Guelph - Kate Smolina, a fourth-year biomedical sciences student at the University of Guelph, has won a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to pursue graduate studies in global health science at the University of Oxford.

Students from about 20 countries compete annually for 90 Rhodes Scholarships, which are worth about $35,000 per year and cover tuition, fees and a living allowance.

“This is literally a dream come true," said Smolina. "There are no words to express the gratitude, the excitement and the honour that I feel. I will do my very best to be a great ambassador for the University of Guelph as well as for Canada.”

Smolina attributes her drive for excellence to the hard work of her parents, who decided to immigrate to Canada from Russia nine years so that she and her sister could have a better life.

"I had to fight to justify my parents' sacrifice, to prove that they had not come for nothing. I was given an opportunity to change my life for the better, and I was determined to use it."

President Alastair Summerlee, who is also a faculty member in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, has high words of praise for Smolina.

"Kate is an exceptionally rare student in terms of her intellectual ability, passion for learning, unrelenting determination and genuine deep desire to help others by improving the world we live in," he said. "She has the talent, the drive and the winning personality to succeed wherever she goes in life."

Smolina won the Lionel Bradley Pett Scholarship for the highest average in third-year biomedical sciences and has the top average this year as well.

A U of G President's Scholar, she also received a Loran Award (formerly the Canadian Merit National Scholarship) when she graduated from high school. The award is given annually to up to 30 Canadians for academic excellence, leadership skills, community involvement and character.

In addition to her academic achievements, Smolina is dedicated to volunteering, particularly in areas related to health care, peace building and international development.

She is vice-president of YOUCAN, a national youth organization that promotes peaceful conflict resolution and violence prevention in Canada and internationally. She started a Duke of Edinburgh's Award Club at the University in 2004 to encourage more students to participate in the program. She also served on the 21st Century Committee created to develop practical ways to enhance the learning experience of undergraduate students.

She has also travelled to India and Costa Rica, where she helped communities with construction, farm work, teaching English and volunteering in rural hospitals.

Smolina hopes her graduate work at Oxford will lead to research in epidemiology of infectious diseases, an interest sparked by her travels to developing countries. Her long-term career goal is to work for the World Health Organization and take a leadership role in bridging the fields of medicine, epidemiology and public health to control infectious diseases in the developing world.

Created in 1902 and named for Cecil Rhodes, the scholarships recognize "high academic achievement, integrity of character, a spirit of unselfishness, respect for others, potential leadership and physical vigour."

Past recipients have included country presidents, Supreme Court justices, poets, writers, scholars, politicians, Olympic athletes and Nobel Peace Prize winners. Among them are former Canadian governor general Roland Michener, astronomer Edwin Hubble, Fulbright Fellowship founder J. William Fulbright, actor Kris Kristofferson, former U.S. president Bill Clinton, feminist social critic Naomi Wolf, Canadian commentator Rex Murphy, and former Ontario premier Bob Rae.

WATERLOO - About 350 high students from Waterloo Region will participate in the annual federal-provincial conference simulation at the University of Waterloo on Tuesday and Wednesday. Guest speaker will be Ian Urquhart, provincial affairs columnist for the Toronto Star.

The simulation, sponsored by UW's political science department and the local History Heads Association, has been an annual event at UW for more than 30 years. This year, delegations from 17 regional schools will take part in the event. For the first time, Rockway Mennonite Collegiate will be participating in 'Fed-Prov,' as it is popularly known.

The role of Canada's prime minister will be handled by Fatemeh Mayanloo, of Waterloo Collegiate Institute. Other students from the same school will serve as federal ministers. Students from other schools will have responsibilities to chair meetings of provincial and territorial ministers.

Besides first ministers meetings, ministerial delegations will participate in committees dealing with finance, justice, health, the environment, agriculture and economic affairs, immigration and aboriginal affairs.

A number of special interest groups will also be represented at this year's conference. They include the National Citizen's Coalition, the Council of Canadians, Greenpeace and the Canadian Council of Chief Executives.

Two schools -- Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School and Glenview Park Secondary School -- will produce newspapers during the conference to provide information and promote debate over the two days. One of the schools will be the recipient of The Record's Federal-Provincial Conference Press Award.

The John Boulden Award, named after one of the founders of the simulation, will be presented to one of the student First Ministers on the basis of a vote by all conference participants. In addition, the Derksen Award will be awarded for best website.

Working sessions will be held in several rooms in the arts lecture hall, J. G. Hagey Hall of the Humanities and the modern languages building on Tuesday and Wednesday, beginning at 9 a.m. The concluding plenary session will be held in the theatre of the arts, modern languages building, on Wednesday, from 1:45 p.m. to 3 p.m.

WATERLOO - Two University of Waterloo professors, one studying neurological disorders and the other advances in information processing using nanostructures, have received Canada research chairs from the federal government.

UW was given multi-year funding for the two chairs -- one new award and one renewal. The positions allow faculty members to focus on research and training the next generation of scientists. The federal money includes payments for associated infrastructure -- such as laboratories and state-of-the-art equipment -- from the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

"This announcement brings the total number of Canada research chairs established at Waterloo to 51," says George Dixon, UW's vice-president of university research. "UW will continue to attract leading researchers to explore new directions for scholarship that will benefit the entire nation."

At the École Polytechnique de Montréal on Thursday, Jim Prentice, minister of industry and minister responsible for the Canada Research Chairs program, announced an investment of $109.7 million for 109 Canada research chairs across the country.

UW's new Canada research chairholder is Pavle Radovanovic, a professor of chemistry. He holds the Canada Research Chair in Physical Chemistry and Spectroscopy of Nanoscale Materials. He will receive $100,000 annually for five years. As well, he obtains $205,000 in CFI money for infrastructure.

The research explores optical, magnetic and electronic interactions in nanosystems, says Radovanovic, and their uses in creating advanced forms of information processing and computer memory.

The work will result in improved computing performance, speed and energy consumption through new forms of non-volatile information processing and computer memory. These new forms will overcome many limitations of existing technology.

The renewed Canada research chair is held by James Danckert, professor of psychology. He also receives $100,000 annually for five years as the Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience. As well, he gets $361,323 in CFI funding for infrastructure.

Danckert says his research compares healthy individuals with patients who have an unusual but common neurological disorder, known as unilateral neglect.

His work will lead to better ways in rehabilitating stroke victims, along with a new understanding of neurological conditions resulting from right-side strokes.

There are two levels of Canada research chairs: seven-year chairs (tier 1, valued at $200,000 a year) for experienced researchers widely acknowledged as world leaders in their fields; and five-year chairs (tier 2, valued at $100,000 a year) for researchers considered by their peers as having the most potential to lead in their fields.

"We're thrilled for Christopher and are proud to have played a role in

his success and achievements," says Centennial College president Ann Buller.

"He is a shining example of the contribution college graduates are making

across the country."

The Balsillie School of International Affairs, a joint project with the Centre for International Governance Innovation and the University of Waterloo.

The Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work in the historic St. Jerome’s high school building in Kitchener.

The Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship.

Renovations and upgrades to University Stadium in Waterloo.

The new Alumni Field on the Waterloo campus.

The development of the Laurier Brantford campus, including major renovations and additions to the Heritage Block, such as the Student Centre, the Post House residence, the Wilkes House residence and recreational facility, Journalism House, and the new University Centre.

Increased research capacity, including new research centres such as the Laurier Movement Disorder Research and Rehabilitation Centre, the Laurier Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience and the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community.

New student fellowship programs, such as the Balsillie Fellowships and the Cleghorn Battlefield Study Fellowships.

WATERLOO - The latest research on vision in healthy and frail elderly people, as well as the impact of infant epilepsy on vision, will be among the diverse topics discussed at the sixth annual Canadian Optometry Conference on Vision Science to be held Dec. 7-9 at the University of Waterloo.

The event celebrates the 40th anniversary of Waterloo's optometry school, UW's 50th anniversary and the approaching start of the centennial year of the University of Montreal's optometry school. About 150 faculty and graduate students are expected to attend the conference, hosted by UW's school of optometry.

"The conference will highlight research carried out by the two Canadian optometry schools at the universities of Montreal and Waterloo," says Jake Sivak, conference co-chair and a professor of optometry. Also participating will be researchers from University of Toronto, York University and the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind).

"The conference will emphasize graduate student work at both schools," Sivak says. "We are going to have 70 research poster presentations by graduate students."

The event will be held on the UW campus and the Delta Kitchener-Waterloo Hotel. Because of space limitations, the event is not open to the public, but media representatives can attend. For more information, visit link

Among the research highlights are the following presentations:

* Saturday, Dec. 8, 2:40 p.m., Vision in the Healthy and Frail Elderly, with Hélène Kergoat, Université de Montréal. It takes place (as do all Saturday presentations) in Delta Kitchener-Waterloo Hotel, Kitchener suite.

The normal aging process is accompanied by physiological decline in many organs, thereby increasing their susceptibility to disease. Therefore, aging is linked with an increased prevalence of pathologies, including ocular and neurodegenerative diseases. The research features clinical as well as experimental data on visual systems in healthy and frail elderly people.

* Saturday, Dec. 8, 3 p.m., Epilepsy during Infancy: Disrupted Plasticity in Visual Development, with Carol Westall, University of Toronto.

The research investigates electrophysiological markers of visual dysfunction attributed to the anti-epileptic drug vigabatrin among children with infantile spasms, an age-specific epilepsy. The drug results in an increase of gamma-aminobutyric acid in the brain and retina, which is associated with visual toxicity in adults.

* Sunday, Dec. 9, 9:20 a.m., Useful Field of View, Mobility and Visual Impairment, with Susan Leat, UW. It takes place (as do all Sunday presentations) in the school of optometry, room 347, on the UW campus.

The useful field of view is a composite measure of visual attention and the ability to detect objects amid clutter, along with such basic visual functions as visual field loss and contrast sensitivity. The study explores whether people with visual impairment show greater losses of useful field of view than conventional fields. Results indicate that attention, visual function and age are key factors in orientation and mobility performance.

* Sunday, Dec. 9, 9:40 a.m., Unmet Needs for Aids, Devices and Supports for People with Vision Loss in Canada, with Deborah Gold, CNIB.

There is a growing need in Canada for information on the estimated 600,000 people with significant vision loss. Disability increases with age and limits the participation of older persons in society. The study describes the findings of the 2001 Participation and Activity Limitations Survey on adults with sight impairment in Canada. It examines needs for devices and supports in adults.

Resources

Contacts:

Jake Sivak, professor of optometry and conference

co-chair, 519-888-4567 ext. 33174

Chris Hudson, professor of optometry and

conference co-chair, 519-888-4567 ext. 35562

Jeff Hovis, professor of optometry and conference

co-chair, 519-888-4567 ext. 36768

John Morris, UW media relations, 519-888-4435 or jmorris@uwaterloo.ca

UW news release no. 106

2007-11-28 10:47:39

Ten years in the making, the NutriSTEP screening checklist is the first of its kind in Canada. It has the backing of the Ontario government and is being piloted in selected areas across Canada as part of immunization programs and preschool screening fairs.

Created by Guelph professors Heather Keller and Janis Randall Simpson, both of the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, and Lee Rysdale and Joanne Beyers of the Sudbury and District Health Unit, the checklist focuses on children between the ages of three and five, an age group that often slips between the cracks when it comes to keeping track of their nutritional behaviour.

"Routine nutrition monitoring with a physician stops after children reach age three, and they don't normally go back to the physician until they need vaccines to start school at age five, so there is little monitoring during that time," said Keller.

By age three, children are typically finished with breastfeeding and are beginning to form nutritional habits, so this is the optimal time to intervene and make changes to prevent future nutritional problems, Randall Simpson added.

"In the past, at-risk children were identified only at the clinical stage when they already had nutritional problems," she said. "We need to be identifying these children before they suffer from obesity or get diabetes."

Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the screening tool has the potential to change the way childhood obesity and malnutrition are addressed because it can be administered by parents, without the aid of a medical professional, and be used across cultures universally, said Keller.

"It can be used in a doctor's office, public health clinic, day care or school to identify children who should be further assessed and treated by a dietitian before they have problems."

The checklist consists of 17 questions covering a child's physical growth, what the child is eating and drinking, physical activity and sedentary behaviour, as well as factors affecting food intake such as how the parents control what the child eats and if parents have challenges with the cost of food.

To ensure that the checklist is valid, more than 300 parents filled out NutriSTEP. Each child was then assessed by a dietitian, and the results of the assessment and the questionnaire were compared to ensure they both came to the same conclusions, said Keller.

The results revealed that more than half of the preschoolers in the study weren't getting enough grains and fruit and 45 per cent weren't getting enough vegetables. Just over 30 per cent were spending more than three hours a day watching television or doing some other type of sedentary activity, and nearly 13 per cent were eating fast food more than twice a week.

The checklist also found that 37 per cent of parents reported they often control how much their children eat. Randall Simpson said there is some evidence that strict parental control over how much a child eats, particularly food restriction, may play a role in the development of childhood obesity.

"Ultimately, more than one-third of the sample preschoolers were considered to be at moderate to high nutritional risk. These results demonstrate a real need for a screening checklist that can help make parents aware of harmful nutritional habits and intervene before a child becomes high risk."

WATERLOO - Three accomplished Hong Kong residents are among the 50 dedicated alumni being recognized as Canada's most innovative university turns 50 this year. The three will be recognized at a gala celebration being organized by and for Hong Kong alumni of the University of Waterloo.

UW is celebrating its 50th anniversary by recognizing the achievements and involvement of 50 alumni who remain engaged with the university long after they graduate.

"The university is very 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. "A great many of them were able to attend a recognition event close to home. The Hong Kong event is a great way of ensuring that distance does not prevent us from demonstrating just how much we value their significant contributions."

The Hong Kong award-winners are:

* Rex Auyeung, senior vice-president and chief executive-Asia at Principal International, Inc. Details on Auyeung can be found at link

When Auyeung arrived on campus as an undergraduate student in the 1970s, he expected to earn a degree in environmental studies. Today he reports that he received much more. He is the senior vice-president and chief executive-Asia at Principal International, Inc. in Hong Kong, China.

Over the years, Auyeung made donations to the Hong Kong Alumni Trust for promising Hong Kong scholars at UW. He also established his own scholarship fund.

* George Woo, associate dean of the faculty of health and social sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Details on Woo can be found at link

After graduating from UW in 1964, George Woo completed graduate work in the United States before returning to Waterloo in 1970 to take a faculty position at the school of optometry. Woo taught at UW for 26 years before moving to Hong Kong where he is associate dean of the faculty of health and social sciences and chair professor of optometry at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

While at UW, Woo developed the low vision program at the school of optometry. He was the founding director of the centre for sight enhancement, which became a national centre under his leadership.

* David Yau, president and chief executive officer of the Hong Kong Institute of Continuing Education. Details on Yau can be found at link

UW, consistently ranked as the most innovative university in Canada, served as the model for David Yau to establish an educational institution in his home of Hong Kong.

Yau, who received a bachelor of mathematics in 1992, is the founder, president and chief executive officer of the Hong Kong Institute of Continuing Education. The private education institution offers degree and short programs to students in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Before entering into the educational sector, Yau was an associate vice-president with Prudential Securities.

Candidates for this special 50th award 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 receives a limited-edition print entitled Fifty: Upholding Imagination, an artwork created by UW graduate Paul Roorda (BA 1988). The piece, selected from an array of submitted works by alumni artists, will be on permanent display at UW.

For biographies of the 50 recipients, visit link

Hong Kong alumni, who number close to 1,000, will celebrate the University of Waterloo's 50th anniversary at a gala dinner on Friday, Nov. 23. The celebration begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Kowloon.

This report projects the potential future population of students in colleges and universities in Canada and the provinces during the next quarter century. It does this by applying various assumptions regarding participation rates in postsecondary education to projected demographic trends.

The report creates three scenarios for projecting enrolment levels in universities and colleges to 2031 under certain conditions.

The first—the "status-quo" scenario—is based on the assumption that future participation rates would match those observed in the recent three-year period between 2003/2004 and 2005/2006.

The second scenario is based on participation rates observed over a much longer term. It assumes that rates would continue to grow until 2016/2017 on the basis of historical trends in the period between 1990/1991 and 2005/2006, then remain at the 2016/2017 levels up to 2030/2031.

A third scenario assumes that participation rates for male students would rise to match rates for women that existed between 2003/2004 and 2005/2006. (Participation rates are consistently higher at the university level for women, especially those aged 17 to 24.)

Demographic projections show that over the coming decades, large shifts will occur in the size of age cohorts that have historically constituted the majority of students in Canadian colleges and universities.

Due to the baby-bust during the 1970s, there was a relatively large decline in Canada's population aged 17 to 29 between 1991 and 1998. However, numbers started to increase for this age group around 2003 as a result of the Echo Boom cohort, the children of the Baby Boomers.

This effect is projected to peak around 2012 or 2013, after which projections again show a decline in the size of this population.

Under the "status quo" scenario, total full-time postsecondary enrolment is projected to grow steadily until 2012/2013 to nearly 1.3 million students, about 50,000 more than between 2003/2004 and 2005/2006.

After 2012/2013, a major decline in the size of the youth cohorts would begin to affect enrolments. Full-time postsecondary enrolment would reach a trough in 2025/2026, with a student population 9% below the peak 13 years earlier.

Under this scenario, the national pattern would mask considerable differences in the magnitude and timing of enrolment peaks and troughs across the provinces.

For example, in the Atlantic provinces and Saskatchewan, projected enrolments start to drop early in the projection period. In Quebec, the number of new entrants into the postsecondary system would increase significantly early in the period, with total enrolments peaking in 2009/2010.

In scenario 2, which assumes that participation rates will grow in line with historical trends, postsecondary enrolment for the age group 17 to 29 would first rise, due in part to increases in the size of this population early in the projection period and in part to the assumed increases in participation rates. Rising participation rates would then compensate for declines in the size of the age cohort to 2016/2017.

However, by 2030/2031, enrolment levels would plunge by more than 90,000, reflecting the decline in the population aged 17 to 29 over the latter part of the projection period.

Scenario 3 looks at what would occur if the gap in participation rates between men and women were to close. If the university participation rate among men were to rise to match that of women, male university enrolment would increase dramatically to 2030/2031.

In other words, raising the university participation rates of men could offset some of the potential enrolment deficits that would result from a decline in the size of the university-age cohort after 2012/2013.