Friday, February 27,1998 The Newspaper of the University of Waterloo Engineering Society

Arctic Fire Achieves Victory

uw Toboggan Continues Championship Tradition
BY MARK TIGCHELAAR
AND KEN MOORE
Arctic Fire Concrete Toboggan Team
O
n February 4, 1998, twenty-eight
people trekked to Calgary by fly-
ing covered wagon to compete in
the Great Northern Concrete Toboggan
Race (GNCTR) hosted by the University
of Calgary. Arctic Fire entered two tobog-
gans in the race - JEKYL and HYDE.
Jekyl was crafted in the more tandard rec-
tangular shape typical of a Waterloo
Toboggan with many improved features
over previou years' toboggans, while
HYDE sported a new circular shape and
some revolutionary concrete. We knew we
had two winners!
Wednesday:
When we arrived in Calgary at the
Highlander Hotel, the festivities were in
full swing. Opening ceremonies included
live music, chanting and cheering, beer,
pizza, dancing, and of course BATCH!
Thursday:
We 1 aded onto a bus headed to
unshine Valley for a day of excellent ski-
ing. It was sunny and above zero in the
afternoon and the view was so good, it
looked like a painted backdrop. The ride
back included keg beer for the exhausted
skiiers. The evening included an awesome
photo provided by: Jodi Wood
Round sled in a square competition: The innovative pentagonal toboggan (on the right) came
firs! place and kicked butt over the rectangular ones (011 the left)
pub crawl which ended at Cowboy' , a
famou b ~ ~ n Calgary made famous by
their 25 cent drafts and pushy waitresses.
Friday:
Our hangovers saw u bright and early
at the technical exhibition held in the
indoor beach vo\leydome on the U of C
campus. We set up our boggans and
checked out some of the other ver co 1
entries from the other teams. The judges
were very impressed with our di play and
how we answered their questions. At the
end of the Tech X day we were herded
back on the bus and sent directly to Senor
(see "C01Jcrete ... ", page 5)
Bell commits $9 million to UW
Bell Emergis enters partnership with Uoff and UW
UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
NEWS BUREAU
B
ell Emergis, a division of Bell
Canada, intend to commit $22.5
million to the Univer ity of
Waterloo and the University of Toronto to
create a network of research laboratories
focu ed on leading-edge computer engi-
neering and software technology.Through
its investment, Bell Emergis will establish
Bell Emergi Univer ity Lab with U of T
receiving $13.5 million and UW receiving
$9 million over three years.
The laboratorie will develop tech-
nologie that place Canada at the forefront
of the emerging digital communications
industry. The partners will collaborate on
exploratory research in technologies relat-
ing to computing, networking and commu-
nications.
"This unique partnership repre ent a
bold commitment by the three organiza-
tion to maintain Canada' leading posi-
tion in the communications market," aid
Jim Tobin, pre ident of Bell Emergi .
"The combined capacity of the uni-
versitie of Toronto and Waterloo provides
acce s to uperb intellectual and physical
research infra, tructure which is
unmatched in North America," he said.
At U of T, the partnership will create
an endowed chair for a new faculty mem-
ber, three additional endowed chairs for
existing faculty members and four new
junior professional positions. It will also
significantly strengthen research infra-
structure and provide substantial re earch
funding that over time will encompass a
broad range of di ciplines.
UW will create endowment in sup-
port of a significant increa e in graduate
student enrolment in information technol-
ogy research. In addition, the funding will
be used to create an endowed chair and
upgrade the computing and research infra-
structure.
"This collaboration breaks new
ground," said U of T Prof. Heather
Munroe-Blum, vice-president (re earch
and international relations). "As trategic
partner, both universitie will build on
their outstanding academic and research
strengths in the context of our academic
mis ion.
"We intend to work with Bell Emergis
and the information technology sector in
general to create a broad ba e for
exploratory re earch. This is truly a win-
win-win relationship," she added.
"We are excited that the two universi-
tie are able to work with Bell Emergis
from its birth and contribute our re earch
strengths to it future success," said Prof.
Carolyn Hansson, vice-president, universi-
ty research, at UW.
"It underscores the importance of
research and development in Canada and
will encourage our graduates to remrun in
Canada. I am also delighted that the part-
ner hip give us the opportunity to cement
the strong relationship we have developed
with U of T over the last decade through
the Information Technology Research
Centre (now Communications and
Information Technology Ontario)," she
added.
In support of this initiative, the uni-
versities are applying for resources from
the Ontario Research and Development
Challenge Fund and the Canadian
Foundation for Innovation. Detail s of the
agreement are being developed by the
partners.Bell Emergis was created in July
1997 to nurture and develop relevant talent
to enable a Canadian digital economy. The
Bell Emergis website is located at
http://www.emergis.com
"The only way to get rid of temptation is to give into it." - Oscar Wilde
Volume 22 Issue 3
Midnight Sun
Logo Contest
RUTH ALLEN
2A Chemical
A
ttention all artist . . the Midnight
Sun needs a new logo and will
pay $300 for the winning entry.
Thi i your chance to lea e your mark on
one of the large t of all student project on
campus. The conte t is open to all full-
time students currently registered at the
University of Waterloo (including your
friends on work terms). There are no
restrictions of the style of the logo, nqr on
the colours u ed. Ju t keep in mind that,
amongst other place , we want to print the
logo on our new Midnight Sun T- hirts.
Entries must be the original work of the
artist - team entries are welcome - the
prize money will be divided among the
group. Entries must be dropped off at E3-
21030 or mailed to Midnight Sun, c/o
Sy terns Design, on a 8.5 x 11 piece of
paper inside a sealed envelope. A maller
sealed ID envelope containing your name,
addre s, phone number, email, and tudent
ID mu t be stapled to the back of your
submis ion. To en ure the integrity of the
competition, do not write any form of
identification on the actual logo. All per-
onal information mu t only be found
inside the 10 envelope. You may submit
more than one entry.
The Midnight Sun is a project that has
carried the name of our university far
acros the globe - from the World Solar
Challenge in Australia to the unrayce in
North America. For tho e of you unfamil-
iar with the project, please do not hesitate
to mail your questions to the team at:
mai/@midnightsun.uwaterloo.ca or vi it
the Midnigh,t Sun web page (/utp://mid-
sun.uwaterloo.cal)
Good luck to all contestants.
Deadline for submi sions is April 13,
1998.
In This Issue ...
Un-Classifieds ................... 3
UW Searches for a New President .... 3
Humanitarian Award Submissions .... 4
Beyond Ring Road .... . ........... 4
To the Point. .................... 6
Mathematics Playground ...... , .... 8
Am ...... . .................... 9
ChESoc ..................... 12-13
EngSoc Repol1.'1 ............. 14-15
OEC Schedule .................. 16
2 News & Information The Iron Warrior, Friday, 27, 1998
Hey Engineer! Are you in Need of Money
T
hr oughout
your midterms
you studied at
the library and to
save time you ate all
your meals at
University Plaza.
After spending $200
on ' Olympic' gyros
and fries you wish
you had some extra money to tide you over
for the rest of the term. If you need extra
money then you might want to consider
some of the following contests and awards
found in thi s issue of the Iron Warrior;
Engineering Society Humanitarian
Award
A $400 prize is available to the indi-
vidual who writes the best article answer-
Letter from
the Editor
ing the question
"Does the UW
Engineering curricu-
lum prepare us for
the ethical dilemmas
b)' Pierre Menard we will face as pro-
fessionals?" The
award is sponsored
by the Beynon
Memorial
Foundation and the Centre for Society,
Technology and Values. You should also
consider the added benefit of being able to
add the award to your resume. Your
resume summary probably lists excellent
communication skills as one of your shi n-
ing qualities but you should also support
the statement with evidence. Make your
resume stand out by submitting an entry to
this journalism award. See the ad on page
10 for more details.
Midnight Sun Logo Contest
A $300 prize will be awarded to the
individual who creates a new logo for the
Midnight Sun Solar Car. If you have a tal-
ent for drawing then consider submitting a
new logo de ign. Details can be found on
the cover page.
Mathematics Playground
Although the prize amount is pathetic
and there is no prestige attached to win-
ning, many people like to sit down and try
the math problem. There is $20 up for
grabs to the first person who successfully
answers the problem. The $20 is either a
gift certificate to Weaver's Arms or a shop-
ping spree at C&D. If you win you can
buy bagels for your entire class.
The Technology Centre and the Entrepreneur
ANDREW HATELY
Communications Director
C
ommunitech President, Vince
Schiralli , lectured on technology
and business on February 3rd to a
group of engineering students. The pre-
sentation was the second in the "Bridging
the Gap" lecture series and was entitled
"Technology and the Young
Entrepreneur". The presentation outlined
the characteristics of the Canada
Technology Triangle area, which encom-
passes Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge
and Guelph. Mr. Schiralli's pre entati n
covered an array of information on the
CIT area from both his personal and cor-
porate experience.
The Communi tech organization is a
partnerShip of private and publi c associa-
tions and the educational facilities in the
CIT area. The organization represents
over 70 local companies to address issues
regarding the growth, direction and reputa-
lion of the technology area. As Mr.
Schiralli indicated, an infrastructure of
financing, communication and support
companies is necessary to attract technolo-
gy businesses. Furthermore, resources,
training and employees are needed in an
area for the businesses to thrive. The CIT
is growing to become a major concentra-
tion of technology business, similar to the
Ottawa Valley or Silicon Valley, which Mr.
Schiralli referred to as a technology centre.
Vince Schiralli outlined the compo-
nents of a great technology centre as:
proximity to leading research university or
research organizations, quality of life,
proximity to markets and suppliers, coop-
erative environment, access to financing,
critical mass of employees and companies,
communications infrastructure and an
active industrial association. Mr. Schiralli
indicated that the CIT is strong in most of
these areas, but especially strong with
research institutions with the presence of
the University of Waterloo and several
research spin-off companies. Other strong
attributes in the CIT area include the qual-
ity of life and the active industrial associa-
tion. Companies in the area will, however,
have difficulty in recruiting highly skilled
employees. The lack of a dominant tech-
nology company is also a deterrent to
establishing a business in the area. As Mr.
Schiralli indicated, however, the employee
problem is a national problem in the indus-
try and can be remedied with agressive
recruiting and promotion. He also indicat-
ed that a dominant company could emerge,
simil ar to Nortel and Newbridge in the
Ottawa area, in time. The CIT is one of
the fastest growing technology centers in
the world, and Mr. Schiralli is quick to
indicate that the growth and opportunity
will exceed any disadvantages in the area.
The CIT technology market is a con-
sumer market of 500,000 people between
Kitchener, Cambridge, Guelph and
Waterloo. This market includes over 350
technology firms, making the manufactur-
ing facilitie to capita ratio the highest in
Canada. ' With the combination of world
cla re earch and world class technology
companies and the proximity to the
Golden Horseshoe, Canada's population
centre, the area offers good employment
and business opportunities. A conserva-
tive estimate of the job market in the area
predicts 2,500 technology and engineering
jobs will be created in the area within 3
years. Mr. Schiralli also indicated that
there are about 10 direct and indirect sup-
port jobs created for each technology job
in the form of marketing, support, sale
and community ervices. As an individual
seeking employment, Mr. Schiralli pointed
to great opportunity in the local area.
Promotion of these oportunities and the
benifits of establishing a business in the
area is one of Communitech's key initia-
tives.
Facilitating business establishment in
the area . is another mandate of
Communitech. Mr. Schiralli gave advice
to establishing a technology business and
also indicated that Communi tech aids
start-up companies by providing business
contacts and directing them to support
agencies. For a person considering start-
ing a business, Mr. Schiralli gave his keys
to success: decide on a goal and launch it,
never consider the ultimate failure of your
goal, take individual steps toward your
goal, avoid negative thinkers, welcome
and anticipate obstacles and difficulties, be
clear about your goal and do not try to do
everything by yourself. Mr. Schiralli's 30
years of experience in the technology field
ranges from small companies and start-up
companies. He illustrated that from incep-
tion to business, there are a few key con-
siderations. Primarily, the company must
remain focused and provide and market a
solution. He'd also said that a startup
company must remain lean and focused on
becoming profitable. Acheiving these
goals requires incredibly focused and
qualified individuals. Mr. Scbiralli
advised that small companies should
ensure that all employees or partners
benifit from the work and decisions that
the company makes.
Establishing a career or business in
the CIT area is ideal for those looking for
exponential growth in the technology area.
Mr. Schiralli's organization is a non-profit
organization which exists to facilitate
growth and development in the area.
Starting from the University of Waterloo,
Mr. Schiralli feels that there is a great
opportunity too establish in the area.
RegardJess of your choice between career
or starting a business, an engineering grad-
uate should consider the benifits of the
area they decide to start in. A growing sec-
tor, such as the technology area of the
CIT, provides an array of opportunity for
an individual who is willing to take some
risk.
For more
Communi tech or
Communitech's
information on
Vince Schiralli,
web site is
http://www.communitech.org.
Vmce Scbiralli's lecture was the sec-
,ond of the "Bridging the Gap" series. The
thrid lecture is with Johnny Zuccon from
the PEO and is scheduled for March 3rd at
11:30 am in AL 116.

The Newspaper of the University of
Waterloo Engineering Society
Editor - in - Chief
Pierre Menard
Assistant Editors
Andrew Hately
Jaime Tiampo
Layout Editor
Alan Cannistraro
Photo Editor
Chris McKillop
WWWEditors
Dushyant Bansal
Frank Yong
Staff
Daryl Boyd
Rukma Chakravarty
Ryan Chen-Wing
Huyis Deez
Paul D'Souza
Gary Cheng
Janna Gillick
Raymond Ho
Eugene Huang
Liz Jones
Yada lubandhu
Lincol Lin
Jenn Motuz
Contributors
Ruth Allen
Ander en Consulting
Vivek Balasubramanyam
Gautam Banerjee
Paul Cesana
Bogdan Chmielewski
Ron Choi
Sarah Davies
Laura Edwards
David Haigh
Jeff Gobatto
Vladimir Joanovic
Dan Kim
Justina Luke
Ken Moore
Alex Pak
A. PendJidis
Nina Sodhi
Vincent Thomas
Mark Tigchelaar
David Tutt
Lynn Walker
Naomi Wong
UW News Bureau
The Iron Warrior is a forum for thought provoking
and infonnative articles published by the Engineering
Society. Views expressed in The Iron Warrior are
those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of the Engineering Society.
The (roo Warrior encourages submissions from stu
dents, faculty and members of the university commu
nity. Submissions should reflect the concerns and
intellectual standards of the university in general. The
author's name and phone number should be included.
All submissions, unless otherwise stated, become the
property of Tbe IJ'OI1 Warrior, which reserves the
right to refuse publication of material which it deems
unsuitable. Tbe (roo Warrior also reserves the right
to edit grammar, spelling and !eX that do not meet
university standard. . Authors will be notified of any
major changes that may be n:quircd.
Mail should be addressed 10 Tbe .... Warrior,
Engioeering Society. CPH 13238, University of
Wi/Moo, wi/Moo, Ontario, N2L 301. Out phone
number is (519) 888-4567 x2693. Out fax number is
(519) 125-4812. Email caD be seal 10
iwanior@mlmoiL_erloo.cQ
The Iron Warrior, Friday, February 27, 1998 News & Information 3
UW Searches for a New President
UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
NEWS BUREAU
P
resident James Downey has indicat-
ed he will nol be seeking to contin-
ue at the Univer ity of Waterloo
when his current term end in l une 1999.
In a letter to University Chancellor
Valenti ne O' Donovan, released today,
Downey explains his reasons for nOl eek-
ing a second term are largel y personal.
"The past five year of retrenchment
and the difficult deci ions that have flowed
therefrom have taken their toll on my ener-
gies," Downey said. " And while the fiscal
forecast is better for the next five years,
there are still many streams to ford and
rapids to shoot, and I feel it would be bet-
ter for Waterloo if it had a president with
fresh energies to steer it."
In commenting on the letter, the chan-
cellor sajd: "Dr. Downey's decision not to
A
fter a long hiatus, the Q Eng group
ha been revived this term and the
first meeting was largely a suc-
cess. It was decided there was enough
interest thi term to revive the group. For
those of you who haven' t seen the signs
posted in the engineering buildings, Q Eng
is a social group for lesbian, gay, bisexual ,
and transgendered individuals. The goal is
to provide a relaxed, pressure-free envi -
ronment where people can talk and act
freely without fear of retribution for their
exual orientation. It is open to any stu-
dents, staff, or alumni of the faculty of
engineering, and any fri ends are welcome.
It should be mentioned that thi is a social,
and not a match-making group.
The Gay and Lesbian Liberation
Organization of Waterloo (GLLOW)
"comjng out" discussion group is a very
seek a second tenn a president i firm and
must be respe ted. but it \\ ill come as a
con iderable di appointment to man) peo-
ple in the university. a well as to leader.
in higher education both nationally and
internationally. who were hoping he would
continue to provide
\\ orked most closely with Dr. DO\\Ilcy
kno\ hc has been an ardent and articulate
advocate of Wand her si:-.ter institutions
during these diffil.' ult times. I ha\ e the
greate. t regard for the contributions Dr.
Downey has made not only (0 Vv atcrloo
leadership.
" He ha led
Waterloo with a
steady hand through
the worst financia l
period of its history,
and ha hel ped to
"He has led Waterloo
with a steady halld
through the worst
financial period
but to higher educa-
tion in the pnwin e."
Downe) was
appointed president
of UW in April 1993
and has pre. ided ov 'I'
the univt!rsity during
the period of the most
of its history ... "
po iti on our uni versi-
ty to take advantage of the bett er times that
we believe lie ahead. I have expres ed to
Dr. Downey my own appreciation for the
admirable work he has done and continues
to do," O' Donovan said.
Paul Mitchell , chair of UW's Board of
Governors, aid : "Those of us who have
Q.Eng
useful environment for helping people
deal wi th the usual iss ues experienced
when firs t coming out. The environment
is geared to be sensitive to the needs of
those first dealing with these issues and no
pressure is given to "convert". GLLOW
has a weekly discussion/social group, so
why is there a separate engineering group?
Simply put, many students in engi-
neering choose not to attend GLLOW
because they are either not interested in
attending the meetings, or have some diffi-
culty in identifying with other there. As
an example, some people from other facul-
ties don' t understand why many students
in engineering do not choose to reveal
their orientation to their cl ass .
Social events will be organized at
least monthly and as often as biweekly
depending upon the level of interest and
severe fisca l
retrenchment in the institution's -to-year
history. Despite that Waterloo ha avoided
divisive labor di , putes, and has cont inued
to attract outstanding tudents. faculty and
taff.
In the past year, after a major early-
retirement plan in 1996, 70 new professors
people's chedules . Some of the activities
suggested have been hiking, skating, ski-
ing, barbeques, and other such sociallath-
leti c activiti es.
To a sist with continuity between
streams, tell any off-stream friends who
you think might be interested, as the group
will be much more successful if it runs
continuously.
The next event scheduled is a movie
ni ght , the exact date and location to be
determined. The best way to get informa-
tion about upcoming events j to mai
Eng at qeng@seurat.uwaferloo.ca, or call
the GLLOW phone line at 884-GLOW for
informati on. Alternatively, watch for
signs which will be posted on th ' cngi
neering bull etin boards.
The Night of Nights
BY ALEX PAK
Arts Director
, ,overture, Dim the lights .. . "
Welcome to TalEng. No
books, no homework, no cal-
cul us. Nothing but pure entertainment.
"This is it,
The Night of Nights ... "
On Thursday evening, March 5, the
federation of UW plummers can wi tness
their fell ow iron warriors showcasing their
talent at the BombShelter.
"No more rehear. ing and nursing a
part. .. "
The response to the call for acts has
been c1amourous and we - your Arts
Directors Deb Boyd (OaSys), Renee
Lazarowich (OaSys) and Alex Pak (SyDe
FX) - have assembled a solid rOSIer of
talented individuals and groups to fill the
evening with plenty of tunes and a few
laughs.
"We know every part by heart ... "
We were overwhelmed by the sheer
volume of talent which came out of the
woodwork to participate in this semester'S
TalEng, the flagship arts event sponsored
by your Engineering Society. I believe
this is the first time we've actually had to
turn people down, just to keep the event
from running until Friday breakfast.
"Overture, dim the lights,
This is it ,
you' ll hit the
heights .. ."
The final line-
up of talent promi s-
es to be impressive
and fun and, as
always, the evening
will go out with a
bang, not a whim-
per. Judging by the
enthusias m infect-
ing the email s
we've received, all
the acts and musi-
cians and bands are
chomping at the bit
to perform - not .
just to share their . LI! JOII<'.'
k
"11 d tIt TAL ENG SUMMER ' 97 - MallY balLds and acts elllerlailled the crowd,
SIS an a en s id' I " d h' .
. h h f inc U 1118 (fil S guy all IS gUHar
Wit I e rest 0 us,
but also to blow the-----------------------
lid off the notion that UW engineering stu-
dents don't do anything but study.
"And, oh, what heights we'll hit...
On with the show, this is it!"
So grab your mates and come on out
to the BombShelter on Thursday, March
5 ... settle into a chair and nurse your bev-
erage of choice. Come see your fellow
plummers strut their stuff.
And welcome, to TalEng.
Preview: The Night of Nights, part
deux:
EngSoc Presents the EngAr! Exhibit at
University Club, Thursday, March 26.
Art by Engineers, for Engineers, but
definitely not about Engineers.
Stay tuned ...
Address your questions or comments
to the arts directors at eng_arts@engmail.
have been appointed - a critical compo-
nent in the fen wal that is occurri ng acro
the univcrsi t .
And, for the past six years in succes-
sion, UW hu. been ran ked in the
Maclean's reput:lIional survey as the be. t
overall universi ty in Canada.
Do\\ ney said: '' It is for ot hers to
what has been a hieved here duri ng
the pas t five years, but I am satisfied that,
despite financial adversit , we hav kept
the university faithful to its acknowledged
spirit of adventure and achievement ThL
is a remarkable instituti on. it has a ren-
dezvous wi th greatness, and] am pl eased
and honored to bc part of its cause and
company."
A Presidential Nominating Committee
has alrcady been establi shed and will be
consulting with the uni versity community
and others before it begins its search for a
new prc. ident later this year.
Un-Classifieds
Un-Classifieds call be slIhmitted in the
Engineering SOCiety office for a price
of $1 for' 10 characters.
Hey baby cakes. I'm looking for a
lady to ride with me on the roller coast-
er of love. Damn I'm smooth. p*
SUMMER SlffiLET
45 ter t.
$275/mooth + utili tie
Up to 7 rooms availabl e
R si ue Fox & Louie's
5 min. wlIlk frolll lJ /WI .U
"' laundry
"' parking
"' pul1 iall y furni shed
all Jerl/Shclhy 88. CBS\.)
CoO'cc House
Monday, MardI 16
' I.e Mult i- pulpmc mom
Acts lind talcnt Jl l.'cdcd
1I1ore info nt'xt I S).UC
TEXTBOOKS WANTED
I'm looking fOi 2A E&CE texthooks.
Pka).c email me if you arc illmg to
se ll. dh(/llw/(p
Hey Uullcthcad,
I know all. Gladly to he herc. Yeah,
yeah. You so ugly.
p*
Orientation Training sign up at
www.adm.uwaterloo.c:a:80Iilljosa/Orie
IltationitrainJorm.html
You must have the training to be an
Orientation Leader
P* Acadamy, Before you accuse me
take a look at yourself. 1 am very fine
and innocent; That will be all. RC-W
4 News & Information The Iron Warrior, Friday, February 27, 1998
Does the Engineering curriculum prepare us for the ethical dilemmas we will face as professionals?
The following is a submission for the Engineering and Society Humanitarian Award
Serving the Public Interest
DAVID HAIGH
38 Mechanical
T
o address this question, a few dis-
tinctions have to be made; what is a
professional, what do they provide,
what dilemmas will they face, and how
does the engineering curriculum fit into
this.
What is a professional? We usually
associate professional with well paid. If
that's the case, then the only ethical dilem-
ma a professional wi II face is if their pay
cheque is big enough.
However, J see the nature of being a
professional is in making a positive contri-
bution to society. This contribution for an
engineer can include developing a new
process or product or working in the pub-
lic's interest. These are very broad goals;
but you will noticc that these goals do not
include improving a company's bottom
line, or securing a patent and living off the
profit; those are the side effects.
So what sort of dilemma will a pro-
fessional face? There will be choices
between long term costs and short term
benefits in uch issues as the environment,
public health, or unemployment.
Engineers are usually hired to work on
short term projects, to develop products or
processes; the long term effects are typi-
cally neglected.
Engineers will face the same dilem-
mas as most professionals, such as con-
flicts of interest. Perhaps you have com-
pleted a project that involves public safety,
and upon review, you find that your calcu-
lations were incorrect. As an engineer,
you are bound by legislation to inform
your supervisor. However, the company
may decide to squash your concern to pro-
tect their interests. Then you are faced
with the option of informing the PEO or
adjusting your calculations to meet with
the new corporate directive. The decision
seems obvious; however, we often find
that the engineer did not raise enough of a
fuss, and people's lives were lost. I've
personally known engineers .that were
privy to those types of decisions, and have
seen companies ignore the consequences.
I'll give one example.
One of my workterms involved the
construction of an automotive safety com-
ponent, and I heard an interesting story
about air bags. The lead engineer was at
the customer's test lab, and left a pair of
glasses on the dashboard. The test engi-
neer quickly spotted this and asked him to
remove them. When asked why, the test
engineer replied, "When the air bag fires,
those glasses will be flying at 200 mph,
and they'll go right through the crash
dummy". The test engineer had a tape of
just such an occurrence, showing the dead-
ly re ults. This was in ] 994, three years
before the automotive companies admitted
that air bags can kill people. That ethical
crisis that must have been apparent to the
original engineers, but the public wasn't
informed. How does an engineer cope
with such a situation?
That brings me to my last point. I can
only describe the mechanical engineering
curriculum, since that is my department.
In my experience, there have been two
courses where we have briefly discussed
the liability of engineering decision mak-
ing. Our other courses have been out-
standi ng in educating us on the analytical
side of engineering, but none of our cours-
es have dealt with corporate decision mak-
ing, or the ethical con equences.
Now, we do have one elective course
that is supposed to deal with the societal
impact of engineering. This is only one
course, however, out of a cour e load of
forty-six; further, these courses do not
deal with engineering pecifically. r can
apply elements of my societal impact
course to engineering; however, I sti ll
have a far from complete picture of ethical
decision making in engineering.
Perhaps we should develop ethical
decision making skills in our co-op experi-
ences. I have been fortunate in this aspect;
my first two work terms involved the
development of safety critical compo-
nents, and I was aware of the li abilities on
the engineer. However, other workterms,
and the workterms of several classmates,
have not specifically considered safety
requirements. It is very rare that a co-op
student is exposed to subject in the public
interest; nor are they required to take a
workterm where this would be the focus.
This is not to say that an engineering
undergraduate cannot find out about ethi-
cal decision making. There are research
departments dedicated to the study of soci-
ety and the impact of technology; but even
if you took all of their offered courses, it
would still only amount to one ninth of
your total curriculum. That level of partic-
ipation from an undergraduate i purely
voluntary; only one societal impact course
is mandatory.
Professionals, in today's ociety, are
faced with ethical dilemmas that require a
blend of expertise, social awareness, and
ethics to address them. Without a solid
grounding in all three of those areas, engi-
neers cannot act diligently and fairly in
society's interest.
Note:
Submissions for the Engineering and
Society Humanitarian award can be made
to iwarrior@engmail. The submission
deadline is Friday March 6, J998.
Articles are restricted to 500 fO 800 words
in length. For more information, email
iwarrior@engmail or cstv@engmail.
ana a an uebec go to court; s Dolly a real clone?
National News
H
caring.s began in
the Supreme
Court on
Febmary 16 on whether it
is legal for Quebec to
secede from Canada uni -
laterally. Another ques-
tion to be answered is
whether Quebec can be partitioned if the
province separates from Canada. The
hearings will last a couple of months.
Steve Stavro, chairman and CEO of
Maple Leaf Gardens bought the Toronto
Raptors and the Air Canada Centre. The
construction for a new hockey-basketball
arena will be complete by March 1999.
The undisclosed purchase price was esti-
mated to be about $350 million.
Ontario Hydro had a record loss of
$6.3 billion in 1997, mostly due to the
planned restructuring of the nuclear plants.
Chairman Bill Farlinger stated that rates
would not be affected at lea, t until 2000.
Greenpeace reported that the recent
ice storm that hit Quebec was a sign of
global warming. The group suggested
Quebecois should reduce their contribu-
tions to climate changes and opt for safer
energy alternatives like solar power.
Rulings from an Ontario court
denounced Imperial Oil's tough drug- and
alcohol-testing policy as di criminatory.
An employer does not have the right to
randomly test its employees, unless the
workers are involved in safety-related
work.
In a US $2.4 billion deal, CN Rail
merged with Illinois Central Corp. and
extended CN's network down to the Gulf
of Mexico.
Hudson Bay Co. bought out K-mart
Beyond
Ring Road
by Unto/ Lin
Canada for $240
million on
February 6. K-
mart stores will
be converted to
Zellers, a sub-
sidiary of
Hudson Bay Co.
Meanwhile, gro-
cers are worried
t.hat Wal -Mart may begin selling grocery at
its Canadian retail outlets. Wal-Mart could
operate its food department at a lower
gros margin than most supermarkets.
A group of clubs supplying marijuana
to medical users announced plans do busi-
ness in full view of the Ontario police.
Some of the e clubs are supplying pot to
their member for less than street value.
Ottawa introduced a fuel consumption
label for new cars sold in Canada. These
label. will allow shoppers to compare fuel
efficiency and environmental-friendlines
of the vehicles.
Doctors in northern BC interior are
fed up with unpaid on-call shifts and other
extra dutie . They have walked out of their
job, in a stalemate to get the government
to increase health care funding.
Solicitor General Andy Scott will con-
sider changing the DNA databank legisla-
lion that would broaden the number of
jailed offenders from which amples can
be taken. Under the current propo ed bill,
DNA amples could not be taken from
convicted child-killer Clifford Olson to
determine if he was involved in other mur-
ders.
A US federal judge di mis ed a $325
million BC law uit that claimed
Americans were taking too many
Canadian-bound Pacific Salmon.
Winter will last ix more weeks,
according to Wiarton Willie. Willie the
Groundhog saw his hadow 'when he came
out on Groundhog Day, February 2.
Liberal MP Ovid Jackson will present a
petition to the House of Commons calling
for the declaration of February 2 as a
national holiday to be known as Natural
Heritage Day.
International News
W
ith a Persian Gulf war looming
on the horizon, UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan will lead a
peace mis ion to Iraq. Arab leaders denied
the American's wish to launch bombing
raids again Iraq from their territories. The
militant Islamic group Hamas threatened
to attack Israel if the US attacks Iraq. Bill
Clinton disagrees with the Russian,
French, and Chinese governments' belief
that the Iraqi issue can be resolved peace-
fully. Libya threatened to cancel oil and
other contracts with Canadian and
Australian firms if Canada and Australia
join the attack on Iraq.
American and Canadian troops head-
ed for the Persian Gulf will be given a vac-
cine for anthrax, one of the biological
weapons that lraq owns. Russian scien-
tists have developed a new anthrax strain
that might defeat the vaccine.
Scienti ts are questioning the credibil-
ity of Ian Wilmut's report on how Dolly
the ewe was cloned. The challengers con-
tended that a fetus cell was used, instead of
the adult cell that Wilmut originaJIy
claimed. Scienti ts have been growing
organisms from fetus cells for more than
two decades. Wilmut admitted that the
wrong cell could have been used.
A constitutional convention in
Australia voted in favour to severe the
country's link to the Br.itish monarch.
Au tralia will become a republic with its
own president.
An anti-government protest was held
in Jakarta, Indonesia on February 13 to
rally against the government's lack of
action since an economic crisis hit the
country seven months ago. The number of
riots has increased due to the rise in food
prices and unemployment.
An earthquake in Afghanistan on
February 4 killed up to 5,000 people. UN
ai'd did not reach the v'ictims until ten days
later due to a snowstorm.
A trial market run began in France for
a new type of toilet paper. The "Petit
Lutin" has printed on it small articles on
French culture, geography, and current
affairs.
On January 30, the US Department of
Commerce released a draft report calling
for the privatization of the assigning and
maintaining of Internet addresses. More
Internet functions would be managed by
the private sector and open to competition.
Currently, Network Solutions Inc, under
an exclusive contract with the US govern-
ment, assigns the addresses.
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said
that he will match or top the US $1 billion
donation offered to the United Nations last
year by CNN founder Ted Turner. Last
September Turner announced his donation
plans and challenged other wealthy people
to do a similar deed.
Superman celebrates his 60th birthday
this April. In the la t IO year, he has died
twice, married once, and now has a differ-
ent costume and powers. Readership of
the comics has dropped sharply because of
the last changes. The publisher will bring
back the classic Superman in a comic to be
released on April 1.
The Iron Warrior, Friday, February 27, 1998
News & Information 5
Concrete Toboggan Takes First
The Studying Spot
(continued from cover)
Frogs for a roa t beef dinner and a great
time with the pirit judge. Who could
forget the game of 'Call Sign ' and
' Fuzzy Duck' . And, as if this wa n't
enough fun for the night. there wa a party
in an Arctic Fire hotel room till the wee
hour featuring keg beer and extra hot
Arctic Prairie Fires.
Saturday:
Somehow, the Arctic Fire team man-
aged to make it to the Wintergreen Resort
for race day though most members were in
very bad shape. Both toboggan had a
very successful day. Our brake were so
good on the rectangular toboggan that we
lost almo t everyone on the first run
the readers of IW, who 0 faithfully bu
our burgers. and to Hutch. Fergin. and
Maggie' boyfriend. Spe ia} thankc goe
to Ken Bowman, Lee Kinder. Fred of
machine shop fame. Clarence the tudent
hop guy, John the tore man, and Terry
Ridgeway, who came in any time we need-
ed hi expertise. Thi competition will
remain in our memories a one of the be. t
weekends we've ever had. It was uch an
excellent opportunity to howca e our
ingenuity and engineering talent and al 0
to have a lot of fun. A hosts of next years,
25th annual G CTR, we hope Waterloo
put on as good a show a University of
Calgary did this year!
J.E.K.Y.L H.Y.D.E. when the toboggan stopped, dislo-
cating a pinky finger ill the proce s. Stands for Just Enjoy Hey, You're
The round toboggan qui ckly became
a crowd-pleaser, spinning so fast
that it shot two and a half of its rid-
ers uphill during the first run. Both
boggan had very fast second runs
and excellent stops.
Sbape
Length
Widtb
Weight
Slab Design
Knowing You'll DrooliDg
Lose Everywhere I
Rectangular Circular (flying
(toboggan) saucer)
10 feet 7.5 fOQl.
diameter
2 feet see above
254 lb. 283Jb.
Prestressed with Vetrotex Cem-
5 prel.ensiooed fII Glass
Rei.nfurccd
s midterms
wept over u. . the
so ial events
slowed down as we
retreated to our
room. and desks
and libraries to
ram our brains full
of information that
we'll forget imme-
diately after writing the midterms. There
wa one light at the nd of the tunnel, how-
ever, for the engineer, and that \ a
Spice world.
Week 5 . The light
Friday - 167 Engineer filled a movie the-
atre rented just for them by our illustrious
external special events directors. With
Nancy Baggio in costume, the spirit wa
high for this ... movie. It was our last
chance to really just get together and ha e
fun before midterm started, and it wa a
rousing succe with more than 100 ticket s
sold the day of the event.
The
Social Spot
bl j f1"ifer MOlu:
Week 6 The exams
Everyone felt the
pain this week as we
slarted our exams.
ome suffered for
onl a chaotic week
while other arc only
finishing now.
Everywhere you
looked, you saw the
engineers tudying ...
Week 7 Reading Week
Mml11 .. reading week. The two day
when we don't have classes to interfere
with our interviews ...
With exams winding down there are a
lot of e ents on the horizon so watch for:
Feb 27 - Mardi I: OEC
Feb 28: 1 ndoor Soccer Tourney
March 6th: MOT
March 7: B S PUSH and EngHockey
Tourney
March 14th: Mudbowl (and Nothing else)
Saturday night was the night
everyone was waiting for - the
awards banquet. With everyone
dressed up and looking fine, mick-
eys under the table, we proceeded to
take first place overall and for sev-
eral categories including Best
Concrete Mix Design, Most
Spectacular Run, and Best Technical
Exhibition for HYDE, our circular
boggan. Arctic Fire JEKYL and
HYDE won Third Place for Team
Spirit. HYDE also got honorable
mention for a $1000 award present-
ed by Reid Jones Chrisofferson for
concrete research. U of A Green
Berets captured second place overall
with Univer ity of Maryland's Low
Sliders coming in third. The peo-
ple's choice award went to
Discoboggan, a big-haired, elevator-
shoed team from Ecole
Poly technique de Montreal.
galvanized Home
Hardware
aircraft cable
combined witb
Cement witb
Robmand
Haas polymer
Invest in Your Future
Arctic Fire has kept up the
Waterloo winning tradition in the
GNCTR with top three finishes for
four years running. Thanks to all
our sponsors for their support and to
Bayex crack
control
Coocretc 35 MPa
Strength Compressive
3.5 MFa Tensile
Member 1/4 in. Atlas
Connections Alloys aluminum
gusset plate with
114 in. SPAE
NAUR bolts
Slab to Frame 3/8 in. SPAE
Connections NAVR bolts
welded to
number 7 rebar
(poured into slab)
Brakes One big semlted
1/4 in Atlas
Alloys
Aluminum plate
Special Headlight and
Attachments Stereo System
Expectations Long. Hard and .
Fast
Results Long, Hard IlJld
Fast
emulsioo
26MPa
Compressive
32MPa
Tensile
Same as Jekyl
Sika
Windshield
Adhesive
5 small Atlas
Alloys
channels
Warning
Beacoo and
Warningboros
Deatb
Almost died
GAUTAM BANERJEE
3A Electrical
E
ngineering students and faculty are
invited for a special presentation on
The day, March I Oth. Dr. Norman
Williams of the PEO Professional Affairs
Department will be visi ting campu to dis-
cuss the latest issues invloving the PEO
and today's engineering students. The
presentation is entitled: "Professional
Engi neering Licensure: An Investment in
Your Futmc".
If you arc unclear ahllut what illl11'<!n,
to be a p, Eng and tIll' benefit.., thcrein, then
this presentation i.., c.lcfinitley lor you .
Find out why prof'ssionul is
important, and the positive impact it will
have on your career. Get IIpdated with the
current work of the PEO lc<lrn how they
are helping to influence good engi Ileering
practice throughout North America, and
what that will mean to you.
Dr. William' presentation will
include the following topics:
From Engineering Graduate to Licensed
Professional Engineer
PEO Licensure and You
Pre-Graduation Experience Credit
PEO's Engincer-in-Training (ElT)
InternshipFTograrn
The New Training Advisory Program
(TAP)

Vullll' 01 till P hll' IiU:t1l' I'
hy did tl1l' PLO lt1lTl'i!\l' till' cal
toward t' I,olll 1 tn ,P
' Ih ' pleWllltltUlI\ will he IlllloWl'c.1 hy a
Q( A
Dute:
Time:
Plu(' ':
'\\Il'sdny, Mard, lOUt
II :10<1111 12: :Wplll
AI. 116
The Sandford Fleming Foundation '
CPH 4306
888-4008
Waterloo Campus Activities
sff@dean
WlfNTElR 1998
TECHNJrCAL SPEAKElR COMPETITION
Winner: Shelby Winkler, MechAnica.l Engineering
"Molson's Videojet DAte Coder"
Other
PArticipAnts:
Ro'b Wood., System Design Enginering
"On-Ca.lI Pickup Dispa.tch Ana.lysis"
Lynn Wa.llter, ChemiCAl Engineering
"Oil Refining At Petro CAnada's Oil Refinery"
Funding for this award comes from your student contributions and depends on it for continuation,
An organization devoted to the advancement of engineering education,
6
ANDERSEN
CONSULTING
1997 Andersen Consultine
An rights reserved.
ESD Promises Frictionless Commerce
Electronic software distribution
promi es "frictionless commerce"
Disintermediation could hurt unwary
retailers. The idea that information tech-
nology can transform atoms into bits is no
longer revolutionary. This transformation
is especially evident in common credit
card-based electronic commerce transac-
tions that take place entirely in the virtual
world. But most Internet shopping sites
( uch as http://www.amazon.com) still
must deliver a physical product to com-
plete a consumer's purchase.
Internet pundits have long argued that
electronic software delivery (ESD) will
help bring about the much-hyped promise
of "frictionless commerce." These gurus
assure us software publishers can save
untold millions on the packaging, ship-
ping, and retail placement of their products
by both selling and delivering their wares
online. And while the lure of electronic
software distribution is considerable, a
number of both technical and business hur-
dles must be overcome before you can stop
buying your software in a box.
ESD encompasses both the purchase
and delivery of software over the
Internet.
International Data Corp. predicts that
revenues from software sold and distrib-
uted electronically will reach $4.6 billion
by the year 2000. In a survey by Yankee
Group, consumers cited downloading soft-
ware as the third most popular reason they
log onto the Internet behind using e-mail
services and participating in chat groups.
And nearly 70 percent of 322 software
publishers surveyed by Softletter said they
predict ESD will contribute at least 33 per-
cent of their software revenues by 1999.
Perhaps the most familiar method of
ESD involves a user downloading soft-
ware directly from a manufacturer's Web
site. Although many downloadable plug-
ins arc free, payment requirements arc
becoming more common. Another
increasingly popular method of ESD
involves a retailer, in a system more remi-
niscent of a brick-and-mortar software
store. Users visit a retailer's Web site,
where they can pick and choose from a
host of software products to purchase and
download online.
Supporters claim that ESD can benefit
software users, publishers, and reseUers
alike. Electronic distribution of packaged
software reduces the cost of phy ically
reproducing and transporting oftware
products. Software that is distributed elec-
tronically reduces-time-to-market and
allows more u ers to give feedback about
applications earlier in their development
cycle. End users gain hopping conve-
nience, new pricing models (such as "try-
before-you-buy"), and access to
information about forthcoming software
upgrades. For software publishers, ESD
can simplify software license management
by tracking and monitoring each copy of
an application in large enterprise. And
some proponents contend that the more
efficient direct marketing channel that
ESD provides could even boost sales of
software upgrades. Software distributors
and reseUers can position themselves to
take advantage of the emergence of ESD.
Since a reseller's virtual store has no phys-
ical inventory to manage, it can focus on
developing service offerings to augment
the software it provides. And small
regional software resellers can use ESD to
Science & Technology . The Iron Warrior, Friday, February 27, 1998
To THE POINT
Tedmo1l\nn
A COMPILATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ABSTRACTS
Organizat?6'n
reach customers worldwide on the Web.
Dead Middlemen '!
But pessimists wonder jf ESD will
serve to ignite additional sales or
merely cannibalize existing ones. ESD
will undoubtedly be a boon for small soft-
ware publishers who often have difficulty
getting their products placed on a real-
world store's shelves. The Internet levels
the playing field for these small software
developers by giving them a global pres-
ence even if their physical location
amounts to no more than a small room.
Understandably, the direct vendor-to-
customer ESD model scares software
resellers the most. Internet industry hype
about "disintermediation" (the death of the
middleman) has certainly convinced at
least some technology vendors to sell
products directly to their customers via the
Web. But opportunities for software
resellers sti ll exist. Software industry
giants (most notably Mi crosoft) have little
incentive to undertake the Herculean task
of selling each new version of their soft-
ware products individually to legions of
customer. And International Data Corp.
predicts ESD will not have a trong effect
on traditional channels of software distrib-
.,.
ution because of users' need for value-
added services and publishers' inability to
manage sales to their entire consumer
base.
Still, some additional concerns about
ESD's viability remain. Lack of band-
width, the bane of a host of Internet tech-
nologies, will influence the effectiveness
and popularity of virtually all electronic
software distribution systems. Some soft-
ware publishers, understandably protective
of their intellectual property, are waiting
for the cmergence of tested encryption sys-
tems-known as wrappers-that will pro-
tect their codc from pirates and hacker .
An<.l despite the emergence of Standard
Encryption Technology (SET) standards
for online credit card transactions, some
software publishers,
reselJers, and users remain skeptical
of the security of e-commerce. Despite the
potential drawbacks, ESD is already here.
CyberSource, Release Software, V-Cast,
and BITSource have all developed turnkey
ESD systems that enable users to pay for
software online and download it securely.
The CyberSource system, for example,
uses a vending-machine model of software
distributi.on. After providing a credit card
number, customers are directed to a URL
from which encrypted software code is
downloaded. The customer then receives
a digitally signed proof-of-purcha e via e-
mail that unlock the code. The
CyberSource License Clearinghouse
maintains record of all ESD transactions.
Symantec allows users to download a
trial version of its flagship Norton
AntiViru software from the company's
Web site. After the trial period, users can
purchase and receive a full version of the
software online. Even market-leading
Microsoft i exploring ESD method . The
US Defen e Logi tics Agency recently
approved a five-year, $50 million contract
to purchase Microsoft software electroni-
cally through CyberSource' Web site
(http://www.software.net).
The real-world method of software
distribution-converting atoms to bits and
back again-fails to take advantage of the
Internet's emergence a a medium for both
electronic purcha ing and delivery. ESD
may help small software companies com-
pete with industry behemoth and save
end-users both time and money. Savvy
software resellers will have to reposition
themselve to take advantage of thi
emerging bu iness model by forging new
distribution relationships with software
publishers. There i room for the middle-
man in a world of electronic software trib-
ution, but he must increase the value of his
offerings to end user. . Otherwise, the
technology pundits' predictions of disin-
termediation might just come true.
By Michael 1. Fenner
-Hot Buttons
Prodigy, Excite form content alliance
Excite will provide customized co-
branded content to Prodigy subscribers as
part of an alliance between the Web direc-
tory company and the pioneering Internet
service provider (ISP). Prodigy sub-
criber will be able to access and person-
alize an Excite "channel " to receive news,
stock quote, ports scores, and other
localized information when they log onto
the service. Users will also gain acces to
customized versions of Excite's search
ervice. The alliance illustrates Prodigy's
ongoing efforts to become a pure ISP by
ending its role as a content provider.
Prodigy-once a leading online service-
had continually lost market share to
America Online and CompuServe.
Analyst say Internet content and navi-
gation services such as Excite are having a
rowing influence on I P. Earlier this
month, for example, CNET and Sprint
Communications joined forces to
offer a customized ver ion of CNET's
Snap! online service for u ers of Sprint's
Internet access service, and Yahoo! paired
with MCl Internet to offer an online sub-
cription service.
Based on "Prodigy will stop creating
content for Internet and will link to
Excite," by Thoma E. Weber, The Wall
Street Journal, 22 January 1997, p. B13;
"Excite, Prodigy do content deal," by Jeff
Pelline, CNET, 21 January 1998,
http://www.news.comlNews/ltem/0.4.1833
3,00.hfml; and "Yahoo, MCI trike content
deal," by Courtney Macavinta, CNET, 12
January 1998,
http://www.news.comlNews/ltemlO.4.1802
O,OO.html.
Netscape to otTer browser, source code
for free
Netscape Communications
announced it will give away the source
code for the next generation of its
Communicator suite and distribute its
brow er products for free. A product'
source the programming
instructions and design specifications-is
typically considered copyrighted intellec-
tual property. But in this case, developers
will be able customize Netscape' program
code to satisfy their individual tastes and
create enhancements that may be included
in future versions of the brow er.
Netscape officials say they hope the radi-
cal new strategy will encourage oftware
developers to adopt its technology as the
industry standard.
Netscape's share of the browser mar-
ket has declined steadily since Microsoft
began giving away its Internet Explorer
browser for free. Analysts believe that
Netscape hopes to boost sales of its enter-
prise software products by protecting its
remaining share of browser market.
For further analysis of Netscape's
predicament, follow thi DocLink to
"Net cape on the rock ," in the 191anuary
1998 issue of To the Point.
Based on "Net cape to hare browser
program code," by Don Clark, The Wall
Street Journal , 23 January 1998, p. B5;
"Browser war: a concession and a push,"
by Steve Lohr, The ew York Times, 23
1anuary 1998, p. C 1. w New Age
Architecture
Digital to release NT-only Alpha servers
Digital Equipment is developing a
line of Alpha-based servers that will run
Microsoft's Windows NT operating y-
tern. The new devices will be competi -
tively priced with Intel -based ervers in an
effort to lure cost-consciou users to
Digital's high-performance Alpha chip.
Alpha server revenue grew only two per-
cent in the mo t recent fiscal quarter com-
pared to a year earlier, while Alpha
workstation revenue fell 27 percent.
Previously, Alpha . ervers were priced
between 20 percent and 30 percent higher
than similarly-configured Intel -based sys-
tems. The new NT-only servers will not
include the components necessary to run
Open VMS and Digital Unix.
Ba ed on "Digital to launch NT-only
Alphas," by Jaikumar Vijayan,
Computerworld, 19 January 1997, p. 3.
Oracle to release stand-alone reporting
tool
Oracle is readying Web-based report-
ing oftware that will allow end users to
better organize and retrieve information
from corporate databases and intranet .
Oracle Reports 3.0 is a stand-alone, server-
ba ed tool that compiles database reports
and make them avaiJable to PCs and thin
client sy tems via the World Wide Web.
The product is based on the report server
Oracle includes with the Developer/2000
development tool. As with imilar report-
ing tools from Seagate Technology and
Actuate Software, Oracle Report allows
user to manipulate data from mUltiple
platforms and ources. Oracle officials
say the software-which will be released
within a month-is optimized for the com-
pany's own databases.
Based on "Oracle jumps into report
market," by Craig Stedman,
Computerworld, 19 January 1998, p. 116.
Network Computer vendors collaborate
on standards
A group of network computer (NC)
vendors including Sun Microsystems,
IBM, and Oracle are working together to
develop standards that will ensure interop-
erability between NC ana servers. Over a
dozen companies are collaborating on the
client software specifications, which will
feature the Java System Database as a plat-
form independent interface to different
types of servers. Officials from IBM and
Sun say they hope to establish the JavaOS
as a standard platform for NCs.
Based on "NC Makers Meet On
Standards," by Mary Hayes,
Information Week, 19 January 1998, p. 24.
Universal Network
Automatic software distribution sav-
ings tied to volume, study finds
Companies that maintain a large number
of Pes attain the highest benefit from auto-
matic software distribution systems,
according to a study in Federal Computer
Week magazine. The study compared the

The Iron Warrior, Friday, February 27, 1998 Science & Technology 7
A DERSEN
CONSULTING
1997 Andersen Consulting
All rights reserved.
time it took to in tall four popular applica-
tions usi ng Inters LANDe k with the
amount of time a trai ned technician would
need to over ee a manual install ation.
Compani e with 1,000 network node can
recover the cost of their ori ginal in e t-
ment after fi ve software depl oyment
cycles, the tudy found.
Ba ed on "Auto-in tall saves only in
volume," by Gordon Mah Ung,
Computerworld, 19 January 1998, p. 59.
Microsoft refuses to support Novell's
NDS for NT
Microsoft announced it will not sup-
port Windows NT servers running
Novell ' s version of NDS
for Windows NT (see "Novell ships NDS
for Windows NT" , To The Point, 12
January 1998). Microsoft officials claim
the new version of NDS removes essential
dynamic link libraries (DLLs) from NT,
making the server less secure. The com-
pany also asserts that Novell's directory
software will make it more difficult for
Microsoft customers to upgrade from
Windows NT 4.0 to 5.0. Novell officials
contend that NDS for NT poses no securi -
ty threat and as ert that it installs succes -
fully on the beta version of NT 5.0.
Based on "Microsoft Won't Support
Novell's NDS for NT," by Monua Janah,
InformationWeek, 19 January 1998, p. 30.
.Worldwide Marketplace
MCI takes early lead in local service
MCI Communications has taken an
early lead among long-distance carriers in
providing local service to businesses,
according to analyst at Yankee Group.
The pending merger with WorldCom will
expand MCl's local presence from the 31
metropolitan US markets it currently
serves to 90. In spite its marketplace lead,
analysts from Kagan Telecom Associates
do not believe MCI will reap profits from
its heavy investment in network infrastruc-
ture for some time.
Competition in local telecom services
has become a top priority for long-distance
carriers. Only five percent of the $100 bil-
lion local US market ha been claimed by
non-regional Bell operating companies
(RBOCs). AT&T's recent announcement
that it will merge with Teleport
Communications will bring it into 66 local
markets. Meanwhile, third-ranked Sprint
Communications has yet to supplement its
long-distance offering with local service.
Based on "MCI dominates local ser-
vice," by Matt Hamblen, Computerworld,
19 January 1998, p. 53.
Companies report financial results
Compaq Computer posted a fourth-quar-
ter profit of $667 million, up 37 percent
from the fourth quarter of 1996. Revenue
was $7.32 bil1ion, up from $5.97 billion a
year earlier. Compaq officials attribute the
impressive results to strong sales of high-
margin servers, enterprise systems, and
sub-$l,OOO PCs.
Microsoft announced a second-quarter
net income of $1.13 billion, up from $741
million in the second quarter of 1996.
Revenue increased to $3.59 billion from
$2.68 billion in the same period a year ear-
lier. Microsoft's legal battle with the US
Department of Justice is having a minimal
effect on earnings, but company officials
warn revenues could fall up to $300 mil-
lion in the first half of 1998 due to the
To THE POINT
A COMPILATI ON OF I NFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ABSTRACTS
Asian economic cri i,.
Texas [n trument (TI) po ted a fourth-
quarter net 10 of $285 million, after a
number of one-time charges totaling 503
million, compared to a net los of 29 mil-
lion in the fourth-quarter of 1996.
Revenue was 9.75 billion, down from
$9.94 bill ion in the year-earlier period. TI
offi cial ay they expect ale of digital
signal proces ors to increase 30 percent in
1998.
Based on "Compaq's profit increa es
37 percent," , The New York Times, 22
January 1998, p. C6; "Microsoft profit
gained sharply during quarter," by Steve
Lohr, The New York Times, 22 January
1998, p. CI; and "Chip maker's operating
net is up sharply," by Allen R. Myerson,
The New York Times, 22 January 1998, p.
C4.
Microsoft, Justice Department settle
contempt-of-court dispute
Microsoft agreed . to remove its
Internet Explorer browse lcon from the
Windows 95 operating system desktop in
order to avoid a contempt-of-court ruling
in a US Federal court. (For more on the
origins of the case, follow this DocLink to
"Microsoft faces a difficult New Year" in
the 22 December 1997 issue of To The
Point.) Under the new agreement,
Microsoft will offer two licensing options
to PC makers. The fir t option enables PC
makers to buy Windows 95 with the
brow er fully install d but hidden. The
icon will be removed from the Windows
desktop, though it will remain in the
"start" menu. The second option will
allow PC manufacturers to buy Window
95 with an incomplete ver ion of Internet
Explorer that will disable some of
Windows' Internet function.
Microsoft must still addres a larger
US antitrust suit that will determine jf the
company violated a 1995 consent decree
by using its operating system dominance
to force PC manufacturers to include addi-
tional Microsoft programs with their PCs.
The decree prohibits Microsoft from
imposing anti competitive terms in its con-
tracts with PC manufacturers.
Based on "Microsoft and Justice end a
skirmish, yet war could escalate," by
David Bank and John R. Wilke, The Wall
Street Journal, 23 January 1998, p. AI;
"Microsoft gives in to a federal order on
Internet browser," by Joel Brinkley, The
New York Times, 23 January 1998, p. AI.
GTE chooses Sun for high-end Unix
servers
GTE announced it will purchase four
Ultra Enterprise 10000 Starfire Unix
servers from Sun Microsystems as part of
a deal worth $17 million. GTE will use the
new servers to manage financial and cor-
porate information with SAP's Rl3 appli-
cations software. By moving data off
mainframe systems and onto Rl3, GTE
officials say the company will gain a better
platform for strategic financial analysis
and human resources functions. GTE will
continue to use mainframe computers
from mM, Hitachi, and other vendors to
handle some data, such as customer
billing. Sun officials say its UElOOO
servers outperformed a rival system from
Hewlett-Packard in SAP Rl3 benchmarks.
Based on "Sun Gets GTE Deal," by
Mary Hayes, Information Week, 19
January 1998, p. 131.
.Object-Oriented Technology
Ver, ant introduce softwar e bundle
with NetDynamic
Versant Obje t Te 'hnnlogy unveiled a
software bundle intended to ease the lise of
rant' s databa, e a, a mi ddle-ti er server
for Java network applicatil:ln.. The soft-
are package, dubbed VersantAce, will
help integrate VeL ant' , object-oriented
database wi th etDynamics 4.0 middl ,-
ware. The bundle will al 0 include ti ght er
integration with Rational Software's
Rational Ro e compone nt modeling tool
and Tibco' TlBlRendezvous mes aging
oftware. Versant official , ay the soft-
ware, scheduled for release within a
month, could help the company overcome
recent losses.
Based on "Java Databa e Bundle," by
John Foley, InformationWeek, 19 January
1998, p. 105.
.Sentinel (squinting at the
future and muttering)
SAFE love-fest in San Francisco
RSA Data Security Conference (San
Francisco)-The ongoing bickering
between vendor of strong cryptography
systems and the US government was the
central theme of this year's RSA Data
Conference. Since the confer-
ence debuted six years ago, the event has
doubled in size annually, and attracts an
increasingly corporate crowd. And the
conference's success should be no sur-
prise: The emergence of the Web as a con-
duit for electronic commerce is driving
increa ed demand for robust data security
(see "Sign here (digitally), please," To
The Point, 30 June 1997). Datuqll 'st 'sti
mates that consumers spent $ 1.4 nilli on in
e-commerce transactions last year, with H
further $5 billion spent by compani es in
transactions among themselves. Within
four years, Dataquest estimates that com-
bined figure will ri e to mor than $220
billion annually.
The growing success of e-commercc
has started to attract opportunistic (and
Web-savvy) criminal. In 1996, US busi-
nesses reported losses in excess of $100
million due to various computer crimes,
according to the Computer Security
Institute. The need for trong cryptogra-
phy in the business world has caused the
data security industry (represented at the
conference) to grow in scope and impor-
tance.
In his welcoming address, RSA's
Chief Executive Officer Jim Bidzos noted
that corporate encryption revenues
amounted to only $10 million in 1987. By
) 997, the top five encryption firms togeth-
er generated an estimated $2 billion a year.
Bidzos predicts that by the turn of the mil -
lennium, cryptography will become a part
of everyone's life in products such as dig-
ital television, satellites, telephone
answering machines, and numerous
Internet surfing applications.
The conference's central debate
emerged (as expected) between developers
of encryption technologies and the US
government. Law enforcement agencies
argue that the widespread availability of
strong encryption will let criminals, terror-
ists, and other ne'er-do-wells communi-
cate about criminal acts without fear of
detection. The US Government maintains
that law enforcement agencies need "key
escrow" (a security technique that places a
cryptographic key into the hands of a
trusted third party) access to electronic
communicarions in ca. e, of criminal ity.
Of more immediate interest to US technol-
Ogy companies, the government's efforts
to li mit the tr ngth of encryption systems
allowed for export put s US sofl\ are COI11-
pan ie ' at a di sadvant age to thei r foreign
comp tilor '.
The U government has long tried to
control the spread of encr ption hardware
and software. Until early thi s year, when
the Clinton admini stration shi fted encryp-
ti on regulati on to the Commerce
Department from the State Department ,
oftware thut ' rambl ed communi cations
was c\as ified as a weapon. While ome
analyst say the shift could 100 en encryp-
tion export controls, many in the US com-
puter industry believe more must be done.
The SAFE Act
The Security and Freedom through
Encryption Act (http://www.cdt.org/cryp-
ro/legisj05ISAFE) was originally drafted
to expand the US industry' right to manu-
facture and export some types of trong
encryption software to customer abroad.
At present, companies must apply for a
licen e on a ca e-by-case basis, and are
often denied. The SAFE Act would relax
US export control s and prevent key
e crow. The bill al so seeks to specifically
criminalize the use of encryption in illegal
aCtiVIties. The SAFE Act is currently
working its way through the US legi Ja-
ture, and could be brought up for a vote
thi s pring.
The conference's opening keynote
featQred a panel ofthree US Congressional
representatives: Zoe Lofgren (Democrat-
California), Bob Goodlatte (Republican-
Vi rgin ia), and John shewn
(Republi 'un Mi ssouri) . Th ' punel ccht nl
fcars ahout tl1l' ' I ippl ing errc ,[
encryption r 'stri ctioll s will have Oil US
te hnology compani es lind caBed upon th '
computer industry to push til ' SAFE Act
toward approval. Encryption policymuk
ers in nrc " living in an analog
world," uccording to Lofgren.
Computer crimes specil.11 ist Dun
Nielsen (from the U federal Bureau of
Investi galion's ' omputer Investigations
Unit) provided the aim stlonc voic of
the official US encryption policy. Stating
(often) that he was at the conference to
"give a face to the FBI ," Niel sen asked
conference attendees to regard the agency
as an ally. Nielsen described the vulnera-
bility of corporate computer systems,
which he claims arc more often threatened
by disgruntled employees than by hackers
or foreign agents.
The US Congress will decide the fate
of the SAFE bill as opponents of export
controls contillue to wage war against
encryption control supporters--primarily
US federal law enforcement agencies and
the Clinton administration. But the ramifi-
cations of US encryption trade policy will
be felt worldwide. In an era of market
deregulation and international competi-
tion, governments would be wise to exam-
ine the encryption issues carefully before
limiting technology companies' ability to
compete on the world stage.
By Joann M. Wleklinsk.i
Editor's Note:
"To The Point", provided by Andersen
Consulting, offers University of Waterloo
Engineering students Information
Technology news and issues. This article
is copyrighted, and is not to be reproduced
by any means.
-----_._-------
8 Science & Technology The Iron Warrior, Friday, February 27, 1998
Mathematics Playground
HUYIS DEEZ
38 Electr.ical
H
ello friends. Last issue's problems
were evidently too easy for most
of you. The winner, Alex Lau of
3A Computer, provided the answer to the
graphics problem in record breaking lime
and was the recipient of the five dollar
C&D shopping spree. I have placed the
. names of those who submitted the correct
solution in the 'Genius List' at the end of
this article (all submissions were correct).
Huda Mann of 3B Electrical submitted his
solution on loilet paper, after explicit
instructions to not do this. I have placed
his name on the other list. David Keil of
3A Chemical provided an elegant solution
to the Carbon Tetrachloride Problem and it
is posted on the door of the Iron Warrior.
Let's proceed to this is ue's problem.
Did you get smoked on your midterms? [f
not, do not worry, you'll probably get
smoked on the final. To prepare for this
wonderful and promised joy I've decided
to make this problem a hard one. The first
person to answer it will have the choice
between a $20 gift certificate to Weaver's
1 :
l-D -\-ow ... v
Arms or a $20 shopping spree at the C&D.
Let me remind you that solutions submit-
ted on toilet paper will not be accepted. If
no one gets the correct answer then a prize
may be given to the student who has the
highest mark.
The Problem of the Pop Can Tower
While studying for midterms, a UW
engineering student decided to camp out in
the DC library. Unfortunately, the student
forgot to pack some food and was restrict-
ed to a diet of soda pop from the vending
machines. After drinking the pop, she
stacked the cans to form a tower. At first
she started with a one dimensional tower
(see Figure I) but soon the tower was too
high so she switched to a two dimensional
version. (see Figure 2). However, she
drank a lot of pop and the two dimension-
al tower was growing fast so she was
forced to make a three dimension pop can
tower (see Figure 3).
As the hours turned into days, other
engineering students took notice of the
tower construction and by now all engi-
neering students were contributing by
adding more pop cans to it. The tower got
so large that it started to topple over book
shelves and interfere with the available
study space. Unfortunately for the library
staff, the university allowed the tower con-
struction to continue since pop sales were
at a record high and Food Services was in
need of higher profits.
Knowing that the tower construction
was not allowed to be interfered with, the
library staff commi sioned UW engineer-
ing professors to find a better way to stack
the cans to make better use of space.
Many solutions were brought forward but
in the end, there was one solution to which
they all agreed upon. E&CE Professor
Bruno Preiss announced that the tower
would make better use of space if it was
built in four dimensions or higber (see
Figure 4). Assuming that one pop can in k
dimensional geometry must be supported
by k pop cans (ie. the tower has triangular
geometry), answer the following ques-
tions.
a) How many pop cans constitute a
three dimensional tower with n levels?
b) How many pop cans consbtute a k
dimensional tower with n levels?
c) How many pop cans consbtute the
Lel/e.\ 1
Le'l.t 1
Fi '}lAV"e. S:
')-0 towe.(' w\1-h \ue.IS
nth level of a k dimensional tower?
d) Why are the engineering students
building this tower? (Be creative)
Hint: Determine what remains the
same when increasing the dimen ion of the
tower.
The marking scheme is as follows:
Part a: 10%
Part b: 40%
Part c: 40%
Part d: 10%
Genius List
Kelly Stinson 3A Mechanical
Clarence Ip 3A Computer
Rob Wood 2A Electrical
Ryan Chen-Wing 3B Mechanical
David Keil 3A Chemical
Eric Landry 3B Electrical
Glenn Cowan 3B Electrical
Mike Muffels 2A Environmental
James Sinton 2A Systems
Alex Lau 3A Computer
o
1: il-D +cwe-r
Beware of Dihydrogen Monoxide
W
ithin the sci-
entific Com-
munity,
there has been a Iittle-
known, but ongoing
debate regarding a curi-
ous substance called
dihydrogen monoxide.
Also known as hydric
acid, or hydrogen
hydroxide, many say that it is very useful
chemical in many processes. Others argue
that i extremely hazardous, and that it
should be banned altogether.
> Dihydrogen monoxide, abbreviated
DHMO, is a colourless, tasteless, and
odourless liquid at room temperature. It is
an excellent coolant and solvent. Being a
compound that is ea i1y synthesized, it is
used widely in industry, the military, retail
operations, and even the home.
Groups that support the use of DHMO
include Friends of Hydrogen Hydroxide,
and the Scorched Earth Party. These
groups suggest the chemica! is important
in our everyday lives. They claim that the
groups lobbying for a ban are spreading
false information. They say the truth is
that DHMO is harmless.
Let us examine the benefits of this
chemical in question. It has been found
that DHMO greatly improves the growth
and functionality of many living things,
including humans. Ecological studie
show it to be an important component of
the Earth's ecosystem. When used with
proper care and attention, DHMO is not a
hazard to the environment. In fact, it actu-
ally occurs in nature, and has been present
RClymond Hn
I B Mechanical
on this planet for
billions of years.
DHMO has
many practical
use, 'orne of
which you may
not be aware of. It
is used in nuclear
power plants, in
the production of
styrofoam, as a fire retardant, and in the
diSlribution of pesticides. Many biological
research processes rely on the use of
DHMO. In addition, the chemical is used
as an additive in many canned foods and
other food products.
The Coalition to Ban DHMO, based
in Santa Cruz, California, is a leading
voice in the fight to ban this "dangerous
chemical". The American government
refu ed to ban its production, but the coali-
tion is not giving up it fight. The most
striking of their arguments is that DHMO
is indeed a lethal substance.
Let us now examine the dangers of
DHMO. This chemical supposedly claims
the lives of thou and every year. The
majority of these victims die from the acci-
dental inhalation of DHMO, even in small
amounts. In its solid state, it can cau e
severe tissue damage if it make contact
with human flesh for a prolonged period of
time. In its gaseous state, DHMO can
cau e severe bums. If ingested, DHMO
can cause excessive perspiration and uri-
nation. In addition, the unfortunate victim
may experience an overall bloated feeling,
nausea, vomitting, and electrolyte imbal-
ance in the body. DHMO has also been
found in the cancer cells of terminal cancer
patients. Studies reveal that many viruses
and bacteria thrive on a DHMO-rich envi-
ronment. For those individuals who have
developed a dependence on the substance,
DHMO withdrawal means inevitable
death within .10 days.
Many electrical failures are caused by
the build-up of DHMO. Millions of dol-
lars worth of property damage has been
caused by DHMO. In addition, this chem-
ical also causes automobile brakes to
become les effective, and hence is a fac-
tor in many automobile accidents. The
government and military use DHMO
extensively in many projects. There are a
vast amount of underground networks to
carry this chemical to different locations.
Some operations even require mass stor-
age of DHMO for later use.
With regards to the environment,
DHMO poses a serious threat. Acid rain is
composed mostly of this chemical which
contributes to global warming as well.
DHMO accelerates the erosion of our nat-
ural landscape. High concentrations of this
chemical have been found in our lakes and
rivers. Traces of DHMO have been found
several kilometres underground, and even
the Antarctic has not escaped this global
contamination.
So with no ban of DHMO in the fore-
seeable future, companies will continue to
use it freely, and they will continue to dis-
charge it into lakes and rivers. We will
continue to be exposed to this controver-
sial substance in our food, in our ur-
roundings, and in our daily activities. If
there is no ban, then it may be impossible
to avoid contact with DHMO.
What can we do? To minimise risk, it
is be t just to use common sense. If there
is a potential that certain products may
contain dangerous levels of DHMO, then
they should be evaluated thoroughly
beforehand. To avoid accidental inhala-
tion ofDHMO, be sure that you are always
aware or the current DHMO levels of your
surroundings, and use extra care and cau-
tion when the concentrations are high. If
you feel uncomfortable, just remove your-
self from the situation.
I suggest that we just accept DHMO
as part of our lives. Tn these times of envi-
ronmental destruction, we have been sub-
ject to countless manmade hazards. Every
day, we come in contact with countless
carcinogens, poisonous gases, radiation,
toxins, and what have you. So, seeing that
our chemical at hand is naturally occur-
ring, and that it does have many benefits
and applications, I think that dihydrogen
monoxide is definitely one chemical that
we can all put up with.
References:
Coalition to Ban Dihydrogen
Monoxide Headquarters
http://www.circus.com!-nodhrno
Dihydrogen Monoxide Research
Division
http://www.cis.udel.edu/-way/DMR
D/index.html
Friends of DHMO
http://www.armory.com!-crisperIDH
MOl
The Iron Warrior, Friday, February 27, 1998
He Sell Spoon
He wanders the country
Briefcase, suitcase, phone
Wife and on await him each week
Only his cheque arrive home
Staying in mid-range city hotels
ear the convention at which he sell spoon
Each town, stealing a hampoo/conditioner
And leaving more hair in each bathroom
His belly gets larger, despite all the walking
Suit loses thread with every dry-cleaning
Soon, the sale won't pay for the room
As the land dries and cracks, he leaves nothing but spoon.
Vivek Balasubramanyam
3AComputer
For too many seasons she lived with closed eyes,
Thinking, feeling, knowing, doing only what she saw in her mind.
One sun filled day she could no longer bear the black,
And newborn eyes saw light of life and love that had always brilliantly shone.
Time grew and life flourished, and only lesson clouds hid the sun.
While the rain washed away regret, she learned through scared blinds
That tragedy yields strength and forgivene s breeds love.
And her eyes never closed again except to rest for the next rebirth.
Anonymou

6' Days
The dance is abom to end,
But can we stay for a while?
Just standing, embracing, spinning,
For just a little while.
Let our hair grow an inch.
Let our stomachs empty.
Let the oil secrete from our skin.
Let my beard get lengthy.
Have you somewhere to go?
There's nowhere more pleasant to be.
In your arms, decaying uncaring
Will keep me contentedly.
They say 6 days to die of thirst.
6 days thinking of none but each other.
6 days dancing, as others would dream.
6 days, then forever.
Vivek Balasubramanyam
3A Computer
Arts 9
10 Opinions The Iron Warrior, Friday, February 27, 1998
RD
P I: S
NOW ACCIPTID
at
Fed Copy Plus
in the Studant lifa Cantra

***New Award**
Get into print!
UJin $400!
Centre for SocIety. Technology and Values
How???
Submit an article now to The Iron Warrior. The new "Engineering and
Society Humanitarian Award" wants your ideas on the question: "Does
the UW Engineering curriculum prepare us for the ethical dilemmas we
will face as professionals?" Each term, one $400-prize winner will be
selected from those articles published in The Iron Warrior. Judges reserve
the right not to award the prize if entries do not meet a satisfactory
standard.
Who is eligible?: UW undergraduate Engineering students, on campus or
on work term.
If article is co-authored, at least one author must be a
UW Engineering student.
Article length: 500 to 800 words
Format: E-mail.senttoiwarrior@engmail.uwaterloo.ca
Judging: A panel of judges from the Beynon Memorial
Foundation, The Iron Warrior, and the Centre for
Society, Technology and Values (CSTV) will select the
best article from among those published.
Price is the Difference
U
niversity of
Waterloo is
currently
considering the
deregulation of
tuition fees follow-
ing the changes to
Ontario law. Under
the proposed plan,
students in high
technology fields of study uch as engi-
neering and computer science would be
expected to pay a higher tuition rate than
other students. On its surface, the idea
seems rea onable; the people who will
gain more financially from their education
are expected to pay more. In the end, the
net profit for all students will be closer to
equal. A s t l ~ e n t headed towards a high
tech position can certainly expect a higher
salary, so why shouldn't they pay more for
that privilege? Why shouldn't the coffers
of the university reap the benefits of its
production of successful individuals?
The reason is because the university is
not producing these financially successful
people. The Faculty of Engineering and
the Faculty of Mathematics are. However,
tuition goes to the university, not directly
to the faculties. Thus, the more successful
graduates would fund the less successful
programs as well as their own. Is this just?
Does the Faculty of Engineering's reputa-
tion depend on the quality of the arts pro-
grams?
So, the situation is as follows: engi-
neering students get better jobs thanks to
the quality of their educati on as well as the
current job market. Because of this, they
are expected to pull extra weight to com-
pensate for a market they cannot control.
The less technical programs get more
funding for being at the same school as the
engineers.
This principle of those who have
Consider
this ...
by Jeff Cobatlo
more paying more
than those who do not
has been tested else-
where, in the commu-
nist nations of Asia.
As recently as the
rnid-ninetie , this ide-
ology has been con-
demned by the
western world, by the
world of the University of Waterloo. Now,
the school expects the students to accept
this view a its own?
Does a doctor pay more for their loaf
of bread than a mother on welfare? Should
they? Are they not getting the same loaf of
bread? Are they not making the purchase
for the same purpo e of nourishment?
What makes the doctor different from the
mother on welfare?
In a capitalist society, there are differ-
ences in income. Whether or not this is
just is not the focus of this column. What
is the focus is whether or not the higher
income bracket is more responsible for the
welfare and maintenance of society than
their less fortunate peers.
Deregulation is a fine idea for
improving the quality of education for
future students. However, it is not right to
expect engineering students to bear more
of a financial burden simply because thei r
choice of major leads to a higher salary
upon graduation. Take the extra money
and pump it into engineering, not the Dana
Porter Library.
Author's Note:
I will explore this matter further in the
next issue of the Iron Warrior, where I
intend to discuss the benefits of increased
revenues for the Faculty of Engineering.
Damn this Professionalism
So, the
The Village
Idiot
the game, all the
while maintaining
contracts worth tens
of millipns of dollars.
Olympics are over
and contrary to what
was expected, we
did not "take all" at
our should-be
national sport of
hockey. The thing
is, many expected us
to win with our all-
by Alan Cannistraro
For the Vlajority
of Olympiads, when
the two weeks are
=======:.;;;;;O!J over, they return
NHL team, the only other two belonging
to Russia and USA. The proverbial kick-
in-the-teeth, though, was that Czech, with
less than half its players being NHLers,
beat all 3 all-NHL teams in the playoffs.
Should this, then, put to rest all the
resistance faced a few years ago when the
ICO ammended the Olympic regulations
which limited only amateurs to compete?
Hardly. Besides, Czech's team was still
almost half professionals and they had a
damn good team at that.
Take, for instance, a college basket-
ball player whose dream is to win the
Olympics. He (or she, for political cor-
rectness) trains constantly while at school
to become the best in his country and
eventually makes it to the Olympics.
Across the court from him, though, stands
Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neil and
Scotty Pippen; hardly an opportunity for
him to realize his dream. The modest stu-
dent with no more resources than his coun-
try's support is overshadowed by players
whose careers are to train and succeed at
home to their average
middle class jobs,
some with medals and some without. For
a select few participants from a select few
countries, they return home to continue
receiving large sums of money to playas
they did at the Olympics. They have the
unfair advantage of getting paid for play-
ing their Olympic sport every day of the
week.
It's too bad ICO overturned almost a
hundred years of tradition by allowing Mr.
and Mrs. Professional Athlete to compete.
Maybe it was a commercial decision. I'm
sure CBC, CBS and other netw'orks
received largely increased viewerships this
year than in past Olympic games now that
some of the country's favourite players
were competing. Hell, I was one of the
first willing to pulJ an all-nighter to watch
those 4:45am games.
But seriously, I can watch an NHL
game any day of the week. That's what
Stanley Cup playoffs are for. It's not very
often I get to see the best of the rest trying
to prove who the next NHL-bound-
Gretzky will be.
The Iron Warrior, Friday, February 27, 1998 Opinions 11
The Vegetarian Sushi Experience
T
he mo t enjoy-
able part of
being a vegetar-
ian i trying out new
foods - recently thi
has led me to experi-
ence ushi. Often
when
to someone, their first
reaction is' Yuck! Raw
fi h !", and the second is "Hey, aren't you
vegetarian?". Well, you're right, vegetari-
ans don't eat fi h. But, sushi doe not nec-
essarily mean raw fish. It is not only
possible, but also tasty, to have sushi with-
out raw eafood.
Vegetarian sushi consists of sticky
rice and vegetables (cucumber, avocado
and carrot) rolled up in toasted eaweed.
The ushi is served with oy auce (shoyu)
and hot Japanese hor eradi h (wasabi) for
mixing into the shoyu and dipping the
sushi into. A small mound of pickled gin-
ger (gari or shoga) is also provided for
cleansing the palate between sushi piece .
This tastes really good!
However, there i much more to the
su hi experience than just the su hi . Sushi
is truly an art. The presentation of the food
is extremely important. In a restaurant (or
at home), sushi is always arranged attrac-
tively, with beautiful contra ting colours.
The variety of serving containers is fasci-
nating, from mall bowls for holding soy
auce to covered soup bowls and even lac-
quered boxes. At one restaurant I went to
the sushi came served on a small wooden
table, similar to a wooden cutting board
with leg , and the salad was erved on a
boat shaped plate.
Sushi restaurants al 0 have a certain
ambience. Most restaurants feature a
'sushi bar' where you can watch the mas-
ter prepare your u hi in front of you, but
generally people choose to sit at a table.
Some restaurants feature curtained-off
rooms where you can dine in privacy. But
don't get the impression that this ambience
always comes with a high price. Although
expensive sushi restau'rants do exist, it is
definitely possible to enjoy the sushi expe-
rience without destroying your budget.
The Crazy
Carrot
by Lynn Walker
Two re. lau-
ranI. I can person-
all) recommend
are Sakura [sland
in Waterloo on
King treet just
nonh of University
and Su hi Time in
Toronto on Queen
Street just west of
City TV. Both restaurant are comfonably
ca ual and are open to . ushi virgins'.
Sakura I land ha private room available
(romantic if you're on a date), and Su hi
Time's menu ha lot of colourful picture.
on their menu which helps in electing
items. Sushi Time has specifically vege-
truian items on their menu, while at Sakura
Island you will have to request your SLI hi
a vegetarian. Dinner for two at both
restaurants will cost around $30 to $40,
and you will not leave hungry.
When you go to a sushi re tau rant, a
typical meal will include miso oup, a
green salad, and of course, sushi. Miso
soup is a mild broth made from fermented
soybeans, with mall cubes of soft tofu and
green onion added. The soup will also
sometimes have one or two square pieces
of eaweed floating on top. You won't get
a spoon with the soup; you're supposed to
drink it from the bowl. The green alad is
usually regular iceberg lettuce, with shred-
ded carrot, sometimes tomato wedges, and
vinaigrette dressing. The sushi will be
served after the soup and salad, and a nor-
mal serving is usually around six pieces.
Sometimes you can also order what is
known as a box lunch in a deep square-
shaped container with mUltiple compart-
ments containing tasty delicacies. A
vegetarian box lunch I ordered once
included 6 different dishes: miso soup.
green salad, 6 pieces of sushi, spinach
rolls, crispy fried bean curd, steamed green
beans and rice.
But you don't need to go to a restau-
rant to enjoy the vegetarian sushi experi-
ence. Su hi is easy to make at home, and
you'll be surprised al how elegant it looks.
It also ta tes pretty close to what you get in
a restaurant. If you really want to get into
it. Y u can bu) almost all of Ihe unique
s rving onluiners at an oriental suppl)
store (there's one on King treet in down-
town Kitchen r a ross from the movie the-
atre).
H'r 's how you can make your own
. ushi:
What you'll need:
Rice (white, . hort grain)
White sugar
u, or awaze-lU. Seasoned rice \ inegar
e arne eed,
ori sheets (toa'ted . eaweed sheets)
Wasabi, Japanese horseradish mustard.
comes in cans of powder. Just add water
to make a paste
Gari or shoga, pickled sliced ginger
Shoyu, soy auce
I carrot
I cucumber
1 avocado (optional)
Pia tic wrap or waxed paper
A harp errated kni fe
Where to get these items:
A good place to tart is University
Foods in the plaza by Mel's Diner. You']]
be able to find the rice, rice vinegar (sea-
soned or un easoned is o.k.), the nori
sheet , wasabi powder and soy sauce. Try
to choose a good quality soy sauce since
it's flavour will really come through. I
have as yet been unable to find the right
pickled ginger in the K-W Area. This isn't
critical to making su hi a it is a condi-
ment, but if anyone know where to find it
plea e let me know I 1 have a recipe to
make the ginger from the Internet and am
considering trying that.
Wha1 to do:
Begin by cooking the ric' so that II
comes out sticky. A good ratio is equal
amounts of rice and water, about I 1/2
ClipS of each is good for about 15 of
sushi, or 3 rolls. While the rit:e j:, cooking,
toast about a tablespoon of sesame :,e 'ds ill
the oven (toasler oven is good). Keep all
eye on the sesame seeds, it sholtld take
under 5 minutes lO toast them and lh\.:y
burn quickly.
Once the rice i cooked, mix in a
tablespoon of rice inegar, sligar, and the
sesame seeds. The rice should be very
. ti 'k . Let the ri c cool until it is ea. y to
handle with bare hands. preading the rice
ontn a sh el can accelerate thi
pro ess.
While the ti e is cooling, prepare long
thin slices of cucumber and carrol. I lise a
\cgetable peeler 10 make Ihin slices of car-
rot. alld a small knife to prepare the
cucumber.
Spread a fOOL long piece of saran wrap
or waxed pap'r onlo Ihe counter. Lay a
piece of nori on top of this, and begin
spreading the rice onto the \lori. You will
tind the rice sticks to ever thing, and wel-
ting your fingers will help. Spread the rice
about two grains thick so that you can till
see the nori through the ricc and th rice is
. pread evenly.
Lay strips of cucumber and canot
(and avocado if you are using it) length-
ways along the middle of the rice/nori
quare. About two strips of each is uffi-
cient. Begin rolling from one end so (hat
the vegetables are horizontal to the direc-
tion you arc rolling (i.e. the vegetable will
lie length way. along the inside of the roll
with little bits sticking out at each end).
Repeat this process until you run out of
rice.
Using the sharp serrated knife, slice
the roll into small cylinders so that you
get around five slices per roll. Wetting the
knife between slices witl help make clean
cuts.
Serve your sushi with soy alice
(shoyu), wasabi (Japanese horseradish),
and the pickled ginger if you can find it.
The wasabi is meant to be mixed into the
,(1 (0 Ll:.te. IW\\:lH' il is
ful !-. tllll!
+heorie5
f VI 3 i VI ee doors
whlj Ome.-
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OI'jtylfiG- e\levit tor
J..oOJ.,.
12
Internal Information
The Iron Warrior, Friday, February 27, 1998
ChemEng Hijinx in
Hamilton
BY DAVID TUTT
V.P. ChEsoc-A
O
n Thursday, February 5th dele-
gates checked into Hamilton 's
Ramada Hotel for the Canadian
Society of Chemical Engineering National
Student Conference. Eight undergraduate
students represented UW Chemical
Engineering Society A at the four-day
McMaster University sanctioned confer-
ence. Waterloo was one of seven Canadian
schools; others arrived from Dalhou. ie,
UNB, UorT, UWO, Ryerson and
Sherbrooke. Approximately 150 under-
graduate students registered.
The conference theme was termed "A
Transfer of Momentum from Theory to
Practice". And rightly so, as the weekend
incorporated a medley of keynote speakers
representing a wide spectra of engineering
industry and academia. Seven lectures
spread from Thursday evening to Sunday
afternoon. There were also three industry
tours that delegates could choose from.
Please take time to enjoy the follow-
ing articles summarizing the outstanding
four days in Hamilton. I would like to take
the opportunity to thank our sponsors
Dean DJ.Burns, Dr .. 1. Chalzis and Dr. A.
Penlidis for their generous support,
Petro Canada Tour
LAURA EDWARDS
Eng Soc Representative
E
arly Saturday morning, 25 confer-
ence delegates set off for a tour of
the Petro-Canada Petroleum
Refinery ite in Oakville, Petro-Canada is
the largest Canadian integrated oi l and gas
company, Their oil and gas production
comes mainly from Canada's Western
Sedimentary Basin, but they have refiner-
ies in Edmonton, Montreal and Oakville.
The Petro-Canada refineries produce a
wide range of products including gaso-
lines, diesel oils, aviati on fuels, heating
oils, heavy fuel oils, asphalts and feed-
tocks for lubricants and petrochemicals.
The morning began with coffee and
donuts ill the old farmhouse on the refin-
ery site. The tour consisted of two part, a
slide presentation on the refinery
process,und a bus tour of the site. The bus
tour followed the various stages in the
refinery process, right from the initiul feed
process up to the various
storage tanks for the
fuel . The refinery site
included a wastewater
treatment stage, during
whi ch all of the oil in
the waste stream is
recovered using skim-
mers and then recycled.
Petro-Canada is cur-
rently increasing their hiring
to help offset the risi ng average
age of its empl oyees, New employees
receive 24 months of training, consisting
of 8 months within 3 different depart-
ments. At the end of this period, manage-
ment and the trainee have a meeting to
decide on a permanent positi on,
The tour of the refi nery site was very
interesting and made me aware that it is an
area with excltll1g opportunities.
McMaster Illade an excellent choice with
Petro-Canada as a tour for the conference.
Author Speaks at Conference
Dr. Fogler Address Chern. Eng. Students
VINCENT THOMAS
Publicity Director
T
he first function at the 1998 CSChE
National Student Conference was a
banquet, which was followed by a
plenary lecture by the charismatic Dr. H.
Scott Fogler P.E. Dr. Fogler has special
significance to the 3B chemical engineers,
as he is the author of our current reactor
design text "Elements of Chemical
Reaction Engineering" which is also used
by 85% of all chemical engineering pro-
grams. He also is a Vennema professor of
Chemical Engineering at the University of
Michigan.
Dr. Fogler's lecture was both informa-
tive and entertaining delving into the top-
ics of problem solving, risk, and failure.
As a Chevron Oil Field Research consul-
tant for 25 years, he has dealt with various
industrial problems, and has made several
observations in problem solving tech-
niques. He noticed that solutions are often
developed for the wrong problem. An
example he used was an airline buying
new planes, which were fine over land, but
some stewardess's developed rashes on
their arms and neck during overseas
flights. They spend half a million dollars
on various testing such as air quality
which came up negative. What was the
cause of the rash?
Dr. Fogler proposed a 'What',
'When', 'Where', strategy for dealing with
a new problem and helping narrow down
the cause. In essence, the solver would
look at what changed when the problem
occurred, and what stayed the same.
When the problem occurred and when it
did not ; where the problem occurred and
where it does not. Going through this
analysis, the cause of the problem was
found to be the Iifejacket . They are only
demonstrated during overseas flights, and
only by certain stewardesses.
Dr. Fogler then went on to discuss the
importance of taking risks in your jobs in
order to be ucces ful; much like the lec-
ture by Larry Smith in late January. Dr
Fogler also described how failure is an
integral part of success, and that often the
most valuable knowledge is gained
through analyzing failure. He used Tom
Monahan as an example of a guy who
started a pizza business. He soon went
bankrupt, and upon analyzing what went
wrong, and making changes, he started
another business a few years later, which
i present day Dominos pizza. Point
being, you can't be afraid of failure, and if
you do, not to give up, and learn from it
This was Dr. Fogler's final topic and
after a quick summary he ended the lec-
ture. He then walked the floor, where he
was bombarded with questions by an
admiring fan, (I unidentified drunk male),
who wished to debate the merits of some
of the pizza topics discussed. All in all, it
was a very interesting lecture which was
relevant to our future as young engineers.
The Trouble Shooting Seminar
BY JUSTINA LUKE
Publicity Director
W
e all walked into the Grand
Ballroom, not really knowing
what to expect. All the students
from McMaster had sang the praises of Dr.
Woods and his trouble shooting eminar.
They said the session was difficult at first,
but once you got the hang of it, it got eas-
ier. I thought to myself, what the heck is
this all about? Don't we just sit here look-
ing at some boring slides listening to orne
guy talk?
Well this seminar was definitely not
like that, it was quite interactive. We were
asked to play three different roles in order
to learn about trouble shooting from a few
perspectives: the Observer, the Expert, and
the Trouble Shooter. The
Expert was given a
package containing
a problem ,situa-
tion within a
process, along
with the
so luti on ,
out
was
wrong by ask-
ing the Expert
questions. The
Observer was to
assess how well the prob-
lem solvi ng components were handled,
BY NAOMI WONG
ChEsocA Advisor
T
wo of the tours conducted at the
1998 CSChE National Student
Conference included Ontario
Hydro Steam Turbines Facility in Niagara
Falls, and the McMaster Nuclear Reactor
located on campus. Both were exception-
all y well presented and informati ve.
The Ontario Hydro tour allowed the
students to under tand how the power of
the Falls reached their homes, The Niagara
facility generates 7% of Ontario' power.
The tour included a description of the con-
struction of the site as well as the history
of the area. The site's construction cost
was projected at around $25 million. The
final cost was $75 million. At the time, the
project was extremely controversial and
the added costs were discouraging.
Despite the doubts, the site produces
enough power to pay for itself each year.
The 1950 Treaty requirements for flow of
water over the Falls limits the amount of
water that can be used by the site during
the day maintaining public attraction of
the Falls and preventing ice build-up dur-
ing the winter. The flow restriction creates
a lack of water during the high demand
hours for electricity during the day. This
was remedied by building a large reservoir
to collect the water at night, when less
power is needed. The resevoir is then used
during the day. The water from the Falls is
channeled underground to resurface near
the station, several kilometers down under
the Falls, to maximize the drop in height
of the water. Many models were made to
minimize the turbulence of the resurrect-
ing water. Today, the site is implementing
preventive measures to ensure the plant's
operation for another forty years.
was the Trouble Shooter systematic in
their approach, was he/she creating a
hypothesis and testing it?
Two problem solving method were
discus ed, the "Kepner-Tregoe" method,
and the "Basics", The ba is of the
"Kepner-Tregoe" method was to a k the
right questions, getting people to reveal
important information that they might not
think is significant. With the "Basics"
approach, you want to understand the fun-
damental principles of operation, which
one are important, and how they are
reflected in the observed data.
So, after a crash course in fluids, heat
transfer, and thermodynamic , we had 20
minutes to figureout our problem. We all
had a chance to play each of the three
roles.
The Trouble Shooter had to voice all
of their thoughts out loud, so the Observer
could follow their approach, It was hard
saying everything out loud when your
mind was racing to figu re out what was
wrong with your proce S within the 20
minutes! Being the Ob erver wasn't that
ea y either, it was frustrating ju t sitting
there and not being able to put your idea
on the table. The Expert, on the other
hand, was great. You knew the answer, it
was so simple and obvious, not to mention
right in front of you!
1 think I got more out of this session
than any other at the conference , I had the
opportunity to dive into a practical prob-
lem, and realize how little I remember
from second year.
To r
The McMaster Nuclear Reactor is the
only one of its type in Canada. Research
completed with the reactor awarded a
McMaster profes or the 1994 Nobel Prize
for Physics. The reactor is located on cam-
pu , surrounded by two, three-foot con-
crete walls around. The building is kept at
a lower pressure as a preventive measure
to contain any chemical spill. The reactor
is deceivingly large as the core of the reac-
tor sits in a 10 meter deep pool of light
water. One look into the pool gave a sense
of awe as the core of the reactor, 9 meters
in the calm water, wa a glowing, frosty
blue. The water acts as a shield against the
radiation from the reactor and also as a
coolant. It produces 2 MW of power and
some of the products obtained from the
reactor are radioactive iodine and fluorine
for medical use in PET scans as well as
radioactive gold leaf. The gold leaf is used
in treating melanoma patients by placing a
piece of the radioactive leaf in the shape of
the affected area on the patient's skin. The
radiation from the gold leaf cannot pene-
trate to the tissues below the skin and will
expose radiation to only the areas that
require treatment. Most of the work done
with the reactor is for research purposes. A
current project by a McMaster Ph.D. stu-
dent involves using a neutron radiograph
instead of a conventional x-ray to actually
see the gun powder in a bullet, rather than
an x-ray identifying the bullet shell itself.
Neutrons have the ability to go through
heavier atoms and for this reason, airports
will soon use a similar technique in
screening processes.
It was really exciting to be able to go
on these different tours. I'm sure at the
next conference, the tours will be just as
good or better than the standards set by
Ontario Hydro and McMaster University.
The Iron Warrior, Friday, February 27, 1998 Internal Information 13
Supporting Industry in its Search for Excellence
BY PROF. A. PENLIDIS
Director, Institute for Polymer Research, UW
Making Research Pay Off
T
he University ofWateloo' In tirute
. for Polymer Re earch (lPR) ha
earned an international reputation
for making research initiatives payoff for
a wide variety of companies.
These technological initiatives have
been instrumental in the development of
better polymers for wire and cable applica-
tions, polymer modification to make heat-
and oil-re i tant rubber, new polymer
alloys and blends, systems for recycling
polyolefin container , the computer design
of extrusion crews and dies and computer
modelling and control of polymerization
processes.
These are just some of the results
achieved by the Institute, which was estab-
lished in 1984 to provide research services
to polymer-related industries a well as
comprehensive graduate instruction in
polymer cience and engineering.
The Institute, made up of faculty
members in Chemical Engineering (6) and
Chemistry (4) and representati ves of major
companie, has become one of North
America's leading centres of polymer
expertise devoted to creating an imagina-
tive, results-oriented program of graduate
studies and research in experimental poly-
mer cience and engineering. In turn, thi
expertise ha helped a variety of members
firms.
Leading the Way in Research Activities
The Institute carrie out applied and
fundamental research in area that are of
vital interest to the plastics, coatings, adhe-
sives and elastomers industrie. This
includes work in such diverse fields as
molecular weight characterization, thermal
characterization, emulsion polymerization,
polymer processing, polymerization kinet-
ics, copolymerization, polymer-based cat-
alysts, polymer photochemistry and
development of new monomers and poly-
mers.
Major funding support in recent years
has helped provide tate-of-the-art
research equipment and facilities, includ-
ing:
- polymerization pilot plant reactors (I, 2,
5 and 25 lit)
- twin screw compounding equipment
- high pressure polymerization vessel
- extruders
- injection molder (50 ton)
- polymer molecular weight, composition
and structural analysis
- rheological characterization of plastics
- thermal characterization equipment
- torque rheometer
- on-line densitylflow/viscosity sensors .
- high temperature gel permeation chro-
matography
- dynamic mechanical analysis
How one can Benefit from IPR
Scientists and engineers from IPR's
Industrial affiliates, along with University
of Waterloo faculty and students share the
latest developments in polymer research
every May at a two day Polymer
Symposium at the university.
Additionally, an IPR- ponsored seminar
eries at the University of Waterloo offers
orne of the world's top guest speakers
from indu try, universities and govern-
ment.
A comprehensive industrial affiliates
program also has been e tablished for
member firms in Canada, the United States
and Europe to work with us on research
problems that concern the polymer indus-
try. For e ample, faculty members in the
In titute ha e developed a proce for the
production of ultra high strength oriented
polymers, reactive polymers for impurity
control in wa te stream. new
organometallic cataly t for ynthe i of
olefin polymers and core-. hell particle
for enhancement of impacl resi tance of
thern10pla tic and thermo' ets.
In addition, all member finm in the
Institute receive:
- Three day of free con ulting per annum
by faculty members
- Advanced re earch result before paper.
are published
- Member hip on the IPR Indu trial
Advisory Council
- Reduced rate on analytical and other
research ervices
- Priority on contract re ear.c;O
Waterloo' exten ive range of degree
program includes regular and co-op
MASc, MSc and PhD levels. Polymer
undergraduate and graduate students can
al 0 choo e a cooperative work study
option that empha izes original research
and hand -on exposure to industrial
research conditions.
This pqol of potential employees pro-
vide member firms with the kind of
research and devlopment kill required to
help companies compete in international
markets.
Training
The University of Waterloo ha a very
strong formal graduate program in
Polymer Science and Engineering. We
graduate more chemists and chemical
engi neers than any other institution in
Canada. Waterloo has the largest co-op
education program in North America.
The polymer research group compris-
e 10 faculty and about 50 graduate stu-
deqts in chemical engineering and
chemi try. We provide interdisciplinary
training and develop high calibre polymer
scientists and engineers.
IPR also provides intensive short
courses in Canada, USA, South America
and Europe, or inhouse for member firms.
Our Member Firms Include
AT Plastics Inc.
Compupla t Canada Inc.
DSM Research
Dow Chemical of Canada Ltd.
Exxon Chemical Company
ICI/Glidden
Nacan Products Limited
National Starch and Chemical
Nova Research & Technology Corporation
Paxon Polymer Company
Rohm & Haas Canada Inc.
Standard Products (Canada) Ltd.
3M Canada Inc.
Union Carbide Corporation
Uniroyal Chemical Company Inc.
WedTech Inc.
Our staff includes
CHARLES BURNS, Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Tel: 519/888-4567, ext. 3301
Research Interests:
Adhesion, adhesives and surface proper-
ties of polymers, compatibility of poly-
mers in solution and in the solid state and
transport properties of polymer films.
Research Projects:
Plasticization of PVC by polyester hydrol-
ysis products, polystyrene-rubber blends.
SCOIT COLUNS, Professor
Department of Chemistry
Tel: 519/888-4611
Research Intel'"('. Is: .
a-oletin pol) meriz8tion u.ing soluble and
upp rted Ziegler-natta catalyst." correla-
tion of calal 'st . tru ture with polym riza-
tion a ti\'il) and pol:mcr properties,
pol merization of functional monomer:
with cationic metallocene atalysts.
Research Projects:
Analysi ' of polyoldins, supported cata-
lysts for olefin polymelization. ECrrREF
analysis of polymers, non-mctatloc ne 'at-
alysts. metallocene catalysts for GTP,
polyoletin. with long-chain branching.
branch formation of eth lene polymerila-
tion. metallocene catalysts.
THOMAS DUEVER, Associate Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Tel: 519/888-4567. ext. 2540
Research Tnteres/s:
Applied statistics, polymer reaction mod-
elling, model discrimination for polymer
reactions, optimal experimental de. ign,
parameter estimation, optimization of
polymer production proce se , variability
analy i ..
Research Projects:
Optimal sen or election for polymeriza-.
tion processes, model discrimination in
polymerization processe, mUltiresponse
parameter estimation methods, multire-
sponse estimation and experimental design
methods, Bayesian sequential design.
JEAN DUHAMEL, Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry
Tel: 519/888-4567, ext. 5916
Research Interests:
Characterization of water and oil-soluble
associating polymers by fluorescence and
rheology.
Research Projects:
Fluorescence study of homopolymer back-
bone dynamics, fluore cence and rheolog-
ical study of l pnlllI 'r
dynamics. characteri/ation of the associat
ing mechanism of associating pol Illcr ....
MARIO GAUTHIER,
Professor
Department of hemislry
Tel: 519/888-4567, ext. 5205
Research !merest.\":
Associate
Synthesis and charactcri/,ation of highly
branched polymers, polymer-supported
reagents and catalysts, polymer modiflca
tion, copolymerization, ion-containing
polymers, water-soluble polymers.
Research Projects:
Zwitterionic copolymers synthesis, char-
acterization of amphiphilic core-shell
polymers, functionalization of si loxane
polymers, novel synthetic routes to highly
branched graft copolymers, blends of
highly branched and linear polymers,
highly branched core-shell copolymers,
ALEXANDER PENLlDIS, Professor ,
Director, Institute for Polymer Research
Department of Chemical Engineering
Tel: 519/888-4567, ext. 6634
Research Int erests:
Kinetics, mathematical modelling and
simulation of polymerization processes,
polymer and latex sensors, polymer reac-
tor design, optimization and computer
control.
Research Projects:
Optimal sensor selection for polymeri"a-
tion processes, initiator performance eval-
uation, modelling and kinetics of emulsion
copolymerizations, model discrimination
in polymerization processes, polymer
kinetics, trajectory control in batch and
semi-batch emulsion reactors, muItire-
sponse estimation and experimental design
methods, control of polymer reactors, sus-
pension polymerization of styrene/divinyl
benzene, polyolefins characterization via
TREF, combinations of metallocenes for
tailor-made molecular weight distribu-
tions.
GARRY L REMPEL, Professor
o 'partment of ht:mical ngineering
Tel: 519/8 8-4567, ext. 2295
Resemdl 11l1l'rests:
Chemical modilication of polymers, met -
allocene calalYLed polymcrization, immo-
bili/ation of catalysts on polymer supports
and applications. kinelics and mechani m
of catalytic proce scs, rt:active processing
of polymers.
Research Projects:
Polymer kinetics, chemical modification
of copolymer emulsions, polymer hydro-
genation, developmcnt and modclling of a
new catalytic distillation proccs , func-
tionalization of polypropylene through
reactive extrusion, reactive eXTrusion of
polyoleJins.
lOAO B.P. SOARES, Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Tel: 519/888-4567, cxt. 3436
Research Interests:
Ziegler-Nalta catalysts, metallocene cata-
lysts, polymerization kinetics, polymeriza-
tion reactor modelling and simulation,
characterization of polymer microstructure
by TREF, GPC and NMR, polymer struc-
ture-property relationships.
Research Projecfs:
Synthesis of polyolefins with controlled
distribution of molecular weight, chemical
composition and long chain branching,
mathematical modelling of polymer
microstructure, dynamic modelling of
polymerization reactors , polymer defi ni-
tion by and
MORRIS TCHIR, Professor
IkplIrtllWnl of
reI : 51l)fH88 4'ih7,
/<1' ,1' /'111'1'11 /II/C''-''S/ I .
Til . oj NMR 'Ill'ctroscopy (plOtOIl alld
'arhon) for th\.' l"iwrac:t('lI/a(ion of poly
Illcr stllll'tun! and prop ' ltir:- (in solutiolls
<lnd mobile "solids").
COSTAS TZO(,AN/tK1S, Associllte
Pmfes:wr
Departmcnt of Chemical Engillcc.;ring
Tel: 519/H8H4567, ext. 3442
Research 11lf1'f('SI.I:
Reaeti vc processing of pol ymers, melt
phase polymer r action kinetics, mathe-
matical modelling and computer simula-
tion of polymer proce'lsing and rheology
of polymer melts.
Research Projects:
Melt fracture of controlled-rheology
polypropylencs, application of supercriti-
cal fluid technology in polymer extrusion,
reactive extrusion of polymers with super-
critical fluids, rheological properties of
branched polypropylene, chemical modifi-
cation of polyethylene by reactive extru-
sion, blown film extrusion: analy. is and
design, mixing studies in twin screw extru-
sion, functiol1alization of polypropylene
through reactive extrusion, reactive extru-
sion of polyolefins.
For further information contact:
A. Penlidis, Director
Institute for Polymer Research
Department of Chemical Engineering
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G 1
Tel: 519/888-4567 ext.6634
Fax: 5191746-4979
Email: penlidis@cape.uwaterloo.ca
--
14
Internal Information
The Iron Warrior, Friday, February 27, 1998
Coming to a Close Subscribing to Industry
W
ell midterms
are behind
us and
before we get too busy
with finals and major
projects EngSoc has a
lot of things going on
during March. The
Arts Directors are syn-
thesizing the Tal Eng -
an Engineering Talent Show which takes
place in the Bomber and from what I hear
we have a very ful/list of acts. It is always
a good show, for more information email
eng_arts@engmail to contact our Arts
directors. TalEng is taking place on
Thursday March 5th. The Middle of Term
pub is March 6th and is also going to be
the class of 1999 (which happens to be my
class) 365 days to IRS pub crawl.
During every winter term EngSoc's
main fundraise!" for charities is the Bus
Push. Bus Push is on Saturday March 7th,
the plan is to push a bus for charity down
University to King and then proceed down
King St, chanting and cheering at the top
of our lungs. The money is raised by the
student pushing the bus through pledge
forms that they can pick up anytime in the
Orifice or just email jmo/uz@engmail or
cwrichar@engmail who are the Bus Push
directors for this term.
Campaigning for the Executive posi -
tions of EngSoc begin March 2nd which
means that my term as VP[ almost comes
to a close but not just yet. Campaigning is
. a tiring process for the eager candidates
but is also a lot of fun, they will probably
be coming to one of your classrooms to
introduce themselves to you. There will
be an open forum in the CPH Foyer where
you the student body get to a k the candi -
dates questions about anything you like.
The election day is March 11th and the
results wi \I be announced at the EngSoc
Meeting on March 11th, which is in DC
1302 at 6pm. ror more information about
the election process contact
mjllevill@engmai/, Mike Nevill our hief
Returning Officer (CRO) for thi s election.
The Dean of Engineering is also coming to
our EngSoc meeting so make sure you arc
there. He will most likely be the first thing
on our adgcnda.
The External Special Events directors
are organii'ing Ollr second Brunny Trip of
the term on March 13th. Lf it is anything
like the first Olle, it is going to be great.
I
t\ hard to believe out we are already
past thc halfway point of winter
school terill. Most of yOU should be
finished wntlllg midterms by now and
hopefully they were not too overbearing.
At the third council meeting on
February 4, the dIstribution of the
Engineering Society student donations
was determined. In tOlal, seven groups
submitted requests for a portion of thc
$2,000 allocated in this term's budget for
di persement. Each group made a brief
presentation during the meeting, explain-
ing to council the purpo e of their orgahi-
zation and how the money would be used
to assist their organization. After some
discus ion after the presentations, council
came to a final decision. Out of the even
requesting groups, five groups were allo-
cated a portion of the funds. These groups,
along with the amount received, are as fol-
lows.
Ontario Engineering Competition 1998
($700) - The Ontario Engineering
VP Internal
Report
hy Vlad JOlJlIOl'ic
Just make sure you
are on the singing
bus for the ride
back.
On March
12th the graduat-
ing class of 1998
are having their 7
days to IRS pub
crawl. So just to
be nice to the graduating class I would like
to make this day the offical 'appreciate
graduat ing student day'. Thi is a first of
any such day so r will explain what I had
in mind. r thought that it would be nice to
appreciate the grads of 1998 through
maybe buying them lunch, walking them
to class, carrying their books, getting them
a beer in POETS or just wishing them the
best on their pub crawl. The reason is
because they have been here for almost
five years and have really put a lot into this
university which we all share. They have
contributed to the atmosphere and life of
this University and will be missed. If you
don't know a graduating student come to
POETS on Thursday the 12th of March
and meet some.
T would like to take this opportunity
thank the External Special Events direc-
tors who gave us Spiceworld, the Internal
Special Events directors for the Valentines
day sticker, IW team for putting together
an awe ome paper, and the publicity direc-
tors for the emails and signs all over
school keeping us informed a. to what is
going on.
On another note, I would like to apol-
ogize for frightening or offending anyone
while I was a Gradcom slave, L was put up
to it with force and did not like wearing a
diaper just for the record. It was for a
good cause.
In closing, we have a comment and
suggestion box just out. ide the Orifice
which [ check regularly but ha yet to have
any or suggestions. This sug-
gention box is there for anyone who has
feedback positive or negative with any-
thing to do with the society, like problems
with POETS or Orifice resources, execu-
tive, etc. As usual feel free to approach me
about anything. [can be found in such
places as the Oritice and POETS. You can
email me at en8_vpint@lIovice or call me
at 725-2048.
M
idt erms
are
startll1g to
come to a close and
we can start concen-
trating on having
some fun again!
Things have been
pretty quiet on the
Engineering Society
front over the past couple of weeks but
there have been a couple of things come
up s ince the last Iron Warrior issue.
At the last Engineering Society meet-
ing we went over a few important is ues.
The first was the spending of the
Corporate Manager profits. I sat down
with Nancy Baggio (Graduation
Committee chair), Erin Dunphy (A Soc.
Yearbook editor) and Mary Bland (our
beloved corporate manager) and worked
out a plan that would benefit all organiza-
tions involved. It was propo ed at the last
meeting that the profits would fir t go to
subsidize the yearbook to a certain
amount. The employee alary and expens-
es for the year would then be paid off.
The remaining profit would be used first to
pay for all of the graduate' iron rings and
then be split between the Graduation
Committee to subsidize the Grad Ball to a
certain degree and to the Engineering
Society. The money going to the society
will be split so that at least 50% of it goe
towards capital expenditures and the rest
will be dependent term to term on the soci-
eties needs. If you would like any more
details on this proposal let me know and I
can show you more specifics. This issue
will be voted on at the next meeting
(March 11) so I will take any suggestions
to this proposal before that date.
Also at the la t meeting we passed
around samples of resume paper. We had
everyone present vote for their favorite
four and at the end tallied the best one.
The orifice now has those four styles in
stock for a low, cheap price of $0.3511 0
sheets (then the regular $.05/sheet copy
co t). Now you can do your resumes
cheap. I'm hoping all of you in econd
rounds will come try us out. If you have
any suggestions of extra styles you would
like to see let u know. The more this is
used the more styles we will be able to
offer. Also, in case some people weren't
aware, the large copier in the orifice also
staples, double sides and works on trans-
Donating to the Masses
. "
Competition ticipating in the Great
orthern Concrete (OEC) 1\ an
annual eVl:nt
whll:h
c)' the lalents of
undergraduate
enginecring stu-
VPFinance
Report
Toboggan Races in
Waterloo next year. This
annual competition fea-
lure. teams from engi-
neering universities all
/1\ f)an Kim
dents from
across the
province. The
competition is comprised of six categories
- Corporate De ign, Entrepreneurial
Design, Editorial Communication,
Explanatory Communication ,
Parliamentary Debate and Team Design.
In 1998, the competition is being held here
at the University of Waterloo. The donat-
ed funds will be u ed by the organizing
committee toward the many expense that
will be incurred (eg. delegate accommoda-
tions, catering, transportation) eluring this
competition.
1999 Concrete Toboggan Team ($500) -
The 1999 Concrete Toboggan Team i par-
across Canada and even
some from the United
States. It provides stu-
dent with the opportunity to gain experi-
ence in engineering design and design
implementation, as well a. to compete
against other schools in a ocial, friendly
atmo phere. The Team will u e the donat-
ed funds toward the purchase of materials
required to construct the toboggan.
Waterloo Aerial Robotics Group ($400)
- The Waterloo Aerial Robotics Group is
hoping to participate in a competition in
the year 2000 that consi t of the de ign
and implementation of a fully autonomou
aerial robot which is capable of searching
for and identifying human, and rescuing
President
Report
by Sarah Dm';e.'\
parencies.
Some other
exciting addition to
the office, we have
finally received our
new computer, we
are now waiting for
the oftware and
we'll be back to the
20th century again.
We've also got a new white board for the
back room (for those who hadn't noticed it
magically disappeared last term) .
Remember that the back room of the office
i available for any Engineering Society
members for meetings etc. If you would
like to use it you have to ign in out with
Betty in the Orifice.
Dow Canada has agreed to donate
subscriptions to ' Chemical Engineering' to
the Engineering Society, we are currently
waiting for the sub cription to come in.
Andersen Consulting and Rim are serious-
ly con idering a proposal we have made
regarding donation of magazine subscrip-
tions and we hould have confirmation of
their decision soon. If you can think of
companie that might be interested in this
type of sponsorship please let me know.
We've got some exciting things hap-
pening over the next couple of weeks.
This weekend is the Ontario Engineering
Competition so come out and give us a
hand . impre sing engineering students
across Ontario. Bu Push is quickly com-
ing up, I know there has been a lot of hard
work put into organizing it this term and
it's going to be lots offun. It' a great way
to show the commuruty what engineers
can do when they set their mind to it.
Elections are quickly approaching,
good luck to all of the candidates over the
campaigning week and from what I've
heard so far there i a lot of quality people
up for the task. If you're con idering run-
ning for pre ident feel free to come talk
with me about the position - even if it may
be for next time round, it never hurts to
prepare early.
Well, that's about it for me. Pretty
soon it will be IRS, and we'll have obnox-
ious grad tapping rings on our heads, a
new executive will be emerging and
before we know it exams and back to
work. Keep tudying hard, but try and
come out to some of the great things hap-
pening over the next couple of weeks for 'a
bit of fun.
them, as well as identifying hazardous
waste. The team must pat1icipate in sever-
al qualifying events leading up to the main
event. The first qualifier is this summer in
Georgia, where the design constraint is
limited to just the searching of human
being by the aerial robot. The funds will
be used to assist in the purcha<,e of mater-
ial for this aerial robot.
Engineering Science Quest ($300) -
Engineering Science Quest (ESQ) i a stu-
dent run organization in its eighth year of
operation. Last year, ESQ was recognized
as the largest Engineering & Science camp
in Canada by Camps of Canada. 817
young children, from grades ranging from
three to twelve vi ited the University of
Waterloo last summer. ESQ's involve-
ment within the community reached over
9,200 children, parents and teachers la t
year. The program's main focus is the
ummer camp , which provide children
with the opportunity to attend engineering,
(see "Finanacial", page 15)
The Iron Warrior, Friday, February 27, 1998 Internal Information 15
Increasing the Cost of Education
W
ith mi dterm
almost hi to-
ry, we can
look forward to a j am-
packed March. We have
a number of big ticket
items coming up, like
OEC, NEW, elections,
IRS, and a ton of special
events.
Elections
With the elections coming up in the
next few weeks, we should start getting to
know what the positions are so that we can
decide who the best person is to fill it. The
VP External role is an important one
because that person is the link between our
faculty and the outside world. The outside
world incorporates a number of groups,
including the FEDs, the UW administra-
tion, the PEO, the community, and indus-
try. The VP External is responsible for
making sure those groups are aware of our
faculty's presence, concerns and potential,
and that the student body knows about
their issues or thoughts. This is done by
organizing events to bring industry reps to
speak (Bridging the Gap), to show parents
and high school kids the university
(Explorations, Shadow Day, Campus Day,
FrontRunners), to help the community out
(Charities - BusPush, raffles), and by
attending conferences to express Waterloo
Engineer's views. The VP External also
It's P
W
EEF is
curren.tly
acceptlOg
proposals to receive
funding for any aca-
demic projects,
department needs,
and student initia-
tives. The final day
for proposal submis-
sions is February 27, so act fast if you
want a piece of $llO,OOO. Submissions
can be e-mailed to enciowment@engmail
and forms are available from our website
at www.sail.uwaterloo.cal-www_weefl. If
you do submit a proposal (or if you're a
WEEF rep and forgot) the presentation
meeting will be held at 5:30p.m. on
Wednesday, March 4. If there are many
proposals, we may split this meeting in
half, holding the second half on Thesday,
March 10. The rooms for these meetings
are tentatively DC but this still
VP External
Report
by Nirw Sodhi
keep open line
of communica-
tion with al l the
EngSoc in
Ontario. Canada.
the US, the UK.
and even furthf([
sometime . Thi
communication
happens mostly
over e-mail and at conferences.
But most importantly, the VP External
is a member of the executive and as such is
responsible for making sure the students
needs are satisfied. This can range from
providing basic services (copiers, staplers,
phones, old exams), to increasing the qual-
ity of life at the school (C&D, novelties,
social events, publications). While each of
the four roles in the executive have defined
duties, all four combined need to create an
atmosphere in engineering that is good for
everybody.
PEO Includes Geoscientists
The PEO has recently approved
changes to its Act to include geoscientists
into the organization. This means that the
PEO will provide licensure of geoscien-
tists under the PEO's regulatory umbrella.
The issue began in 1996, and is still a hot
topic within the Some say that
including geoscientists will give the PEO
the opportunity to regulate that profession,
thereby being able exercise some control
WEEF
Report
by Paul Cesana
need to be con-
ftrmed. A sign will
be posted on the
WEEP Office door
when the rooms and
number of meetings
are finalized. Also, if
you submit a propos-
al, we will e-mail you
the necessary infor-
mation in addition to posting it. Just
remember that you only have five minutes
to make your presentation, so plan ahead
A great presentation seriously increases
your chances of receiving funding. The
Funding Council decision meeting is on
March 16, so by St. Patrick's Day, you'll
be able to find out whether or not your
proposal got funded and for how much.
Once again, this will be done through e-
mail and a poster in CPH. Have a happy
March and get those proposals in on time.
Financial Contributions
(continued/rom page 14)
science and computer camps at the
University of Waterloo. The donated
funds will be used to reduce the costs of
attending the camps in the summer. This
is done through the provision of bursaries
for children requiring financial assistance.
Chemical Engineering Society (Sl00)
The Chemical Engineering Society (ChE
Soc) represents the chemical engineering
student body at the UW. The ChESoc
attempts to enhance the academic and
social experience at Waterloo for under-
graduate chemical engineering students
through various functions, such as trips to
conferences relating to chemical engineer-
ing. The donated funds was used toward
the cost of sending delegates to the nation-
al conference for the Canadian Society for
Chemical Engineers at McMaster
University.
To conclude, let me remind you that
. this is an election term. The candidates
will be campaigning during the next week
and elections will be on Wednesday,
March 11. If anyone, including the candi-
dates themselves, would like information
on the role of the VP Finance, please feel
free to set up a meeting time with me and
I can do my best to answer any questions
you may have.
over a profes. ion that man mistakenl
engin ering alread) . Others say
that geo ienti t. are not engi neers. and b
includi ng them in the PEO, a precedence is
set for other non-engineering profes. ions
to equate them. elve \\ith engineers.
Deregulation of Thition Fees
At the Engineering Facult y Council
meeting on Feb 16, Dean Bums made a
pre entation about the propo ed deregula-
tion of tuition fees. Deregul ation of fees
refers to different tuition fees for different
departments in the same university. The
Dean, who is opposed to differential fees,
pointed out some of his key concern with
this proposal :
- 30% of any tuition increase must go
towards financial aid for tudents within
the university (not necessarily from the
department the increase occurred in). This
means that if engineer ' tuition increases,
then we begin to provide financial up port
to others in the university.
- The increased revenue does not yet
have a decided allocation. There is a pos-
sibility that the revenue will not even go
toward the Engineering Faculty.
- Because this is an Ontario-wide
plan, other older universities with more
established money may be able to offset
the increases internally, thereby making it
appear they have lower tuition fees. This
may affect an applicant's choice of univer-
sity.
Ontario Engineer ing Competition
Waterloo has the honour of hosting
the Ontario Engineeri ng Competition this
weekend. They need plenty of volunteers,
o I encourage everybody to block of this
weekend Lo help oul. I al 0 encourage
everybody to attend orne of the competi -
tions - they are held all over the e!1gineer-
ing buildings on Saturday. We will have
student from all over Ontario here, so
let's how them a lot of Waterloo support.
E-mail Amy Lai (a2Iai@engmail) for
more information.
National Engineering Week
National Engineering Week (NEW) is
being held from February 28 to March 8
this year. All acro Canada, professional
engineers and engineering students have
the chance to showcase what the profe -
sion of yngineering i all about. The
Ontario Science Centre will be the site of
the PEO's di splays and work hops this
year, 0 if you're in Toronto, feel free to
stop by there and see what the PEO has
going on.
Here in Waterloo, we' ve got some
special events we' I! be planning during the
week. The bi ggest of which is the
BusPush on March 7. The Internal Special
Events directors may have Enginuity as
well that week.
If you're always on the go take us with you.
A pager from Bell Mobility Is the easy and affordable
way to stay in the loop.
Bell Mobility
A ..... OV.D AGRNT
Ontario Engineering Competition '98
Schedule of Events
Come and support the Waterloo team, and see competitors from across the province partici-
pate in the following events:
Event
Explanatory Communications
Editorial Communications
Parliamentary Debate
Entrepreneurial Design
Corporate Design
Team Design
High School Design
Daterrime
Feb. 27, 6:45pm-l 0:45pm
Feb. 28, 7:45am-5:15pm
Feb. 27, 7:00pm-l0:00pm
Feb. 28, 8:00am-4:30pm
Feb. 27, 7:00pm-l0:00pm
Feb. 28, 8:00am-4:30pm
Feb. 27, 7:00pm-l0:00pm
Feb. 28, 8:00am-4:30pm
Feb. 27, 7:00pm-l0:00pm
Feb. 28, 8:00am-4:30pm
Feb. 28, 8:00am-4:30pm
Feb. 28, 8:00am-4:30pm
Weavers
Arms
Location
DC 2577
DC 1304
DC 1302, 1350, 1351
SLC 2140
DC 1301
SLC MultiPurpose Rm
SLC Great Hall (by Turnkey)
=-.. ~ ~
r ...... ==-- f
PbllIlp 81. :;)