A FORUM FOR ENGINEERING CONCEPTS

STUDENT FEES INCREASING

Steve Pitkanen
Mos, Engineering students should now
be aware of the impending computer fee
we will be facing when we return for our
next school term. This fee amounts to an
extra $100 to be added to the cost of
tuition. When the standard 5% tuition
increase, allowed by the provincial
and all incidental fees are
added to the total, we will all be paying
over $1000 to register for one term. What
does all this mean? It means that we, as
students, are becoming increasingly
responsible for the funding of our
education.
This in..::reased re ponsibility i not one
which has been undertaken by this
university alone. MacMaster students are
helping to subsidize the cost of their
education by contributing a fee of $1 per
day. First year Queen's students are
"strongly recommended" to purchase a
$2000 personal computer package upon
entry to certain programs. Waterloo is
also planning to require first year
undergraduates to purchase a portable
computer workstation (for under $1000)
that can access a central computer via
ports installed at several locations on
campus. This project may be realized in
two years time.
What has finally caused the University
to turn to the students to help support the
extensive computing facilities available at
Waterloo? According to Prof. Barry
Wills, Associate Dean for Computing, it's
a matter of "costs rising more than
provincial grants to universities." These
costs include providing T A's for com-
puter courses, support staff for computer
systems or lab areas, and even printer
paper. The main costs, however, involve
the maintenance and enhancements of
current systems. The WATSTAR system is
getting "old and tired", says Wills. There
will be an effort to "extend it to make it
available to more students" by upgrading
and networking the system to several
areas within the Engineering buildings.
The increasing costs of maintenance
and enhancements for computer systems
campus-wide has strained the University
and faculty budgets to the limit. "Either
we pass that charge (costs) on to the
students, or we don't do it (upgrade),"
said Bill Lennox, Dean of Engineering.
"Waterloo has spent, by far, more than
any other university on computing."
Not all of the $IOOengineeringstudems
are to pay, will be ear-marked for
Engineering needs. In fact, the Engin-
eering faculty will only receive $30 of that
Fee increase will help pay for purchases of computer equipment
fee; the remaining $70 will be sent directly
into the central university fund. However,
part of this fund subsidizes the central
computing facility (used by many engin-
eering students) and helps finance
Engineering computer labs and equip-
ment. What is to be done with the $30 ear-
marked for the Engineering faculty is up
to the discretion of the Engineering
Computing Committee headed by Prof.
In this issue:
Wills. No priorities have been set as yet,
but plans to revitalize WATSTAR and the
installation of a "state-of-the-art" micro-
computer classroom on the first floor of
the Engineering Lecture Hall are in the
works.
It seems that in order for students to
continue benefiting from the added
emphasis on computers in education at
this University, they are going to have to
start paying for it or risk losing it.
o Tuition Increasing ........................ ......................................... 1,2
o Survey of Co-op Awareness ........................... ....... .................. 6
o Important Dates for Grad Placement.. ................................... 4
o Scrubbers vs. Pollution ........................................................... 7
o Amateur Road Racing ............................................................ 9
o Associate Dean of Computing Interviewed ............................. 5
2
IRON WARRIOR JUNE 1985
FROM THE DEAN'S DESK
"Deterioration and obsolescence of equip-
ment and inadequate maintenance of
physical plant were not only report ed but
displayed. A particular concern identified in
some of the briefsfrom the corporate seCTor
related to the adequacy of resources
available for engineering facull ies. While,
as input measures, none of these factors
actually measures the quality of education
itself. the Commission has come to the
conclusion that the foundation for con-
tinued maintenance of quality is in
jeopardy . .. "
These comments are taken from The
Bovey Commission on The Future
Development of The Universities. There
are 51 recommendations in the report
responding to the 51 questions posed in
their working paper. Finally a n indepen-
dent review board, appointed by The
Minister, clearly concludes that the
continual underfunding has seriously
jeopardized the universities. Paradox-
EDITORIAL
Tuition is increasing, co-op fees are
increasing and a new computing fee is
being added. Why is the university
demanding more money from us?
administration at Waterloo would like to
make this about 30%. Yes, that means
doubling tuition fees.
Another problem that Waterloo faces is
the cost of the standard of quality it wants
to maintain. The government does not
.... h for schools that offer
1 qualityducation; i'nstead it is based
reports have concluded that quality of on ... : :1 0 students. Maybe this has to
education is slipping because of in- do Student/Faculty ratios of 22: 1.
adequate resources. money has to come from
provincial government has done little or somewhere. It didn't come from QEMF
nothing to alleviate this money shortage, but instead will be coming from the
except allow a 5% increase in tuition. current fee increase. I guess fee increases
Because the government d'ictates ceilings of this type will continue until govern-
on tuition fees, other fees wi.h names like ment funding policies change.
"Computing Fee" and "Co-op foee" were
needed to meet operating costs. Why not
charge students more, they only con-
tribute 16% to operating costs as it is. The
ically, the more successful you an:, the
worse off you are. In my annual report to
faculty entitled "The Penalties of
Success", illustrate how our successes-
quality of students, research awards, co-
operative education - have, in fact,
exacerbated our situation.
Four years ago, the government
commissioned another report - referred
to as The Fisher Report - which also
drew attention to the problems in
Ontario's universities. At that time, no
action was taken. The Bovey Commission
reported in December. Since that time, we
have had to wait through the leadership
race and now the election. No definitive
statement as yet has been made by the
government. Hopefully this time, there
will be action and less study.
One recommendation made involves
tuition. Students now pay only 16 percent
of the cost of their education. Years ago, it
was 33 percent. The commission recom-
mends increasing this to 25 percent over
the next four years. This year, however,
the government recommneded only a 5
percent increase. As a result, many pro-
grams will begin to charge special fees to
offset costs. Waterloo is considering such
a fee for computing. There is no doubt that
we provide more resources in this area
than any other university. Some of the
costs of servicing and maintaining this
equipment will be covered by such a fee. It
is interesting to note that some schools are
already strongly recommending that all
first year engineering students buy their
own microcomputer. The costs are
estimated to be $2000. I don't believe that
this is the way to go yet - the micros still
do not have the computi ng power,
memory, etc. that is needed, but it
is probably only a matter of time.
W. C. Lennox
If you have views on the fee increase or
anything else for that matter, write a letter
to IhcEditor and leave it with Paula in the
Orifice. Thanx.
The Editors : Eric Nordin and Gord Strachan
IRON WARRIOR STAFF
EDITORS
Eric Sordin
Gordon Strachan
WRITERS
Audrey Chin
Steve Pitkanen
Lynn Madsen
Dale Anderson
Barry Wills
LAYOUT
Norm Soley (head)
Cassandra Nicolaou
Audrey Chin
Barbray Adey
Harold Gross
Peter Heuss
The IRON WARRIOR is a publication of the Engineering Society
at the University of Waterloo. It's purpose lS to promote
professional awareness within the Engineering Faculty awl to
inform Dngineers of the society activities.
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Peter Musgrave
Eric Nordin
Simon Leung
STAFF HELP
Alan McCann
Mailing Address
Iron Warrior
c/o Eng. Soc. A
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
JUNE 1985
IRON WARRIOR
3
From the VP's Desk
To this day, I vividly recall the first time
walked into the "Orifice" (otherwise
known as the Eng Soc Office). For some
unknown reason, I felt a strange paranoia
of what I might find. Was I reallyweJcome
to go in? What was in there? Who were all
those people milling around, asking
questions and generally going in three
directions at once? I overcame the urge to
abandon the question I needed answered
and bravely forged in. To my great
surprise and relief nobody laughed at my
question; I received an answer, and it was
all very quick and painless.
I felt that being the shy frosh I was, my
feelings were somewhat exaggerated and
no one else endured the same trepidation
as I. However, now that I've become more
involved with Eng Soc and look back at
die event, I wonder of maybe my initial
feelings were not somewhat indicative of
the general perception of the Engineering
Society. Hopefully, this is not the case. In
an effort to clarify the perception of Eng
Soc, I would like to share my views on the
Society.
To begin with, Eng Soc exists soley for
the purpose of serving the Engineering
student body. It's available. It's yours. So
use it! In the Eng Soc Office (CPH 1327)
exists a wealth of useful (and some not so
useful) information. You will find old
midterms and finals, class lists and
schedules, housing lists, bursary and
scholarship information, copies of
campus newspapers, copies of university
policies, and the list goes on and on. As
well, the secretary (Her name's Paula. Go
in and say, 'Hi') is more than willing to
answer any questions you may have. If she
doesn't know the answers, she'll do her
best to find them.
Eng Soc also offers a variety ofservices.
Two coin operated photocopiers (one
with reducing capabilities) are available in
the Orifice. As well, Eng Soc provides
change, sells novelties (T-shirts, openers,
mugs, pencils, clip-boards, etc.) and sells
pub dckets. Eng Soc operates C&D and
POETS (Piss On Everything Tomorrow's
Saturday) Pub. C&D still has the cheapest
coffee and bagels (with cream ch ese,
even) 'on campus. POETS is open for
drinking Thursday and r i d ~ y afternoon
(with movies and videos) and for
sociali zing at other times. Do you feel like
relaxing between classes? Come down to
the Orifice and grab a frisbee or footba ll.
Are you a photography bum Join the Eng
Soc darkroom. Or are you a mechanic?
Join the garage'and have a warm, dry
place to fix your car. Take advantage of
Eng Soc services, because they are
provided for you.
Finally, and I teel most importantly,
Eng Soc exists for your participation.
Events are sponsored all term (athletic,
social, academic) which are designed to
offer something for everyone. From
"Nautical Events", to football tourni es,
from the Scavenger Hunt to Sir Sanford
Fleming debates, we hope to provide fun
and interesting activities for all. Not only
can you participate in these events, but
you can also help organize and plan them.
If you've got a new idea, want to see
something happen, or want to help out,
come to the Orifice and let us know. We
want to hear from you, because without
you, we wouldn't exist.
Perhaps all my rambling has been tor
naught. I hope so. Maybe there aren't
many like I was; unsure of why Eng Soc
existed or what it offered. However, even
if I've cleared things up for just a few
people, this article has been worth it.
Whatever the cause may 'be, put down
your books, retire your mechanical
pencils, grab your shorts and sunglasses.
It's the summer, so come out and have
some fun!
P.S. Engineering Week isJune 13-23 so
start preparing now!
Kathy Irwin
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
The 19 0' are a decade of tran ition
and upheaval, of both our value system
and our way of doing busine s. After
WW II, North America witne sed the era
of heavy indu try, ymbolized by the
strength of the automobile and . teel
industries. Today' indu trial giant
include IBM and Northern Telecom, who
repre ent information processing com-
panies. The economy i shifting emphasis
from heavy industry to information
proce ing. Thi change will pre ent
challenge that will meet or even exceed
those presented by the industrial revol-
ution.
In times of economic change there is
usually a great deal of entrepreneurial
activity. This stemsfrom the wealth of new
business opportunities pre ented by
economic change. Associety settles into a
post-change economy order is estab-
lished. As a consequence business oppor-
tunities during these periods are reduced.
I am confident that Waterloo students,
particularly engineering tudents, will fill
many of the holes establi shed by today's
economic transition. The co-op system
has provided engineering students with a
sense of maturity and deep-rooted
business sense rarely displayed by other
university students. It is precisely this
maturity and business sense that makes
Water! 0 students attractive to industry.
The next few ears will be both difficult
and exciting for Canadian society. For
those who are willing to take the risk of
starting new busine e, and showing
leader hip in the unrise industries the
opportunities for personal and financial
ucces are tremendou .
Co-op also encourages entrepreneurs.
Expo ure to big bu inc s at an early stage
in their careers ha prompted many of my
clas mates to seriou Jy consider tarting
their own bu inesses. Thi may be a
universally romantic notion of being
captain of ones own ship. However, I have
never witnes ed the intensity of this belief
in other univer ity students. Heel proud to
be as ociated with a group that will, in my
estimation. be the future economic card
players in the Canadian and World
economies.
I look forward to working for all of you
over the next year and wish all of you the
best of luck in both your co-operative and
future business careers.
6/' S:hn SI'ph.M.'
::
4
IRON WARRIOR JUNE 1985
GRAD PLACEMENT SERVICES
Dale Anderson
Most engineering students have a
thorough knowledge of the Department
of Co-ordination and Placement. How-
ever, there is a segment of the department
which many engineering students are un-
familiar with; The Graduate Placement
Office. This small group of specialists,
known mainly by 4th year engineering
students, assists students in finding per-
manent jobs after graduation. The word
assist is used here because graduate
placement procedures differ greatly from
those used in co-op placement.
'0
In the graduate placement process,
unlike co-op placement, more onus is
placed on the student. For example, a
graduating student is respqnsible for
gathering all the information required to
send to employers. Simply stated, em-
ployers only receive what students have
submitted to the Graduate Placement
Office. Secondly, in the graduate process
there is no computer match-up. The job
you get is the job you earned. Therefore
you have to sell yourself through the infor-
mation you submit to be sent out and
through interviews. Thirdly, interviews
are only conducted in the 4B or winter
term beginning in February. This up-
coming year they will commence on
January 7, 1986. An effort was made in
1984 to conduct interviews for grad-
uating engineering students in the fall as
well as in the winter term. This, however,
proved to be unsuccessful. Fourthly, the
student is responsible for declining or
rejecting offers as well as arranging second
interviews.
Grad Placement Coordinators Frank Ruszer and Bob Mateyk .
Grad Placement also runs the Alumni
Referral Service. This is a service a vai table
to all alumni still looking for work. These
grads are asked to register before they
leave campus or for alumni, when they
require the service. These people areagain
asked to supply all information to be sent
out to employers. However in this case, a
resume is part of the submitted package
and not a UCPA form as was used before.
When jobs come in, the files are searched
for possible candidates and interviews are
scheduled by either Grad Placement or by
the graduate. Thesefilesare updated every
3 months or as required.
There are some similarities between
Grad Placement and undergrad place-
ment. There are Want Ads distributed
with all available grad jobs, called The
Graduate, a i with work-term place-
ment. All jobs are either volunteered by
the employer or have been canvassed in
both placement services. There are also
late postings of grad jobs posted on the
bulletin board in Needles Hall (the same
board as for work-term late postings),
much like that for undergrad placement.
It is hoped that most grad job late postings
will be produced into a second Want Ads
in the future.
Grad Placement creates a new type of
atmosphere. More responsibility is placed
on the student and the program is geared
toward premanent employement rather
than temporary employment. To learn
more about Grad Placement and how it
operates or for information on starting
RESUME WRITING
RESUME WRITING WORKSHOP
12:30, Wed., May 29, with Colleen Foley
II :30, Tues., July 2, with Marlene Bryan
12:30, Mon., July 8, with Marlene Bryan
SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEW SKILLS WORKSHOP
II :30, Thurs., June 6, with Colleen Foley
RESUME CRITIQUING WORKSHOP
Bring your own resume for analysis. "Prerequisite - Resume Writing
11 :30, Thurs., July 4, with Marlene Bryan
12:30, Wed., July 10, with Marlene Bryan
ORIENTATION SESSIONS FOR GRADUATING STUDENTS
2:30 - 4:30, Wed., June 12, Engineering, Theatre of the ArtS
salaries, contact the Department of
Graduate Placement in Needles Hall.
They are located in the area of rooms
1001-1006 (through the door behind the
main receptionist on 1st floor and it's the
first door on the left).
This is a note to all 4A Engineering
students, if you are planning to go through
graduate interviews, you must register
with Grad Placement. All information
and guidelines will be given to you at the
orientation session on Wed. June 12th
from 2:30 to 4:30 in the Theatre of the
Arts. Also several workshops have been
organized from May 14th to June 10th to
help develop skills in resume writing, job
searching, interview taking, etc. If
interested, contact Grad Placement or
look in the unclassified section of the
Gazette for further details or consult the
sheet posted in your 4th year study room.
...........
to miller (, ilne
JUNE 1985
IRON WARRIOR
5
TECHNOLOGICAL IMPACT ON SOCIETY
AN INTERVIEW WITH PROF. B. WILLS
Excerpts from a recent interview with
Professor Barry Wills, Associate Dean for
Computing in the FacuItyofEngineering.
Dean Wills is responsible for planningand
co-ordination of computing activities in
the FaCUlty. This involves projects in the
areas of undergraduate education, ad-
ministrative systems and centralized com-
puter support for researchers. In this
portion of the interview, Professor Wills
was discussing some of his views on the
impacts of computers on society.
IRON WARRIOR: I understand that you
are interested in how the new
technologies will affect society.
Could you tell usmoreabouthow
you became involved in this area
in addition to your many other
interests?
WILLS: Well, that's a rather long story ...
Let me tell you a little bit of the
"how" later. Let's start with a bit
of the "why". I have a strong
feeling that engineers, in fact all
those who are directly associated
with science and technology,
have a responsibility to under-
stand something about how their
chosen fields affect society and
individuals within society. In
fact, engineering has a traditional
and important professional role
to fulfill in this regard.
Engineering practice is some-
times referred to as 'science inthe
service of mankind'. Engineers
need to make decisions about
how best to use science and the
new technologies so that this
service is accomplished.
IRON WARRIOR:... but how can
engineers know in advance what
the effects of their work will be?
WILLS: We can't entirely, of course, but
we have an obligation to be
sensitive to these potential social
effects and to do the best we can.
In fact, I think that's what makes
the engineering profession so
challenging. It's that pragmat-
ism, the need to push forward to
the best of our abilities in spite of
the uncertainties, the need to
make the best decisions we can, in
spite of the incomplete infor-
mation.
IRON WARRIOR: Let's return to my first
question. How did you become
interested in the relationship bet-
ween technology and society?
V,ILLS: I've had an interest in these
matters for a long time but I
should make it clear that I
consider myself very much to be a
student in these matters. I'm
certainly not an expert ... but I've
tried to do a reasonable amount
of reading and thinking about
these issues.
My first extended encounter
with the social impacts of
information technology was in
the late sixties and early seven-
ties when I was working in the
field of computer-assisted in-
struction. The use of computers
to assist in teaching and learning
has a number of dimensions
which range far beyond the
hardware and software require-
ments. This technology interacts
with one of our major social
institutions and I realized at that
time that there are a number of
important considerations to be
addressed as a result of this inter-
action.
IRON WARRIOR: Could you give me an
example or two?
WILLS: Well, the introduction of com-
puters into the educational sys-
tem starts to change the trad-
itional role of the teacher as tbe
principal purveyor of knowledge
to a more complex role which
requires different organizational
skills and perhaps much broader
pedagogical skills. If the teacher
has doubts or anxielie. in relating
to the computer technology itself
there can be a problem.
Perhaps the mo t pervasive
effect of computer technology on
the educational system is that it
raises all the classic issues in
education again. Such questions
as: what is the optimum balance
between a strong theoretical
grounding vs. practical train-
ing?" need new discussion and
resolution. How do computers
change this balance? What
changes should be made in
curriculum content and in ped-
agogical methods? How can tech-
nology help us to achieve our
educational objectives without
'getting in the way'? .. andsoon.
IRON WARRIOR: How could these ideas
actually affect the curriculum,
say in Engineering at Waterloo?
WILLS: In many ways ... some small and
some more profound. One hope
might be that computers and the
associated communications
technologies could increase
teaching productivity so that
more could be accomplished
during the undergraduate pro-
gram. This could allow funda-
mental concepts to be better in-
stilled more quickly and allow
more upper-year attention to
engineering practice and design.
Perhaps also this increase in
productivity could provide un-
dergraduates with more time to
j
pursue subjects in the human-
ities and social sciencesandallow
more time to develop skills in
communication, organization,
innovation, management, entre-
preneurship ... and so on.
IRON WARRIOR: Do you think this is
likely to happen in the near
future?
WILLS: Not without some real care and
attention to how best to use
computers for teaching and
learning. Thereislittledoubtthat
information technology has a lot
to offer by its very nature, in the
organization and dissemnation
of knowledge . . . but it has to be
used with intelligence and under-
standing.
A friend of mine at U. of T.
wrote a paper a few years ago
entitled, "Computers - A Gift
of Fire" in which he reviewed
some of the potential impacts of
computers on society . . . both
positive ones and negative ones.
The use of fire metaphorically is,
of course, a nice thought in that
both computers and fire can be
used for better or for worse in
terms of society's needs. Some in-
telligence, and I suppose, good
fortune is required to make the
correct decisions ... or at least to
make more good decisions than
poor ones!
IRON WARRIOR: You were mentioning
earlier that there is a new course
.vailable toengineerlngstudents
who wish to study the effects of
computers on society. Could you
tell us mor' ahout this'!
Will s: 1 here is tl new course nllmbered
(JE351 which is bClIIg offered in
th winter term by Prof SSM
Kalra of Electrical Engine nng
and myself. The title of this
Course is Information rech-
nology and Society unci it surveys
some of Ihe major social conse-
quences of computers and Com-
munications systems, such as,
unemployment and retraining,
security and privacy of infor-
mation, the quality of working
life, changes in education and so
on. By the waY,theGE351 course
is not just for engineering
students, but is open to students
from across the university in
third or fourth year who have had
at least one previous university-
level course in computing.
IRON WARRIOR: Thank you for your
time. I've enjoyed our conversat-
ion very much.
WILLS: My pleasure ... and keep up the
good work at Iron Warrior.
FOR [LERn
CL05E
[OmFORTRBLE
HOU51nC
CALL SAM THE STUDENT
aCCOMMODATION mAN
576-8818
6 IRON WARRIOR
JUNE 1985
SURVEY OF CO-OP AWARENESS
Lynn Madsen
The purpose of this survey is to find what
level of awareness engineering students
have of the co-op system and to identify
any problem areas. The questions posed
to fourth year engineering students were:
1. Is there anyone thing you'd like to say
about Co-op? Praise or complaint?
1. The first question prompted a few
comments. Most of those surveyed
thought co-op was good, some were
concerned about the cost of the
program, and others offered sug-
gestions.
2. What information is avai lable to you
with respect to your file?
2.Approximately 1/3 of the stude nts
surveyed didn't know what was
available from their riles. Others
mentioned employer eva luations,
resumes, work-record summary,
and academic transcripts or a
combination of the above. Al o,one
person even mentioned scholarship
information. Another comme nted,
"We can look at our file? I've onl y
looked at my resumes."
All students can look at their co-
op files, but as one person said, "It's
available, though they may not let
you copy it." The only items you
may want copies of are your
previous evaluation . . However , this
is not allowed without written
consent from your employer, si nce
evaluations are considered an ex-
tension of your employer's rile. It's
recommended that student obtain
a copy while on their work term.
Future evaluation forms will have a
line basically saying, "Ca n this be
released to the student , yes or no'!"
3. What information do potential em-
ployers have access to?
3. Out of the students surveyed ap-
proximately 1/3 thought resumes,
evaluations and marks were acces-
sible to potential employers. An-
other l/3 saId just marks. One
person said, "Employer evaluations
are not generally available." It' s a
fact that employer's evaluations are
not available to prospect ive employ-
ers from Co-ordinati011 and Place-
ment. Of course, evaluations from
Company "X" would likely be
available for other managers within
Company "X" to examine. Employ-
ers receive a "package" from Co-
ordination and Placement, and this
is the only information they get prior
to the interview.
4. What "package" (marks, resume,
etc.) is sent to employers? In what
order?
4. The "package" includes your work
summary sheet, marks, plus any
information supplied by the student
to Co-ordination and Placement, in
this order. Usually, studenrs just
submit resumes to the department ,
but other information may be
attached to your resume such as
letters of reference. In this survey,
one-half of the students said,
"Marks and resumes" (are given to
the employer). Although most
information on yourworksummary
sheet is repeated on your transcript,
updates from the last work term are
not included on your transcript yet.
As one student mentioned, while on
your workterm updated transcr ipts
are sent to employers as well , unless
a student requests otherwise.
Most students didn't realize the
order. Yourresume'sthela tsheeta
potential employer will see (if he gets
that far). Your work summary page
states your name, LO. number, a nd
discipline clearly at the top and
therefore speeds the clerical work.
Do students want their .first. three
lines for their resumes formatted so
resumes could be placed on top?
Would it be allowed?
5. What's S.A.C.?
5, 15: 65% knew S.A.C. stood for
Student Advisory Cou neil (question
15 was a big hint) , but admittedly
those surveyed weren't the most rep-
resentative group since many knew
about S.A.C. through myself.
S.A.C. is, "the students' voice
when dealing with co-op". Meetings
are open to all students and an:: held
every econd Tuesday at 4:30 in
Needles Hall, Rm. 1029. Student
representatives from all faculties sit
on this committee along side one or
more of Co-ordination and Place-
ment's staff. If student represen-
tatives from a particular faculty are
absent or if too few attend them, the
student society is asked to help.
6. Have you ever read the regulations &
procedures?
6: The regulations and procedures
booklet for co-op students heen
read at some point by approx-
imately 65% of the st udents
veyed, althought most student s
admit that it has been quite some
time. New regulations and proce-
dures are either unknown or
unclear, and the older ones may be
forgotten.
7. What are learning objectives'!
7: Learning objectives generally were
agreed upon by half of those
surveyed to be goals setatthestart of
the work term by the student and em-
ployer. The other half basically
claimed ignorance on the matter.
8. Are you aware of the new graduate
placement strategy which took place
in the Fall term last year?
8:60% were unaware of the new strat-
egy to start placement for
uating students in the fall term, like
other universities, which includes
students both on and off campus.
(The body of engineering studen.ts
surveyed only included those tn
fourth year).
9. Do you feel the co-op system should
be computerized, that is, late postings
& interview schedules accessible, on
the computer system?
9:Slightly more than 60% wanted the
system computerized. This quest-
ion provoked a lot of comments,
many of which are repeated bel ow:
"Too impersonal and away from co-
ordinators. "
"Not necessary (due to high cost)."
" I already have terminal illness."
"Only if it is conveyed faster."
"Not urgently necessary. It is st ill
easier to glance at the boards rather
than bother to log on to the system."
"Yes, but it would put up the co-op
fee even higher if this were done."
"No. Not everyone needs or wants
an account. However, this may
eliminate the crowding around the
interview boards in Needl es Hall."
"Could be beneficial , maybe even
save material resources."
"Yes, there should be dedicated
terminals around campus."
10. How many confidential (i.e. not to
leave company) reports have you
written?
10:27% of work reports were confid-
ential. Most students had ,; ither no
confidential reports or had 2 out of
every 3 or 4 reports confidential.
This past term, a new procedure was t
implemented for the handling of
confidential reports. Now, the em-
ployer has a choice of: l)keeping the
report confidential (as before) and
the co-ordinator must visit the
employer to see the report; 2) the
University of Waterloo can sign a
non-disclosure agreement with the
employer so that the report can
receive the same marking as other
reports, at the University, and
therefore has an opportunity to
receive a grade of "Outstanding".
The new rules also stipulate that at
least one report of your last three
must be graded at the University for
you to receive. credit.
JUNE 1985
11. Do you believe there's a weighting
factor in favor of the employers used
in the computer matching?
11:Co-ordination says there isn't a
weighting factor, but still half of you
think there is. One student said
"There isn't a weighting factor, bu;
the algorithm is such that company
preference is considered one step
ahead of students'."
12. Would a collection of student
resumes be useful to you when you're
updating yours?
12:0ver 75% wanted resumes to look
at.
13. Did you fill out a white address card
this term?
13:31% haven't filled out white cards.
Filling out these cards puts your
university address and phone num-
ber on the computer system. Easy
access for Co-ordination and Place-
ment to thisjnformation saves them
a lot ohime! It must beupdatedeach
term (even if you don't move) since
this information is cleared during
your workterm.
14. Do you believe evaluation forms are
appropriate?
, 14:Generally, all of you felt evaluations
were appropriate. Some mentioned
that these are not always accurate.
One person wanted to se.e specific
ratings (i.e. A-, 8+) shown on the
work record summary sheets.
Others suggested improvements
were in order.
IS. What's the Student Advisory
Council?
15. See question 5.
Comments or suggestions regarding the
co-op system may be dropped in the
suggestion (S.A.c.) box in the Resource
Centre in Needles Hall or better still, drop
in on a meeting.
, -
IRON WARRIOR
THE WATERLOO SCRUBBER,
A CLEAN AIR ENTERPRISE
Audrey Chin
As the world's resources are depleted,
and the overall quality oflife i threatened,
man is becoming increasingly aware of the
need to use our resource withcaution and
wisdom. Air pollution has become a
growing concern as many of our industries
continue to spew contaminants into the
atmosphere.
Government, however, is reluctant to
place too rigid a limit on industrial air
pollution. Since air pollution control is an
expensive process, such legislation might
have an adverse effect on the economy.
Government, it seems, would prefer not to
"kill the goose that lays the golden egg".
The Waterloo Scrubber, developed by
Turbotak Inc. and the University of
Waterloo, offers a highly efficient and
relatively inexpensive solution to this
problem. The efficient but expensive
venturi is replaced by a revolutionary
sonic nozzle developed by Dr. J. M.
Chawla in Germany. Instead of pressur-
izing water (expensive) and then allowing
it to atol11ize by expansion through a
venturi, the water is mixed with a
compressed gas and then atomized. [t thus
achieves the same result, at a fraction of
the cost.
How it Works
In the Waterloo Scrubber, contam-
inated air enters and is first sprayed with
water to bring the air stream to 100%
saturation. A second spraying is therefore
able to create a dust and water solution
without having the water evaporated.
. The then flows into acentrifugaJ
fan for mixing. If the dust and water
particles were the same size, Brownian
motion would take place and both dust
and water particles would move in unison,
never mixing or colliding. If one particle
were very largein comparison tothe other,
the different relative speeds would cause
collissions, but the small particle would
tend to rebound and mixing would not
occur.
There exists a size relationship that
allows mixing of the particles as well as
inelastic collissions wherein the dust and
water particles "stick together". The mass
of these mixed particles increases and
when a critical mass is reached, the
particle is thrown to thesidesofthecasing.
The droplet drain down to the bottom of
the fan and exit through a drain. The
result is a fairly concentrated exit stream
of dirty water.
Those droplets that escape the fal" are
collected by a mi t eliminator. The mist
eliminator removes all liquids entrained in
the air stream. Thus the final exit stream is
clean air at 100% humidity but containing
no liquid water.
The Waterloo scrubber is notable for its
high degree of flexibility. By changing the
flow rate of water and compressed air, the
percentage of particles removed can be
easily adjusted. A change in a ministry
guideline, for example, might raise the
required dust removal efficiency. While
this would entail . major equipment
changes in most scrubbers, all that would
be required for the Waterloo Scrubber is a
dial adjustment.
This adjustability has an even more
useful application. Since the flow rates can
be easily changed, the scrubber can be
operated at comparable rates to the
production of contaminants. Since many
industrial processes are not at a constant
rate, it is not necessary to operate the
scrubber at the "full-open" position at all
times. In most scrubbers, efficiency is
drastically reduced if the scrubber is not
operating at design capacity. The Water-
loo Scrubber operates at high efficiency
over a large range ow rates.
Since the scrubber uses less water, the
exit stream of dirty water is more
concentrated (up to 80x's). In conven-
tional !>crubbers, the stream is either too
lurge to handle or additional
equipment.
The Waterloo Scrubber has no moving
parts except for the fun, and therefore
service is minimal.
Another major feoture of the Waterloo
scrubber is its adaptability to varying
situations. The sin: oCthe Willer spray can
be altered simply by changing the gas
pres ' ure to the nov Ie.
The gas doc:, not necessar-
ily have to be air. In many plants,
superheated steam is cheap and readily
available. Using steam can greatly
decrease the of operation.
The Waterloo Scrubber is not limited to
using simply water either. In most cases,
water is the most economical Ouidthatcan
be used. However, in cases where the
contaminant is acidic or basic, a basic or
acid solution may be used to neutralize it.
Oxidizing agcnts, such as peroxide and
sodium hypochlorite (bleach) may be used
to eliminate odours carried by particul-
ates.
Finally, the efficiency of the Waterloo
Scrubber is nothing short of amazing. It
consistently gives a higher efficiency for
all types of particulate. Even in extra fine
ranges where other scrubbers predict zero
efficiency. the Waterloo Scrubber can
remove up to 20%.
The Waterloo Scrubber is a remarkable
invention. However. marketing remains a
problem. Manager Ed Spink feels they are
at the "verge<>fa breakthrou,h" in
the air pollution control field.
The Waterloo Scrubber was de-
veloped by F.A.L. Dullien and
E. Spink.
7
a
IRON WARRIOR
FACULTY HONOURS DISTINGUISIIED ENGINEERS
Audrey Chin
Three distinguished members of the
industrial community were awarded
honorary degrees by the Faculty of
Engineering at the May 25th afternoon
session of convocation. They are: Walter
F. Light, chairman, Northern Telecom
Limited, Mississauga; Matthew Kuhn,
director technical development, Bell-
Northern Research Limited, Ottawa; and
V. Roy Duxbury, technical director
(retired), 3M Canada, London, Ontario.
In addition, Paul Meincke will become an
"honorary member of the university".
Mr. Light is a strong supporter of
Canada's high tech industry. He plays a
leading role in encouraging co-operation
between industry, universities and gov-
ernment, and urges that the quality of
post-secondary education is vital and
must be maintained.
He held senior management positions
with Bell Canada prior to his appoint-
ment as president of Northern Telecom in
1974. He is presently chairman of the
company.
Matthew Kuhn is the first UW alumnus
to receive an honourary degree from this
University. He completed both his MASc
and PhD in electrical engineering at
Sandford Fleming Foundation
Waterloo. After working with the Bell
Telephone Laboratories in New Jersy he
returned to Canada to join Bell-Northern
Research as manager of new technologies.
Kuhn's expertise is in the fields of optical
communication and solving design and
production problems relating to inte-
grated circuits.
A great deal of 3M's success may be
attributed to Roy Duxbury. He was a
founding member of the first Canadian
facilities in London, in 1951, and
established a research and developlnent
structure within the new organization. As
3M's first director of R&D, he masterfully
combined scientific advances with the
development of ne", products for new
markets. When he retired in 1983, he was
technical director.
During the same session of convo-
cation, the University will also honour
Paul Meincke, the man who delivered the
first lecture to the first class when UW
started, in the summer of 1957.
Prof. Meincke, who taught in the
systems e ~ i g n engineering department,
retired in 1977 after 20 years of service. He
is the second person to be granted the
distinction "honorary member of the
university. "
For more information about the Foundation
or any of its programmes, please contact:
The Sandford Fleming Foundation
Room 4332,
Carl Pollock Hall
888-4008 or 885-1211 ext. 4008
Registered Charitable Organization
(No. 0462275-21-15)
At the Engineering Convocation on May 25, 1985 the Foundation presented 11 silver medals for excellence in either
Co-operative Programme Proficiency or Academic Achievement. Congratuations to the winners.
Co-Operative Programme Proficiency Medal
Academic Achievement Medal
Ronald Bochard, Chemical Engineering Gary Schleicher, Chemical Engineering
Kevin Shipley, Civil Engineering David DuQuesnay, Civil Engineering
Mario DiGiovanni, Electrical Engineering Henry Li, Electrical Engineering
Alao Werker, Mechanical Engineering
Peter Myshok, Mechanical Engineering
Brian Puppa, Systems Design Engineering
Peter Keeler, Systems Design Engineering
John Smith, Electrical Engineering
(Management Science OptIon)
JUNE 1985
IRON WARRIOR
AMATEUR ROAD RACING IN CANADA
There are a lot of car enthu iasts out
there. Often, they limit their hobby to
magazine subscriptions and a et of mag
wheels for their car. For people who liketo
modify their cars for improved efficiency
and overall performance and whoalso like
performance driving, many options exist
which do not involve traffic tickets.
The available options are: off-road
racing, drag racing, rallying, kaning, ice
racing and road racing. Since my par-
ticular involvement is with the various
aspects of amateur road 'racing, the other
forms of motor vehicle racing mentioned
above will not be considered further.
The amateur road racer can participate
in many different events, most sanctioned
by the Canadian Sports Car Club (CSCC).
These events can be SLALOMING,
SPRINTS, RACE, ENDURANCE, and
VINTAGE.
The most inexpensive event, and a good
choice for beginners is SLALOM racing.
Slaloming is within the reach of anybody
with a vehicle. It is a matter of driving
around a course defined by pylons,
usually in a large parking lot. The object is
to follow the course exactly and complete
it as fast as possible, one competitor at a
time. The Engineering Slalom is an
example of this event. It is very
challenging and increases the drivers
ability to control his or her car. It also
permits the driver to gain experience with
the setting up procedures such as tire
pressure, engine tuning, etc.
One can also compete in sprints. The
race takes place in a closed race track. I t is
similar to the slalom races since only one
competitor is allowed on the course at one
time and the object is to beat thedock. The
travelling speeds are higher than during
slaloming.
The other types of road racing (Race,
Endurance and Vintage) involve compet-
ition of more than one vehicle at a time on
a closed racing circuit (not the open road),
and require special vehicle preparation
and a competition license. Typical
vehicle preparation consists of roll bars or
cages, good racing seat belts and an
electrical kill switch which disconnects the
battery in case of emergency.
Under the RACE category, there are
open and closed wheel classes. The open
wheel cars are formula cars and vary from
the driver intensive Formula Vee class
based on the VW Beetle engine and sus-
pension (least expensive) to the Formula
Ford 2000 series which is based on race
prepared chassis with 2 litre OHC Ford
engines (most expensive).
The closed wheel cars are divided into
Stock Production, Production (Grand
Touring) and Sports Racing classes. The
Stock Production cars are off the show-
room sedans with the addition of a roll
cage for protection (you have probably
heard of the infamous HONDA races). The
Production sedans and sports cars are
similar to the TRANS-AM or IMSA
American series (not stock cars) and are
subdivided in groups (GT-I, GT-2,GT-3)
depending on engine displacement. The
Sports Racers are basically the ultimate
closed wheel cars and are based on
formula carchassisand havesmall fenders
(similar to CAN-AM cars).
Endurance are long distance races on a
closed course which may last up to 3
hours. Closed wheel cars compete and are
grouped depending on engine displace-
ment. Often up to three <irivers can sha re
one car which reduces the overall cost of
I participating.
Vintage races basically permit restorers
to bring their beautiful classics back to the
race track. Handicaps are used toincrease
the competitiveness of very old, slower
models.
Each of the above events can be
attended by amateurs and the cost of par-
ticipating depends on the participants
desire to win. A number of Waterloo
students .participate regularly in such
events (thanks to Co-Op). Keith Lobban
('83 Mech. Eng.)did very well in the Sports
Racingclass. He is currently participating
in the Formula 2000series.1 currently par-
ticipa te in th G T -2 cIa s (l300cc to
2000cc) with my Volkswagen Beetle
(1600 cc). One might say: Why a Beetle?
Well, first, r caught the Bug (ordid it catch
me?). Second, [personally think that it isa
very well engineered vehicle with a unique
personality. New and u cd parts (stock or
high performance) are readily available. I
find it simple to wok on it (can singly
remove the engine) and it is a great crowd
pleaser as I keep surprising people when I
come out and beat sports cars.
The car was obtained during by I B
work term and I have been racing since.
Important modifications are good brake
(discs all around}andgood engine cooling
for reliable operation. The engine isa J 600
cc Beetle engine with dual Weber carbs,
Centl'('
1.0\\<.' r 11
big valves, dry sump oiling system (just
about a must)and improved cam duration
and lift (about 7000 RPM redline for
reliability). Every year, proper invest-
ments improve the performance.
This season was a good year since I
obtained a 3rd place finish trophy (my
first) and had respectable 4th, 5th and 6th
place finishes (out of 120rsocars)in GT-2
throughout the season. (Typical compet-
ition is RX-3 rotary Mazda, Datsun 510,
Toyota, Porsche, etc.). The races were
held at MOSPORT and at SHANNON-
VILLE (near Belleville, Ont.).
The most important points I have
learned from experience are: reliability,
radual m difications and not as uming
that you can become awrnner tffnirst time
out.
Racing does cost money, but so does
heer drinking and SpOil
sorship I gl't IIl'lp 110111 Ct\S IIHH
who me WIth XI R I1ltltol oll.lIId
frOIl1 SKIP\ Cabbagctowll ill
Toronto who dId the gll'"t p.llnt
So :.Ill YOIl people who illC C:II
instead of' dreaming. why tllln 't you (:OIY1(.'
Ollt and raet:. You cun gCllllformalinl)
garding classes. rules, tel'S :md whcn the
driver's course (required to get col11pet-
ition licen"e) is offered hy gelling in touch
with CCSc. The is: 53H5 Y ol1ge
St.,Suite203, Willowtlalc,OIlI.M2 SR7.
Good luck.
9
10
IRON WARRIOR
JUNE 1985
JUST WHAT IS IEEE?
IW) What is the I.E.E.E.?
SPIKE) The I.E.E.E. stands forthe Instit-
ute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers Inc., an international
institute. The IEEE publishes the
largest number of papers per year
of any technical institute in the
world. The best way to sum-
marize it would be to let me
quote: "The technical objectives
of the Institute are to advance the
theory and practice of electrical
and electronics engineering, in-
cluding activities in the fields of
power, electronics, communicat-
ions, computers and allied
branches of engineering and the
related arts and sciences. These
objectives embrace the spectrum
of engineering from research and
development, design and pro-
duction, to test, installation,
operation, and service." To
accomplish these objectives the
IEEE has Technical Societies
(such as Computer Society, the
Microwave Theory and Tech-
nique Society, etc.), holds general
meetings and conferences, pub-
lishes Transactions, develops
standards, recognizes excellence
(FELLOW GRADE MEMBER-
SHIP) and has Society Chapter
Meetings. The Chapter Exec-
utive like those of the tudent
Branch Executive are volunteers
who actively participate in hold-
ing local activities to advance
"theory and practice". These
activities can be talks, tours or
short courses. The talks and
tours all have free admission to
members and non-members . The
short courses usually have a
member to non-member dif-
ferential in the fee structure.
Presently the K- W CHAPTER is
planning a DATA COMMUNI-
CATIONS course early in 1985.
IW) HOW DID YOU BECOME IN-
VOL VED IN THE IEEE?
SPIKE) As a student, I became involved
in helping out at the Bi-annual
Conference held in TORONTO,
setting up the paper sessions back
in 1968. Ihavebeen involved with
the K-W SECTION. I was Section
Chairman in 1975. Iservedonthe
International Membership De-
velopment Committee repre-
senting Canada (Region 7) for
about six years. The activities in-
volved six to ten weekends a year
meeting engineering types from
countries like Argentina, Ger-
many, Brazil and Japan.
IW) I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU
WERE THE RECIPIENT OF
AN AWARD?
SPIKE) Yes, the Centennial Medal.
THE INSTITUTE OF
ELECTRICAL AND
1
0t'l.1 " e,' E', L,' ELECTRONCS
oar- ENGNEERS. INC.
Announcements
Thurs June 20, 1985
Student-Faculty Night with
Electrical and Systems Design
Engineering FaCUlty.
Featuring the IEEE Jilm,
"THE MIRA CLE FORCE"
University Club - 7 p.m.
Tickets on sale Monday June 3
at the Engineering Society Office
IEEE Members $1.00
non-Members $2.00
IW) WHAT WAS IT FOR?
SPIKE) Let me quote it. "NAME, is hon-
ored for extraordinary achieve-
ment and is deserving of special
recognition by the Insti.tute of
Electrical and Electronics Engin-
eers, Inc. and is hereby awarded
the IEEE Centennial Medal,
1984." I said NAME to point out
that there were four otherdeserv-
ing presentation made to K-W
Section members. The Recipients
were:
THE
@

IW)
PETER FORSHA W, Conestoga
College of Applied Arts and
Technology
KEITH CAMPBELL, NCR Wat-
erloo
DAVID HOGG, Ontario CADI
CAM Centre
All of these gentlemen and many
more people deserve our thanks
for their efforts in helping to
advance the "theory and prac-
tice" of electrical and electronics
engineering.
INSTITUTE OF
ELECTRICAl: AND
ELECTRONICS
ENGINEERS, INC.
IS THERE ROOM FOR NEW
PEOPLE ON THE EXEC-
UTIVES?
SPIKE) YES! By all means. On campus
there is the UW Student Branch,
and there is also a K- W Section.
Many of our faculty and indus-
trial members sit on various
Standard Committees, or Paper
Referreeing Committees, just to
name a few. New people bring
fresh ideas and stimulation ... the
whole idea is to let everyone
develop organizational and man-
agement skills in a very re-
warding environment. The pro-
fessional contacts at all levels of
activities are a very big plus to
students .' I have received my
share of job offers via IEEE
contacts, and have also put
graduating students in contact
with potential employers.
IW) HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP
YOUR IEEE LIFE?
SPIKE) REWARDING! Besides tense,
informative, helpful,educational
and exciting! I must emphasize
the fellowships I have estab-
lished. The students whom I have
talked with in the hallways
usually realize my enthusiasm for
IEEE activities.
JUNE 1985
IRON WARRIOR
11
RESULTS OF ENGINEERING WEEKEND
Poker Tourney:
Bicycle Race:
Bed Racing:
Paper Airplane:
Loft Time
Distance
Accuracy
Cup Inverting:
Cap Flicking:
Distance
Accuracy
Boat Racing:
Guys
Girls
Sandford Fleming FounoaltOn
1st John Lee
2nd Eric Sundin
3rd J. P. Guy
1st Grant Eshpeter
2nd Mark Wieskowski
3rd Dave Taylor
1st Mechie Mouse Club (2B ME)
2nd Engeneric
3rd 3B Dance
I st Arnold Estra villo
2nd Peter Pfouger
1st Edmond Tang
2nd Todd Crick
3rd Andrew Ehrat
1st Ken Downe
2nd Boris Lukezic
3rd Jim Donahue
1st Arnold Estra villo
2nd Andrea VonSchwerin
3rd Jim Kee
1st Jim Kee
2nd Glenn Brannen
3rd Ron Brooke
1st Ron Brooke
2nd Mike James
3rd Mark Simpson
1st Knigh ts of Chemalot
2nd 3B Dance
1st Ladies of the Knights of Chemalot
2nd Pink Flamingos (Mat h)
DEBATES
WAS GOD AN ENGINEER? (Sample Topic)
DEBATES ARE FUN
OFF TOPIC
4A EE
2BGEO
4A EE
2B EE
4AME
4AME
3A EE
4AME
2BME
2BME
2BME
2BCH
2BCH
IB EE
2BME
3ACI
2BME
2BCH
2BCH
2BCH
3A SY
4A EE
'"
2BME
3A EE
3ACH
4AME
LAST 30 MINUTES
1st Prize $100
2nd Prize $50
RULES POSTED IN THE ORIFICE
SIGN UP IN ORIFICE. (two per team)
Sub Eating:
Broomball :
Engi neering Weekend Parade
1st Dave Peck/Andy Huctwith
2nd Vic Buehler/Ed Slapsys
3rd Scot Hardy/Kevin Granger
mixed 1st S\t've Munro/Nancy Mariu7
lSI Ellgcncric
2nd 33 Dance
3rd Knights of malo!
IBCI
4A EE
IB ME
I B C'T
3AH'
4A Ml
3A ('II
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12
IRON WARRIOR
JUNE 1985
lUElcornE-