Top students receive national, provincial and UW co-op awards next week

WATERLOO - The University of Waterloo, which launched co-operative education in Canada, will celebrate the achievements of six top co-op students next week, including one who will also receive provincial and national awards.

Kate Gardiner, a fourth-year science and business student, will be given national, provincial and UW co-op student awards during a ceremony to take place Wednesday, March 19 at 2 p.m. in the William M. Tatham Centre for Co-operative Education & Career Services, room 2218.

Gardiner, who spent an eight-month co-op term as a research analyst on palliative care at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, will receive student-of-the-year awards from both the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education and Education at Work Ontario. She will also receive UW's faculty of science student-of-the-year award.

At Sunnybrook, Gardiner assessed new methods of pain treatment, proposing research ideas on how to improve the quality of life among cancer patients.

As well, she is an active member of UW's community volunteer program. A residential don, Gardiner has organized many events benefiting the campus food bank. One weekend a month, she volunteers in her hometown of Mississauga at the Peel Region distress hotline, helping troubled callers.

"We are delighted that, for the third year in a row, the University of Waterloo has been recognized both provincially and nationally for the high calibre of our co-op students," says Peggy Jarvie, executive director of co-operative education and career services. "This is the second time that the award has been granted to the same person in both categories."

UW's co-operative education department will present co-op student-of-the-year awards to top representatives from the faculties of applied health sciences, arts, engineering, environmental studies, mathematics and science. The awards, which include a cash prize, recognize the students' contributions to work-term employers and co-op education, along with academic achievements and volunteer activities.

The other recipients of the UW co-op student-of-the-year awards are:

* Applied health sciences: Amanda Hird, third-year health studies. Hird is an internationally acclaimed and awarded researcher who has completed two co-op terms at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. Her pivotal work aimed at preserving the quality of life for cancer patients with bone metastases led her to be the first undergraduate student to present at the largest global radiation oncology conference.

* Arts: Carolyn Fitton, third-year arts and business. Fitton, who worked in Microsoft Canada's community affairs department, co-ordinated the company's charitable donations and organized events to support the community. She organized the Annual Microsoft Miracle Cup, which raised more than $25,000 for the Children's Miracle Network.

* Environmental studies: Tegan Renner, fourth-year environment and resource studies. Renner spent a work term at Alternatives Journal, which focuses on environmental initiatives and action. She compiled a massive educational directory detailing every university-level environmental studies program in the country. It also showcases campus environmental movements, which seek to create green universities and a healthier planet.

* Mathematics: Anton Markov, third-year computer science. Markov worked for Kaleidescape, a high-tech company recognized for innovative storing and viewing of personal music and movie collections. He developed a graphic interface and adapted Kaleidescape products for foreign-language users.

* Engineering: Ray Cao, third-year systems design engineering. Cao spent a term as a consulting analyst with professional services firm Deloitte, working under a supervisor on a major project with a client. His supervisor, however, fell seriously ill. Cao completed the project independently, resulting in a full-time job offer from the client.