THE NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO ENGINEERING SOCIETY volume 25 issue 11 | 8 September 2004

“This mathematical formula was developed a long time ago. . .in a galaxy far, far away.” - Prof. Arne Ledet, ME 115

http://iwarrior.uwaterloo.ca/

Witness the stun-ning retirement of

High Rider!

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Co-op dates!

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Tapping intellectualresources

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Welcome to Orientation 2004!You’ve made it through the stressful

process of applying and waiting to hearfrom universities and then having to paythat wonderful tuition bill. But now, final-ly, you’re here at the University ofWaterloo and enrolled in arguably the bestengineering school in Canada!

So either you’ve just received yourfrosh kit and have started to read this whilerifling through it or it’s the end of orienta-tion and you’ve finally decided to see whatall was in that bag you got at the start ofthe week. Either way, take some time toread the information handed out during thefirst part of your journey here at UW – ajourney that you have complete controlover. Over the coming weeks and years,

you will meet and work with some of thesmartest people in Canada in the way ofclassmates, professors and industry profes-sionals. There will be opportunities foryou to represent your class, faculty anduniversity at regional, provincial andnational competitions, both on teams andon advisory committees.

This faculty has numerous studentteams available for people to participateon. Some of these award winning teamsare the Alternative Fuels Team, Mini Baja,Formula SAE, Clean Snowmobile,Waterloo Aerial Robotics Group (WARG),Midnight Sun Solar Race Car and theConcrete Toboggan. Within the facultythere are a number of branches of nationaland international engineering groups suchas Engineers Without Borders and theInstitute for Electronics and ElectricalEngineering (IEEE). Keep your eyes openfor posters going up on the walls aroundengineering about these groups and their

recruiting meetings. The Engineering Society (EngSoc),

whose logo forms a large portion of theback of your leaders’ shirts, is comprisedof a number of executive and director posi-tions filled by dedicated students. A num-ber of services that are provided throughthe society include the use of the onlineexamination bank, which allows you toview and download old midterms andfinals, the coffee shop (C&D), offering afull range of food and drinks to get youthrough the long days, POETS, the facultylounge and bar, complete with state of theart sound, a full entertainment system andfoosball, and the engineering societyoffice, providing photocopying, binding,and novelties.

Now, it is hard to make ends meet withthe high tuition and cost of living thesedays, but there are a number of scholar-ships and bursaries available. As well,

many faculties (including this one) offerpart time jobs to students as does theFederation of Students (FEDS). For thosewho are more politically inclined, FEDSstudent council has positions that you canapply for later in your career here.

Parts of all of these facets of life here atWaterloo will be presented to you duringOrientation Week and afterwards, withmany opportunities to explore the areasthat interest you. All that is required ofyou is the desire to make the most of whatwill easily be one of the most rewardingperiods of your life.

That said, welcome to the Universityof Waterloo and to the Faculty ofEngineering! We hope that you enjoy yourtime here!

Sincerely,

Rahul Bhardwaj and Sarah Sirega

Words of Welcome from the Super-Huges

Welcome Frosh! We are Wolfwoodand Lady Godiva, the Heads of the

Education Committee, better known asHeadcom. We thought we would take thisopportunity to do what we do best andeducate you about the WaterlooEngineering Education Committee(Edcom).

Edcom is a very special group ofupper year students hand-picked by theDean of Engineering himself from the top5% of each discipline each year. We arethe best and the brightest Waterloo has tooffer, which means we are the best and thebrightest, period. Being intelligent isn'tthe only thing that qualifies a student forjoining Edcom. We also participateactively in the Engineering Society(EngSoc), the Iron Warrior (the officialUW Engineering newspaper), sportsteams (yes, UW actually has some ofthose), clubs (check out the Federation ofStudents recognized clubs list at

http://www.feds.uwaterloo.ca/clubs/), andof course the many student teams you willget a chance to learn about on Wednesdayat your Student Teams Lunch. We areeverywhere. We do everything. We are theauthority on everything in WaterlooEngineering. That is why we will also beyour TAs when classes start.

Although we never smile, Edcom doesfind enjoyment in seeing Frosh (thatwould mean you) turn into real WaterlooEngineers. It is not easy and we are notjust going to give it to you, but by the endof the week Edcom will decide IF you areworthy of calling yourself a Plummer.Earn your hardhat, impress us with yourENGenuity at Junkyard Wars, scavengelike no other at the Big Deal, and playhard with the Mathies at the Big Bang, itis all part of starting life in WaterlooEngineering.

There are three very important thingsevery UW engineer should know - takenotes, there will be a test later:

1. The TOOL, TOOL, big RIDGIDwrench!

The Tool is the Engineering mascot atthe University of Waterloo. That means itis YOUR mascot. This 60-inch wrench ismade of Ridgid steel and is rumoured toweigh more than 300 pounds. It has beenon many adventures, and if you are luckyyou may get to be part of some of itsfuture encounters. No one can touch theTool unless he/she has an Iron Ring (thatwould be in 1628 days for you - startcounting). Do not try to touch the Toolbefore you get your ring. The Tool

Bearers (the mysterious keepers of theTool and all its secrets) will stop anyonenot eligible from touching the Tool by anymeans necessary. That means pain. OnWednesday morning, you will get theopportunity to meet the Tool and get thun-derstruck! Do NOT miss this event. Lovethe Tool and remember that it is YOURmascot.

2. WEEF is good. The $75 Student Endowment Fund

you may have noticed on your fee state-ment goes into the Waterloo EngineeringEndowment Foundation (that is WEEFfor those a little slow with the acronyms;don't worry, you'll get used to it since allengineers only speak in acronyms after awhile). The $75 contribution of everyWaterloo Engineering student becomespart of a principle that is currently almost$4.5 million! Each year, the interest ismade available for student teams anddepartments to purchase equipment notavailable through other funding. Studentrepresentatives from each class decidewhich proposals will be allotted funds bywatching presentations and discussing theproposals with his/her class. WEEF helpskeep our classrooms and labs current(Edcom likes this) and our student teamsamong the best in the world (Edcom real-ly likes this). You can be more involved inthese decisions as the WEEF representa-tive for your class (http://www.weef.uwa-terloo.ca/). Headcom likes WEEF. Edcomlikes WEEF. We expect you to like WEEFtoo.

3. EngSoc is fun.The best way to get the most out of

your university experience is to getinvolved. You want to get involved -Edcom loves involvement. So getinvolved in the Engineering Society(EngSoc). EngSoc is fun. Waterloo hastwo streams of students, so we have twosocieties: EngSoc "A" and EngSoc "B".Each society has Directorships for justabout every taste: academic, communityoutreach, social and athletic. You can pickto get involved with whatever you like.Edcom does them all. You can also be anEngSoc representative for your class. Ifyou just want to meet people, come out toEngSoc events. Watch the board outsidethe Orifice (the EngSoc office) for eventand meeting announcements. Speaking ofEngSoc events, Headcom expects that

Continued on page 8. See “EdCom”

Lady Godiva file photo not available Wolfwood file photo not available

Rahul BhardwajSarah SiregaSuper-Huges

WHO IS EDCOM?

Firstly, I’d like to welcome any new froshto UW Engineering, and introduce you

to the Iron Warrior, our own EngineeringNewspaper. Be sure to check out the IronWarrior for upcoming EngSoc events, funnyarticles, interesting stories, and maybe somelively debate. After all, the paper is writtenby other engineers. We are always lookingfor new staff and contributors, so I encour-age you to come out to our first meeting. Itwill be held the second week of classes, justcheck the bulletin boards aroundEngineering! Also, remember that youdon’t have to be a staff member to be a con-tributor, so, if you have something you’dlike to get published, send it to us at iwar-rior@engmail. Enough for the advertisingplug and onto the editorial:

It is my belief that engineering, muchlike the two other professional programs oflaw and medicine, is becoming too restric-tive, too academic and overly specialized.The youngest of the three professional pro-grams, engineering is already facingtremendous challenges that will mark howfuture engineers will be regarded by society.Engineers are known to be focused, techni-cally knowledgeable problem solvers. Thisis both the benefit and bane of engineering,and is especially prevalent in engineeringeducation as presented at the universitylevel. Even in my meagre work experience,I have noticed irregularities that arise con-sistently when engineers apply themselvesto a task. Although engineers may befocused, technically knowledgeable prob-lem solvers, these same qualities tend tomake them excessively specialized, general-ly uninformed solution optimizers. Beforeeverybody tries to burn down the IW office,let me explain.

By focusing explicitly on the task athand, the engineer misses innovative oppor-tunities that may present themselves a levelor two above the actual problem. No matterwhat task an engineer may perform, it’s like-ly to be with a large team. No single personcan understand fully all the technical aspectsof the complicated systems that modernengineers design and build, yet this causes aserious problem with integration and appli-cation of the entire system. Historically,engineers had a fairly clear picture of theproject they were working on, and had amuch broader perspective on both it’s directapplication to society, and the reasons why itmay or may not work. Otto and Stevensonknew how their early internal combustion orsteam engines worked in their entirety, andwere aware of their social implications, yettoday it’s unlikely that any single engineer atPratt and Whitney clearly understands everysub-component of a jet engine. The reasonfor this is simply that all modern systems, bethey bridges, chemical processors, genera-tors or databases, are far too complex for asingle person to assimilate. The solutionover the last 50 years has been to becomeincreasingly more specialized, with someindividuals dedicated to minute details ofastounding precision. The advantage to thissystem is that each sub-component of alarge project is well handled, analyzed anddesigned. The problem that this presents isthat no one understands the entire system.Engineers tend to be too deep, and avoidbroad since they cannot know everythingabout everything. This leaves the peculiarsituation of everybody knowing somethingabout something, but no one knowing any-thing about everything. This results in amyriad of problems at the real world level

where the product meets the people. This same trap has presented itself in

both law and medicine, both of which are atthe same level of specialization as engineer-ing, that is to say they specialize endlesslywithout looking at the broader problem. Theadded problem that engineers face is thatthey are actually encouraged to focus anddiscouraged to ask why they may be doingwhat they’re doing. Basically, because anengineer knows so much about widgets, hetends to not to question the necessity of wid-gets. Consider the example of an engineer inthe early 50’s building a power station. Hewas perfectly happy to design a systemusing coal. Coal was just as dirty then as itwas now, however, the engineer would bereassured by the fact that a single coal firedplant has an incalculably small impact onthe total atmosphere of the planet. What theengineer failed to consider in this decision iswhat would happen if hundreds of engineerswere undertaking coal plant constructionsimultaneously, which of course, was whatwas occurring. Medicine and law have sim-ilar examples, with medicine struggling todeal with cause, while ignoring effect, andlaw content to lose itself in legal process, atthe expense of rapid and just decisions.

As mentioned above, a serious problemis that engineers are encouraged to focuspurely on the technical. The typical stereo-type of an engineer is of an introverted,socially inept, uninformed nerd, who prefersto stay home rather than go out to bars. Thedanger that all engineers fall into is that theyuse their technical experience as a safetyblanket to insulate themselves from the restof the world. Think along the lines of “Idon’t need to know history/psychology/geography/English/any-othertopic, because I can do triple integrals.” Thismentality isn’t a fault of the engineer as anindividual. From day one, high school guid-ance counselors insisted that the focusshould be science and math, and that othersubjects, though nice, weren’t really impor-tant, cluttering up an already heavy sched-ule. The trend continues in University,where engineering students are bombardedwith more technical knowledge than theyknow what to do with, yet most have nottaken social science courses since grade 10.It’s come to the point where we treat any-thing that isn’t hard science with utter dis-dain and contempt. Why shouldn’t we?Artsies have no idea how an internal com-bustion engine works, so why should Iknow/care how Canada’s political systemworks? The attitude that anything non-tech-nical is beneath an engineer is tacitlyencouraged both by his peers and reinforcedby the technical bias in the education sys-tem. Engineers who think like this are notthinking clearly, and it is time we removedthe mantle of superiority. Technical exper-tise is an absolutely vital tool for any engi-neer, but it is simply that, a tool. Engineersneed the technical knowledge provided tothem in order to solve a problem. But theroot of every problem is found in a societalcontext, be it getting from point A to pointB, organizing stuff faster, getting rid of aheadache, being able to see in the dark, etc.In solving a problem, and choosing how, theengineer has a direct effect on society. Hemay use technical experience and technolo-gy to solve the problem, but the problemremains a human one. Therefore, it is bene-ficial that he understands a little of societyfirst before he sets off to solve it. An engi-neer with a total lack of knowledge of gen-eral societal issues is in no position to applyhis copious technical knowledge to solveanything. Engineers should be interested indiverse fields outside of engineering, inorder to gain a broader understanding of theeffects of their decisions.

The final contention is that engineers arenot even problem solvers any more. They

are merely optimizing existing systems thatalready solve existing, clearly defined, rec-ognized problems. A professor actually saidthis in class once, to my complete and utterastonishment. I am personally of the beliefthat one can optimize a horse and carriageuntil one is blue in the face, but doing so willnever result in an automobile. Again, theinability to back up and view the problemfor what it is results in a narrow focus andstifles any innovation. When I arrived atWaterloo, one of my professors mentionedin passing that the program tends to breedconservative engineers. I agree with him,but it is my belief that this is a function ofthe field of engineering, and not specificallyof our school. Improving specific aspects ofexisting designs is an excellent way to gleanefficiency, and an excellent way to stifle anyprogress. This mindset has been honed tothe point that the large modern corporationshave a vested interest ensuring that theirproducts remain remarkably similar, justwith six different shades of red. It hasreached such heights that it would cost toomuch to implement changes which mayactually improve our lot. The next time youare in the mall or watching TV, examineeveryday items, and ask yourself how dif-ferent this item is today from it’s 1950’sincarnation, and then versus it’s 1900 incar-nation. Everyone would agree that someonegoing from 1954 to 2004 would have amuch easier transition than someone goingfrom 1904 to 1954. Basically, engineershave allowed themselves to become focusedon solving problems within existingdesigns, and only rarely step back andattempt to address the problems thesedesigns were meant to solve.

So, how can we break the cycle whereengineers, despite being a technical elite, arecaught in the trap of being excessively spe-cific, generally uninformed solution opti-mizers? Firstly, we have to realize thatengineers are really multi-talented people,with skills in all areas of life. Engineers havenumerous interests, as evidenced in the var-ious clubs, intramurals, plays, charity eventsand the like, which are organized and run byengineers. Additionally, engineers do have asocial conscience, as shown by programssuch as Engineers Without Borders. Whereengineers run into a problem is that there isso little academic room in their 4 year pro-grams that they cannot experience thediverse courses which may give them amore formal background in the humanities,social sciences or arts. The other great dan-ger is that engineers revel entirely in theirtechnical solutions. As powerful a tool as theequations are, it must be recognized thatthey are merely a step in the process ofapplying a solution to a real world problem,and that an engineers’ responsibility doesnot stop at the equations, but where the endresult meets the public. As young, creative,dynamic people entering the academicworld of engineering, let’s ensure that theseenergies do not become dulled by the con-stant bombardment of highly technical andseemingly conservative work. The bestthing to do is ask the question “Why are wedoing this?” and if the answer is “Becausethat’s the way it’s always been done,” or“Because that’s the way it is”, then youknow to step back for a minute and rethinkthe problem. Don’t be afraid to look at the‘big picture’. Sometimes you might be theonly one who does.

The Newspaper of the University ofWaterloo Engineering Society

Editor-in-ChiefJohn Olaveson

Assistant EditorKiran Dhaliwal

Phoebe Su

Photo EditorChristine McCullough

Layout EditorCindy Bao

James Schofield

Technical Editor[vacant]

Webmaster[vacant]

Distribution Manager[Vacant]

Offstream Editor-in-ChiefAndre Beltempo

StaffDan ArnottMat Cool

Derek HansNaoreen HasanFrancis Hope

Quoc Huy T. LeRichard LiJon MusserKevin Quan

Michael SimoesEdward TanKeith Wong

Sung Hon Wu

Contributors

Jeff AlfonsiEmma Bardon

Tsu Chaing ChuangScunt Gods

Grant HolohanJosh LevitsBoyang Qin

Matt StricklandErin YoungElisa ZhangJoeph Fung

2 W e d n e s d a y , S e p t e m b e r 8 , 2 0 0 4

Letter from the Editor

Questions? Comments?

We welcome letters and feedbackfrom all our readers. Please emailus at:

iwarrior@engmail.uwaterloo.ca

The Iron Warrior is a forum for thought provokingand informative articles published by the EngineeringSociety. Views expressed in The Iron Warrior arethose of the authors and do not necessarily reflect theopinions of the Engineering Society.The Iron Warrior encourages submissions from stu-dents, faculty and members of the university commu-nity. Submissions should reflect the concerns andintellectual standards of the university in general. Theauthor's name and phone number should be included.All submissions, unless otherwise stated, become theproperty of The Iron Warrior, which reserves theright to refuse publication of material which it deemsunsuitable. The Iron Warrior also reserves the rightto edit grammar, spelling and text that do not meetuniversity standards. Authors will be notified of anymajor changes that may be required. Mail should be addressed to The Iron Warrior,Engineering Society, CPH 1327, University ofWaterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1. Our phonenumber is (519) 888-4567 x2693. Our fax number is(519) 725-4872. E-mail can be sent toiwarrior@engmail.uwaterloo.ca

Andre Beltempo

3B Mechanical

Editor-in-Chief

Before we get to the real questions, HighRider and LowRider would both like

to make announcements. High Rider isretiring. Sadly, this is High Rider’s last setof questions. High Rider has failed toreveal any reasons for this sudden depar-ture from the world of the advice colum-nist, but we can only suppose that someonefound out who he was and sent a mail bombin retribution for some supposedly badadvice.

LowRider is here to stay. AskLowRider all of your questions by emailinghim at UW_LowRider@hotmail.com.

Now, on to the questions and advice!

Dear Riders,What the heck is this growth on my

back side?-Hugh Jazz

Dear Hugh Jazz,I think you are one of those caught in a

widespread epidemic of the so-called cra-nial-rectal inversion syndrome. The "SuperSize Me" documentary merely skimmedthe surface of our present societal malaise.This condition is characterized by shrink-ing brain size and expanding posteriors. Isuggest immediate and drastic action. Talkto your local surgeon immediately. Goodluck.

-High Rider

Dear Hugh,I think that's probably the Frosh 15 that

you've put on. Next time you're at the cafe-torium, try to choose something healthylike broccoli with gravy on top instead ofbacon with gravy on top. You could also tryexcercising or working out to get intoshape. Here's the program that I do:

Bench Press- 10 sets of half to three quarters of a rep- use lots of weight- make as much grunting noises and

banging around as possible to burn extracalories

- be sure to sit on the bench in betweensets, and stare at hotties in spandex, if

applicable.Bicep Curls- same principle as above, but be sure to

use the "Squat Rack", which is really meantfor bicep curls.

Hope that helps shed those extrapounds!

-LR

Dear Riders,Why does Star Trek always go back to

1967 when they travel through time?

Dear Trekky,Your question professes complete igno-

rance of the Star Trek saga. As all trueconoisseurs of the series know, in "The Cityon the Edge of Forever" Captain Kirk andhis crew travel back in time to the 1930s,and in "Past Tense" Commander Sisko trav-els back to the year 2024. I could continuethe list indefinitely, but the abysmal igno-rance you have already displayed assuresme that I should waste no further effortsattempting to educate you.

-High Rider

Dear Trekkie,Let me guess: You're in Software

“Engineering”, right? Why don't you travelover to the 4th Year Chem Eng room andgive me your lunch money?

-LR

Yo Riders,What's the best video game to play on a

school term, or on a work term, or whilestoned?

Dear Gangrene-Brains,Both on a school term and on a work

term, my personal preference would be thegame WarCraft III. The strategical intrica-cies of this game are as intellectually stim-ulating as anything as common as a videogame can provide. However, it is highlyimprobable that I could predict the vulgartastes of one such as yourself. I do suggestyou heed this advice: do not squander yourprecious time on entertaining distractions

such as video games. I am fully convinceda person of your dismal intelligence willhave insufficient time for any activitiesexcept school or work.

While I have never felt compelled tosink so low as to try artificial stimulants, Isuggest you abandon the video games whenstoned. Instead, try amusing yourself with ashiny coloured ball. In fact, I would not besurprised if such a toy would be more thanadequate as entertainment for you even ifyou had not partaken of any drugs.

-High Rider

Dear Person,Thank you for the simple, easily

answerable question. The answers you seekare: Missile Command or Space Invaders,Wolfenstein 3D and Pong.

-LR

Dear Riders,Why can't I find a date?

Dear Dateless,Given the count and caliber of women

at the University of Waterloo, the datingcompetition stands biased towards thosesparse Hilberts, Armstrongs and Pushkinson campus. Ergo, there is no hope for you.If you are truly desperate, perhaps youshould go to L'Universite de Montreal orNew York State. Surely there you willmanage to find a woman of your intellectu-al stature.

-High Rider

Dear Dateless,Without more detailed information, I'm

going to guess that you are just a loser withno confidence. Why do you have no confi-dence? I mean, come on! What's the matterwith you? Pull [shake] yourself [shake]together [shake shake]!!

If that didn't do it, then you are a hope-less, hopeless loser. Wait until second orthird year, then become a Frosh leader andhit on the chicks in your group. Many aloser has scored in that fashion.

-LR

Dear High and Low Riders,Why are there people in the computer

labs at 2 am?

Dear Beta-tester of Neural Software,Reading your submission rivals the

enthrallment one experiences while listen-

ing to an E&CE instructor semi-rigorouslypeddle engineering formulas with pitifulsupport of no mathematical formality, or toreading the fire exit sign above a door. Iadvise you to prompty lather yourself withglue and duck feed, and jump intoColumbia Lake while kicking as manygoose young as you can.

-High Rider

Dear Guy,I'm getting sleepy, so the correct answer

to your question is the exact opposite ofwhatever "High Rider" said.

-LR

Dear H. Rider,I see you're enrolled in the co-op sys-

tem, but you have not applied to any jobs.What's going on? - J.M.

Dear J.M.,The co-op system must be the most fla-

grant fraud in existence. Of my manyterms here at Waterloo, only less than halfwill have been filled through co-op, andthey are easily the worse half. I am fortu-nate enough to pursue more worthy alterna-tives, although there is the forfeit of morethan $400 in order to avoid using thisrepugnant system.

I am the last person to unfairly general-ize, but coop jobs stultify creativity, pervertyour morals, cause permanent brain dam-age, increase suicide rates across the board,encourage the wanton use of hardcoredrugs in order to escape such an iniquitouslife, and rob you of your soul. Finally, andworst of all, it makes you look forward toyour engineering classes as a respite fromsuch a horrid existence. I could say much,much more, but I believe that is enough toanswer your question.

-High Rider

Dear J-Dawg,Whazzup, yo? I applied to jobs last

term, so I don't know what this panizzle isabout. Mind you, the job that I actually didwasn't much like the posted description atall, so maybe that's the problemo.Whatever.

-LR

3W e d n e s d a y , S e p t e m b e r 8 , 2 0 0 4

Advice

High Rider

3A Electrical

LowRider versus High Rider: Advice from the Masters

LowRider

3A Chemical

Continued on page 8. See Rider Advice

UWdirThe on-line campus directory

(known as UWdir) contains contactinformation about members of thecampus community (students, facultyand staff). Every member of the UWcommunity has a unique userid (theUW userid) listed in UWdir. Your UWuserid is used for all of your on-campuscomputer accounts. There is a pass-word associated with each UWdirentry, and UWdir is used as an authen-tication service for many other institu-tional services on campus (e.g. Quest,JobMine, UW-ACE). You also use your

UWdir password to update your per-sonal information in UWdir(www.uwdir.uwaterloo.ca). UWdir actsas an email forwarding service (not anactual email account). Email sent toyour youruserid@uwaterloo.ca is for-warded to the email account that youspecify in the UWdir email field.University policy requires officialemail correspondence to be addressedto UW userids, so it is important thatthe UWdir email field is completed anddirects mail to a reliable location. It isrecommended that you put your on-campus email address in UWdir andcheck mail regularly on that account.

Student SystemsYour UWdir userid and password

give you access to the following stu-dent administration systems. Quest(www.quest.uwaterloo.ca) is the stu-dent information system at UW. It'sused for course enrollment, student

records, financial and administrativeinformation. JobMine (www.jobmine.uwaterloo.ca) is the new on-line co-opjob placement system. UW-ACE(www.uwace.uwaterloo.ca) is the UWAngel Course Environment, a newweb-based course management systemwhere some of your course materialsmay be located.

Computing AccountsWaterloo Nexus is the main student

computing environment, used by all sixfaculties. It is a large network of PCsrunning Windows, with a wide varietyof software. Students may roam freelyamong most of the Nexus labs oncampus. To separate your daily work-ing account from your accounts on thestudent administrative systems, yourNexus account has a separate pass-word. To enable your account and setthe password, use the "New Users" linkon the log-in screen of any Nexus

workstation. The form will ask for yourUWdir/Quest password before enablingyour Nexus account. Your Nexusaccount includes an email account onthe faculty email server, engmail.uwa-terloo.ca, and personal web space onwww.eng.uwaterloo.ca/~youruserid.More information about Nexus and fac-ulty help desk locations is found atwww.nexus.uwaterloo.ca/usersguide.

Wireless ComputingUW has (almost) complete cover-

age for wireless computing. To connectvia wireless to the campus network,you need to authenticate yourself witheither your Nexus or UWdir/Questpassword through a web page atwww.laptop.uwaterloo.ca. More infor-mation about using your own PC toconnect to campus computing servicesis available at www.ist.uwaterloo.ca/yourpc.

Computing Systems for Students

Rahul Bhardwaj

Super-Huge

4 W e d n e s d a y , S e p t e m b e r 8 , 2 0 0 4

You’re probably meeting all sorts ofdifferent and diverse people over

frosh week, but if there’s one thing that iscommon amongst all the engineers you’llmeet, it’s that every one of them will haveto go through coop. In fact that may bethe reason that you chose the Universityof Waterloo; you want to gain real-lifework experience in your field before yougraduate.

In a couple of weeks, you’ll get yourresume ready, get acquainted with thecoop system, and start doing interviews;you know, all the sort of jazz that you’llneed to do in order to actually get a job.The only question is, what job are yougoing to get? Some jobs are obviouslybetter than others, some will have youtravelling all over the world and somewill make you clean toilets -- well maybeit’s not that bad, but how can you tell if ajob is going to be good or bad from theshort description that you get? That’s

where several upper year students comein. They’ve created a student orientedcommunity called Coop Rankings(http://www.cooprankings.com/ ) to allowstudents to share their experiences withthe coop program. You can find out howother people rated their experiencesworking for the job you’re applying for(ie, what the job is really like), or whatsort of questions are going to be askedduring the interview for that job you real-ly want. The goal of Coop Rankings is tohelp you find the best coop job that youcan by providing you with the knowledgeto make an informed decision throughoutthe coop process.

One section of Coop Rankings to def-initely check out is the new one for coopcommunities. These communities willgive you a chance to chat with upper yearstudents about issues related to coop,such as the process itself or finding placesto live and things to do during your work-term. If you ever have any questions forupper years about coop, you should start adiscussion and see what you can learnfrom the responses. So if you want to bein the know, or have an edge over otherswho haven’t heard about Coop Rankings,check them out at http://www.cooprank-ings.com/ .

Co-op Rankings: HelpingMake Informed Decisions

Kevin Quan

4A Electrical

As you begin your studies here at theUW Faculty of Engineering, you will

hear much about sources of help availableto you. These are resources that are exter-nal to you and include TA's, professors,special classes, academic advisors andEngineering Counselling. As anEngineering Counsellor, I meet many firstyear students who are often experiencingtheir first-ever crisis as a student. Eventhough you have been told of the manysources of help available to you, many ofyou will be reluctant to access that help, fora variety of reasons. You may put on astrong facade and suffer in silence. Someof you may phone your parents ... that isonly natural and wise. However, you maynot be aware of the inner resources youpossess. These you can tap into in the shortterm until you can make a counsellingappointment or get in to see your first yearadvisor ... or you can use them to simplyhelp you manage on your own. But youhave to realize you have them and knowhow to identify them. Most of the studentsI meet don't realize they have these innerresources. Below are some of the commonones.

1. Name the Monster

This is simply a catchy phrase forconfronting the “worst-case scenario”.Many first year students come to see usexpecting us to tell them the secrets of howto immediately solve whatever problemthey are facing. Most often I start with“naming the monster”, i.e. what is the fearunderlying your current situation? Usuallythat is the fear of failure, e.g., failing acourse, failing a term, being required torepeat, being required to withdraw. BeforeI get into short-term strategies to addressthe problem, I like to remind students ofthe importance of naming the ultimate fear.

Fear is a powerful emotion. Too often itleads to panic and unproductive worry.Fear can also be a very strong motivator foraction, which is usually what is required tosolve the problem at hand. I encourage stu-dents to confront the fear, identify thespecifics of it, which may be the dread ofdisappointing your parents, or the shame ofseeing grades beside your name that don’tbegin with the number 9. By confrontingthe fear you can then remind yourself thatwhatever happens, you will deal with it.You won’t like it but you will survive it.You might even come out of it as a strongerperson, but I will save that for later.

2. Take Inventory of your Strengths

Life is difficult. There, I said it. Toget to this point in your life and academiccareer, your have obviously developed anumber of inner resources. Some of thecommon ones might be: (a) performingunder pressure, e.g. exams, sports competi-tions, music recitals or dramatic perfor-mances; (b) self-discipline, e.g. when allyour friends were out having fun, you wereable to delay gratification and focus onyour studies, practices or rehearsals. Don’ttake self-discipline for granted ... youwouldn’t be here without it; (c) adjustingto change and transition, e.g. some of youhave moved around a lot in your life, somehave emigrated from another country toCanada, some of you have survived amajor tragedy at a relatively early age.Think about what strengths you discoveredin having reached out for help or havinghelped someone else through a difficulttime. We often discover what we are madeof at such times.

3. Challenge your Conclusions

A great strategy for managing diffi-cult times is to pay attention to the conclu-sions you are drawing from your currentsituation. If you think about it, eventsdon’t have meaning unto themselves. We

tend to attach meaning to events. Forexample, you might do poorly on your firstexam. That is clearly not a good thing.However, by more closely examining yourconclusions about this event, you willprobably recognize some pretty faultythinking: e.g., I’m failing out of my pro-gram; I’m stupid; I’m never going to besuccessful in university, etc. I try to helpstudents recognize and challenge thatthinking. Is there any solid evidence tosupport such thinking? Could you just aseasily come up with many other conclu-sions? In counselling we refer to this strat-egy as “cognitive reframing”, i.e. theprocess by which we examine thethoughts/conclusions associated with ouremotions attached to events. There is usu-ally little evidence to support the drasticconclusions we come up with in a time ofstress. By challenging and reframing thoseconclusions you can more clearly definethe problem and then take appropriateaction to solve it. Otherwise, you can getbogged down in a lot of negative and inac-curate thinking.

4. View Problems as Opportunities

We live in a culture that worshipshappiness and immediate gratification.When things aren’t going well we tend toconclude that there is something “wrong”.We see a gap between what is happeningand what we think should be happeningand take a negative spin on it. Have youever been going through tough times andactually asked yourself, “What opportunitydo I have for growth in this situation?” Iknow it may sound trite, but many people,especially in conjunction with certain reli-gious traditions, use this strategy. If youthink about it, our lives consist of peaksand valleys. The easy times are the peaksbut that is not when we develop our char-acter. We do that in the valleys. Most ofthe time we, as counsellors, meet studentsin the valleys. We may not be able to “fixthings” for you but we can help you navi-

gate through these valleys. We try to helpstudents recognize their inner resourcesand also identify strategies for survival inthe tough times. You can learn to trainyourself to embrace problems (that doesn’tmean “liking them”) as additional opportu-nities for growth and learning. You mightwant to reflect back on a difficult time inyour life and assess how you grew as aresult.

5. Keep Things in Perspective

When you encounter academic dif-ficulties ... especially when academics havealways been your strength ... it is easy tolose perspective and panic. Having per-spective, in this sense of the word, meansthe ability to not define yourself strictly interms of your identity as a student. You aremuch more than that. You have other sig-nificant roles in your life beyond your stu-dent role, although for sure, that isprobably the biggest part of who you arenow. Still, the ability to address the prob-lem at hand, i.e. improving your academicperformance, requires gaining perspective.For some, this may come from religious orspiritual beliefs. For others, it may comefrom the ability not to isolate oneself but toconnect to others socially or through someextra-curricular involvement. It mightmean getting away for a weekend to visitfriends or supportive family members. Achange of scenery can often help youregain perspective. And of course, don’tforget all the external resources mentionedabove. A conversation with a counsellor oradvisor can often help you broaden yourview of things.

These are just some suggestions.You do possess internal resources to helpyou get through difficult times. Youwouldn’t be reading this now unless youdid. At the same time, your greatest inter-nal resource may end up being your will-ingness to access your external resources ...your willingness to ask for help.

Tapping Your Intellectual ResourcesNeil Gibson

Engineering Consulting

Last year, during my Frosh Week, afteropening up the laundry bag with dif-

ferent items and books the first thing Ilooked at and read was the Frosh Editionof the Iron Warrior. During my five yearsin high school, I was always veryinvolved in the school newspaper, frombeing a writer, to being a member of theEditorial Board, and was interested inseeing how my high school paper, “TheLibermann Times” compared with theIron Warrior. Wanting to keep doingthings that I enjoy, I decided to join theIron Warrior, with a little persuasion frommy sister who was a member already.

The joy about writing for the IronWarrior, is that it is a news medium that isnot discriminatory to what your opinion ison certain world and school issues. Inother words, it only censors what is veryinappropriate material. You can writeabout practically anything that your mindis interested in from movies that you haveseen, music you have heard, sports thatyou play and even political and religious

issues that arise on the world stage. Otherschool newspapers, which shall not benamed here, are the same, but lack quali-ty in their material, and tend to be veryone sided the majority of the time.

Since nobody likes to just do or pro-crastinate from doing homework, writingfor the Iron Warrior will also allow you tomeet students from all departments inengineering. They are very supportive,and they will help you through your firstyear in university, which from what Iheard and just experienced is quite thechallenge.

I urge you to join the Iron Warrior, themeetings are typically Mondays at 5pm,so it is after school right before dinner,and you can throw out topics and ideasthat you would like to write about. If youcannot attend the meeting, for whateverreason, then the editor and the staff can beeasily reached by e-mail, atiwarrior@engmail.uwaterloo.ca. This isan opportunity that you should not refuse,because it also looks good on yourresume, when applying for jobs throughthe co-op system. Balancing both schooland hobbies is essential for success inuniversity. I would like to wish you all thebest of luck in your first year of universi-ty and hope to see you at the meetings.

Michael Simoes

1B Chemical

Writing for the Iron Warrior

Columns

5W e d n e s d a y , S e p t e m b e r 8 , 2 0 0 4

Want a Job? CECS Important Dates

Check out up-to-the-day eventpostings on theEngSoc websitewww.engsoc.uwaterloo.ca

HOLIDAY!!!Victoria Day

Genius Bowl Havenger ofHearts

Havenger ofHearts

EngSoc Meeting #3

Athletics Event

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

543213130

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAYSUNDAY

Upcoming Events from EngSoc

So you’ve just dropped $4500 on tuitionand more for living expenses, all for

just 4 months here at UW. Did you knowyou can get that money back and still getyour education? Here’s how!

Step 1: Apply for OSAP. You will notreceive free money from the universityunless you apply for OSAP. Being turneddown for OSAP is okay – the universityuses a different formula for determiningfunding levels. If you applied for OSAPlast term, go to the student awards office toget the forms you need. If you didn’t applyfor OSAP last term, apply online atosap.gov.on.ca.

Step 1b: If you’re not from Ontario,you’ll have to apply for student aid in yourhome province/territory/country. It’s agood idea to make an appointment to talkto someone at student awards, since differ-ent regions have different issues relating tostudent aid.

Step 2: Fill out a bursary form. Theseare available at the student awards office,and available online at www.adm.uwater-loo.ca/infoawards/forms.html. These mustbe returned by October 15th, and can justbe put into the drop box at the studentawards office (second floor of NeedlesHall). There are a number of specificscholarships you can apply to as well if youwant to.

Step 3: Go to studentawards.ca. Theylist a whole lot of both internal and exter-nal awards you could be eligible for. Somerequire some extra work (write a songabout duct tape, write an essay on what youwould do as prime minister, etc.), somereward particular activities (sports, affilia-tion with particular unions, etc.), and someare just based on financial need or marks.

Step 4: Revisit the student awardsoffice to pick up your OSAP (if applica-ble). You will then have to visit the postoffice to send the forms.

Step 5: Cash cheque for scholarships orbursaries. If the university is going to giveyou money, they’ll mail you a cheque. Ifthey aren’t, they’ll send you a letter. If theydecided you have “sufficient resources”,you can appeal the decision.

Tip: Write letters to submit with yourscholarship/bursary application. A letteron extracurricular activities is good, buteven more important is one on your finan-cial situation. Most people aren’t fullyexplained by a form, so this is your oppor-tunity to explain why you think you shouldget your money back.

Note: A bursary is like a scholarship inthat you don’t have to pay it back, but it’sbased on financial need rather than acade-mic achievement (hurray!).

Free Money!

Emma Bardon

4N Mechanical

September 14-16: Return to Campus Interviews

September 15:Return to Campus InterviewsJobMine Technical Help Tutorial

4:30–5:30 pm, AL 113

September 17:JobMine Technical Help Tutorial

4:30-5:30 pm, AL 113

September 20:JobMine Technical Help Tutorial

5:00-6:00 pm, AL 113Work Reports due by 4 pm (some facul-ties differ- check with your undergradoffice)

Career Services Workshops:Letter Writing: Learn how to use let-

ters to your advantage in the jobsearch. Register online atwww.careerservices.uwaterloo.ca4:30-5:30 pm, TC 2218.

Résumé_ Writing: Discover tech-niques for writing an effectiverésumé_.Register online at www.careerser-vices.uwaterloo.ca 5:30-6:30 pm, TC 2218.

Mastering the Personal Statement:Learn how to write a winning personal statement when applyingto graduate and professional schoolprograms.Register online at www.careerser-vices.uwaterloo.ca3:30 – 4:30 pm, TC 1208

September 21:JobMine Technical Help Tutorial

4:30-5:30 pm, AL 113Part-time Job Fair

12 noon -2 pm, Great Hall SLC

Career Services Workshops:Starting Your Own Business-The

Basics: This workshop will help you assessyour readiness to start a businessventure, and show you how to con-vert an idea into a commercialopportunity. Register online atwww.careerservices.uwaterloo.ca

5:30-6:30 pm, TC 1208

September 22:Job postings (including ACCOUNTING)available at 6 amVolunteer Fair

11 am -2 pm, Great Hall SLC

September 23:Job postings (including ACCOUNTING)close at 11:59 pm

Career Services Workshops:

Making the Career Fair Work forYou: Learn the “do’s” and “don’ts” ofthis excellent networking and worksearch opportunity. Register onlineat www.careerservices.uwaterloo.ca

11:30 am – 12:30 pm, TC2218

Law School Bound: Hear about best practices to prepare

an effective law school application.Presentation by John Richardson.Register online at www.careerser-vices.uwaterloo.ca

1:30 – 2:30 pm, TC 2218

September 24:

Career Services Workshops:Letter Writing: Learn how to use let-

ters to your advantage in the jobsearch. Register online atwww.careerservices.uwaterloo.ca

2:30 – 3:30 pm, TC 2218

Résumé Writing: Discover tech-niques for writing an effectiverésumé. Register online atwww.careerservices.uwaterloo.ca

3:30 – 4:30 pm , TC 2218

September 25:Career Services Workshop:

Thinking about Med School:Increase your chances of a success-ful application to med schoolthrough appropriate undergraduatecourse selection, tactics for improv-ing your grades, advice on paid/vol-unteer work and extracurricularactivities, a clear plan to excel atthe MCAT, and tips for the medschool interview. Check the CareerServices “Workshops & Events”Web site for registration details.

6 – 10 pm, TC 2218

September 27: Job postings (including ACCOUNTING)available at 6 amWork/Study Abroad Fair

11 am – 3 pm, Great Hall, SLC

Career Services Workshops:Making the Career Fair Work for

You: Learn the “do’s” and “don’ts”of this excellent networking andsearch opportunity. Register onlineat www.careerservices.uwaterloo.ca

10:30 -11:30 am, TC 1208

*NEW* Personality Dimensions:Explore your personality prefer-ences and how they relate to differ-ent kinds of careers – work, thepeople, the environment. NOTE –Participation is limited to 25 stu-dents. Register online atwww.careerservices.uwaterloo.ca

3:30 – 5:30 pm, TC 2218

September 28: Job postings (including ACCOUNTING)close at 11:59 pm

Career Services Workshops:Starting Your Own Business – Next

Steps: Picking up where “TheBasics” left off, this workshop willoffer a more in-depth discussion onstart-up issues: strategy and opera-tional tactics, marketing, finance,human resources, R & D. NOTE:This session is limited to 15 partic-ipants. Register online atwww.careerservices.uwaterloo.ca

5:30 – 6:30 pm, TC 1208

September 29:Job postings (including ACCOUNTING)available at 6 amCareer Fair10 am – 3:30 pm, RIM Park, Waterloo

September 30: Job postings (includingACCOUNTING) close at 11:59 pm

Career Services Workshops:Interview Skills: The Basics –

Understand the fundamentals ofsuccessful interviewing. NOTE:Much of this information is similarto the CO-OP 101 Interview Skillssession. Co-op students shouldattend only if they need a refresher.Register online at www.careerser-vices.uwaterloo.ca

3:30-4:30 pm, TC 2218

Interview Skills: Preparing forQuestions- Discuss and learn fromtaped excerpts of actual interviews.Register online at www.careerser-vices.uwaterloo.ca

2:30 – 3:30 pm, TC 2218

Thinking about Graduate Studies?:Find out the steps to apply to gradu-

ate and professional schools.Program research, applications, ref-erences, interviews and the admis-sion process will be discussed, aswell as scholarship options.Register online at www.careerser-vices.uwaterloo.ca

2:30 – 3:30 pm, TC 2218.

Info

6 W e d n e s d a y , S e p t e m b e r 8 , 2 0 0 4

Welcome to Waterloo and five yearsof fun, frolic and sleep depriva-

tion! You will surely have much fun onthis joyous journey of cramming twohours before the exam and eating leftoverKraft Dinner. But don’t get too anxious tostart just yet! Let me introduce myself. Iam Rajat Suri, your Vice PresidentFinance for the Fall term. Basically, Icontrol the money part of the EngineeringSociety, including the refundable 14$ yougive towards us, so that we can financeevents for you, or provide you with ser-vices such as our website and exam bank,or give you free food at EngSoc meet-ings, or otherwise make you happy littlecampers.

The novelties shop (where you canbuy all your engineering clothes or acces-sories) also comes underneath me andthis term we plan to do something newand crazy... provide classes with class T-shirts! Nuts, eh? So get together withyour class and decide what you’d likeyour clothing to look like, and Noveltieswill do all the work for you! We’re niceguys, eh?

So yeah, that’s me. If you have anyquestions, about finance or anything,please feel free to email me or stop me inthe halls or call me up. I am a friend withbenefits so a little respect might be inorder... I enjoy being called Sir or TheGreat One (Your Majesty works on somedays). You can also look for me in FroshWeek, I am the nerdy yet strangely goodlooking one in charge of Jungle Slate.

VP Education Report

Welcome Frosh of the class of 2009.Wow, 2009! It may seem like a long

time from now, but trust me; your years atUniversity will fly by.

As you probably have guessed from thebyline of this article, I’m Jonathan Fishbeinand I am Vice President, Education of theEngSoc A here at UW. What does any ofthat mean, you ask. Well, what it basicallyboils down to is that the Vice Presdient,Education (often fondly referred to asEdumacation or Acamademics) is your pri-mary student representative on all educa-tional matters that get passed by theEngineering Society.

This may sound like a boring job toyou, but you’re just Frosh so what do youknow. Plus, it actually is a whole lot of fun.I get to sit on many committees within thefaculty to ensure that student needs arebeing accurately represented in decisionsrelating to academics. I also get to workwith the dean and the faculty administra-tion to try implementing changes whichwill help make our time here at Universitybetter. I also, with my directors, run

several workshops and resources to helpyou with everything from work reports toresumes.

So here’s what you can look forward tofrom my side of the EngSoc circle thisterm. One of the major breakthroughs thatrecently occured between EngSoc and theEngineering faculty is that results of pro-fessors critiques can now be posted on ourwebsite. I’ll be working hard this term withthe Dean’s office to set up a system whereEngSoc members will be able to view pastcritique results for their professors online,without the hassle of looking up the papercopies in the Orifice (EngSoc office for younewbies). Also, you are the first class to berequired to complete the new onlineProfessional Development courses duringyour co-op terms. Look for an informationsession given by the courses’ developmentcommittee and hosted by EngSoc. The ses-sion will inform you what these courses areabout and what you’ll be required to do. Ifyou happen to be a 4-stream student andwill be getting a taste of working life 4months from now, then watch for student-run Resume critiques and a session onUW’s new co-op system, called JobMine.

Before I end this article, I want toremind you that there’s more to Universitylife than studying, and EngSoc is a greatplace to meet some people have somegood, old-fashioned fun. So come out tothe first EngSoc meeting and get involved!

Jonathan Fishbein

Vice President,Education

Welcome to Engineering at Waterloo!I'm Nick Lawler, the VP External

for EngSoc"A". This means that for thenext 4 months, my fellow executive and Iwill be running the EngSoc show for theterm. As the VP External, my job consistsof keeping up relations with those who areoutside UW Engineering life. Includingother engineering societies and the gener-al public. Lots of events are planned undermy position, including the Santa ClausParade Float. Waterloo Engineering putson a great float to profile the great teamsand accomplishments of the faculty andparade them for the whole city to see!Come out and help support the float bywalking, waving and having a great time!Speaking of teams, we have many greatstudent teams that you can be apart of.Look sometime this fall for an engineeringstudent team day, where teams will be tak-ing new recruits.

As the VP-X, I get to representWaterloo "A" at conferences across thecountry. I also get to bring along fellowdelegates, and some cool conferences arecoming up this fall. Conferences includethe CWIE (Conference on Women inEngineering) at Queens, as well as a con-ference at the Canadian Space Agency inMontreal with a focus on the future ofCanadian space exploration. A major con-ference known as CFESC (CanadianFederation of Engineering SchoolsCongress) is slated for U of T in January.This conference sees representatives fromengineering schools across Canada cometogether for a week of fun and discussion.Keep an ear to the ground, as I'll be look-ing to bring fellow delegates for these andeven more conferences.

Well, that is it for now, let me assureyou that many more great events areplanned for the winter term, but this spaceis too short to report them all! Welcome,you are now part of a distinguished andsmall group of those privileged enough toget an engineering degree from theUniversity of Waterloo.

Nick Lawler

Vice President,External

VP-Ex

Welcome to UW Engineering!

Hello, and congratulations on makingit into UW Engineering! No matter whatyou end up doing afterwards, this term isbound to change your life. You’ll find thenext five years to be stressful at times, buta lot of fun, too.

Now that you’re part of engineering,and subsequently the Engineering Society,there are tons of resources available to youto make your university experience yourown. Everything from joining in on anevent or two throughout the term right upto becoming a director or even an execu-tive is open to you. The best advice I cangive is to get out there, try some newthings, and don’t be afraid to take a chanceon something you never thought you’d do!

Over the coming term, you may findthat some things seem strange or just plainharder than you thought they would be.We have frosh mentors who you can turnto for advice and the exam and workreport banks where you can find examplesfrom upper year students. Of course,you’re always more than welcome to dropby the Orifice (a.k.a. EngSoc office) andask anyone in there if they can help youout!

So, you might be asking what the eas-iest way is to get involved. It’s really sim-ple - come out to EngSoc meetings. Thefirst one will be coming up soon - justwatch for the fluorescent posters in thehalls advertising free dinner (and themeeting)!

Laura Mooney

President

President

Welcome to Waterloo Engineering!Are you ready for five long years?

Well, you’ve already taken the first steptowards making them five good years,you’re finding out what is going on social-ly! I’m part of the Engineering Society, orEngSoc for short, and you could say thatI’m in charge of planning all the parties.Now, hopefully many of you just said"hooray! I like parties" and that’s great, butmaybe some of you said, "man, parties arecrowded and loud", well don’t worry, keepreading because there is stuff for you inhere too!

So what does EngSoc do? Well wehave a number of different roles, but youcan read about the other ones in the otherarticles. As VP-I, I get to help directors setup different on-campus events. These canrange from an Engineering Talent Show, toa Semi-Formal, to a Santa Claus ParadeFloat! Every week throughout the termactivities will be run by EngSoc, activitiesYOU can participate in! Maybe you wantto learn how to use a darkroom, or play ina three-on-three basketball tourney, it’s allhere! All you have to do is show up! Butmaybe you don’t want to participate inevents, so what else is offered by EngSoc?Well, there’s an online exam bank whereyou can find old exams from the classesyou’re taking, or there are the photocopiersin the Orifice (the EngSoc office), ormaybe you just want to go to POETS, theengineering lounge and watch TV….

The first week of classes you’ll havefive people (maybe six) myself included,come clumping into your class and tell youmore about what you’re now reading.

If none of what you’ve read interestsyou, why not check out the EngSoc webpage (engsoc.uwaterloo.ca) and look at thecalendar of events, you never know whatyou’ll find! Be sure to keep reading theIron Warrior for updates on what’s happen-ing that week, or find out what’s going onaround campus. The whiteboard next to theOrifice will also be updated to show eventsfor that week. If you have any questions orwant to help out, just e-mail me atasoc_vpint@engmail.uwaterloo.ca any-time! Just remember, all work and no playmakes for a really dull five years.

VP-FRajat Suri

Vice President,Finance

VP-IKate Kelly

Vice President,Internal

Did you know you can earn valuableP**5 points for volunteering time atthe C&D? Email Mary Bland atmbland@engmail.uwaterloo.ca toschedule your shift.

ENGINEERING SOCIETY “A” EXECUTIVE REPORTS

EngSoc

7W e d n e s d a y , S e p t e m b e r 8 , 2 0 0 4

Sandford Fleming FoundationE2 3322, ext 4008, sff@engmailwww.eng.uwaterloo.ca/~sff

Awards Work Term Report AwardsConvocation MedalsDebatesDepartmental Award for Excellence in DesignDufault AwardTeaching Assistantship ExcellenceTeaching Excellence AwardTechnical Speaker CompetitionKaren Mark ScholarshipJohn Fisher Leadership AwardW.R. Petri Engineering AwardWighton Fellowship

Financial AssistanceSix Exchange AwardsTravel GrantsDr. F. Hecker Exchange FellowshipEmergency Loans

Presentations &Sponsorships

Bridging the GapOntario Engineering CompetitionCanadian Engineering Competition

Anyone wishing to learn more about the Foundation may contact the office

First off, congratulations on beingaccepted into the top engineering

school in Canada. You should all be proudof yourselves. For all of you that are in 8-stream, you will be joining the EngSoc‘B’ Society in January, which means that Iwill be your EngSoc Prez in 4 months!I’m looking forward to meeting you all inJanuary. The biggest advice that I cangive to all of you is to make sure that youbalance your school work and everythingelse that you enjoy doing. If you study allof the time, you will not enjoy the full uni-versity experience. Try to get involvedwith the engineering society as well asclubs and intramural teams. The engi-neering society runs a lot of events includ-ing a talent show, bowling night,semi-formal, water fights, and much,much more. We also offer a lot of servicesjust for you, including an online exambank, resume critiquing service, and a cof-fee and donut (C&D) shop. I definitelyrecommend that you stop by the Orifice orPOETS to meet your exec team, and findout how you can get involved with theEngineering Society. I wish you the bestof luck in your first term!

PresidentKarim Lallani

President

First off, I’d like to say welcome to allthe frosh. For those of you on 8

stream, you’ll be get a chance to knowmyself and my exec a little better startingin January. It’s a little early right now togo into detail about all the wonderfully funthings that are in store for the Winter term,but this much I can tell you, it’s going to bea blast! If you are looking for a way to getinvolved a bit, we still have a few vacantdirectorships. Just check out the EngSocwebsite, and drop me an e-mail if anythingstrikes your fancy. If you have any ques-tions at all during the term, feel free to e-mail me at aerayner@engmail. Have agreat first term at UW, and remember,don’t stress out too much, have a little fun.

VP-IAndrea Rayner

Vice President,Internal - Elect

To the Class of 2009: if I can offer youone piece of advice, wear sunscreen.

Congratulations on being accepted intoWaterloo Engineering. I hope you are allready to work hard and play hard. Myname is David Johnson, and I am the newB-Soc Vice President of Finance. So asyou can guess I take care of the finances(big surprise there). I am really lookingforward to meeting all the new faces thiscoming winter. EngSoc has a lot of greatevents planned, so for all you 8 streamersdon’t burn yourselves out during your firstsemester. When you paid your tuition thisyear, you also paid an engineering societyfee. You did this because the EngineeringSociety does lots of great stuff for you.

Just to name a few of the services: youcan get the cheapest photocopies oncampus in the EngSoc office (a.k.a. theOrifice). Also, if you need to make aphone call, EngSoc provides a phone forfree local calls. It’s in E2 by the SAE car,and it’s the one on the right (the phone onthe left is for on campus calls only). Justdial 9‚ and away you go. You can buyEngineering Novelties like shirts, cardecals, beer-mugs, and other cool stufffrom the Novelties shop (right besidePOETS) or from the Orifice. My favoriteservice is the online exam bank reposito-ry. It’s a collection of old exams that canbe used to help you study. Make sure youlook around the Orifice to see all the otherservices we provide. After all, you pay forit all, so in effect it’s your Orifice.EngSoc employs two full time people tohelp look after things for you: Mary andBetty. Get to know them too! They’rereally nice and very helpful! Have funduring frosh week and remember: alwayswear sunscreen. Trust me on this one!

VP Finance ReportDavid Johnson

Vice President,Finance - Elect

WEEF IS GOOD.If you don’t hear someone say that this

week, you aren’t at any of the frosh weekevents or perhaps you thought they weresaying “beef is good” and you can’t under-stand what they have against vegetarians.I’m here to tell you once again that WEEFIS GOOD.

So now that you know it is good, whatis WEEF? The Waterloo EngineeringEndowment Foundation was founded by

two engineering students, Avi Belinsky andJohn Vellinga, in 1990. The goal of WEEFis to continuously improve the educationalenvironment for undergraduate engineeringstudents, and maintain our outstanding rep-utation. This is done through the funding oflaboratory equipment, student projects,computer upgrades and academictools/teaching facilities.

Where does WEEF get its money?Every term on every engineering student’stuition statement there is a $75 WEEFdonation included. This $75 is fully taxdeductible, which means you pay less taxon your hard earned work term cash. Your

donation is never spent! Instead it gets putinto a pot of money that is invested. Onlythe interest on the principle is spent. Thisallows the fund to grow larger over theyears and in turn earn more interest. Theprinciple is now over $5 million. Thisallows us to spend $45,000 this term.WEEF also receives donations fromEmployer Matching Contribution (EMC)and engineering Alumni.

Your class will need to select a WEEFrepresentative. This will be the person who

WEEF IS GOODRyan Walker

WEEF Director

ENGINEERING SOCIETY “B” EXECUTIVE REPORTS

Continued on page 8. See WEEF

EngSoc

8 W e d n e s d a y , S e p t e m b e r 8 , 2 0 0 4

Members of the Waterloo SpaceSociety dream of the chance to trav-

el into the cosmos and perform a spacewalk. On July 10th, they did the next bestthing: skydiving.

Thirteen members of the WaterlooSpace Society, a FEDS Club, piled intothree cars and drove north for two hours.Their destination was Skydive Toronto,which, despite the name, is actually locat-ed north of Barrie. Once they arrived, theadventure began.

This was the first time skydiving formost of the members. The only experi-enced jumper per-formed her thirdand fourth solojumps from 4000feet. All of the newjumpers opted fortandem skydivingwhere they wereattached to anexperienced sky-dive instructor during their jumps from analtitude of 10 500 feet. This style of jumpincludes a thirty second freefall duringwhich the divers plummet over 4000 feet.

Before any of the excitement couldbegin, all of the new jumpers had to partic-ipate in training. This consisted of watch-ing two videos that warned of the mishapsthat could occur if you did not do what youwere taught by your tandem instructor. Themost memorable lesson was to keep yourfeet up when you and your instructor werelanding. If you did not, you could expect toslide along the ground on your face withyour tandem instructor riding you like ahuman boogie board.

After the videos, each jumper got someone-on-one time with their tandem instruc-tor. During that time, they learned how tojump from the plane, and discussed the

types of manoeuvres that they wanted toperform in the air. This included a front flipwhen jumping from the plane, 360 degreespins once the parachute was deployed,and a fast landing. According to KaranRustagi, the WSS Math Representative, “Iwas nagging my instructor for two things:a somersault (when jumping from theplane) and a fast landing. I got a somer-sault. The landing was gentle.”

WSS member Mau Barrow was one ofthe first people to jump. With her fellowWSS Members (and her parents) watchingfrom the ground below, Mau leapt from theCessna airplane at 10 500 feet, strapped toher instructor, Paul. They did a barrel rollfrom the plane and performed their freefall.When Mau reached 6000 feet, according to

the altimeterstrapped to her arm,her instructor sig-naled her to pull theripcord. Maurecalls that momentwith awe: “Wow.Can we talk cool?Suddenly my entirebody seems to jerk

upwards. My feet were tingling as thechute opened. The most amazing thingabout the actual gliding was the silence upthere.” With the help of her instructor, Mauperformed several quick 360 degree spinswhich actually made her feel sick. “But thespinning is so cool!” she recalls. “I’m notabout to stop it! In the one spin, wedescended a thousand feet!” Mau toucheddown gently and safely, and other than thenausea, she was no worse for wear.

The Waterloo Space Society plans toorganize another skydiving trip during thenext summer term, if not sooner. Theyhope to attract more first time skydiversand fill the need of those who can’t wait togo again. This includes WSS memberPhiliz Goh, who professed, “I am in thewrong profession! Who wants to goagain!?!”

Sarah-Beth Doner2B English

Space Society Skydiving

Hey First Years,

On behalf of the ESSCO council Iwould like to welcome you to the world ofEngineering in Ontario. By choosing tostudy Engineering at the University ofWaterloo, you have become part of a fam-ily called an Engineering Society.Whether you realize it or not, you are alsopart of a bigger family: the OntarioEngineering Students.

You are about to begin a hard period offive years or an easy period of seven yearsof study that you will never forget. Ofcourse, Waterloo Engineering students areunique in that we know how to work hard-er and play harder than any other group ofstudents. Know that you are never alone.Everywhere you look, someone is there tohelp you out.

University Engineering societies wereestablished as student organizations inorder to help students communicate, orga-nize, and provide services for fellow stu-dents. The Engineering Students SocietiesCouncil of Ontario was established for thesame purpose, but deals with issues on aSociety and Professional level. This orga-nization consists of a representative fromeach of the fifteen Student EngineeringSocieties in Ontario and an executiveelected from these schools. It is a resourcefor your Engineering Society, and in turnor you. We provide contact between the

Ontario schools for the purposes ofexchanging ideas and resolving issues.But this is not all: ESSCO acts as a voiceto communicate with the EngineeringSocieties in Ontario, in particular thosewhich you will join after graduation.

The Ontario Society of ProfessionalEngineers (OSPE, www.ospe.on.ca) andthe Professional Engineers of Ontario(PEO, www.peo.on.ca) are two majororganizations which ESSCO deals with ona regular basis. Both organizations offerstudent memberships. I highly recom-mend that you join their programs.

ESSCO invites students to participatein our events, such as Engineering &Physics Day, and our conferences by wayof our members’ link (join athttp://www.essco.ca/link.php). These con-ferences occur throughout the year, andwill be advertised by the VP-External inyour local Engineering Society.

For first year students, ESSCO worksin conjunction with the First YearIntegration Conference (FYIC). Thisincredible conference will take place atRyerson University this year. It is a greatway to get to know your fellow OntarioEngineers, and to find out what they cando for you and what you can do for yourschool, your province and your country.See you there!

To find out more about ESSCO and itsactivities contact your VP External for theFall Term, Nick Lawler(asoc_vpext@engmail.uwaterloo.ca),whom you may recognize as the crazyJungle Slate Huge for Frosh Week :)

Also, don’t forget to visit our websiteat www.essco.ca, and feel free to contactme at rnbhardw@uwaterloo.ca, with anyquestions or concerns you may have.

Rahul Bhardwaj

Super-Huge

Since everyone else in this issue and thisweek will be welcoming you to the

University of Waterloo, I will start withsomething different. Congratulations onpicking up the premier faculty-oriented stu-dent newspaper on campus. The IronWarrior is your opportunity to test out theartistic side of your engineering mind sodrop into the office in CPH 1323B or dropan email to the editor at iwarrior@eng-mail.uwaterloo.ca and find out how you canget involved in anything from writing thelatest feature to photo editing, to layout, totechnical support.

From experience, I can tell you that thepath to the Iron Ring is an incredible jour-ney, and certainly an emotional rollercoast-er. You’ll have highs and lows, fromfinishing that final exam and handing in thatbrutal assignment to long nights in the laband eating plaza food yet again. But at theend of the term and at the end of the journey,you’ll have a sense of accomplishment andfriends for a lifetime. Both the EngineeringSociety and the Federation of Students(FEDS) are here to make sure that journey isas rewarding, as entertaining, and as diverseas possible. After all, it is those extra-curric-ular diversions from the path to the Ringthat you’ll remember long after you’ve leftthe concrete passages of Waterloo.

So, what does the FEDS offer?Located in the Student Life Centre

across from Tim Horton’s, the FEDS over-see more than 150 clubs and 9 student ser-vices. FEDS clubs range from Quiz Bowl tothe Chess Club to the Waterloo SpaceSociety. Services available include the Off-Campus Dons, the UW SustainabilityProject, Co-op Student Services, and theGays and Lesbians of Waterloo (GLOW). Acomplete listing of clubs and services isavailable on the Federation of Studentswebsite, www.feds.ca.

I encourage you to discover the student-run businesses, owned and operated by UWstudents. Aussies is your convenience storelocated Down Under (in the basement of theStudent Life Centre); at the Used Bookstore(around the corner from Aussies) you canbuy and sell textbooks; on hot days you canbuy cold treats from Scoops; you can dropby the Bombshelter for lunch; and attendconcerts and special events at FederationHall.

FEDS also has a students’ council,which has representatives from each faculty.Bring your concerns, comments, or ques-tions to your councillors to have your viewsrepresented around the council table. Yourcouncillors this year are: Kunal Gupta(k3gupta@uwaterloo .ca), ,Laura Mooney(llmooney@engmail .uwaterloo.ca),Anubhav Srivastava (alsrivas@engmail.uwaterloo.ca), Jon Fishbein (jfishbei@eng-mail.uwaterloo.ca), and Matt Strickland(lstrickl@ engmail.uwaterloo.ca). The nextcouncil election will take place in February2005 – feel free to put your own name for-ward and get involved. In the meantime,there are plenty of opportunities to volun-teer, be sure to check out http://www.feds.ca or visit any of your executive in theFEDS office, SLC 1102.

Jeff Henry

FEDS VP Education

Dear High Rider,If you owe a bookkeeper $50,000, and

you don't pay him, and he shoots off yourfoot, why do you still owe him the money?

-i.m. limpy

Dear Limpy,I was going to comment extensively on

the interconnectedness of the laisez faireeconomy, the astute observations ofMachiavelli on Florentine politics, andyour current difficulties. However, I havejust realized that, from the sound of it, youare not likely to pay this $50 000 anytime

soon, leading me to infer that in the not sodistant future, other and more essentialparts of you will be obliterated in the samemanner. Thus, you can hardly benefit frommy wisdom.

High Rider

Dear Limpy,The real question here is why aren't you

going "double or nothing" at this point?You have another foot, right? The worstthat could happen is that you lose again andowe him 100 grand. Then you can apply forOSAP and they'll bail you out for sure. Noteven OSAP would turn down an amputeewith that much debt, but I'd advise you tokeep your marks up just in case.- LR

Rider Advice Continues......continued from Page 3.

ALL of you will be at the first EngSocevent of the term: ComEng. On Sundaynight at 8 pm in South Campus Hall, theEngineering Comedy (ComEng) nightpresented by EngSoc is an evening oflaughter and socializing before classesbegin. Come out and get involved.

That should be enough information toget you started. Remember to have fun,meet people, ask questions and be safe. Ifyou don't, Edcom will not be happy andyou wouldn't want that.

EdCom...continued from Page 1.

WEEF

will share your class’ opinion at the fund-ing council meetings where funding is allo-cated. When you choose other class reps,do not forget to choose a WEEF rep.

Congratulations on being accepted hereand I wish you all the best. Remember thatengineering is the hardest 5 or the best 7years of your life. If you have any ques-tions, concerns or would like to volunteersome time, contact me atweef@engmail.uwaterloo.ca. or One lastreminder… WEEF IS GOOD!

...continued from Page 5.

It’s the FEDS!

Engineering Societies

Columns