In brief
MAGALLY ZELAYA, STAFF
ENGINEERING COMMEMORATES 100 YEARS
The faculty of engineering celebrated its 100th anniversary inside the newly completed Engineering and Information Technology Complex on Friday, Sept. 14. The centennial celebrations included the unveiling of the Donor Wall honouring those who made the new facilities possible, tours, a photo and memorabilia gallery, receptions, and a homecoming banquet.
Among the many students, faculty members, alumni, and media in attendance were: John Harvard, Lieutenant Governor; Jim Rondeau, minister of science, technology, energy and mines; Steven Fletcher, member of Parliament for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia, and Emöke Szathmáry, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manitoba.
“It’s easy to look back on the past 100 years but for the visionaries of 1907 do you think that they would have imagined how far we’ve come,” said Szathmáry in a speech made at the afternoon ceremony.
“At our 2007 spring convocation the University of Manitoba graduated 81 engineers. These individuals and the more than 13,000 engineering grads before them have gone on to advance our scientific, electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing technologies in Manitoba and around the world.”
OFF-CAMPUS WORK PROGRAM EXTENDED
International students at selected private institutions in Manitoba can now apply for off-campus work permits thanks to a pilot project announced on Sept. 13. Previously, only international students who attended public universities and colleges were eligible to apply.
Not all private institutions are included in the program. Only institutions that offer degrees qualify: a decision made by the Government of Canada and the Province of Manitoba. Thus, international students at Canadian Mennonite University, Providence College and Seminary, and William and Catherine Booth College will now be eligible to apply for off-campus work permits.
The announcement was made by parliamentary secretary Ed Komarnicki, on behalf of the Diane Finley, minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Diane McGifford, Manitoba minister of advanced education and literacy, and Nancy Allan, Manitoba minister of labour and immigration.
“Canada’s New Government is committed to helping all newcomers to Canada, including those who are here to study,” said Parliamentary Secretary Komarnicki in a press release. “This pilot will allow more international students studying in Canada to work off-campus, to contribute to our economy and gain Canadian work experience.”
Other provinces interested in extending the off-campus work program to private institutions are currently still in discussions.
U OF M PROFESSORS AWARDED PRESTIGIOUS CANADA RESEARCH CHAIRS
The number of Canada Research Chairs at the University of Manitoba is now up to 49, with the addition of a new chair awarded to professor Samar Safi-Harb in supernova astrophysics and the renewal of professor Frank Hawthorne’s existing chair in crystallography and mineralogy.
The awards were announced on Sept. 10 in Calgary. The two awards translate into more than $2 million for the university. $1.9 million will come from the Canada Research Chairs Program and $125, 000 for infrastructure support will come from the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
Safi-Harb, an associate professor of physics and astronomy, is an expert in supernova remnants, which are the remnants from the explosions of massive stars. The aim of her research is “to understand our galaxy’s dynamics, evolution, and chemical enrichment.” Safi-Harb said it is “a great honor” to receive the Canada Research Chair which recognizes research accomplishments.
Hawthorne’s existing Canada Research Chair was renewed for another five years. The Distinguished Professor of geological sciences is an expert in the crystal structure of minerals. His work focuses on the link between a mineral’s atomic structure and its varying impacts on the environment. Thomas Scientific named him the most-cited geoscientist in the world in August 2007.
The Canada Research Chair Program was created in 2000 by the Canadian government to establish 2000 research professorships in universities across the country by 2008. The program aims to help Canadian universities operate on a world-class level.
As of this month, there are 1,848 chairholders in 70 universities across the country. A third of current chairholders have been recruited from abroad and a quarter of all chairholders are female.
BOOST TO EQUIPMENT FUNDING FOR HOG FARMING RESEARCH
Equipment funding for the new swine research facilities at the University of Manitoba’s National Centre for Livestock and the Environment has been bolstered by a nearly $200,000 federal investment announced on Friday Sept. 7.
The announcement was made by Rod Bruinooge, MP for Winnipeg South, on behalf of the Rona Ambrose, minister of western economic diversification and intergovernmental affairs.
Federal funding of $199,867 was set aside in the 2007 budget.
The funding goes to the Manitoba Pork Council to purchase equipment for the NCLE facility. The university and the council are working together with the aim of developing environmentally sustainable livestock production practices.
The new equipment will facilitate the study of “issues such as odour, water quality, greenhouse gas emissions and fertilizer use in a total crop and animal production system,” according to the NCLE website.
The facility, located on 486 hectares of land south of the city, is the only one of its kind in North America.
