MISCELLANY

Mon., April 10 four large cranes hoist up the first of eight 67-tonne trusses that will support the roof of the six-storey, stadium-sized building that will house the new Canadian Light Source synchrotron.

The work of raising the roof trusses was scheduled to carry on for two weeks. The 12,700-square-metre building is to be completed by this December, and the synchrotron is to be operating by January, 2004.

The $173.5-million project will create a high-intensity source of infra-red, ultraviolet and x-ray energy that can be used to probe the structure of matter and analyse a host of physical, chemical, geological and biological processes.

It uses powerful magnets and radio waves to accelerate electrons to up to 99.99 per cent of the speed of light. The light will be 10,000 times brighter than the sun.

Photo by John Swirsky, CLS Mechanical Technologist

About 50 U of S faculty attended a March 24 live videoconference on instructional development, arranged by the Extension Division and held in Studio B in the Education Building. Organizer Eileen Herteis, of Extension, says this is the sixth such videoconference the Division has hosted in the past two years. "We’re trying to enhance the instructional development package we can offer to faculty. The videoconference allows us to bring these giants in the literature of instructional development onto our campus, without the astronomical expense," Herteis says. For the institutional fee of about $300, the U of S not only gets to have a high number of faculty attend the live screening, but "we get the right to make a back-up videotape," Herteis says. That way, if someone was unable to attend the "live" session, they can borrow the videotape from the DAVS library and take in the lecture and discussion at their convenience. The March 24 broadcast presented a two-hour session on "Changing practices in evaluating teaching," featuring University of Michigan psychology Prof. Wilbert McKeachie and Pace University Distinguished Prof. of Management, Peter Seldin. The session ran from 11:45 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

From left, Gordon Barnhart (Acting Director of U of S International, and U of S Secretary-designate), Gunter Kocks (Honorary Consul for Germany in Saskatchewan), Jürgen Pöhlmann (Ambassador to Canada for the Federal Republic of Germany), and Peter MacKinnon (U of S President) visit in MacKinnon’s office, during Ambassador Pöhlmann’s April 12 visit to the U of S. The visit was the first ever made by a German ambassador to campus, and was arranged after it was learned the ambassador was to be in Regina on other business. At the U of S Pöhlmann met with MacKinnon, Barnhart, Acting Assoc. Dean of Arts and Science Hans Michelmann, a group of German-language students, and a host of others from the campus community at an afternoon reception at the Faculty Club. Music Prof. Walter Kreyszig also arranged an evening concert of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, a favorite of the ambassador. The concert, held in the St. Thomas More chapel, featured two of the University’s famed Amati instruments. U of S representatives were interested in talking with the ambassador about student exchanges and financial difficulties U of S students face when studying in Germany. Currently there are 19 German students studying at the U of S, and seven U of S students re on exchange in Germany. The U of S has exchange agreements with five German universities.

National champion Huskie athletes mingle and dine with downtown Saskatoon business people April 4 at the Quality Hotel, at the annual Huskies Championship Luncheon, organized by the Friends of the Huskies booster club. Above from left, Huskie mascot – "Howler" – Andrew Neufeldt (who is also a member of the U of S men’s track-and-field team), national champion women’s track-and-field team members Deanne Mengel and Karlyn Serby chat over lunch with Dynavest Corporation representatives Devrin Dowie, Tanya Wick, and Ron Sowinski.

Friends of the Huskies President Jim Weber says his group was "extremely happy" with the event, which saw about 225 business people attend. Guests of honor were the Huskies women’s track-and-field team, the men’s relay team, and the men’s high-jump team – which all recently won CIAU (Canadian Inter-university Athletic Union) national championships.

Weber says the 150-member Friends of the Huskies also held a reception April 17 at the U of S Faculty Club, as a chance for him to report to ‘Friends’ members on the progress of the group’s Huskies Holiday Lottery, which aims to give a major boost to scholarship support for Huskie athletes. Weber says, "We’re the only one of the four western provinces that doesn’t have a provincially funded scholarship program" for university athletes. He says the ‘Friends’ are trying to help the U of S compete for outstanding Saskatchewan high school graduates who might be thinking of going to university in Alberta or elsewhere.

Lottery tickets are three for $110 or one for $50. There are 17 prizes – including vacations, a cruise, and Huskie "Coach’s Club" passes (3,333 tickets will be sold). Draw is June 28. Tickets are sold at Co-op Gas bars, Olympian Sports, or by mailing a brochure form with cheque, or by calling 244-4167 to use VISA.