U of C News

Grizzlies in Danger at the Hands of Humans If the human-caused death rates for grizzlies in the Bow Valley continue as they are, the population of the great bears will decline rapidly says the Eastern Slopes Grizzly Bear Project (ESGBP), one of the longest and most comprehensive research studies on grizzly bears. The population can survive, however, and the final report includes a list of goals and recommendations, many of which focus on managing and monitoring the ever-important adult female grizzly bears. “Achieving a sustainable human-caused mortality will involve designing and managing peoples’ activities and facilities with grizzly bears in mind,” said project chairperson Stephen Herrero, of the U of C’s Faculty of Environmental Design. Learn more...

Changes for Students on Campus Campus is buzzing in late August, getting ready for the return of more than 20,000 students to the grounds. Over the summer, changes have been made to make their experience at U of C an even better one. More than half the campus is now wireless, allowing students to find spots everywhere to work on laptops and get online. And a new wireless cyber café, to be dubbed The Loft, is being built on the fourth floor of the MacEwan Student Centre. As part of the 40th anniversary celebrations planned for the year, all students participating in U of C 101 this year will be given a 64 MB USB key, or memory stick; on it is a video welcoming them, introducing them to campus life, and giving them hints on opportunities to get involved and to study efficiently.

Writing Program Welcomes New Faces

Award-winning writer Melanie Little is the latest writer-in-residence for the Markin-Flanagan programme. Her debut book, the story collection Confidence, was named one of the Globe and Mail's top 100 books of 2003, and her writing has appeared in anthologies as well as the Globe and Mail, Georgia Straight, and Books in Canada, among other magazines and newspapers.

Housed in the U of C’s Faculty of Humanities, the Markin-Flanagan Distinguished Writers Programme helps advance the careers of promising Canadian writers and enriches the Canadian writing community through two extended residency programs: a 10-month residency for emerging Canadian writers; and residencies of varying length for writers of international distinction. Rudy Wiebe will be the distinguished author visiting campus this fall. Both authors will be giving readings in September.

Learn more...

Prof appointed to advisory council on security

David Bercuson, director of the University of Calgary’s Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, has been appointed to Canada’s new Advisory Council on National Security. Bercuson joins 14 other prominent Canadians who will provide advice to the deputy prime minister as well as the Cabinet Committee on Security, Public Health, and Emergencies on national security issues.

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Alumni News

The Future Is Now in Your Next U Magazine The latest issue of U magazine will hit your mailbox and stands around campus and the city in mid-September. Rather than revisiting the past, U is marking the province’s centennial by looking forward into the future. The future is now for research happening at U of C; read how researchers are changing they way the work together. Also profiled are a handful of students who are going to wow the world one day, and a grad gives a first-hand report on his summer experiences working at the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. As well, nationally renowned authors Fred Stenson, Max Foran, and Larissa Lai offer us some fresh ideas and fiction.

New Students Embark on Becoming Future Alumni

U of C 101, the event that welcomes news students to campus, gets a kickstart on September 6. Students will get a rundown on campus life will participate in inter-faculty games to win a free semester of tuition sponsored by the Alumni Association. Alumni are getting involved as well and will be giving a number of talks over the duration of the event. Kimberley Amirault, sports psychologist to the New York Knicks and Rangers, will be talking to the incoming graduate students at Grad 601, 2005 GOLD recipient and president of the Canadian Paraplegic Association in Alberta, Kent Hehr, will address the student leaders, and Rita Egizii, co-founder of the Stampede’s “Chickwagon” and alumni manager in the Haskayne School of Business, will talk to the parents of 101 participants.

Alumni Events Are in the Works

A number of events are on tap for alumni across the country in the fall. Those living in Ottawa can expect a visit from President Weingarten and event to go along with the occasion on October 28. No date set yet, but plans are also in the works for an event bringing alumni together in Toronto. And the computer science chapter is working to bring alumnus Andrew Pearce to Calgary for a talk and get together on October 5. Pearce is the R&D manager for Dreamworks Animation. Watch the alumni site for more details: www.alumni.ucalgary.ca, or e-mail alumni@ucalgary.ca.

For more alumni news: http://www.alumni.ucalgary.ca/

Campus & Alumni Events

Annual Alumni Drama Show

The Department of Drama is working with Ground Zero Theatre to present their Fifth Annual Alumni Show. Oleanna by David Mamet will run from August 30 to September 4, and September 6–10 at the Reeve Theatre. Tickets are $15 for adults, and $12 for students/seniors through the Campus Ticket Centre (220-7202) or at the door. For more information visit www.groundzerotheatre.ca or www.ffa.ucalgary.ca/events.

Astronomer to Talk on U of C-led Project in Chile

James DiFrancesco, an astronomer at the Herzberg Institute for Astrophysics and National Research Council facility in Victoria, will be coming to the Telus World of Science on September 6 for a talk on the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array) project in Chile. U of C is part of the international team working on developing the software to allow astronomers to use the ALMA facilities. The talk begins at 7:00 pm.

MBA Alumni Calgary Luncheon

The next MBA Alumni Networking Luncheon will be held on Friday, September 16 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Fairmont Palliser Hotel, Calgary. The guest speaker will be Valerie MacLeod (MBA’88). Her keynote is “Long Term Planning in a Short Term World.” The cost of the luncheon is $25. Register by Tuesday, September 13 by e-mailing rsvp@haskayne.ucalgary.ca or call Kerri Scully at 220-3175.

Nineteenth Annual Business Day Golf Tournament

The Haskayne School of Business and the Business Day Group student club invite all alumni to participate in this popular annual golf tourney. Friday, September 23 at the Lynx Ridge Golf Course, breakfast at 8:00 am, shotgun start at 9:00 am. Cost is $135.00 per person and includes breakfast, 18 holes of golf, cart rental, and dinner banquet. Texas scramble format with teams consisting of two corporate and two student players. Fabulous prizes. Sponsorship opportunities available. Register by September 15. For more info, visit www.businessday.org or phone 220-7141.

Engineering Hosts 40th Anniversary Celebration

The Schulich School of Engineering will be holding a 40th anniversary celebration, to mark its 40th year as a faculty, on September 23 at the Rozsa Centre. For more details or to register, contact Pam Bergsteinsson pam.bergs@ucalgary.ca

ARMI Alumni Pub Night

The Haskayne School of Business and the Association of Risk Management and Insurance (ARMI) are hosting an alumni pub night at Ceili’s Pub in Calgary on Thursday, September 29. For more information please contact Tanis Pike at tanis.pike@haskayne.ucalgary.ca or call 220-8527.

Everyone Can Go to Med School, Mini Med School

Come out and learn about the best diet to battle the bulge and the whys and hows of cancer from the experts who know during Mini Med-School. Nightly lectures will cover a variety of topics in fun and easy-to-understand ways. The course runs Wednesday evenings from September 21 to November 9 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, for $195. Click for more info.

For more events, go to http://www.ucalgary.ca/events/

Your Alumni Stories

Making Business an AppareNet Success Apparently taking risks offers its rewards. The newest company started by entrepreneur Irfhan Rajani (BComm’86), Apparent Networks, was recently named for excellence in product innovation at the BC Technology Industry Association’s 2005 technology impact awards. Read more...

One man seems to be a “magnet” for meteorites. A new meteorite identified by the Prairie Meteorite Search is posing a mystery about why so many meteorites have been found in eastern Manitoba, and it has set a new Canadian record for the man behind the latest out-of-this-world find. Read more...