authored with Jeffrey Simpson and Nic Rivers, was released in late September.

On Sunday, Oct. 21, the green energy conference for youth in southwestern Ontario will focus on residential and local conservation. The event, organized by UW's faculty of engineering and the Association for Bright Children, will teach students in Grades 7 to 12 about the feasibility of self-sufficient or partially self-sufficient homes and buildings. It will take place from noon to 4 p.m. in the arts lecture hall on the UW campus.

WATERLOO — The staff of Laurier’s new Centre for Co-operative Education and Career Development extend a warm welcome to faculty, staff and students to visit our new facilities on Monday Oct. 15, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Staff will be on hand to guide fellow members of the Laurier community through the distinctive new facility, located at King and Lodge streets.

The Centre for Co-operative Education and Career Development features increased programming to meet the career development needs of our students, and a professional recruiting environment, complete with expanded interview facilities and dedicated space for recruiting sessions for employers.

Other features include:

• The RBC Career Transition Program directed at meeting the career development needs of Laurier students with disabilities.
• More career-related programming involving community representatives and alumni.
• A research centre focused on practice and innovation in the field of career development.

To coincide with the opening of the new facility, the former Career Services department has been renamed the Laurier Career Development Centre.

Guelph - Guelph University Psychology professor Serge Desmarais, associate dean of the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences (CSAHS), has been appointed associate vice-president (academic). His five-year term begins Dec. 1.

Desmarais was chosen following an open and consultative process, says provost and vice-president (academic) Maureen Mancuso, who chaired the search committee. The committee presented three candidates to the University community in September, and feedback from faculty, students and staff was used in the selection process.

“Serge will be an energetic and outstanding AVPA,” says Mancuso. “He is enthusiastic and passionate about students, having been a teacher for more than 20 years, and as a psychology professor, he brings unique experiences and training in working with people to the position. I am very pleased to have him take on this new role.”

Desmarais will be responsible for the content, administration and delivery of all undergraduate programs, including those at the regional campuses and the University of Guelph-Humber. He will also supervise the program review process as required by the provincial government, as well as the launching of new initiatives and the internationalization of the curriculum.

He will chair the Council on Undergraduate Academic Advising and the Enrolment Co-ordinating Committee and oversee the Office of Open Learning, Teaching Support Services, and academic advising and counselling.
Desmarais says he’s “delighted” by the appointment.

“It’s going to be a demanding job, of course. The University has tremendous challenges and opportunities when it comes to undergraduate academic issues, and I think it’s a good time for us to have a dialogue about how to take what we do so well and adapt it to the contemporary reality of undergraduate teaching.”

The 21st-Century Curriculum Committee started the process with its campus-wide report on undergraduate curriculum, he says.

“The AVPA position gives me the opportunity to continue the discussion. We must make more efforts to extend the engagement of a broad range of students. We should be asking them how they learn, what they do and how they’d like to see things change. It’s a conversation I look forward to having.”

A U of G faculty member since 1995, Desmarais holds the Canada Research Chair in Applied Social Psychology. For the past decade, he has been researching issues related to social justice in the workplace, income and income entitlement, gender issues and interpersonal relationships. Besides his academic work, he is an active consultant to both public and private organizations.

Desmarais earned his bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees in social psychology from the University of Waterloo and taught at Wilfrid Laurier University and Saint Mary’s University in Halifax before joining U of G. At Guelph, he has served as acting department chair and acting CSAHS dean.

He is the author of a number of scholarly papers, co-author of two introductory psychology textbooks and former associate editor of Canadian Psychology. He has also received teaching awards from the U of G Faculty Association and CSAHS.

Although Desmarais doesn’t officially begin until Dec. 1, he will be dedicating one day a week to addressing curriculum-related issues associated with his new position, says Mancuso.

“This was made possible through the generous support of dean Alun Joseph and will allow us to continue the momentum started by the reports of the 21st-Century Curriculum Committee.”

In making the announcement, she also thanked members of the search committee for their hard work and commitment to their task and the University community for its participation.

WATERLOO - The former lieutenant-governor of Ontario, James Bartleman, will be installed Thursday as honorary chair of the board of governors at St. Paul's United College on the University of Waterloo campus.

Bartleman, the province's 27th lieutenant-governor from 2002 to 2007, was widely noted for his initiatives to reduce the stigma of mental illness, fight racism and discrimination, and encourage aboriginal young people. The installation will take place in the college's MacKirdy Hall at 7 p.m., preceded by a reception and dinner.

"We are very fortunate to have a person of Mr. Bartleman's calibre assume this new position," says Graham Brown, principal of the UW-affiliated institution. "By creating the non-voting position of honorary chair, our board of governors provides a way for an eminent and highly qualified individual to advise and assist the college with its mission without having to assume all the responsibilities of a voting member of the board."

In 2004, Bartleman launched The Lieutenant Governor's Book Program, which provided 850,000 used books to First Nations schools and native friendship centres throughout the province. To encourage literacy and bridge-building, he set up a program in 2005 to twin native and non-native schools in Ontario and Nunavut, establishing literacy summer camps in five northern First Nations communities as a pilot project.

A year later, Bartleman expanded the literacy summer camps program to 28 fly-in communities and secured funding for the next four years. St. Paul's College, UW and Sheridan Institute of Technology are collaborating to sponsor a literacy camp at Attawapiskat First Nation.

Bartleman's first book, Out of Muskoka, was published by Penumbra Press in October 2002. This memoir of his early life won the Ontario Historical Society's Joseph Brant Award in 2003. Bartleman has donated all royalties to the scholarship fund of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation.

His second book, On Six Continents, was published by McClelland & Stewart in March 2004. Royalties from his account of an adventurous foreign service career were donated to the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto to fund the lieutenant-governor's lecture series.

The third volume of Bartleman's memoirs, an inside look at Canada's international relations, was published by McClelland & Stewart in March 2005. Royalties from Rollercoaster: My Hectic Years as Jean Chrétien's Diplomatic Advisor 1994-1998 were donated to support the lieutenant-governor's literacy initiatives.

Bartleman had a distinguished career of more than 35 years in the Canadian foreign service. He was Canada's ambassador to the European Union from 2000 to 2002 and served as high commissioner to Australia in 1999-2000 and to South Africa in 1998-1999.

Born Dec. 24, 1939 in Orillia, Bartleman grew up in the Muskoka town of Port Carling and is a member of the Mnjikaning First Nation. Bartleman earned a bachelor of arts degree in history from the University of Western Ontario in 1963. On a posting to Brussels, he met Marie-Jeanne Rosillon. The couple married in 1975 and have three children: Anne-Pascale, Laurent and Alain.

WATERLOO — The importance of innovation in business — especially in the manufacturing sector — is the focus of Economic Outlook 2008: Innovate or Perish?, a conference presented by the Laurier School of Business and Economics.

The event takes place Thursday, October 17, 2007, starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Centre for International Governance and Innovation (CIGI) in Waterloo.

Guest speakers include Dr. Sherry Cooper, executive vice-president and chief economist at BMO, and Dr. John Baldwin, director of microeconomic studies and analysis for Statistics Canada. The event will be hosted by Lynn Haddrall, editor-in-chief of The Record and The Guelph Mercury. There will also be a panel discussion featuring Dr. Maurice Kugler, CIGI chair in International Public Policy, Wilfrid Laurier University, and Paul Knafelc, president of Community Benchmarks.

Participants will explore the importance of innovation in business. In particular, the session will examine Canadian manufacturers and their ability to deal with increased competition from foreign-based firms and from North American rivals who have moved elements of their operations abroad at a time when the Canadian dollar is trading above par against the country’s largest trading partner.

Speakers will consider the importance of new technology adoption to the competitive position of Canadian businesses, determining the appropriate level of investment in research and development, and whether “off-shoring” production is a necessary step to achieve a competitive advantage.

The event is sponsored by CMA Ontario, BMO Financial Group, The Record, CIGI, the City of Cambridge, the City of Kitchener, and the City of Waterloo. Tickets are $20 per person. Please contact Karli Imhoff at 519-884-0710 x3280 or kimhoff@wlu.ca for more details.

WATERLOO - More than 100 girls in Grades 7 through 10 will gather at the University of Waterloo on Saturday, Oct. 13 for Go ENG Girl, an annual event that encourages them to consider a career in engineering.

Go ENG Girl is designed to spark an interest in engineering at a time when many female students abandon mathematics and the sciences. The program introduces the students and their parent or guardian to the range of undergraduate programs and careers that follow after graduation.

"We find that many women are opting out of math and science early in high school, without realizing that there are exciting options ahead if they stick with it," says Robin Shaw, one of the event organizers with UW's faculty of engineering. "We want to help them and their parents understand what engineering is all about, and how they can make a difference in society by studying and practicing engineering."

Last year, 127 girls participated in the event, along with 94 parents. Shaw expects more than 250 people to attend this year.

The day begins at 9 a.m. in the J. R. Coutts Engineering Lecture Hall with registration, followed by welcoming remarks from Amit Chakma, UW's vice-president academic and provost, at 10 a.m. Lesley James, a graduate student in chemical engineering and member of the women in engineering committee, will also welcome the participants.

At 10:40, the students will be paired with female undergraduate students to work on one of two projects, creating either a hydraulic arm or web browser. Meanwhile, parents and guardians will learn about admissions, co-op and other topics.

After lunch, members of an undergraduate student panel will share their experiences. An information fair will showcase various student groups and offer further information about admissions and co-op.

WATERLOO - More than 100 girls in Grades 7 through 10 will gather at the University of Waterloo on Saturday, Oct. 13 for Go ENG Girl, an annual event that encourages them to consider a career in engineering.

Go ENG Girl is designed to spark an interest in engineering at a time when many female students abandon mathematics and the sciences. The program introduces the students and their parent or guardian to the range of undergraduate programs and careers that follow after graduation.

"We find that many women are opting out of math and science early in high school, without realizing that there are exciting options ahead if they stick with it," says Robin Shaw, one of the event organizers with UW's faculty of engineering. "We want to help them and their parents understand what engineering is all about, and how they can make a difference in society by studying and practicing engineering."

Last year, 127 girls participated in the event, along with 94 parents. Shaw expects more than 250 people to attend this year.

The day begins at 9 a.m. in the J. R. Coutts Engineering Lecture Hall with registration, followed by welcoming remarks from Amit Chakma, UW's vice-president academic and provost, at 10 a.m. Lesley James, a graduate student in chemical engineering and member of the women in engineering committee, will also welcome the participants.

At 10:40, the students will be paired with female undergraduate students to work on one of two projects, creating either a hydraulic arm or web browser. Meanwhile, parents and guardians will learn about admissions, co-op and other topics.

After lunch, members of an undergraduate student panel will share their experiences. An information fair will showcase various student groups and offer further information about admissions and co-op.

An NHL rule change aimed at boosting goal scoring during overtime has had the desired effect, but at the expense of offensive play during regular games, a University of Guelph researcher has found.

Prof. Alfons Weersink, Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics, examined the outcome of all the NHL games played from 1995 to 2004 to determine the impact the 1999/2000 season rule change has had on the way the game is played.

Published recently in the Canadian Journal of Economics, his research shows that the current overtime award system is having a perverse effect on the way professional hockey is being played.

Prior to 1999, the team that won in overtime was awarded two points and the team that lost received none. If the game remained tied after overtime, both teams were awarded one point. This resulted in conservative play in overtime because teams didn’t want to chance losing the point they were automatically awarded if the game remained tied after overtime.

In an effort to stimulate more exciting and entertaining hockey, the NHL changed the rule in 1999. Now both teams get a point for tying, and an extra point goes to the team that wins in overtime. As a result, teams are playing more offensively during overtime because even if they lose, they still get a point, said Weersink, who worked on the research with economists Anurag Banerjee, of the University of Durham and Johan Swinnen, of the Leuven University in Belgium.

"The rule change has been successful because now there is a goal scored to break the tie in about 50 per cent of overtime games compared with 25 per cent under the old rule," said Weersink.

At the same time, the rule change has created more of an incentive to go into overtime, which means there's less incentive to win during a regular game, he said.

"Some teams on certain nights will play for a tie and then go for it in overtime because they are guaranteed a point if they go into overtime. This has resulted in less aggressive offence during the regular games. Changing the rules has changed the incentives and changed the way the game is played."

Since the rule change, the number of games going into overtime has increased from 20 to 25 per cent and the spread in the score between teams after the second and third period has become narrower, he said.

One way to encourage teams to go for wins during regulation play is to increase the incentive for winning, he said. A point system could be used similar to the one followed in professional soccer where a team is awarded three points for winning during the regular game and two points for winning overtime, he said.

"Teams would really go for the win during regulation play because they would be awarded the extra point. It only seems fair that winning a game within regulation time should mean relatively more than winning in overtime."

WATERLOO - A top Canadian scientist will give a public talk at the University of Waterloo this month on the NEPTUNE project, the world's first regional cabled ocean observatory, which will allow researchers to better understand tsunamis, earthquakes and other phenomena in the Pacific Ocean.

Christopher Barnes, project director for Canada's $82-million section of the international venture, will deliver his lecture, entitled The NEPTUNE Project: Understanding Earth and Ocean on an Ailing Planet, on Oct. 19.

"The Canadian portion of the NEPTUNE project led by Dr. Barnes will transform ocean research," says Alan Morgan, a UW professor of earth and environmental sciences. "For the first time, anyone interested will be able to access events as they occur beneath the ocean."

The NEPTUNE (North-East Pacific Time-series Undersea Networked Experiments) Canada project, involving a 12-member university consortium, is based at the University of Victoria. The consortium, which includes UW, collaborates with its U.S. NEPTUNE partner. For more information about the project, visit link

Barnes, a former chair of UW's earth and environmental sciences department, says that NEPTUNE will offer a revolutionary approach to ocean science. It will provide a high-bandwidth communication network of sensors, robotics and observatories in the deep ocean, covering much of the North-east Pacific -- more than 200,000 square kilometres. Its initial phase will be operational in late 2008.

"Many results will be of great practical importance," Barnes says, noting that seismic and tsunami hazards are significant on the west coast. "Researchers investigating gas hydrates will be better able to assess their potential as an energy resource and a climate threat."

As well, long-term data will help define the effects of natural ocean and climate variability on fish stocks. Research on deep sea-floor ecosystems will also assist in future decisions on disposal of wastes in the ocean.

Over the last decade, Barnes has served as director of both the centre for earth and ocean research and the school of earth and ocean sciences at the University of Victoria. He has also served as president of the Geological Association of Canada, the Canadian Geoscience Council, and the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada. In 1996, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.

Barnes will deliver his public talk on Friday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. in the humanities theatre, located in the J. G. Hagey Hall of the Humanities. Admission is free. The event is part of the faculty of science's celebration of the university's 50th anniversary this year. On Oct. 20, Barnes will receive a UW honorary doctorate at fall convocation.

The Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities is again providing U of G with funding to support women's safety initiatives on campus.

Accredited student groups, student governments, staff, faculty and employee groups at U of G are eligible to apply for the funding, which is to be used to implement findings of safety audits, to educate and inform students and employees about safety and security issues, and to support programs that address the safety and security needs of women on campus.

Types of initiatives eligible for funding are facilities and equipment, education and awareness raising, and skills-based training, said Mahejabeen Ebrahim, associate director of human rights and equity and chair of U of G’s Women’s Campus Safety Initiatives Committee.

Past campus initiatives have included improved campus lighting, installation of emergency poles and self-defence courses for women. Ebrahim said applications for innovative initiatives are particularly encouraged.

"Safety remains a priority on university campuses across Canada. We encourage people with innovative ideas for enhancing women's safety to apply for this support."

Guelph - John Cassidy, manager of distance education and DE learning technologies, has agreed to serve as interim director of the Office of Open Learning following the retirement of Virginia Gray.

"Virginia's career in education spans more than 35 years, and her contributions to Open Learning have been invaluable," says Prof. Anthony Clarke, acting associate vice-president (academic).

"Under her direction, Open Learning's offerings have grown from 55 to 208 degree courses, and enrolment in distance courses has surpassed 17,000, with students from more than 50 countries."

Cassidy will serve as interim director while the University of Guelph conducts a search for a permanent director.

Guelph - Environmentalists, film scholars, political science researchers and literary academics from across the world are coming to the University of Guelph Oct. 11 to 14 for the "TransCanada Two: Literature, Institutions, Citizenship" conference to discuss the influence of globalization over the past two decades on Canadian literature.

The interdisciplinary conference is the brainchild of Prof. Smaro Kamboureli, School of English and Theatre Studies, who also holds a Canada Research Chair and heads the TransCanada Institute.

The University of Guelph is hosting the second of only three conferences that are part of Kamboureli's TransCanada project. The first took place in June 2005 at Simon Fraser University, and the third is slated for the summer of 2009 at Mount Allison University.

"We want to look at Canadian literature not just as a body of text that tells us a story, but also at how it is shaped and formed by the various institutions that influence the production of literature, such as the media, university curricular and the cultural industries," said Kamboureli, who is working with Roy Miki of Simon Fraser University on the conference series. "This can be undertaken only as a collaborative project and in an interdisciplinary fashion."

Kamboureli co-edited a book comprising of a number of the revised papers presented at the first conference and she plans to do the same with the upcoming conference.

This conference includes speakers from as far away as India, Japan, Germany, Brazil and the Czech Republic who will offer a global perspective on Canadian literature. A number of professors from universities across North America, including U of G faculty and graduate students, are also on the roster.

Kamboureli said the focus of the conference is on examining what the production, study and teaching of Canadian literature as an institution entail.

"Canadian literature may have become a major part of Canada's cultural capital and cultural economies, but it has become apparent to many scholars that its study can no longer take place in isolation from the larger forces that shape the nation, global relations and the corporatization of higher education," she said. "The pressures of multiculturalism on Canada put more emphasis on discourses of citizenship and security, and the market-driven factors increasingly shape the publication, dissemination and reception of Canadian writing."

The Student Life Centre of Conestoga College will host Life is Like a Roller Coaster, a series of Awareness Day events on Thursday, September 27 at the Doon campus in Kitchener.

Through simulations, interactive displays and guest presentations, participating Conestoga students, staff and faculty will be able to better understand the impact that non-visible disabilities have on an individual’s personal life and on their prospects for academic and employment success.

Participants will be able to: Find out how a textbook can “talk” through use of an iPod; Use a Dragon to speak to a computer; Experience the Unfair Hearing Test; Take the Virtual Road Test; Test the reliability of their visual and hearing perception; Get a Check-up from the Neck Up

There will be refreshments, prize draws and even entertainment:John Park’s comedy and juggling show.The Good Hearted Women, an Aboriginal singing and drumming group.

Life is Like a Roller Coaster takes place at the Student Life Centre (entry through Door #3) on September 27 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

The University of Guelph will host its fall Scottish studies colloquium Sept. 29 in Room 102 of Rozanski Hall, with talks starting at 10 a.m. Members of the public, the media and the academic community are welcome to attend.

The colloquium was launched more than 30 years ago, and although the subject matter is Scottish, the topics are always of interest to a wide audience.

This year's event brings together a strong lineup of academics who will speak on a wide range of topics, including Scottish crime and body snatching, disciplining juveniles in Victorian Scotland, the murals of Belfast and the construction of Scottish national identity after Union.

The full day of lectures includes a talk by Richard B. Sher of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, who is the winner of the 2007 Frank Watson Prize for best book in Scottish history for The Enlightenment and the Book: Scottish Authors and Their Publishers in Eighteenth-Century Britain, Ireland and America.

Prof. Christopher Whatley of the University of Dundee will discuss his controversial new book, The Scots and The Union, which examines the Union of 1707 on its 300th anniversary.

Published last year, the book examines the Act of Union between Scotland and England in 1707 and presents evidence that debunks the long-standing myth that the Scottish signatories of the Act of Union were corrupt and bribed by the English.

Other speakers include Prof. Deborah Symonds of Drake University; Prof. Penelope Cole of the University of Colorado, Boulder; and University of Guelph professors Linda Mahood, History, and John Kissick, Fine Art and Music.

Douglas Richmond, the 2006 winner of the Edward Stewart Graduate Scholarship, will also give a talk.

The colloquium will include book displays and sales from the Scottish studies collection.

WATERLOO — Nearly 300 employers and 3,000 students and recent graduates of the area’s four post-secondary institutions will discuss careers and employment prospects at the 14th annual career fair on Wednesday, Sept. 26.

The event at RIM Park in Waterloo is the largest post-secondary career fair of its kind in Canada. It is co-sponsored by the Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Waterloo, University of Guelph, and Conestoga College.

“Over the past three years, there has been a substantial increase — 47 percent — in the number of employers participating in our annual career fair,” said Jan Basso, Laurier's director of co-operative education and career development. “This clearly indicates that employers feel strongly about the contributions our region’s students and alumni can make as new recruits within their organizations.”

The career fair runs from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is open to students and alumni from the four post-secondary institutions. All four institutions will offer shuttle bus service to the event.

Students and alumni will have the opportunity to meet with approximately 300 employers and gather vital information on careers.

Many economic sectors will be represented at the fair, including financial services, manufacturing, information technology, retail services, engineering, aerospace, telecommunications, health care, pharmaceuticals, food and hospitality services, law enforcement, community and social services, along with government agencies and departments.

Among the participating employers are: Canadian Pacific, Alberta Municipal Affairs and Housing, Bell World, Apotex Pharmachem Inc., The Pepsi Bottling Group, Transport Canada, Waterloo Regional Police Service, Wolseley Canada, Redback Networks Inc., RBC Financial Group, McCain Foods (Canada), Sears Canada, Manitoba Hydro, VistaPrint, Molson Canada, Cargill Ltd. and Shell Canada Ltd.

Admission is free with a student/alumni card from any one of the four participating institutions. Visit www.partners4employment.ca for more information and a complete list of participating organizations.

WATERLOO – Wilfrid Laurier University will officially mark the grand opening of its Faculty of Education with a reception and tour on Wednesday, October 3, from 3-5 p.m. in the Science Building Courtyard.

The reception will include remarks from Laurier’s new president, Max Blouw; vice-president and academic dean of St. Jerome’s University, Myroslaw Tataryn; MPPs John Milloy and Elizabeth Witmer, and the directors of education from each of the four partnering boards of education.

“Midwest Ontario has waited a long time for a Faculty of Education,” said Lynne Hannay, interim dean of the Faculty of Education. “This milestone represents a great deal of work from individuals at Laurier, St. Jerome’s University, and the Waterloo, Waterloo Catholic, Upper Grand and Wellington Catholic District School Boards.”

The Faculty of Education’s model is unique in Ontario. The staffs of 15 area schools from the partnering school boards help to educate the teacher education candidates. Students began visiting these professional development schools two days a week at the end of August.

“Our faculty has worked very hard to design a program that will assist students in becoming active learners who will eventually become leaders in the educational system,” said Hannay. “We will continue to develop courses that reflect the needs of our partnering school districts and local teachers.”

Laurier announced its Faculty of Education, in partnership with St. Jerome’s University, in July, 2006. It recently received and fulfilled its conditional accreditation requirements from the Ontario College of Teachers. The faculty received 2,700 applications to fill seventy-one available spots in the program’s first year.

According to the CMA Ontario, the pass rate for this case exam was 78.7 percent. Laurier students, however, have consistently excelled, achieving a 95 percent pass rate for the 2007 exam.

Gillies, director of finance at Maple Leaf Foods, recently returned from a celebratory trip to Paris, which she booked the morning of the exam. “I felt that the Laurier MBA/CMA program and faculty had fully prepared me to write the exam so I wasn’t worried,” said Gillies. “There was no need for last-minute cramming.”

“Once again Laurier’s performance outshines that of the larger business schools,” said Ginny Dybenko, Laurier’s dean of business and economics. “Our programs are Ontario’s best kept secret – the jewel of academia. The Laurier combined MBA/CMA program far exceeds those offered by all the others and the proof is demonstrated in our outstanding performance across the board. Based on our enrolment this year, the students are starting to figure this out.”

Established over eight years ago, the combined MBA/CMA program offered at the Laurier School of Business & Economics has a stellar reputation and is a popular choice amongst accounting graduate students. The program shortens the process of completing both the degree and designation by three full years – allowing students to obtain both their MBA and their CMA designations at the same time.

Gillies’ performance on the CMA exam impressed officials with the accounting organization.

“Debra has demonstrated an excellent understanding of the integration of strategy, management and accounting skills that is the hallmark of a CMA,” said Merv Hillier, president and chief executive officer of CMA Ontario. “She is among this year’s record number of CMA Ontario graduates who will hit the ground running, equipped with the best practices used by today’s innovative enterprises to ensure sustainable, profitable growth.”

Laurier’s excellent track record in accounting extends to the Canadian chartered accountants’ qualifying exam, the Uniform Evaluation (UFE). Four Laurier grads have earned the Canadian gold medal, the most recent being Jennifer Hayton, who earned both the Governor General’s gold medal for the highest standing in Canada and the gold medal for Ontario on the 2006 UFE.

The conference, entitled 2017: The Workplace, will run from Oct. 14 to 16, to mark both the 50th anniversary of UW and co-operative education in Canada. Each day's program will be aimed at different audiences, from researchers and academics to business, government and education leaders, as well as co-op employers and human resources professionals.

Speakers include such well-known public figures as Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Pink, Richard Florida and Jim Balsillie, as well as UW academics Ken Coates and Frances Westley. The conference presents a unique opportunity to share thoughtful analysis and dialogue around some of tomorrow's most pressing workplace and human challenges.

"Knowledge, imagination and intellectual capacity are the measures by which future successes will be won or lost," said David Johnston, president of the University of Waterloo. "This influential group of professionals will focus on tomorrow's issues today, examining how we can best move from lessons learned in the past to a position where we can better prepare ourselves for success in the decade to come."

Conference highlights include an interview involving Gladwell and Balsillie on Monday, Oct. 15 at 9 a.m. The staff writer for The New Yorker magazine will raise such questions as 'How do you make predictions in an world that changes dramatically month-to-month with new electronic devices out every six months?' or 'Is it even useful to forecast in today's business environment?'

At 1 p.m. the same day, Gladwell will interview Roger Martin, dean of the Joseph L Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, on how to motivate and encourage creative thoughts, ideas and discoveries for the good of society.

The conference will investigate a diverse range of topics, including the movement of knowledge out of the country, the impact of technology adoption in the workplace, the role of education amid a rapid pace of change in Canada over the next 10 years and the globalization of the economy.

Specific workshops will explore topics such as the physical and mental health of workers; the increasing underutilization of education and work-based learning in the global economy; electronic portfolios; tools for learning and the workplace; managing in a multi-cultural work environment; privacy and freedom of information in the new world of work; and creating a new culture for work to attract and keep talent.

A three-day pass costs $1,899, plus GST. For more information or to register, visit link

WATERLOO - Richard Gwyn, a celebrated Toronto Star national columnist, is among those receiving honorary doctorates during the University of Waterloo's convocation to be held next month in UW's 50th anniversary year.

At convocation on Saturday, Oct. 20, Gwyn, a former chancellor of St. Jerome's University, will be awarded a doctor of letters degree at the ceremony for graduating students in the faculties of applied health sciences and arts. The event begins at 10 a.m. in the physical activities complex.

Gwyn, one of Canada's highly regarded political commentators and biographers, will also address convocation. In addition to his syndicated columns, he wrote The Unlikely Revolutionary, a major biography of Joey Smallwood, the late premier of Newfoundland, as well as The Northern Magus, the first biography of the late Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

At the same ceremony, Annie Wong Leung Kit Wah, an artist and philanthropist devoted to contemporary Chinese art, will receive a doctor of laws degree. Besides promoting the talents of new Chinese artists, Wong has taken a leadership role in supporting social work and social welfare in Hong Kong and Canada, including the school of social work at Renison College, a UW affiliate.

Also at the morning ceremony, honorary doctorates will be given to John Pollock, an innovative business leader and UW benefactor, who will receive a doctor of laws degree; Bob Hunter, a prominent facility executive of such venues as Ontario Place and Air Canada Centre, who will receive a doctor of laws degree; and Donald Iverson, a visionary health researcher and founding director of UW's centre for behavioural research and program evaluation, who will receive a doctor of science degree.

In the afternoon ceremony for graduating students in the faculties of engineering, environmental studies, mathematics and science, eminent earth scientist Christopher Barnes will be awarded with a doctor of science degree and address convocation. A former chair of UW's earth sciences department, Barnes is the project director for NEPTUNE Canada, which is developing the world's largest cable-linked sea floor observatory off North America's west coast.

Others being presented with honorary doctorates are engineering inventor Wai-Cheung Tang, who will receive a doctor of engineering degree; leading energy researcher Angus Bruneau, who will receive a doctor of engineering; and top computer scientist Richard Karp, who will receive a doctor of mathematics.

As well, Michael Howard, a retired professor of economics and a key figure in launching UW's PhD program in applied economics, will be made a distinguished professor emeritus.

WATERLOO - The University of Waterloo will recognize the contributions of 50 of its most dedicated alumni by giving each one an exclusive work of art created by one of their peers.

The 50 leading alumni will receive UW's 50th anniversary alumni award to recognize their achievements and involvement with the university. The one-time prize was established by the university's alumni council to highlight their impact on the university and to mark UW's 50th anniversary.

"The university is tremendously fortunate to have such committed alumni who share their time, expertise and connections to continue to make UW a dynamic institution," says Jason Coolman, director of UW's alumni affairs department. "We are extremely proud of these 50 award recipients who demonstrate a deep commitment to their alma mater and lead by example."

Candidates were nominated by fellow alumni as well as by faculty and staff. The recipients were picked for extraordinary citizenship to UW through such activities as volunteering, mentoring and involvement with committees, boards or panels, as well as philanthropic support or advocacy.

Each recipient will be given a limited-edition print entitled Fifty: Upholding Imagination, an artwork created by UW graduate Paul Roorda (BA 1988). The piece, selected from an impressive array of submitted works by alumni artists, will be on permanent display at UW.

Among the outstanding UW alumni:

* Mike Lazaridis, honorary doctor of engineering degree, 2000 -- co-founder of Research In Motion.

* David Cheriton, master of mathematics degree 1974, PhD 1978 -- donor, benefactor of The David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science.

* Brent MacFarlane, bachelor of science degree 1973 -- veteran UW and Canadian track and field coach.

For biographies of the 50 recipients, visit link

WATERLOO - Almost 300 employers and some 3,000 students and recent graduates of the area's four post-secondary institutions will meet to talk about careers and employment prospects at the 14th annual career fair on Wednesday, Sept. 26.

The event, to be held at RIM Park in Waterloo, is the largest post-secondary career fair of its kind in Canada. It's co-sponsored by the University of Waterloo, University of Guelph, Conestoga College and Wilfrid Laurier University.

"It's a hot job market out there," says Carol Ann Olheiser, UW's graduating student and alumni employment co-ordinator. "Our employer registrations have increased by 20 per cent over last year's fair which clearly attests to the quality of our students and alumni and the academic programs at the four local post-secondary institutions."

The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is open to students and alumni from the four post-secondary institutions. All four institutions will offer shuttle bus service to the event.

Students and alumni will have the opportunity to meet with approximately 300 employers and gather vital information on careers. They will see displays and network with representatives of participating organizations, obtain career information, discuss employment requirements and opportunities, as well as promote their own skills.

Many economic sectors will be represented at the fair, including financial services, manufacturing, information technology, retail services, engineering, aerospace, telecommunications, health care, pharmaceuticals, food and hospitality services, law enforcement, community and social services, along with government agencies and departments.

Among the participating employers are: Canadian Pacific, Alberta Municipal Affairs and Housing, Bell World, Apotex Pharmachem Inc., The Pepsi Bottling Group, Transport Canada, Waterloo Regional Police Service, Wolseley Canada, Redback Networks Inc., RBC Financial Group, McCain Foods (Canada), Sears Canada, Manitoba Hydro, VistaPrint, Molson Canada, Cargill Ltd. and Shell Canada Ltd.

Admission is free with a student/alumni card from any one of the four participating institutions.

A research lab dedicated to studying the effects of exercise, diet and medication on body composition and metabolism is opening on the University of Guelph campus.

The first of its kind in Ontario, the Body Composition and Metabolism Laboratory is equipped with cutting-edge technology that will allow researchers to uncover ways of improving health from boosting metabolism and increasing bone density to building muscle and losing fat.

"The interest in body composition from a scientific perspective has gone through the roof in the last 20 years," said Prof. Andrea Buchholz, lab director and faculty member in the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition. "This lab offers researchers one-stop shopping. Virtually all research about body composition and calorie burning can happen right here."

Funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the $400,000 lab houses one of the few "BOD PODs" in the country. A "BOD POD" is the latest technology in measuring body composition. Instead of the typical method of submerging the entire body underwater to determine a person's fat and lean mass, the BOD POD measures body composition through air displacement. It's more user-friendly for both the researcher and subject, said Buchholz.

The lab has a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry used to study bone mineral density and a bioelectrical impedance analyser, which sends small electrical signals through the body to measure the amount of body water. Buchholz said the more body water a person has, the more quickly the current is transmitted through the body.

The lab also houses an indirect calorimeter, which can determine the number of calories you burn at rest and after eating by measuring the amount of oxygen breathed in and the amount of carbon dioxide breathed out. The lab also has the latest diet analysis software, which can break down the nutritional composition of a meal from vitamin C and iron to the number of calories.

Buchholz said the high-tech equipment will be instrumental in helping researchers find solutions to the obesity epidemic.

"The lab has the tools to research ways of helping people lose fat and burn more calories."

The lab can also be used for research aimed at helping athletes build muscle, stay slim without losing bone density and achieve the optimal body composition for their sport, she said.

"It can also be used for research focused on improving the health of the elderly and reducing the number of falls, by finding ways of maintaining muscle mass and bone density as we age."

Working in collaboration with Prof. Lindsay Robinson, Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, Buchholz has already begun her first research project in the lab. It involves testing the effectiveness of omega-3-enriched foods in helping overweight middle-aged men burn more calories and reduce their risk of heart disease. Subjects will be asked to replace some of the staple foods in their diet with foods that have been enriched with omega-3.

Using all the equipment in the lab, Buchholz will be able to measure the complete body composition and energy metabolism of the men before and after they consume an omega-3-enriched diet.

WATERLOO – More than 120 band students selected from 27 southwestern Ontario high schools will attend Wilfrid Laurier University on September 25 and 26 to take part in the Central Ontario Band Workshop.

During the two-day workshop, students will attend master classes led by wind and percussion faculty and students from Laurier’s music department, sectionals run by high school music teachers and a performance by Laurier students and faculty.

“This event provides an important opportunity to recognize the students in our high schools who love music making,” said Michael Purves-Smith, associate professor in Laurier’s Faculty of Music.

In addition to the classes, students will also participate in intensive ensemble rehearsals under the direction of well-known Canadian conductor Fraser Linklater, an assistant professor of music at the University of Manitoba who has also conducted the National Youth Band of Canada and directs the Canadian Wind Conductors Development Program. The rehearsals are in preparation for a public performance put on by the students at the end of the workshop.

“Working with Fraser Linklater, meeting the K-W Symphony Orchestra musicians and playing challenging new repertoire in a large ensemble at Laurier is very exciting for the students,” said Susan Follows, a music teacher at Southwood Secondary School and co-chair of the workshop’s planning committee. “The Central Ontario Band Workshop is important because it not only inspires young musicians, but it also brings the musical community from this region together.”

Bringing new rehearsal techniques learned at the workshop back to their high school music classes is another main benefit for students, according to Cathy Baer, music department head at Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute and co-chair of the workshop committee.

The public performance takes place on Wednesday, September 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Laurier theatre auditorium. Laurier’s celebrated Penderecki String Quartet and the well-known trombone quartet, Slide by Slide, will also perform. The concert is free and open to the public.

The Central Ontario Band Workshop began in 1980.

Wieman, currently a professor at the University of British Columbia, will deliver the second annual Arthur J. Carty lecture. His talk, entitled Science Education in the 21st Century: Using the Tools of Science to Teach Science, takes place Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. in the theatre of the arts, located in the modern languages building. The public is welcome to attend this free event.

As director of UBC's Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (link), he will present a new teaching approach that provides relevant and effective science education. Wieman will also explore new research on how people learn and on the latest in information technology.

He will discuss the failures of traditional educational practices, even as used by 'very good' teachers. As well, he will focus on the successes of some novel practices and technology underlying the new teaching approach.

Wieman, who joined UBC earlier this year from the University of Colorado at Boulder, is a native of Corvallis, Oregon. He shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in physics for creating a new form of matter in 1995 called Bose-Einstein condensate.

He is also the director of the Colorado Science Education Initiative at the University of Colorado, which works collaboratively with the UBC project.

Terry McMahon, UW's dean of science, says he is looking forward to hosting Wieman. "Dr. Wieman is an internationally renowned teacher and researcher. His work is revolutionary and is proving to have long-lasting impacts on education."

For many years, Wieman has been a leader in using technology to improve science education. His classes make use of computer simulations used to conduct 'virtual' physics experiments, infrared transmitter 'clickers' that provide immediate feedback on how well students are understanding classroom lectures and other innovations.

The Arthur J. Carty Lectureship is named after the current national science advisor to the Canadian government and is funded by a gift from Frank Karasek, a UW professor emeritus of chemistry. A former long-time UW faculty member, Carty served as chair of the chemistry department as well as UW's dean of research. In Ottawa, he served as president of the National Research Council. The lectureship features an annual lecture in an area of science or science policy of broad general interest.

Kitchener-Waterloo, - On Thursday October 4th, at 12:30 pm, Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty will launch the 6th Edition of the Kitchener-Waterloo Street Map and Service Guide and present the Mobile Kitchen Fire Simulator to the Waterloo and Kitchener Fire Departments.

Funds raised from advertisements in the 2008-2009 edition map have financed a mobile kitchen fire simulator which Kitchener and Waterloo fire prevention officers will use to educate the public on how to prevent stove-top fires, the number one cause of residential fires.

Be amazed as you watch this unique new teaching tool demonstrated for the first time ever in front of an audience.

“To our knowledge there is no other mobile kitchen-fire simulator like it in North America” said Gord Mepham of Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty, the company responsible for the fundraising street map.

Fire prevention officers from the Kitchener Fire Department and Waterloo Fire Rescue want to make sure everyone is prepared if they are faced with a kitchen fire, the number one cause of home fires in Ontario. Mepham explains the genesis of the mobile kitchen-fire simulator, “Paul Felhaber who is the Public Education/Fire Prevention Officer for Waterloo Fire Rescue came up with the idea after learning about a fire service in New Zealand who had built their own. We tried to find a manufacturer of something like it without any success, so we had Waterloo and Kitchener fire prevention officers consult with Weber Fabricating of St. Jacobs to custom design one based on their requirements.”

The time to learn is not during a real emergency. The mobile kitchen fire simulator will be an important addition to the Fire Safety Program which was first initiated by Fire Safety Ambassador Peter Benninger in 1993. The simulator will help save lives in our community by demonstrating to citizens how these fires get started, how to prevent them from happening in the first place, and how to stop them quickly and safely if they ignite.

The media is invited to cover this occasion as we, along with local dignitaries present the Mobile Kitchen Fire Simulator to Waterloo Fire Rescue and The Kitchener Fire Department, and learn how to prevent stove-top fires, and how to stop them quickly and safely if they ignite.

Guelph - The University of Guelph is thinking big about the "very small" with a pioneering undergraduate nanoscience major to begin on campus next year. It will be Canada's first full-fledged nanoscience major.

Nanoscience involves developing materials on the scale of individual atoms and molecules, typically less than about 100 nanometres in size. In such a miniature world, materials display special — even counterintuitive — electrical and chemical properties

They are being explored by companies eager to make new devices and products in such areas as computing and microelectronics, biotechnology, energy, toxicology and medicine.

“It's moved very quickly from the realm of the science lab to the very first commercial products," said chemistry professor Dan Thomas, associate dean of Guelph's B.Sc. program, who studies nano-scale properties of materials and substances.

Other universities currently offer nanoscience courses within chemistry, physics and engineering programs, but no other school offers a degree program. U of G's new interdisciplinary major will be jointly provided by the departments of chemistry and physics and will draw on research and teaching strengths in those and related departments,

Guelph is looking to establish an early lead in a rapidly growing field, said Thomas, who headed the committee that developed the program. It will accept up to 50 entering students for the four-year program starting in fall 2008, with a projected steady-state enrolment of about 175.

“This is an opportunity to be a leader,” he said.

Guelph's new program will include a mix of fundamental science courses and "nano" offerings such as synthesis and analysis of nanomaterials, thin film science, nanolithography, quantum chemistry and computing, and biological nano-materials.

Physics professor John Dutcher, holder of a Canada Research Chair in Soft Matter Physics, added that much of the growth in nanoscience has been driven by new analytical and imaging techniques and equipment that now allow researchers to “see” things at that scale.

U of G already has much of that state-of-the-art equipment, including spectrometers, special microscopes such as an atomic-force instrument that gives an atom's-eye view of surfaces, and X-ray scattering facilities for studying atomic structure.

“There are lots of interesting things happening on the nanoscale,” said Dutcher, whose own collaborative research investigating thin films and bacterial surfaces already occurs on the nanoscale. “At Guelph it goes well beyond physics and chemistry — it exists across campus.”

WATERLOO - The University of Waterloo is extending a special invitation to members of the local community, encouraging them to join alumni for an informative and fun-filled UW Homecoming 2007.

This annual celebration, which runs on Sept. 28 and 29, includes a keynote address by Canada's best known peacekeeper, Major-General (Ret.) Lewis MacKenzie. There's also a host of free kid-friendly activities, including a special appearance by Dora the Explorer and Diego.

"I'm excited about this year's homecoming program and celebrating UW's 50th anniversary," says homecoming coordinator Chantel Franklin. "This year we're focusing on enhancing our family-friendly events to encourage our local neighbours to visit campus and join us in the celebration."

Saturday's homecoming festivities start with a kid's carnival, complete with bouncy castles, face painting, obstacle courses and slides. The carnival features the lovable television characters Dora the Explorer and Diego at 9:30 a.m. in the foyer of the modern languages building. Visitors should bring cameras, since Dora and Diego will pose for pictures.

In honour of UW's 50th anniversary, the faculty of arts will be hosting a 1950's classic car show in the modern languages building courtyard.

A UW cake walk will introduce visitors to newer buildings. Visitors collect cake-eating supplies at each stop, knowing a piece of UW anniversary cake waits at the end. The tour begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Dana Porter Library.

Dinosaur fans are invited to a dinosaur presentation at the centre for environmental and information technology, at 11 a.m., followed by a screening of the 15-minute movie Fossils, Dinosaurs and Mastodons. Also at 11 a.m., children are invited to a scavenger hunt in the Peter Russell Rock Garden, and winners will receive a piece of rose quartz.

An East Asian festival runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Renison College, featuring the art, music and flavours of China, Korea and Japan.

The Waterloo Warriors take to the field at University Stadium against the Guelph Gryphons at 1 p.m. in a football game.

MacKenzie keynote address begins at 4:30 p.m. at the humanities theatre. Tickets cost $10. Noted as an expert in conflict resolution and leadership, the former Canadian Forces commander, will discuss The Media as a Weapon.

The annual Pounce de Lion colouring contest closes at 5 p.m. All entries should be submitted by mail or at homecoming headquarters before then. Prizes will be awarded in several categories, though all entries will be eligible for the grand draw prize, a Nintendo Wii.

A complete list of events is available at link Some events have a maximum capacity and visitors are encouraged to register for tickets on the website. Except where otherwise indicated, all events are free. Parking is free in lots A, C, M and N.

Statscan - Young adults were taking longer to make key life transitions to adulthood in 2001 than their counterparts were three decades earlier, according to a new study.

The study, published today in Canadian Social Trends, used census data from 1971 and 2001 to show how transitions have changed for individuals aged 18 to 34. (The study includes people in their early 30s in order to allow sufficient time to complete the transition to adulthood.)

It found that overall, the transition to adulthood in 2001 was delayed and elongated compared with that in 1971. It took young adults longer to achieve their independence. They were leaving school later, staying longer in their parents' home, entering the labour market later, and postponing conjugal unions and childbearing.

Young women in 2001 were generally making life transitions earlier than young men, as was the situation in 1971. However, women in 2001 were often making different transitions at different times than young women did 30 years earlier.

The study examined five transitions that many young people make on their way to adulthood: leaving school, leaving their parents' home, having full-year, full-time work, entering into conjugal relationships, and having children.

In each generation, women were in general more likely than men to leave home, marry and have children at a younger age. Men in both generations generally left school earlier and had full-year, full-time employment at a younger age than women.

Transitions delayed, spread over longer period

On average, a 25-year-old in 2001 had gone through the same number of transitions as a 22-year-old in 1971. A 30-year-old in the later generation averaged the same number of transitions as a 25-year-old in the earlier generation.

In recent years, both young men and women have delayed many transitions. For example, in 2001, half of all 22-year-olds were still in school. Only 1 in 5 was in a conjugal union (usually common law), and 1 in 11 had children.

In contrast, in 1971, three-quarters of young adults at the age of 22 had left school. Nearly half were married and 1 in 4 had children.

As well, for the 2001 cohort, the time between transitions had increased, stretching the process from the late teens to the early 30s. The 1971 cohort, by comparison, packed more life transitions into the years from their late teens to mid-20s and fewer transitions into their early 30s.

Women made different transitions, men made fewer

By the time they were 34, men in 2001 had not made as many transitions as their counterparts 30 years earlier. However, women who were 34 in 2001 had made as many transitions as 34-year-old women in 1971. But those transitions for women were more likely to include full-year, full-time work and less likely to include marriage and childbearing.

In 1971, 9% of 18- to 34-year-old mothers of pre-school children worked full-year full-time, compared with 27% in 2001. Mothers in 2001 with older children also experienced increases in full-year, full-time employment.

Perhaps the most pronounced difference between the generations, particularly for women, was the change in educational attainment. The percentage of young women aged 30 to 34 who were university-educated increased fourfold, from 7% in 1971 to 29% in 2001.

The proportion for young men who were university-educated doubled over the same period, from 13% in 1971 to 25% in 2001. The 2001 generation was also much more likely to go on to master's and doctoral programs.

This shift in priorities helps to explain the delay in conjugal unions and parenthood for the 2001 generation, although even those who had not gone beyond high school graduation had delayed childrearing.

Men leaving home later, living alone longer

Young adults in 2001, and men in particular, were taking longer to leave their parents' home. In 2001, 60% of men and 73% of women aged 25 were no longer living with their parents, compared with 78% of men and 89% of women aged 25 in 1971.

Once they had moved out, the young adults in the later generation were also more likely to live alone. This was especially true for young men: the rate peaked at 13% at age 28 and remained fairly close to that peak until age 34.

In contrast, the rate for young women living alone peaked at 9% at age 27 and then decreased. This suggests that, compared with the past, more young men had developed a single lifestyle that lasted well into their 30s.

Guelph - Sugar may help the medicine go down, but what about a medicine that targets sugar to "take down" disease-causing bacteria?

Two University of Guelph researchers are taking this novel route to tackling Clostridium difficile in hopes of eventually developing a safe, effective vaccine against a bug that has sickened and killed people in hospitals and nursing homes across Canada and has threatened various animal species.

Professors Mario Monteiro of Guelph's Department of Chemistry and Scott Weese of the Department of Pathogiology hope their collaborative studies will ultimately lead to a carbohydrate-based vaccine for both people and animals.

No vaccine currently exists for C. difficile, a major cause of diarrhea, particularly among older people in hospitals and nursing homes. Most people are infected in institutions where commonly used antibiotics kill “good” bacteria in the gut, allowing the problem bug to thrive.

There is also evidence that the bacteria also pose a general community health risk and a risk of food-borne disease, Weese said. Last year, he found evidence of C. difficile in ground and processed meats sold in Canada.

Meanwhile, Monteiro has mapped out the chemical structure of polysaccharides, or complex chains of sugars, on the surface of the bacteria.

Learning more about the polysaccharides may ultimately help in developing vaccines based on carbohydrates or carbohydrate-protein complexes, he said.

“They seem to express similar sugar structures, which will make it easier to develop a vaccine that would target different strains of the bacteria,” Monteiro said.

While it would take years to develop and test a vaccine for human use, it is possible, he said. New commercially available vaccines for pneumococcal and meningococcal diseases are also based on bacterial surface sugars.

Monteiro's also developing sugar-based vaccines against Campylobacter, which causes food poisoning when improperly cooked chicken is eaten, and Helicobacter pylori, a common gut microbe that can cause gastritis, ulcers and stomach cancer.

• Brian Tanguay, chair of the Department of Political Science at Laurier

• James Breithaupt, former MPP

• Ran VanKoughnett, member of the Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform

• David Docherty, Laurier dean of arts and moderator.

The discussion will be held in Room 110 of Laurier’s Bricker Academic Building on Bricker Street. A reception will follow at the WLU Grad Pub from 6 to 8 p.m.

WATERLOO - The University of Waterloo retail services and the Zellers department store in Conestoga Mall have launched a pilot project, making an exclusive line of UW products available to students and other shoppers off campus.

For the coming year, Zellers will carry a line of UW products -- mostly clothing and giftware -- not available anywhere else. UW created the line -- UWShop Collection -- specifically for Zellers, offering a variation on what's available on the main campus.

"We are very pleased to offer our customers high-quality University of Waterloo merchandise," says Manjit Mundi, Zellers store manager. "We have received numerous requests from students, parents and other customers for University of Waterloo apparel and products."

The exclusive UW merchandise, featuring a new logo, includes a wide assortment of men's and women's T-shirts and full-zip hoodies, as well as coffee mugs, water bottles, pad holders, key tags and lanyards. The products are available at a special display in the store.

"Zellers approached us about carrying UW merchandise because they felt it would be a good fit," says Darrell Kane, general merchandise manager for retail services.

Kane adds that the Conestoga Mall location draws many UW students, parents and alumni. "Zellers is buying all the goods in the unique line from us."

"This is new for us," says May Yan, director of UW's retail services, adding that UW will control the quality of the merchandise by placing orders with its network of reliable vendors. The pilot project will be reviewed at the end of the month, but is expected to last for at least one year.

Yan says the reason for creating an exclusive line for Zeller is that it does not duplicate what is currently offered at UWShop. "It gives students, parents and alumni another design option if they're shopping at Zellers in the evenings and weekends when UWShop is closed."

Guelph - The University of Guelph and the Ontario Cereals Industry Research Council (OCIRC) today launched a prestigious Industry Research Chair in Cereal Technology designed to expand uses for Ontario-grown wheat and to market growth.

Koushik Seetharaman, a recognized researcher, food science consultant and former faculty member at Penn State, was selected for the position following an international search. He joined Guelph's Department of Food Science this week.

"This new chair will greatly accelerate research in cereal processing and baked goods, which are a multi-billion-dollar sector of the Ontario agri-food industry," said Alan Wildeman, Guelph's vice-president (research). "It will be at the core of emerging innovation and a growing economic cluster in wheat and related cereals science."

Funding for the $1.1-million endowed chair was provided by the OCIRC, the federally funded Agricultural Adaptation Council and U of G. The funding will support research startup costs, including equipment, materials and support for technical staff, post-doctoral researchers and graduate students.

"The industry research chair is very important to the future of our sector," said Henry Olechowski, OCIRC president and director of research for Hyland Seeds. "We are very excited to have a scientist of the world-class calibre of Dr. Seethamaran with an outstanding track record of working with industry."

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) is providing $750,000 through a Rural Economic Development Program grant to help people working in industry access the skills development courses and internships offered through the research chair. The announcement was made in Guelph today by Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario's minister for agriculture, food and rural affairs.

As chair, Seetharaman will lead the development of a research program, including providing research-based solutions for issues faced by the cereals industry, creating education and training programs for the industry, and developing undergraduate teaching in the cereal technology area. He will also liaise with cereal industry companies and government agencies, and work with industry to develop a centre of excellence for cereals research.

"It's an honour to be part of a such a high-calibre research community here at the University of Guelph and in the Department of Food Science, in particular," he said.

Seetharaman added there is a need to add value to the agricultural sector in northeastern Canada, as well as to boost the productivity and quality of commodities produced by the cereals industry in the region.

"The opportunity exists to build a multidisciplinary research program that takes advantage of the expertise available in the University research community, such as plant breeding and genetics, human nutrition and physical chemistry."

Seetharaman currently heads Cibus Consulting Inc., a Pennsylvania-based company that applies science-based solutions to food manufacturing issues. He was a professor at Penn State from 2000 to 2006, did post-doctoral research at Iowa State University and has received more than $1 million in research grants.

The author of more than 40 journal articles, book chapters and manuscripts, he has presented more than 60 papers around the world and has served as a reviewer or editor for the Journal of Food Science, Cereal Chemistry and the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, among others. He holds a PhD in food science from Texas A&M University, a master's degree in food chemistry from Cornell University and a bachelor's degree from Gujarat Agricultural University in India.

TORONTO - CUPE Ontario, the union representing 45,000 school support workers in Ontario, has launched a province-wide radio campaign calling on Ontarians to vote for candidates who will fix the faulty school funding formula now. The campaign kicked off today on the first day back to school and will run in cities across Ontario until September 10.

"With school boards grappling with a continued funding crisis, we're asking parents to vote their conscience and vote for candidates who will fix the faulty funding formula now," said Fred Hahn, Secretary-Treasurer of CUPE Ontario. "People are frustrated that the McGuinty Liberals made a promise to fix the faulty funding formula brought in by the Conservatives, but haven't. It's time to take this issue to the ballot box to bring about the changes that our kids and our schools deserve."

Hahn said that a recent funding announcement from the McGuinty government will provide some temporary relief, but parents and school boards shouldn't be fooled by such an outright election ploy as the October 10 vote looms.

"It's a quick fix that won't solve the ongoing crisis that school boards face," said Hahn. "Custodians and secretarial staff have continued to be laid off, jeopardizing school safety and health. Educational Assistants continue to have their jobs cut or have their hours cut back, hurting our schools' most vulnerable students."

"Let's not forget that this problem was brought about courtesy of the Conservatives when they were in power," noted Hahn. "Their current platform, with its divisive proposal to fund faith-based schools, will only suck further money out of the already beleaguered public education budget in this province."

So far, only the NDP have promised to fix the funding formula by the end of the coming school year. "Public education is an essential value and service that voters of Ontario expect our government to provide in a comprehensive way," adds Hahn. "It is why CUPE Ontario, the province's largest public sector union, is advocating that it's time for government to put people first-instead of private profits or tax cuts-in this and all other public services. The NDP is the only party with a platform to do that for public education."

CUPE Ontario's ads will run in cities including Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins, Sudbury, North Bay, Brockville, Oshawa/Durham, Toronto, Hamilton, St. Catharines and Windsor.

WLU Information Technology Services is announces enhancements made over the Summer to wireless network.

ITS has replaced all the old wireless access points across the Waterloo campus with new technology, as well as expanding the coverage area by adding additional access points. New areas of coverage at Waterloo include:

classroom areas of the St Michaels Campus
classroom areas of the Northdale Campus
the Regina "Landing" area on the second floor of 202 Regina
the lounge and classroom areas of the first floor of 202 Regina
the area immediately in front of the Paul Martin Centre.
there is also expanded coverage in the Bricker Academic building

The Woods building will also have wireless coverage on the second to fifth floors; however this will not be available until about mid-September due to the renovations that have been occurring in that building. Similarly, coverage in the new Career Services building will become available as the construction finishes.

The process of further expanding the coverage areas on the Waterloo, Lyle Hallman (FSW) and Brantford campuses will continue through to the end of 2007. If you become aware of areas that could benefit from increased coverage, please email the Help Desk (help@wlu.ca) with the subject line of "WIRELESS".

With this upgrade of the wireless facilities, it is no longer necessary to install the Odyssey client through the Bookstore. Laptops with this client will continue to work as usual. New laptops can download and install the necessary software by following the instructions at http://wireless.wlu.ca.

Assistance with wireless concerns will be available at the ITS Help Desk on the ground floor of the Library during regular business hours. Please note that this software has been thoroughly and successfully tested on several types of systems; however, ITS cannot assume responsibility for any side effects that the installation or use of this software may cause on personal laptops.

Authentication to the wireless network after the software has been installed will require the use of your Novell login and password. For new Novell accounts only, you should use your login and password at least once on a wired computer BEFORE attempting to connect to the wireless network, or by accessing your GroupWise email via http://groupwise.wlu.ca. The reason for this is that Novell requires that you change your password the first time you use it. This is for security purposes. This password change requirement often causes problems when first connecting to the wireless network, so you are advised to log in and change it by some means before attempting to connect to the wireless network.

The ITS Laurier Computer and Network Security Guidelines recommends that personal laptops should not be connected to the Laurier wired network. However faculty and staff who need on-campus Internet connectivity from their personal laptops may use the wireless network. Personal laptops can freely connect to the wireless network as precautions are in effect for security reasons. If there is an application or system that you need to access from a personal laptop and find that you cannot, please email the Help Desk (helpdesk@wlu.ca) with the subject line of "WIRELESS" as above, and provide details as to the application and system involved.

Waterloo - Hello. My name is Dr. Max Blouw. I am delighted to join the Laurier family as president and vice-chancellor of this remarkable university.



This is an exciting time of year as everyone returns to campus for the start of a new academic term. As a newcomer, I find it particularly vibrant and stimulating. My wife Lynn and I have been overwhelmed by the hospitality shown to us since arriving here from British Columbia, and we look forward to getting to know as many of you in the Laurier community as possible.

From my newcomer’s perspective, I can tell you that Laurier has a well-known reputation for excellence in teaching, scholarship and research, as well as for its unique sense of community and passionate school spirit.

I look forward to working with all of you in a spirit of collegiality to build on that reputation as we move toward’s the university’s Centenary in 2011 and beyond.

One of my early priorities is to consult with as many people as possible, both inside and outside the university, as part of an inclusive process to develop a clear, concise vision statement that will guide Laurier through the years ahead.

I hope to meet many of you as this process of consultation unfolds in the coming months.

In the meantime, I wish you all the best for the coming academic term and I invite you to enjoy this very special time of year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Max Blouw
President and Vice-Chancellor
Wilfrid Laurier University

The largest decline in enrolment occurred in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the number of students has fallen 18.5% since 1998/1999. This is consistent with population estimates showing that the school-age population in Newfoundland and Labrador has also declined nearly 18.5% during this period, largely the result of continued migration to other Canadian provinces.

Elsewhere, decreases in enrolment ranged from 10.5% in the Yukon to 1.4% in Quebec. These declines can be attributed to an aging population. The children of baby boomers are now starting their post-secondary education, contributing to the increased post-secondary enrolment in recent years.

Total spending on public elementary and secondary education increased at a faster rate than inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index.

In 1998/1999, total spending amounted to $35.7 billion. By 2004/2005, it had risen 24.6% to $44.5 billion, well above the 15% increase in inflation.

Nationally, in 1998/1999, it cost on average $7,077 (current dollars) to educate a student in Canada. Six years later, this cost had increased 28% to $9,040.

Among the provinces, the annual cost per student in 2004/2005 ranged from $7,600 in Prince Edward Island to $9,200 in Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta.

There were just under 310,000 educators in Canadian public schools in 2004/2005, up 1.3% from six years earlier (based on full-time equivalents). The number increased in eight jurisdictions and declined in five.

Among the provinces, the biggest increases in the number of educators occurred in Alberta, Prince Edward Island and Ontario.

The report "Summary Public School Indicators for the Provinces and Territories", provides a comprehensive examination of public school indicators for the provinces and territories during the academic years from 1998/1999 to 2004/2005.

It examines trends in enrolment and the number of educators in public elementary and secondary schools, as well as basic financial statistics, such as total spending on education and spending per student.

Guelph - The University of Guelph will be welcoming more than 4,500 students to campus Sept. 2 to 7 for this year's Orientation Week.

Some 350 events are planned, including a Guinness World Record challenge, a huge pep rally and live music and student performances.

The theme of this year's Orientation Week is "Agents of Change."

"Orientation Week is a great opportunity to encourage students to empower themselves and become agents of change," said Alison Punnett, co-ordinator of orientation and transition programs. "We want our students to not only have an impact on campus but to also be global citizens."

Orientation begins Sept. 2 with student move-in day. About 3,600 students will be moving into residence with help from almost 1,000 representatives of the University. Gordon Street will be closed between Stone Road and College Avenue from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

At 8 p.m., the pep rally and the "OV Boogie," a time-honoured U of G tradition, will be held at Alumni Stadium.

Students will be put to the test Sept. 3 at 10 a.m. with a challenge to set the Guinness World Record for the largest game of Simon Says. Breaking world records is nothing new to U of G students, who last year managed to break the record for the most simultaneous high-fives. They will also try to beat their own record this year.

The home opener football game will follow at 1 p.m. at Alumni Stadium with the Guelph Gryphons hosting the Ottawa Gees-Gees.

On Sept. 5 at 11 a.m., president Alastair Summerlee will welcome new students at a free lunch at the Gryphon Dome. Following the lunch, the students will be invited to a Resource Fair on the practice soccer fields. From taste-testing to trivia to chemical experiments, they'll learn interactively about all the resources available on campus.

A music festival called Fusion Fest runs Sept. 7 at noon on Johnston Green. It will feature live bands, student performances, off-campus foods, bubble tea and henna tattoos.

The week wraps up with the OVie Awards to recognize various achievements and celebrate the hard work of more than 600 Orientation volunteers.

WATERLOO — Dr. Max Blouw, Laurier’s incoming president and vice-chancellor, loves the sport of fly fishing. It’s all about skill, patience and getting to know the river. As he prepares to take on the president’s duties September 1, he’s approaching the job with the same thoughtful deliberation needed to set up a good forward cast.

“I’m very much in listening mode,” says Blouw, a biologist with a strong background in research and administration. “I’m looking forward to meeting as many people as possible and getting to know the Laurier community.”

Blouw is delighted to be at Laurier, which he describes as a “dynamic university with an excellent reputation for teaching, research and sense of community.” It’s a reputation he plans to embrace as he leads the university toward its centenary in 2011 and beyond.

“Laurier has undergone a period of impressive development in recent years,” says Blouw. “These achievements have provided the university with the potential to choose its place in a world that has become very competitive and complex. The challenge now is to step back and ask: How do we make the most of that potential?”

To answer this question, Blouw plans to spend the next 12-18 months consulting with a wide variety of people, both within the university and without. The goal is to craft a clear, concise vision statement that will capitalize on Laurier’s strengths and guide the university forward.

“This process of developing a vision statement for Laurier will be inclusive, consultative and thorough,” emphasizes Blouw. “I believe we need to work collaboratively to ensure the brightest future for this remarkable university.”

Blouw comes to Laurier from the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), where he served most recently as vice-president of research. He was instrumental in developing the school into one of the most research-intensive small universities in Canada. He grew UNBC’s annual research funds to $18 million from $3 million in less than 10 years, and played a key role in increasing its endowment to $40 million.

In addition to his development success, Blouw brings to Laurier an in-depth understanding of how universities operate. He knows the administrative side from his various roles at UNBC, which included vice-president of research, associate vice-president and dean of graduate studies. He also worked with the Board of Governors and various committees at UNBC and at St. Francis Xavier University, where he taught previously. As a professor and researcher, he understands and appreciates the role of faculty. He also understands the important relationship between universities and governments. He has taken an active role in numerous local, regional and national committees, including chairing the university advisory group to Industry Canada and serving as an executive council member of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Blouw was the unanimous choice of a Laurier search committee that spent many months looking for a successor to Dr. Bob Rosehart, who completes his second term as president and vice-chancellor on Friday.

“I am delighted to welcome Dr. Blouw to Laurier,” says Beverly Harris, chair of the Laurier Board of Governors. “I am confident that he will work in a collaborative and collegial way to build a vision for Laurier that will lead the university into its second century.”

Blouw, who will be officially installed as the university’s eighth president during a special ceremony October 25, greets his new role with enthusiasm.

“Laurier is well-known for its vitality and passionate school spirit,” he says. “It’s a great privilege to be invited to join such a wonderful community.”

Blouw will get to know the Laurier community and its school spirit very well over the next month as he participates in orientation week activities, watches his first Golden Hawks football game and greets alumni during homecoming.

In the meantime, he and his wife Lynn are settling into a new home with their three dogs (two of which came with the rural property!) and are looking forward to visits from their two adult sons.

And, if time permits, Laurier’s new president hopes to get in some fly fishing on the nearby Grand River.

By Lori Chalmers Morrison

Public Affairs

Guelph - Gordon Street will be closed between Stone Road and College Avenue on Sunday, Sept. 2, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for residence student "move-in" day at the University of Guelph.

This closure is being done to reduce traffic congestion as more than 3,600 new students move into the University’s residences. The road closure and detours will be clearly marked to assist people driving in the area.

In addition, access to South Ring Road will be limited to use by new students only on this day, along with parking lots P31, P13, P17 and P19. Access to the section of South Ring Road that runs behind the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs building will also be restricted to move-in traffic only.

To reduce congestion, members of the University community are encouraged to avoid coming to campus on this day. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Campus Community Police at 519 824-4120, Ext. 52245.

WATERLOO - More than 5,000 new students at the University of Waterloo will begin their careers in higher education next week with a series of activities designed to help them make a successful transition from high school to university.

Orientation week, involving more than 1,000 volunteer leaders, helps first-year students begin the sometimes-difficult transition from secondary school to university learning. The five-day program, which officially begins Monday, Sept. 3, offers a balanced mix of academic information and social activities.

While most activities are designed for students in particular faculties or departments and residences or colleges, several target all first-year students. All are encouraged to attend one of several showings of Single and Sexy, a play that raises issues ranging from sex to social responsibility, and most will write an English language proficiency exam.

Other campus-wide events include a Monte Carlo semi-formal and an evening of improvisational comedy.

"Our goal during orientation week is to introduce first-year students to a range of new things, academic or otherwise, that will help them as they adjust to a new environment, new expectations -- in many ways a whole new world," says Heather FitzGerald, UW's student life director.

"It's also an opportunity for the university and its federation of students to showcase their services. And it's a tremendous leadership experience for the more than 1,000 leaders."

While the leaders will help students move into residence on Sunday and Monday, most of their real work begins Monday afternoon when orientation activities officially begin. An afternoon of games will allow students to meet and mingle with their residence or off-campus 'roommates'. Students will gather from 7 to 8:30 p.m. to participate in team-building activities on the Village Green.

Tuesday is largely an academic day. Students will meet their faculty deans and/or other members of their faculties and departments. They will also tour campus and learn about the range of services, from athletics to counselling, at their disposal. The day finishes with a village variety night, with movies and live performers at various locations across campus, beginning at 9 p.m.

Wednesday and Thursday offer a mix of planned events and free time. Students can use the latter to finalize schedules, purchase textbooks, set up computer accounts, pick up financial documents and decorate residence rooms. Faculties and departments will offer program-specific information sessions. Thursday's big event is Monte Carlo Night, starting at 8 p.m. in the student life centre and physical activities centre.

On Friday, Jumpstart offers students an opportunity to learn more about university life. Guest speakers from across campus will host workshops on such topics as time management, academic integrity and note-taking.

Saturday provides students with an opportunity to show their Warrior spirit during Black & Gold Day. Carnival games, involving large 'inflatables', run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Students can cheer on the Warrior men's rugby team, when it competes against Toronto at 1 p.m. on the Columbia Lake ice fields.

As well, off-campus dons run a special program for students who although living off campus still need to meet people and build community.

TORONTO - In just a few short weeks, thousands of children across Canada will be embarking on their journey of lifelong learning - and the first part of this adventure starts with Kindergarten. Just like when a family is planning a vacation, parents and their children should be prepared for the adventures that await them in the classroom.

To help ease the transition into the classroom, The Learning Partnership (TLP), a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to championing a strong public education system in Canada, is providing strategies and resource ideas that will enable parents to help prepare their children for the start of Kindergarten by introducing early literacy and numeric learning skills through play.

"Starting school is a huge milestone for both the child and parents," says Veronica Lacey, president and CEO of The Learning Partnership. "More than ever before, it's important that we reach out to parents and teachers - and help provide them with the necessary tools to make sure that children are given the opportunities to succeed at school."

Recent research used by The Learning Partnership has shown that when parents are given the proper early learning resources for use at home, pre-school children are better prepared for school and learning. Furthermore, parents who establish a foundation in early learning for their children at home are better prepared to support school success and lifelong learning.

Keeping this in mind and recognizing that preparing children for school can be a challenge, The Learning Partnership's CEO Lacey recommends that parents and children use early learning materials and engage in play-based activities which will help their children with the transition to school.

<< Top tips for early learning and a successful transition into Kindergarten include:

- Take every opportunity that comes along to talk to your child - ask questions and answer questions. This will not only develop the child's language skills but also nurture curiosity.

- Reading begins with talking and listening. Read to your child and talk about books to help develop your child's listening skills and an interest in stories and print.

- Talk to your child about letters and numbers and do fun activities with them to help your child develop number and letter awareness. For example, when at the grocery store make a game of looking for items with a letter that is the same as your child's initials.

- If English is your second language, speak to your child in the language that is most comfortable for you. ESL parents should continue reading and talking in their first language to their children.

- Initiate activities with resources such as crayons, safety scissors, construction paper, glue and playdough to help your child develop the finger control and the coordination they need for writing as well as encourage their creative expression.

- Chant rhymes and sing songs to help your child play with language as well as hear and recognize sounds and learn new words.

- Encourage independence: help your child learn to get dressed; express feelings, thoughts and needs clearly to others (such as going to the washroom, getting a beverage).

- Help your child make choices, for example: which clothes to wear, what activities to do.

- Give your child opportunities to play with other children, share and take turns.

- Introduce your child to their teacher, bring them to their new classroom so they are familiar with their new environment, and know what their school day will be like. >>

These learning activities can be used by any parent who has a pre-school child. Take an interest - and with the right resources packed in the knapsack, both you and your child will have a great day at school. Remember, getting ready for the learning adventure begins at home. And when your child comes home, talk to them about their day because tomorrow is going to be full of new learning adventures.

Waterloo - The Laurier community is saddened to learn of the sudden passing of former president, Dr. John Weir, in his native Prince Edward Island on Friday, August 24, 2007. Dr. Weir was president of Wilfrid Laurier University from 1982–1992.

Washington, D.C. - The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) and the Wharton School's Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research announced August 24, 2007 a new collaborative effort on corporate governance and corporate political accountability.

According to Prof. William S. Laufer, director of the Zicklin Center, and CPA executive director Bruce F. Freed, the effort will focus much greater attention on company political spending and activity and the role of corporate governance in overseeing and regulating this activity. "In the wake of a sea change about how corporations think about ethics, compliance and governance, the time has come to wrestle with corporate political influence," Laufer said.

"Too little attention has been paid to this subject," Freed said. "Growing company involvement in the political process through direct and indirect spending significantly raises the risks faced by companies and shareholders. It also has an impact that extends well beyond the corporation. All of this has important implications for corporate governance that the new CPA-Zicklin effort will examine."

The CPA and the Zicklin Center will kick off their effort with several new initiatives. They include a study of how directors carry out their oversight responsibilities of company political spending and activity, a survey of the codes of conduct of S&P 500 companies and how they regulate political spending, and an examination of existing regimes for political disclosure and accountability of the U.S. and a range of foreign countries and companies.

In addition, the CPA, the Zicklin Center and Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business will co-sponsor a conference on corporate governance and corporate political accountability to be held in late February 2008.

The Carol and Lawrence Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research was established at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in 1997. Its mission is to sponsor and disseminate leading edge research on critical topics in business ethics. The Center's broad research focus includes global business ethics, corporate governance, social contracts, deception, disclosure, bribery and corruption. The Center is intended to serve as a focal point for the interaction of business, professional, and academic conferences, and makes available working papers and article reprints relating to the Center's sponsored research.

Founded in November 2003, the CPA is a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to bring transparency and accountability to corporate political spending. As a result of its efforts, 31 leading public companies have agreed to disclose and require board oversight of their political spending. The CPA has published groundbreaking reports examining corporate political spending and the risks to shareholder value, corporate political spending through trade associations, and company codes on conduct on political spending. The CPA has developed a model code on political spending for companies. It also commissioned the first-ever survey of shareholder attitudes on corporate political spending.

Zicklin Center website: http://www.zicklincenter.org/

CPA website: http://www.politicalaccountability.net

Guelph - An $8.7-million investment by the Ontario government will make it easier for scientists at the University of Guelph to cross over to "the dark side."

The funding, announced today by Premier Dalton McGuinty, will support the expansion of Canada's world-class astrophysics facility, SNOLAB. Researchers will work to find novel ways to view elusive dark matter particles, which they hope will help them learn new information about what the universe is made of and what holds it together.

"This is a very exciting extension for SNOLAB in looking for the next big advance in physics, namely dark matter," said Jimmy Law, a Guelph physics professor emeritus. He, along with other Guelph researchers, has been involved with the facility since its inception nearly 10 years ago.

SNOLAB is the world's deepest underground laboratory and includes a unique neutrino telescope that is the size of a 10-storey building. It’s located two kilometres beneath the earth in a nickel mine near Sudbury, Ont.

The expansion, which was initiated in 2003 by a $39-million investment from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, will allow for the construction of a cryopit, a large cavern to store the low-temperature liquids and gases needed to conduct large-scale cyrogenic experiments for the next generation of research into dark matter particles.

Dark matter is matter of unknown composition that does not emit or reflect enough electromagnetic radiation to be observed directly. Its presence is inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter.

"U of G is proud to be part of the new adventure," said Law. Other Guelph scientists involved with SNOLAB are Prof. Bernie Nickel, professor emeritus Robin Ollerhead, post-doctoral researcher Diane Reitzner and PhD student Marc Bergevin.

The U of G researchers worked on the development and construction of the facility and helped design and build SNOLAB's sophisticated instruments. Law, a nuclear physicist, also helped write and test the software used to analyze data generated by the facility. “We are part of a great team of international scientists," he said.

In total, more than 130 researchers from 14 different universities and research labs in Canada, the United States and Great Britain are involved in research at the centre.

In 2001, SNOLAB researchers gained international recognition when they solved the mystery of solar neutrinos that had baffled scientists since the early 1970s — explaining the discrepancy between the number of neutrinos observed and the number predicted by theoretical models of the sun. They found that two-thirds of the electron-type neutrinos produced by nuclear reactions in the core of the sun change to other types of neutrinos — muon and tau neutrinos — before reaching Earth.

Anthony Vannelli, dean of the College of Physical and Engineering Science, said SNOLAB is now well-positioned to move to the next phase of this international research into the basic foundations of life and matter.

"U of G and our partner Ontario universities acknowledge the timely support of the Ontario government through the Ministry of Research and Innovation," he said.

Waterloo - Forty of Canada’s top young leaders will be at Wilfrid Laurier University Aug. 19-23 to attend Youth in Motion’s Courage to Soar conference, a dynamic leadership event that brings together some of the most accomplished young people in the country.

Organized by Youth in Motion and hosted by the Laurier School of Business & Economics, the four-day conference is designed to enhance the leadership abilities of up-and-coming young leaders. Participants include Top 20 Under 20 recipients and finalists who will be given the opportunity to learn, interact and share with other young leaders.

The program is designed to provide geographically dispersed participants with broader perspectives of Canada and its role in the global marketplace. Attendees will hear from experienced leaders, including Jim Hayhurst, founder of The Right Mountain Inc. and author of The Right Mountain: Lessons from Everest on the Real Meaning of Success; Iain Klugman, president of Communitech Technology Association; and Jan Varner, CEO of the United Way of Kitchener-Waterloo and Area.

Major sponsors for the event include the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, OnSurvey Inc. and the Laurier School of Business & Economics.

$309 million over next two years puts boards and schools in Waterloo Region on solid ground

WATERLOO REGION — The McGuinty government is strengthening public education and improving the funding formula by investing an additional $309 million in public funding over the next two years, Kitchener Centre MPP John Milloy announced August 14, 2007.

For boards in Waterloo Region, this means:

$4,652,464 for the Waterloo Region District School Board
$1,832,125 for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board

The government is providing an additional $182 million for the 2007-08 school year, in addition to the $781 million funding increase announced in March.

“Since taking office we have been working together to make public education the best education, including fixing a flawed funding formula,” said Milloy. “I believe that this commitment today is the fix our school boards here in Waterloo Region have been waiting for to put them on firm financial ground.”

This province wide investment will support further improvements to the education funding formula through:

· $41 million to fund more 300 vice-principals in large schools
· $20 million to improve the maintenance and operation of our schools
· $12 million to continue transportation funding reform by ensuring boards receive funding that more accurately reflects the real costs of school bus operation and maintenance
· $20 million to improve support for Education Assistants
· $52 million to ensure funding for professionals, para-professionals, secretaries and supply teachers more closely reflects actual school board costs
· $20 million to fund 240 more primary teachers to help with the implementation of smaller primary class sizes
· $5 million for school office supplies
· $12 million in additional support for rural schools

“School boards worked hard this year to put together strong programs and balanced budgets,” said Education Minister Kathleen Wynne. “This enhancement will help to alleviate many of the pressures that boards have told me they face and will ensure they can continue to provide a stable learning environment for our students.”

For 2008-09, an additional $127 million will be provided to further strengthen the funding formula by better matching funding with current costs. This investment will focus on additional areas that boards have identified, such as English-as-a-Second-Language, schools in areas of local growth, adult education, school board operations and local education priorities.

The government will also review the progress made in improving the funding formula by 2010. The review will evaluate whether the funding formula supports the government’s education priorities for improved achievement in all our schools around the province.

Since 2003, the McGuinty government has made significant improvements to how education funding is delivered. These investments are producing results for Ontario’s students with rising student achievement, smaller primary class sizes and higher graduation rates.

Since taking office, the government has increased education funding by $3.7 billion — an increase of $2,156 per student, or 29 per cent. For 2007-08, education funding has increased by $963 million or $556 per student compared to last year.

“When we get public education right, we get the best citizens, the best workers, the best jobs and the best society,” said Premier Dalton McGuinty. “Today’s announcement builds on four years of progress and determination to make public education the best education.”

Guelph - The Ontario government is investing nearly $1.6 million in 10 leading-edge research projects at the University of Guelph.

The funding provided through the Research Infrastructure Program of the Ontario Research Fund is intended to help researchers obtain the tools they need to stay at the forefront of innovation. The money may be used to cover costs for lab space, equipment and computer software.

It's part of a $36-million provincial investment to support 240 research projects across Ontario and matches funding provided earlier this summer by the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

"Supporting innovative research in Guelph is part of the government's plan to attract and retain the best and brightest people and provide jobs and prosperity for the next generation of Ontarians," said Liz Sandals, MPP for Guelph-Wellington, who announced the U of G funding.

Guelph projects and the lead researchers are:

Andrew Brooks, Department of Pathobiology,$115,142 to investigate genetic variations that alter the susceptibility of swine to infection.

Hermann Eberl, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, $119,014 to develop innovative computer simulation tools and to carry out research aimed at improving methods of wastewater treatment, soil remediation and food processing hygiene.

Karen Gordon, School of Engineering, $127,953 for a lab to study orthopedic soft-tissue mechanics (ligaments, tendons, etc.). Collaborating with clinical studies professor Mark Hurtig, she will apply the engineering measurements to the clinical study of osteoarthritis.

Steffen Graether and Matt Kimber, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, $250,672 to establish a structural biology laboratory in the sciencecomplex’s Advanced Analysis Centre.

Ryan Gregory and Robert Hanner, Department of Integrative Biology, $249,586 to investigate biodiversity at the genomic level and to enhance future biodiversity and genomic research.

Katerina Jordan and Eric Lyons, Department of Plant Agriculture, $246,945 to study turfgrass threshold levels for pest and drought tolerance.

Judi McCuaig, Department of Computing and Information Science, $64,023 for a novel lab to perform human computer interaction experiments.

Steven Newmaster, Department of Integrative Biology, $124,119 to study plant biodiversity, including variation in individual genes and genomes and morphological traits within and between species.

David Stanley and Harjinder Gill, Department of Psychology, $213,473 to set up an industrial-organizational psychology research centre.

Ian Tetlow, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, $123,429 to study the regulation of starch biosynthesis in plants.

WATERLOO — Wilfrid Laurier University’s Community Safety & Security department is the proud owner of a new 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, thanks to a donation from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) in Cambridge.



TMMC president Ray Tanguay will visit Laurier’s Waterloo campus Wednesday August 8 at 3 p.m. to present the vehicle to university officials.

“We are so pleased that TMMC has supported us in this way,” said Dr. Robert Rosehart, president and vice-chancellor of Laurier. “Being an environmentally conscious campus, it is particularly significant that TMMC chose to donate a hybrid vehicle. This will save Laurier money on fuel while producing fewer emissions.”

“TMMC is proud to be able to support Wilfrid Laurier University and its community,” said Tanguay. “Congratulations on becoming one of the more than one million owners of a Toyota hybrid.”

The Toyota Highlander Hybrid blends the power of a 3.3L V6 engine with a high-voltage direct-current battery. This means producing 70 per cent fewer smog-forming emissions than a typical conventionally powered new vehicle, while providing more than enough power to allow members of the Community Safety & Security department to do their job well.

In The Globe and Mail’s 2006 University Report Card, students gave Laurier an A for sense of personal safety and security on campus.

“Our primary goal is to ensure a safe environment for our students, faculty, staff and visitors,” said Rod Curran, Laurier’s director of Community Safety & Security. “This new vehicle will enable us to meet the patrolling needs of our campus and has enough space to transport a student to the hospital, should the need arise.”

TMMC employs more than 4,500 workers in Waterloo Region and has a reputation for building excellent vehicles. Laurier has had a long relationship with TMMC and looks forward to continuing the partnership in the future.

GUELPH - University of Guelph drama professor Judith Thompson has won the prestigious 2007 Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts. The $50,000 award is administered and presented by the Canada Council for the Arts.

The prize honours the highest level of artistic excellence and distinguished career achievement by Canadian artists who have spent the major part of their career in Canada in theatre, dance or music. It will be formally presented to Thompson in the fall.

"This is outstanding recognition for an outstanding member of our faculty," said president Alastair Summerlee. "The fact that Judith continues to teach undergraduate students and to be engaged in the life of the University makes this an even more remarkable achievement."

Thompson was selected for the award by a peer assessment committee comprising notable Canadian actors, directors, artists, playwrights and scholars. The committee called her a groundbreaking Canadian visionary "possessed of one of the most dynamic and unique theatrical voices anywhere."

"Along with her significant achievements in writing for stage, film and radio, she is increasingly influential as a theatre director, educator and mentor," the committee said.

Thompson, long considered one of Canada’s finest playwrights, has been a U of G faculty member since 1992. She has received wide acclaim for her work and is known for her complex and sometimes disturbing plays that give voice to human failings and accomplishments.

Among her many achievements, she is a two-time winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Drama; received the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award, the Toronto Arts Award and the Canadian Author's Association Award; and was a two-time nominee for a Genie Award. In 2005, she was named an officer of the Order of Canada.

Her works include: The Crackwalker, White Biting Dog, I Am Yours, Lion in the Streets, Sled, Perfect Pie, Habitat, Enoch Arden in the Hope Shelter, and Palace of the End. She has also written two feature films, Lost and Delirious and Perfect Pie, and numerous radio plays.

The Walter Carsen Prize was created in 2001 through a $1.1-million donation to the Canada Council by Toronto businessman and philanthropist Walter Carsen, O.C. It is typically awarded annually on a four-year cycle: dance, theatre, dance, music.

Previous winners include choreographer David Earle, composer Murray Schafer, principal dancer/producer-director Veronica Tennant, playwright John Murrell, and choreographer/director Brian Macdonald.

The UW researchers have been awarded grants totalling $796,545 in the latest cross-country funding announcement by the CFI, an independent corporation created by the federal government. The money comes from CFI's leaders opportunity fund, which is designed to assist universities in attracting and retaining top faculty.

"These investments at Waterloo will help ensure that our researchers and their students have access to a world-class research and training environment," said George Dixon, UW's vice-president, university research.

UW's winning projects and researchers involved are as follows:

* Centre for Biophysical Research in Ecosystem Restoration and Rehabilitation. CFI funding: $177,475. Principal investigator: Maren Oelbermann, professor of environment and resource studies. Co-investigators: Merrin Macrae, professor of geography, and Deep Saini, professor of environment and resource studies, as well as UW's dean of environmental studies.

"Our goal is to create a biophysical research centre for ecosystem restoration and rehabilitation," says principal investigator Maren Oelbermann, who is also a professor of environment and resource studies. She adds that the advanced equipment will be used to conduct analyses of plant, soil and water.

Oelbermann explains that unsustainable land management practices have increased soil and water contamination, resulting in the accumulation of atmospheric greenhouse gases.

"The mechanisms underlying carbon, nutrient and contaminant dynamics in soil and water are not well understood," she says. "However, knowledge of the mechanisms of interaction that drive biogeochemical cycles can aid in the restoration of degraded ecosystems and can help to develop remediation strategies."

The research will develop long-term sustainable ecosystem management techniques by applying methods of bioremediation for restoring degraded landscapes.

* Cryospheric Remote Sensing Research Facility. CFI funding: $243,070. Principal investigator: Claude Duguay, professor of geography. Co-investigator: Richard Kelly, professor of geography.

Principal investigator Claude Duguay says that UW's research group will become a leading contributor to the science of remote sensing of ice and snow as a result of the CFI funding.

"It will place our researchers in a strategic position for new and future satellite Earth observing missions that are designed to monitor the cryosphere -- the frozen part of the Earth's surface."

Duguay, also a geography professor, says researchers will work closely with other universities and government agencies charged with delivering timely information to the public on the state of the Earth's frozen water stores.

"The cryosphere has a significant impact on socio-economic activities in Canada," he says.

He adds that freshwater ice freeze-up and break-up dates, the extent of snow cover and the volume of snow water, along with the duration of seasonal ground freezing, are important to the agriculture, transportation, hydropower and recreation sectors.

* Laboratory for optical quantum computation and communication technologies. CFI funding: $130,000. Principal investigator: Kevin Resch, professor of physics and astronomy.

"Quantum information seeks to harness the quantum world for new technologies in computing, communication and precision measurement," explains Kevin Resch, professor of physics and astronomy. "Quantum effects, such as entanglement, superposition and the uncertainty principle, are often referred to as bizarre or paradoxical as they have no analogues in our everyday experience."

But with properly engineered quantum systems, he adds, those effects have profound implications for computing power and information security. "It will revolutionize how we process and share information."

As a result of those challenges, quantum information has attracted researchers from a diverse range of traditional disciplines spanning engineering, physics, computer science and mathematics.

The CFI-funded lab will be used to construct optical sources of entanglement for investigations of entangled quantum systems and quantum nonlinear optics. "The research and its results will enhance Canada's reputation and scientific presence in experimental quantum information science," Resch says.

* Laboratory for the Synthesis, Physical and Thermodynamic Characterization of Novel Nanostructures for Applications in Chemical and Biological Systems. CFI funding: $146,000. Principal investigator: Michael Tam, professor of chemical engineering.

The CFI-funded lab will prepare and characterize polymeric systems suitable for biomedical and chemical applications.

"A detailed understanding of factors controlling the behaviour and use of synthesized materials is critical to developing robust drug delivery vehicles and systems for protein purification and removal of organic contaminants," says Michael Tam, a professor of chemical engineering.

"This development of new medicines and efficient modes of delivering them to the desired targets will be critical in bringing about innovations that will benefit society and humankind," he adds.

"The research will contribute to the creation of key fundamental knowledge critical to the development of better and more advanced delivery systems needed to treat diseases such as cancer and various genetic disorders such as Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis and Huntington's disease."

* Quantum heterostructure optoelectronic devices for terahertz applications. CFI funding: $100,000. Principal investigator: Dayan Ban, professor of electrical and computer engineering.

"This CFI-funded platform for experimental research will be unique because it will be capable of extracting the electrical, optical, temporal, spectral and structural information of materials and fabricated component devices within the terahertz (one trillion periods per second) domain," says Dayan Ban, a professor of electrical and computer engineering.

Ban says that a potential application of the research will be in biological and medical imaging.

"A portable and environmentally friendly terahertz imaging system will have positive impact on the health of Canadians," he says. Examples include non-invasive medical imaging for dental application and detection of sub-dermal melanoma.

In the environmental area, terahertz spectroscopy will be used for detection of water, oxygen, chlorine, nitrogen compounds and ozone depletion in the atmosphere.

GUELPH - With cottage season in full swing, farmers, landowners and vacationers alike continue to have concerns about water quality along the Great Lakes. A University of Guelph professor is working to break down misunderstandings between these groups and to encourage land stewardship.

Prof. Wayne Caldwell of the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development is developing a handbook to prompt landowners to take responsibility for their own contributions to water-quality problems.

Working with colleague Prof. Karen Landman, he is producing a "Rural Landowner Stewardship Guide" that helps landowners identify approaches to environmental issues on their property so they can reduce contamination.

Cottagers are often the most vocal about water-quality problems, said Caldwell, who is also the director of sustainable rural communities portion of the University of Guelph-Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs partnership.

"This project is about each of us as landowners, thinking about the daily decisions we make that contribute to water quality," he said.

"We can't simply point fingers at a group such as farmers when our own actions are part of the problem."

The guide is based on Caldwell's studies of water quality issues in Huron county. He has incorporated feedback that he received at meetings and workshops throughout the region about what problems people are encountering, where they think they are coming from and what they can do to help.

The Guide is available in two versions - one for lakeshore residents and a second for rural non-farm property owners. There is also a version intended for use across Southern Ontario.

GUELPH - "How did you spend your summer vacation?" is a typical question asked of returning University of Guelph students. This year, at least 90 undergraduates will have similar responses: "I was conducting research!"

The students are all part of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) summer undergraduate research program. They've spent the past few months working as research assistants in U of G laboratories and field settings.

Their academically supervised projects range from gene isolation and canola breeding to trout management.

"These awards are intended to stimulate undergraduate students' interest in research in the natural sciences and engineering," said Prof. Peter Pauls of the Department of Plant Agriculture, who is U of G's NSERC representative and acting associate dean (academic) of the Ontario Agricultural College.

They are also meant to get students interested in pursuing graduate studies and the world of research, creating the next generation of Canada’s researchers, said Pauls.

The students make important contributions to campus research projects during their summer stints, he said. Those contributions will be celebrated Thursday with a special event at the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre from 2 to 4 p.m. It's open to the University community and to the general public.

The event is also an opportunity to highlight the students' individual research projects, which span a wide range of campus departments. Electronic images of the students' work will be projected on the walls of the gallery, accompanied by music.

The students have been invited to attend the celebration with a family member or friend. Their supervisors, department chairs and deans are also invited.

Two University of Guelph professors have received a new provincial award that recognizes teaching excellence.

Pathology professor Andrew Peregrine and mathematics professor Jack Weiner are among the first recipients of the inaugural Leadership in Faculty Teaching (LIFT) Award. The new honour was developed to recognize and encourage teaching excellence in Ontario’s colleges and universities.

It will be awarded annually to up to 100 faculty who influence, motivate and inspire students, as well as demonstrate leadership in teaching methods.

“Andrew and Jack are highly valued faculty members, and I am delighted that their outstanding dedication and skills as both lecturers and mentors have been recognized by the province,” said Maureen Mancuso, provost and vice-president (academic).

“These two professors are an example of how the University of Guelph is a leader in innovative and effective teaching.”

Peregrine, a faculty member in the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) for 10 years, teaches clinical parasitology, the diagnosis and management of parasite infections in domestic species. He won OVC’s 2001 Pfizer Carl Norden Distinguished Teaching Award and is a three-time winner of the K.M. Bhatnagar Memorial Humanitarian Award, which is awarded by student selection. He is also involved in the International Medicine Club, Global Vets, Veterinarians Without Borders and OVC’s Summer Leadership Program.

“I am flattered and honoured to be nominated for this award,” said Peregrine. “This award is a testament to the progressive teaching philosophy at the University and OVC. OVC has been very active in promoting innovative teaching techniques, and this has allowed people like me to try out new things. Much of what I have learned has come from watching and listening to other people who are effective teachers, then adding my own style to it.”

This is Weiner’s 25th year teaching mathematics at the University. He is the recipient of several teaching awards, including the 2007 University of Guelph Central Student Association Award for Teaching Excellence and a 1994 Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations teaching award. He has also been cited as a “Popular Professor” in Maclean’s annual Canada-wide university survey eight years out of nine. He is a director of the Ontario Association for Mathematics Education and an executive of the Grand Valley Mathematics Association.

Currently, Weiner is participating in a University of Guelph/Maplesoft research initiative that involves developing innovative and efficient uses for technology in mathematics and science education. “New technologies and traditional teaching, well integrated, are leading to better, deeper, sustained learning in and beyond the classroom,” he said. “Class is more fun, too!”

LIFT award recipients receive $20,000 over two years, along with a commemorative pin and certificate from the provincial government.

“Excellence in undergraduate teaching is central to the mission of the University of Guelph,” said Liz Sandals, MPP for Guelph-Wellington. “I am delighted that Profs. Jack Weiner and Andrew Peregrine are being recognized with LIFT awards for their outstanding contributions to teaching at U of G."

A University of Guelph professor and a U of G program have received honours from national and international organizations, and the University has named a new associate dean.

University professor emeritus Bruce Holub, Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, was named this year's recipient of the Distinguished Nutrition Leadership Award at the annual meeting of the Canadian Nutrition Congress held recently in Winnipeg.

The award recognizes the contributions of an individual or an association to the field of nutrition within Canada and is sponsored by the Danone Institute of Canada, a non-profit foundation with a mission to improve the health and well-being of Canadians through its support of nutrition search, student awards and educational programs.

Holub was recognized for his training of students, for his research on omega-3 fatty acids and trans fats, and for sharing this information via invited lectures and interviews with print, radio, and television appearances.

• Programs offered by the University of Guelph’s Turfgrass Institute recently received top ratings by Turfnet magazine, an independent industry publication. U of G’s associate diploma in turfgrass management was ranked No. 2 among similar programs in North America, and its turf managers’ short course was listed second in its category.

• Prof. Cecelia Paine has been appointed associate dean of graduate studies for a three-year term. A U of G professor since 1990, Paine is a distinguished landscape architect who has worked both in private practice and with the National Capital Commission and is a fellow of the Canadian and American Societies of Landscape Architects. Her research centres on heritage landscape preservation and sustainable landscape design.

Paine has served as graduate co-ordinator of the master of landscape architecture program since 1999 and has been acting associate dean of graduate studies since July 2006.

“Cecelia brings a wealth of experience in all aspects of graduate studies,” says Prof. Isobel Heathcote, dean of graduate studies. “Her caring personality and deep personal commitment to quality in graduate education make her a great fit for this role.”

Waterloo - A recent $250,000 donation from several Toronto-based companies has brought the Wilfrid Laurier University school of business and economics a step closer to its target of raising $2.5 million for its brand communication program.

The goal of the program, supported by the Marketing Communication Education Trust, is to provide university-level training and foster marketing talent for companies in Canada.

In the United States, more than 200 universities grant degrees in advertising and integrated marketing communication but in Canada, the training has been almost exclusively at the community college level.

The trust was spearheaded by Rupert Brendon, the program's chair and trustee.

He kicked off the fundraising with $50,000 of his own money.

Unilever, Pepsi-Q.T.G. Canada, Molson, Cadbury Adams, Dare, Cossette Communications and Cara International are among the companies that have provided the financial support.
Copyright The Waterloo Record

BRANTFORD — A study by a journalism professor at Wilfrid Laurier University has found that Canadian national television news is virtually balanced in its positive and negative depictions of evangelical Christians, but the negative depictions are probably the ones being remembered.

The study, conducted by Dr. David Haskell, assistant professor of journalism at Laurier’s Brantford campus, is titled “Evangelical Christians in Canadian National Television News, 1994-2004: A Frame Analysis” and is published in the current issue of the Journal of Communication and Religion, available this week.

“The findings suggest that Canada’s national television journalists, in the main, strive to provide coverage that is objective,” said Haskell. “However, it seems journalists find it difficult to play the role of dispassionate, neutral observer when evangelicals’ words or deeds directly contradict their own beliefs about what is right.”

Polls of evangelical Christians in Canada show that this faith group believes the news media treats them unfairly. Haskell’s study sought to validate or negate the evangelicals’ claim of media bias by empirically examining reports of national television news.

All reports featuring evangelical Christians and airing between January 1, 1994, and December 31, 2004, on the nightly, national television news programs of Global, CBC, and CTV television networks were subjected to frame analysis (a form of content analysis). In total, 119 reports featuring evangelical Christians were broadcast over the 11-year period.

Major Findings:

1) The positive and neutral frames (portrayals) were almost equal to the number of negative frames (portrayals) used in the news reports and in that regard the coverage was balanced. However, the positive frames that were used tended to be dissimilar, depicting evangelicals in many different ways. On the other hand, the negative frames were more uniform, focusing on just a few key unflattering stereotypes. Evangelicals were depicted as intolerant in 25 per cent of all reports, as criminally-minded in just over 13 per cent of reports, and as un-Canadian in over eight per cent of reports.

Other research has shown when an audience sees the same message repeatedly that it penetrates their consciousness; specifically, a correlation exists between repetitive viewing of specific, similar content on television and the holding of specific perceptions or beliefs about the world. Thus, in terms of audience perceptions, it could be said that the concentrated negative frames influenced viewers’ attitudes more than the numerically significant, yet thematically disparate, collection of positive and balanced frames.

Coverage was most slanted against evangelicals in situations where their words or deeds conflicted with the heart-felt convictions of the journalists themselves. For example, other research has shown that national journalists are strong supporters of homosexual rights. In this study, reports that pitted homosexuals or gay rights activists against evangelicals evidenced the greatest signs of anti-evangelical bias.

2) Broken down by network, the news reports that aired on CBC TV depicted evangelicals most negatively (i.e., employed the most negative frames); theirs was the only news coverage to not achieve a rating of “balanced overall.”

3) Regarding the topic or focus of the reports, evangelicals were most often featured in stories related to politics. About 30 per cent of stories showed evangelical politicians or evangelical citizens involved in politics mostly at the federal level. After politics: 17 per cent of stories featured evangelicals in criminal or immoral activity; 14 per cent showed them involved in social action or protest; 14 per cent focused on involvement in religious observance or theological discussion; about 8.5 per cent focused on evangelicals involved in legal actions or issues; about 7 per cent showed evangelicals involved in educational issues; 2.5 per cent focused on evangelicals involved in church business or governance; likewise, 2.5 per cent of reports focused on evangelicals involved in charity or volunteer work.

Theoretical Background:

Who are evangelicals?

Evangelical Christians comprise 12 per cent of Canada’s population but they are not a coherent or unified religious group. While there are certain Protestant denominations known for their large evangelical populations— Adventist; Baptist; Christian and Missionary Alliance; Christian Reformed; Mennonite; Nazarenes; Pentecostal; Salvation Army—almost all of Canada’s Protestant denominations have evangelical members. It is what one believes, and not where one worships, that makes one an evangelical Christian.

Put most simply, evangelicals believe in the main historical doctrines of the Christian church; they practice a very traditional or conservative form of Christianity. In fact, the moniker “conservative Protestants” can be used interchangeably with the term evangelicals. The four defining traits of modern evangelicals are a high regard for scripture, a personal relationship with/commitment to God, a belief that through His death and resurrection Jesus forgives sins and grants eternal life, a desire to advanced God’s kingdom through charity and volunteer work and telling others about Jesus.

What is Framing/Frame Analysis?

When they create a news story journalists must use interpretive judgment; that is, they must select and emphasize some facts and leave others out. Communication theorists call a journalist’s process of information selection and emphasis “framing.” A news story’s frame (the end result of the process of framing) selects certain aspects of an issue or event and draws attention to them through inclusion and exclusion of information and language use.

To the best of their ability, we expect journalists to construct neutral frames. A neutral frame relays to the audience the ideas that the subjects—that is, the people the story is about—are putting forward as they intend those ideas to be understood; the ideas of the subjects are not interpreted or filtered by the reporter according to his/her personal worldview. A neutral frame will also place events in perspective by providing relevant background and will allow those who are criticized in the body of the report to respond fully to the accusations of their critics. Finally, in cases where opinion, and not fact, is relayed, a neutral frame clearly distinguished it as opinion. A non-neutral frame (be it negative or positive) would be influenced by the journalist’s own opinions and would show evidence (in the selection of information and language usage) of promoting one side/perspective over another.

Frame analysis seeks to determine how journalists frame a particular event, issue, individual or group assessing whether the frames used are neutral, positive, or negative.