the iron warrior: volume 10, issue 5

8/14/2019 The Iron Warrior: Volume 10, Issue 5

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ditorialRespect: A much needed resourceChris FosterEditor in ChiefRyan Chen WingEditor in Chief Fall 96

n any organization true value is achieved whenthe accomplishments of a group exceed those ofthe individuals in the group. Thjs regwrcs inter

actions and interdependence between people, andan important aspect of this is respect.

Each individual must have respect for others withinthe organization. This is the valuing of the strengthsand skills ofone another and the accepting of perceivedflaws. As well there must be a recognition of accomplishments. People should be treated equally. Each per-son should lend a helping hand to those around.

When an exclusive group, a cligue, develops wi thinthe organization, respect for those outside the groupdiminishcs. When a clique develops, so too does a lim-ited understan ding of those outside the clique. Members wi thin the clique fail to recognize the abilities ofothers and trust in their judgement.

Lack of interest in the accomplishments of those outside the clique leads to a segregation within the organization as a whole.1his segregation is further propogated when those in the clique show favouritism to members of the clique. A we are more equal mentality isoften the result. 1his hinders achievement of the organization's goals.

Once a clique has developed within an organization,respect for all members can only be attained when the

clique has dissolved. For this to happen, each personwithin the clique must first recognize the problem, thencorrect it Only when those within the clique listen toand accept the view points of others in th e organizationis the clique mentality removed.

Strong leaders are vital to a healthy organization.These leaders can inspire actions and can influencethose in the organization. The path of the organizationrelies greatly on this guidance. To lead properlyn'quires respect for those they serve.TIUs respect meansthat true leaders will trust the judgment and invest inth strengths of those they lead.

Leaders must listen to and seek input from memberswhile serving the good of the organization. They mustgive freedom to achieve and recognize accomplishment.s. Respect such as this will allow an organizationto flourish.

For an organization as a w hole to be truly successful,it must also have the respect of those who are influenced by and who influence the organization. Thisrespect can only be achieved when the members areprepared to acknowledge and commend the efforts ofall those who have helped the organization. They mustalso understand the consequences of their actions, notonly as they affect the organization, but also as theyaffect those around the organization

Respect is the cornerstone on which a successfulorganization is buill Unfortunately this is far too rare.Only when respect has bee orne a norm is the organization able to grow and move forward.

ail to the eroesMichael HermannIW Assistant Editor2A Systems The Far SyDeE term filled with a lot of fun, excitement, andhard work, I'm starting to look back and reflectn what has passed. With only two weeks left togo in the term and a mountain of work to do, thismay seem a litlle premature but I'm feeling nostalgic. In my misty water-colored memories of thispast term I've realized there have been a lot ofheroes along the way. I'm talking about those people who've made an impact, even if just for a day ora moment. As far a I'm concerned, these heroeshave enriched our lives and made us better individuals.

Who are these heroes? an inquirin g mind such asyours wou ld ask. Well, I answer with joy, these heroesare people like the Professor who goes that extra mile tomake his lectures interesting, or the student leader whoruns an event that just went perfectly, or the T.A. who isavailable when you need them, even if it's at an oddtime as they randomly pass you in the hall, or the mendwho's just there for you, or the stranger who shows youthat there is hope for us all by the common respect theyshow you.

I'd rather not use people's names, so I apologize forthe ambiguity. However, I do still have some specific

heroes to thank. I'd like to recognize one of my Instructors (Actua1Jy 1'd like to recognize all of them, but sinceI so rarely see some of th em it's difficult) for going theextra two miles for his class. In his first course ever he'smade the effort to prepare quality assignments and beavailable to answer questions at almost any time. I'dlike to thank the heroes who organized some outstanding events such as MudBowl, the Brewery Tour, andScunt. And most of all those heroes who've workedwith me on the Iron Warrior. The team has been outstanrung.

There's one other group of heroes 1'd like to pointout. Those fine folk who will be leaving us soon to taketheir rightful place in society. Those 4Bs, no longer theleaders of tommorrow, but the new leaders of today.Ever since I arrived here in the fall of 1995 I've lookedup to my big brothers and sisters. Of course they're asfallible as much as I am (ok, less, I hope, for their sake),but they have those years of experience I respect andwant to learn from. I've never met someone here whowasn't willing to share that experience with me, let melearn from them, and welcome me as a mend. That'swhy they are heroes to me.

I'll now bid a fond farewell to those 4Bs. You've hada great impact on my life. I am sure that there are manyothers like me who will miss all of you. On behalf of allof us I'd like to say Good luck, godspeed, and remember US when the co-op resumes pass by your desk.

Editor-In-ChiefChris Foster

Assistant EditorMichael Hermann

Iron Warrior StaffMichael Ang

AJIison AnnanRyan Chen-WingJeremy EvesAudrey FaintAlison KudelkaRichard KuttnerAmy KimAaron LeibaDylan LuhowyAlex MatanCaroline Page

Advertising ManagersBrenda BouchetteBill GrayContributors

Rick. BarfootJohn FaberHerb Noriega

Kim WbitearJason WorryMichael Wony

'J. he Iron WarriOr is a forum for thought provokinginformative articl6S publ.isbed by . he Bnginoering SocViews expre.'llsed in TIleIftiiW are those oautho(S and do not aecessarily reflect tbe opinions ofEn Society.Warrior submissions from studfaculty and membets


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message from the DeanEprevious issues of Iron Warrior]you will find details of the success ofur undergraduates in the OntarioEngineering Competition (OEC) and theGreat Northern Concrete TobogganRace (GNCIR).

There were six OEC events; Waterloostudents won firstplace in four events, second place in two events and third place inone event. One of our OEC teams alsowon one of four ancillary awards. Most ofour OEC teams then competed in thenational competition in Moncton, NB. Asevere snowstorm delayed their arrival inMoncton by one day so the organizersvery kindly arranged for them to maketheir presentations on the evening of theirarrival. They won five of twenty awards;two second place, two third place, and thebest exhibit award in entrepreneurialdesign.

Our civil engineering students enteredtwo teams in the GNCIR, placing first andthird overall with numerous categorynominations. This and other undergraduate competitions are very demanding. Iwas particularly pleased to hear that our'first place' team was from an eightstream class which means that they wereon a work term prior to the winter termcompetition

Waterloo will host OEC 1998 and someof our students have talked to me abouthosting a GNCIR, if Chicopee is able toaccommodate the performance trials. I

would like to thank professors, alumni.and companies who contribute to the success of these and other undergraduatecompetitions. By giving your time and/orby sponsoring a team, you enhance theirundergr aduate experience and the University of Waterloo.

Maintaining the quality of our undergraduate and graduate programs hasbecome a difficult task because of provincial cuts in operati ng funds for universities.In my previous letter [Ed: to WEAL] Imentioned that the total cut in operatingfunds for this Faculty has been 14 - 15%over a four year period. Since most of ourexpenditures are salaries for faculty andstaff, a big component of our restructuringin 1996 was an early retirement scheme.One year after 35 faculty and 23 staff inengineering opted for this early retirementpackage, I can report that we have alreadyhired 20 new faculty and 11 new staff.

During the last year we have also hadsome regular retirements and four resignations (to take chairs elsewhere) so we planto hire another 14 professors and 5 staffduring the next financial year. I anticipatethat this hiring cyclewill be completed justbefore I complete my second tenn as deanon July 1st, 1998. When I started my firstterm as dean on July 1st, 1990, few of uswould have predicated the turbulence ofthe last four years. However, we haveweathered the storm well and the majorinflux of young professors bodes well forthe future.

The Sandford F l e m i n ~ Foundation4306 Carl Pollock Hall, University of WaterlooWaterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1The Sandford Fleming Debates were held on March 14, 1997.Winners: Jason Worry and Mike WorryRunners-Up: Jon Pocock and Anuj Kapur

RONEngineers Tooling up forCanada Day

Eric Suther/andSarah van den EndenVolunteer co-ordinators for WCanada Day 97

Ees the annual tradition continuing.Kitchener-Waterloo Canada Day iappening once again on the fieldbeside Columbia Lak . And once again,the Engineering Sod ty is giving theirbiggest helping hand by organizing theChildrens Olympics.

This day s one of the largest commw1ityevents in Southwestern Ontario, with overSO, XX) people in aijendance. t gi es us, thestudents of OW an opportunity to reachout and give thanks to the community forwelcoming us into their city and theirhomes.

A variety of events are planned for thebig day; activities for children of all ages, apacked concessions stand, a stage featuring local performers, and the largest fire -works display around. To run an event ofthis size requires many dedicated individuals. We need more than 300 volunteersto help with th operations of Canada Dayfrom June 30th through July 2nd. Thesevolunteers would be helping with set-upand take-down, or assisting with the chil-

drens olympics, tage help, cookiserving food ambassadorship, andty.

As a thank you to the many olua party is held after the final clean-si n n July 1st. This party is of epportions. n addition, those volunteign up in advan will :receive a CDay t-shirt to identify themselvesday of the event and to k P a a mto. Volunteers will also be given fodrink throughout the day, to take for a few minutes.

So, if you know that you're goinin KW arow,d Canada Day, thesome tim out to give a helping hcould be for 3 hours, or for 18. Whtime you can afford is time that s neFor more information please cClaire Lewis or Trevor Blaine in thneering Society Office, or Eric Sutat [email protected] be contacted ASAP Alternativto the OW Federation of StudentsOrifice and pick up a volunteer sform; it has a the information youFinally, be sure to attend the volu

training session Ju ne 27th atOCl350.Show this campus what engine

made of. Volunteer for Canada Day.

Waterloo Campus ActivitiC:isff@dean(519) 888-4008

Do you have any old presentations that you did on a work term but you think are worthless now? Will you have one next fall? Well, dig tout and dust them off for the SFF Fall Technical Speaker Competition. One of those reports could win you some cash. The presentashould be based on a work term experience. SFF doesn't require any form of a written report for the Faculty finals. Each departmeresponsible for running their own program competition during the first four weeks of lectures. The first place winner from this level advanto the Faculty Finals. SFF awards the Faculty Winner $200 and the other finalists $100. f you really don't think you want to enler, comout and watch. It's fun and you may want to try it yourself after seeing others in action. For more details contact your undergraduate offithe Foundation, or Prof. John Wright, Mechanical Eng.

Funding for this award comes from your student contributions and depends on it for continuation.An organization devoted to the advancement of engineering education


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- Tonka 3A Mech

nd some people say engineersdon't have any talent... If youweren't one of the 400 people

their way to Fed Hall on theing of March 13 to witn ss livingthat engineers do have talent, you

ed out on a great show.The evening go t off to a great start with

Me's creative inITO, 'TalEng is on, soaround ", fo llowed by Brad Duck's

entertaining opening "stompin "We then had the pleasure of listeningJuanita Chiang as she sang in dedication

her graduation friends.Thi s term we had an overwhelmingponse from participan ts who wanted to

part in the show, and after pullinge managed to squeeze a 7

into the line-up. The first band tostage was The Change . They

of covers of

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TalEngCrow, Alanis Morissette and Tracy Bonham. Trying to mix things up a little, wethen listened to the duo of Pauline andDylan who provided us with some fineacoustic entertainment. At this point, itappeared it was time to tum the volumeup, so we made way for" Aya Trist",who brought to us some of their uniquesounds and mix of alternative rock.Later on, Smithie took the stage, andwith his 12-string acoustic and his eyecatching wig got the audience's attentionby playing one of the crowd's favourites.

This was followed bythe acoustic d uo of Joean d Mike w ho con tinued to get the audiencein the mo od as Fed Hallkept getting people in. Atth is tim e, th e las t fo u rbands were getting readyto take the stage and ge tthe a udience on their feetas the evening w as reallyh appening . F ir s t cam e"The Ian Barta Project"

who opened their set with a cover by the"The Hip". It was during this set that Oli,although he wasn't part of the main 1ine-up, took it upon himself to provide someamusement to the audience as he ma de hisway to the dance floor .. 'nough said. Afterthe audience was granted. the first encoreof the evening, 1 SheSays" took the stage.t wasn't long before they had the audience

at the edge of their seats as they rocked. thehouse with some of their own material and

a couple of popular covers.They too, pla yed. an encorefor th e now adren a lizedaudience. This led the a udience to get off their seats andfill the d ance floor to welco m e "T h e Spi ce Boys " .They playe d a set of wellknown covers that really gotthe floor movin 'n shakln'.Finally, after "Come out and play" wasplayed as an encore by "The Boys", theevening's closing band took the s tage .SOULharnmer go t the floor on a fes tives tate and made sur e to keep everyonegrooving until the end of the night as theypayed. an outstanding set of 60's soul. R 'n'Band reggae covers.

n short, this term's TalEng was a greatsuccess. The organization of the show was

what I call a "wicked. headache", but itworth it Special thanks goes to mydirector, Cheryl, w hose input and cobution towards the organization ofevent was nothing but spectaculawould like to thank and congratulatthe participants for their smashing pemances, and all those who came outsupported. the show .. THANK YOU

and Dylan, and then gave us ataste of their original work. Thewas then captivated by Moe's Cir

the barbershop quartet well known for" and

of Spain". Following werewho certainly heated

the stage with a terrific set of covers

-Mudbowl ...Wait, I mean SnowbowlMichael Hermann2A Systems - The Far SyDe

Pom the frozen tundra of Waterloo, welcome to the MudBowlThe tearns are just about ready toresume play. From midfield, the offensetakes the ball. RED 99 RED 99 ReadySet Hut-1

This past Saturday was the MudBowl.Oops, 1mean the Snowbowl. Yes folks, wewere spared the rigours of a muddy contest and were fortunate enough to play inice and snow. Oh Joy. But please don't letmy cynicism allow you to think weshouldn't have bothered.. n a term thathas been exceptionly fun, this eventbrought a much needed break to my highly stressed out life. I got to knock heads

with my fellow engineers and UW students, and playa sport I enjoy. What atim ,e.

Originally eight teams were entered, buttwo didn't have the bodies to field a fullcrew. So the challengers ended. up being3A Civ, 1B Civ, and 1B Mech in Pool Aand 2A Sys, 3A Chern, and a Science tearnin Pool B. Here are the results:Pool A

3ACiv-18Civ2-13A Civ - 18 Mech 2-0IB Mech - 18 Civ 2-2

PoolB3A Chern - Science0-02A Sys -Science 2-13A Chern -2A Sys 0-2

Playoffs3A Civ - Science 2-01B Civ - 2A Sys 1-2

ConsolationScience - IB Civ 3 0Finals

2A Sys - 3A Civ 1-0By looking carefully at the above res

a discerning engineer could, and shodetermine that 2A Systems won. Wcome to the Far SyDe

The organizers of this event, a fewmembers of the 3A Civil class, shoulcongratulated. for putting together an eing and fun day. Thanks to Mulder,vak and Vidler, we a enjoyed. it.


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RON ORESSeO ....The continuing legacy

TIe continuing story of the Engineering StudentSociety Council's of Ontario. 1 the term ESSCOstill sounds unfamiliar to you then I will give aquick summary of another article that has appeared inthis newspaper. ESSCO is figurative title given to thecollective thoughts and ideas produced by a1118,000engineers in Ontario, amplified and presented throughthe elected executive. ESSCO can lobby the government on tuition topics, set up business ventures for thebetterment of all Engineering Societies, or organizeprovince wide activities (e.g. Charity event duringNational Engineering Week).

This article will summarize the remaining projectsand action items that the executive need to be finished andhave been finished.

President:- document summarizing how each functional workgroup in FSSCO can work together to expediate solvingaproblem or accomplishinga goal

- working with Appointed Future Executive on establishing a symbol that will be sent to all the EngineeringSociety offices .- working with a Task Team Member on the Women inEngineering program indicating what each school is currently doing, what has done and what was successfuL

VP-Education:- creating a report back to the Canadian Council of Pr0-fessional Engineers (CCPE) about an education summaryindicating where each part of Canada needs to work on in

order to ensure complete Engineers regardless of theirbackground.- creating a report aboutall the differente exchange programs found at the different engineering schools so thatother schools can provide increased opportunities forglobal exposure to engineering.

VP-Finance:- updating the web page to include quarterly reportsfrom all the ecutive, providing an online budget, links to

all member sch ls and documents about all th initiativesthat the executive are working on and have finished.- working With Appointed Future Executive on creating

business pan to solve Advertising deficiences currentlyrecognized and experienced by all n ~ e e r i n g Soci iti- writing two installments of ESSCO new letter for allengineeringschools-completing finances for end of term- installing phone line system for .oice connectivity (viaphone) between all engineering schools that w n't incur acost to any engineering society.

Appointed Future Executive:- heading the creation of the business plan to solve

Advertising defidences currently recognized and experienced by allEngineeringSocieities.

- heading creating a symbol that will be given to each ofthe Engineering Societies so that each school and all students that use each Engineering Society office, will have avisible connection to ESSCo.

These are the tasks which are still at-large and will becompleted before the ESSCO AGM in June. On thenote ofthe ESSCO AGM, a brieg synopSis of the activities thatoccur at this conference would be appropriate. This conference is used as the passing of the torch between the outgoing and incoming executiV$. n addition, accountabilityoccurs at this conferencewhere all the executive membetslist off all the different activities that were to be completed,were completed and which ones were not completed. Afinal document listing off a hard copy of the accountabilities and future tasks for incoming executive will be givenout. The most important event that occurs is that the new

executiv is elt: :ted. Only delegates that attend the conference can actuall run for an 'ecutive position. The election of the members of th long-term d.i.rcction committeoccurs as well . This committee sets and provides longterm \'i1;ion and direction for the ESSCO body. Please conmct your VP-ExtcmaJ or ESSCO representative for mored miL.,. The ESSCO xecutiv encourages an one interested in running for a position on n t year's e ecutive toattend tlle ESSCO GM, but to contact the executivemember. hat currently is in the position f interest so as toget a feel for the type of work done.Please 6 I free to get in contact at any time with anyec men1ber at and we hope to a bunch of you at theFSSCO AGM on June 6-8, 1997 at Western University.Sincerely,

Julian WrightPresidentUniversity ofTorontowright@;ecf.utoronto.ca

l o ~ H a r v e [email protected] ShustermanAppointed Future Exec.McMaster [email protected] .mcmaster.caJasonWonyVP-FinanceWaterloo [email protected]

TalEngUnplugged The Coffee HouseHerbert Noriega TONKA 3A Mechrts Director

Tal Eng wasn't enough to bring YOli engineering talent, on the evening of Thursdayarch 20, we took over Weaver's Arms to present to you our own version of Ta lEng Unpluggedand Intimate - The Coffee House. The pltlce waspacked 1 think we had more people than legallyallowed, but oh welL), and surrounded with a wonderful, relaxed atmosphere. The evening's line-upincluded: ACapellEn& Joe and Chris, Dr. Mario 10annidis (Mario), Eun-Ah Park, Dave Elzinga, Fabcs, Mikeest Joe and Mike, and a last minute performance byCraig. This line-up composed of mostly acoustic acts

kept the evening vibrant and resounding with greattunes.Thanks to all the participants and congratu ations on aJ ltheir terrific performances. Also, thanks to Cheryl for herassistance in the organization of the event (we somehow

managed to pull it off again), and thank you to all thosewho came out to support and share the evening. The Coffee House was a great success.


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eetthe other youl ust before you think you know yourself, have a second look. But this time, look a little deeper than yourfleshy exterior, check out that mass of matter in youread called your brain. Those of you who took Psych101 may remember the colourful images of CT scansshowing what part of the brain is doing what; and thosecrazy rats braving electrical shocks for multiple orgasms,but who wouldn't. For those of you who haven't hadany exposure to the workings of your brain, it's time toreconsider who you really are. You are not you, scientifically you are your brain. What you do, see, touch, hear,smell ..all your actions and inactions are controlled byand fed through your brain.

Answer this question: How many brains do you have? fyou answered one then already you don't know the half ofiLor you onlyknow the half of it. Your brain has two hemispheres, left and right. They are independent of each othersmemories, functions, and existence. They don't even sharethe same artery. Each hemisphere directly controls the functions on the opposite side of the body, including vision, butsome cases allow for an override when one side is moresuited to the task at hand, like playing the piano.

The interface between the two is made possible by the or-pus collosum a grouping of nerves that allow the passage ofinformation and commands between the hemispheres. Ingeneral, the left hemisphere is deemed the verbal side(anything you can describe in words),where the right is the nonverbal side(pictures, symbols, etc . . Only about 5% of thepopulation has verbal on the right and non-verbal on theleft.

n most people's lives the left brain is the dominantn the side ..

Prove the existence of something you can't seeNew evidence has astrophysicist Ramesh Narayan,and collegues, claiming proof of the existence of blackholes. The new evidence stems from the theory of blackholes being the roUapsed remnants of massive stars. Surrounding the black hole is a sph re called the event horizon. The gravitational forces in this area arc just weakenough to let light and mattcr escape but if matter rontinues into the black hole it is lost forever. Narayan's groupmonitored four star systems, ca lled X-ray novas, wherematter wasbeing lost by a star to astronger rompanion. Itwas theorized that the rompanion was either ablack holeor a neutron star. Ablack hole would hold on to the matter, as would a neutron star, but the neutron star has aweaker gravitational field and would radiate the heatenergy away as X-rays. Observations showed four casesof X-ray novas where this heat en rgy was undetectable,chalking it up to the unrelenting pull of a black hole.The sky is falling The sky is fallingSince you won'tbe able to see this article in April I haveto tell you that a meteor shower roming This will notendanger any lives so don't panic, but if you haven't seenone before J recommend taking the time. This shower iscalled the Lyrids since it is located in the ronstellation ofLyra. Peak viewing time is April 21 and 22 at 10:00pm.Look 5SO NE at about a 160 angle and you1l see between1(}-15 meteors, not meteorites , per hour streak through

brain. This is due to the emphasis that is placed on verbalcommunicationand interaction in our society The left brainis logical; excellent for step-by-step thinking. The right brainis more abstract or symbolic, it has the ability to recognizepatterns and shapes Guess what the majority of engineersare: left-brained. This is good, except that since we are usedto using our logical leftbrain so often, we use it for areas thatit is not suited to, such as creativity. How many of us havetried to take a step-by-step approach to learning a physicalsport? Elbows bent shoulders straight instead, let the rightbrain, the non-verbal brain, take over and let it rome naturally. This is harder than it seems since our education hastrained us to overuse our leftbrain. After inhtitively solvinga geometrical problem a teacher says, Explain where yougot your answer from." This is the hard part because the leftbrain doesn't know, it has to look at what the right has doneand then try to explain it in words. Your right brain canremember every object in a room simultaneously, the leftbrain has to describe one by one.

Creativity is a very hot topic in engineering. Developingnew ideas or designs requires the ability to recognize a notso-obvious solution to a problem. Creativity requires ahealthy co-operation between both intuition and logicalthought. Most major breakthroughs start with imagery, amental picture of the solution brought on by the discoveryof a hidden relationship or pattern. Implementation canonly occur when the solution hasbeen put into words. Thetrick is to not think verbally. Draw pictures, fumble withideas in your mind, do not be limited by your verbal memories. Einstein put it best, 'The words or the language, asthey are written or spoken, do not seem to play any role ip.the sky. Make sure you're out of the city so that urban glowdoesn't interfere with your solace, oh yeah, it has to be aclear night too.Loo s nom, no bloodNo more talking about it, the age of laser surgery is here.The range of applications has only begun to be determinedbut recent tests and developments have named a few. Onetechnique involves a romputer guided X-ray gun that canbe focused on tumors, once thought fatal, in the brain andspine from hundreds of different directions. This overloadsthe diseased tissue without overexposing the other parts ofthe body. This eliminates the circular halo that used to bescrewed into the scalp to hold the patients head in place, theromputer adjusts with the movement of the head. A second application is the laser cauterizing tool, a pen-likedevice that will cut with the precision of a scapel but canalso stop the bleeding of an artery in less than ten seconds.A third application is the breast cancer biopsy. The biopsyis usually performed surgkally by removing a slice of 2.4cu. in. material to determine if it is malignant or benign.This leaves interior and exterior scar tissue, which causesproblems for the next exam, and about 80% are found to bebenign anyway. A new 15 minute ultrasound techniquewould eliminate the unnecessary sampling. Ultrasoundhas also been found to accelerate natural healing of bonesand muscles. In the future devices are being researched tofix:knee injuries, arthritic damage, and even has applications indentistry.

my mechanism of thoughtThe creative process can be broken down into four spreparation, incubation, illumination, and verifica

Preparation involves gathering the relevant informuntil the problem is understood. Incubation is the suscious mind working on the problem, you can OC'caSthink about the problem but there should be no pressua solution illumination may be a spontaneous evenmay come as a result of ronscious effort, but one or sesolutions may be determined. Verification is a logical eation of the intuitive solutions which can be then formuinto a grand solution. The first and last stages aredefined left brain tasks that you can learn in schooLmiddle two are not so easy to learn because theunconscious processes. You have to learn to let thebrain do its job without interference. Visualization shbe practiced, for example, when you're riding as a pager in a vehicle pretend that you are a bird looking dowas you move. Or, when bored in class, imagine that yoriding a roller roaster. These types of exercises help toulate non-verbal thought and, when you need this tythinking, it will rome easier.

The basis of creativity is the symbiotic relationbetween the left and right brains. Visual thinking givfreedom from logic and structure that is needed to denew ideas, it is logical thought that grasps the value idea and decide whether it is suitable for the task athan

Engineers are taught the logical skills to rarIible throfour page long calculus problem but all this can inhibthought Creativity declines as our courses focus on nuically quantifying our lives into a structured mess. Theis to keep a broad horizon and keep a multi-dimensapproach to engineering. t isn't just the educationeverything around you.

Yes, this fliesOkay, I know there isn't much space left, but I had

show this. This new design called the Boomerang, frBurt Rutan of Scaled Composites in California, markleap in the safety of twin prop planes. In brief, the riwing is 57 in. shorter than the left, the right engine(21Ois 5 ft. in front of the left(200hp), and the tips of the pare spaced 12 in. apart. What all this means is thatcentre of gravity is set 5 in. left of the fuselage so that ifengine kicks out the plane will still continue straight w

ost no adjustment. To top it all off, it flies more symetrically and economically than normal twins inclass. What should you get out of all this? Traditiostyles and designs are not necessarily what's best. In aof cases it is just the remnant of a convenient standthat industry has set. Stay innovative, look for every psible solution It's nice to see a little change every oand awhile.


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t Thursday, March 20, tvventyfour WEEP reps gathered for theEF Funding Council meeting,where roughly $50,000 dollars would beallocated. The result of the four and ahalf hour meeting was, just that, thefunding of $50,653 worth of studentprojects and department proposals.Have we and our WEEF reps then fulfilled the purpose of WEEF and theaddressed the best interests of undergraduate engmeering? Recently a number ofissues have arisen and old ones haveremained all of which might suggest wehave not.As our endowment fund grows, decisions made at funding coucil will havegreater and farther reaching effects. There

is an increasing need to ensure that theprinciples of WEEF are upheld. Thisrequires that we decide expenditure in afair and equitable manner while alwaysconsidering the needs of undergraduateengineering education.In order to maintain these principles, wemust be watchful and aware of anythingthat might oppose or compromise them.

Influence and inclinationOn the day of funding Professor Pick,Chair of the Mechanical EngineeringDepartment invited the WEEF reps in hisdepartment to lunch to talk about themechanical proposals. There should be little doubt in anyone's minds the intent ofthe meeting was for understanding.Mechanical WEEF reps gained a greater

knowledge of the proposals that mostaffect them and Roy Pick comprehendedmore fully the process that follows the

The us Push Flow ofConsciousnessike lleyWell I've just been informed thatthe KOOL 105.3 PM van is actually supposed to be called the"105.3 KOOL FM Burger King Star Cruiser by Ryan, and since I have no betterway to start this column which he has graciously donated to me out of his page thisweek, I think this is appropriate in moreways than one.Just so you know, this is anopinion column, unlike the lame news column which graces the cover of this issue.This is the real Bus Push column, which Ihaven't had time to write until now (sometime after 12:00am Tuesday), long after thesubmission deadline. Yes, I realize that I'mslagging my own article, but the first articlewas written to be published as a news article in both the Imprint and the Iron Warrior and thus had to be somewhat informative and PC. Now I'd like to share some ofmy own thoughts on the day. To be perfect

ly honest, I was a little worried when I awokeon the morning of Saturday, March 15th that

RON

uiding principles o WEEFproposals he makes. However understanding is not the only possible result ofsuch a meeting. There is potential for Pickto exerthis influence as a department cl1airor for it to be perceived that he is doing so.How can we address the potential forthis type of lobbying for funds by thosewho have the means and how can we prevent the perception that reps impartialitymay be compromised.

The issue is deeper than this type ofoccurrence it shows the need for the preventing bias. Because every WEEF rep is astudent here they are all affected by thefunding decisions there can therefore existmany conflicts-of-interest.Should we then restrict any intercommunication betvveen proposers and repsoutside of presentation meetings. Just asWEEF bylaws stop any presenter fromalso being a WEEF rep could this furtherend unfairdedsion-making?I do not think so; we must trust in ourrepresentatives to fulfil their obligation todecide objectively while still representingthe views of their respective classes.It must be ensured that follow the principles of WEEF in judging clearly andmaking evenhanded. decisions.

there would be no Bus Push that day as thewind howled past my window. However,once Ed. and I had made all our preparationsthat morning and the hard core Bus Pushersbegan to arrive and sample the free breakfast,my spirits were lifted as I watched approximately thirty of the mightiest engineers prepare for the ordeal which lay ahead. By thetime we had finished breakfast, we lookedoutside to see the sun shining. After a fewposes in front of the bus, we all grabbed apiece of the rope and began to pull ..and thebus didn't stop until Market Square. I mustsay that the spirit among the Pushers wasgreat and there was a camraderie unlike any Ihave felt in years. Memories of the Push willalways include that first hill and AC/OC'sHighway to Hell . After our triumphantparade into Market Square, led by the TOOLwith alarums of We are the engineers ," theexhausted team retired to the bus for free rideback to UW and a free lunch (even thoughthere's no such thing). Now, for the true purpose of this column. When it comes to organizing and running an event such as this one,many hours are put in by many people and I

Equal representationAt the first WEEF meeting of this termMicha I Worry voiced his concem aboutrepresentation of numbers. His 4B Electrical class has 160 people and he suggestedthat there should perhaps be two reps torepresent it.This shows the necessity to determinewhat equal representation means.If representation should match numbersthen by all means 4B Elec should haveanother rep. If it is by numbers in departments then E&CE barely falls short with28% ofreps to represent33% of students.I believe that WEEF reps should represent their classes in general discussion butmust vote for all students when decidingfunding.The rep structure and voting procedure lends itself to this concept.

Fund Allocation and Consider.tlionAn additional concern is understandingthe concepts what should and should notbe funded.Discussion at Thursday s meetingshowed the ambiguity that exists aroundthe principles of WEEF funding.

would like to take the opportunity nnw tothank all of them. Firstly, I would like tothank everyone who cam out to push Ih(.bus and raise mon y for Big Sisters. Despit 'the fact that they aU had work to do as well asother commitm nts, they till manag


8/20

ery sunlight cut through dark clouds ofdusk to herald the dawn. Orange and yellow offset the grey and things began to

The movement of the train jostled meinto what would become a la stingof my return home after my first year

university in the strange but tolerableof Ontario.I had finished exams a few weeks before and

of flying home my sister wanted to taketrain back to the West, so I travelled by train

I was really tired from school and irritable,wes t was like a certainMr. Men story I

when I was a child like the story of Mr.

very sad."Hello there I am Mr. Happy," one of them said{Mr. Happy)Hmm .. uhHi

It turns out that this was Mr. Sad. Mr. Happywant dearly to help out this sad fellow. Mr. hHap-py invited Mr. Sad to his place in Happyland. Theywalked up the stairs, out of the yellow door andfound the path out of the forest and con tinued thewalk to Happy land.

As they neared happy land. A very weird thingbegan to happen. Where before Mr. Sad's mouthwas turned down in a frown the comers of hismouth were beginning to tum upwards slightly.Gradually Mr. Sad began to smile a little. Mr.Happy was still smiling so there was no changethere, but they both began to chuckle and laugh.Then as they walked in sight of Mr. Happy'shouse they burst in to gales of laughter,

Let me tell you about it. Mr. Happy lived inas you might imagine every

was happy. He played and gardenedbirds that sang a cheerful, or happy,

lifewas fine, very fine.Part of Mr. Happy's happy life was goinglong walks which would vary in length butgenerally be quite long.

So then Mr. Sad was no longer called.Mr. Sad 7 lhe was called "that guy." ffr 7 1 rJ:: :: HI1 r::= til r .So when I was on the train I was tired and irri-table and a little sad. The muskegs of Northern ;1 .1.;: 1 l * 1 - ~ ' I , ,r,:- r : ~ , H 1J

One momingMr. Happy set out on whatto become a particularly long walk. He

out past his happy neighbour's housthere he kept walking out to the

He kept on walking.It wasn't a very remarkable day save forwalk he was taking and

strange person he was about to meet.He walked deeper and deeper into the for

the path slowly faded in totwigs and leaves on the ground.As he was walking and humming a

a yellow door in acaught his eye. Heon over to the door tohis curiousity. He

Ontariodid little to help that nor did he l r f l ~ T , 11 J~ ~ P ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ : ; ; : n ~ ~ ~ {7 J 1/' J ::;: -7 71= .u ]began to smile a little. I began to chuckle a bit t - r /-= I 1and even laugh. 11 7 .1 .J

When I got off at Edmonton and saw my r III :: 1/1 7111 = t J.[.=t- 1friend Jesse I was so happy.For the past while or 1-= 1 Ht 1) tJ z 7 r r 7 T n ~two weeks. I have been r I 7not well. I was surly and 1 r l l r II::: 7 /;--/- J r 7grumpy and worstly I was sad. r J ....JIt wasn't very good at all. l i t? I r l r l l = L-,7

How are you doing 7 I I... 7/17 :7R Y ~ ? p e o p l e w ~ u l d s a y . -II 1817JII 7.J-77 ~ I r r ~ 1Grr .. I am being.rude to = ; ;; 1 l rpeople." r"That's not good. Why are you doing ./ : ' ~ _7that?" J ~ , ~ ~ - = /

"Shutup "if the door was

and .. it wasn't. Stairs ledfrom the door into the earth.

Mr. Happy descend. In the kitchen he saw someone there.The person turned around and heMr. Happy but he was

I'd get up in the early morning and spend the daydoing, running moving around; in class, at work, talking,meeting, talking in meetings and go home in the darkness.Weariness aboundedand fell down all around me.

My shoulderswere tight and tense and I just felt unwell.Now I am okay though.


9/20

RO

The myth offourth yearBill GrayB Comp - Son of a BitI remember well my 3A term here at UW. That wasmy first winter term (not counting 1B of course,when I was just DumbFrosh) and I got to experi

ence the joy and excitement of the 1995 lIon Ring Stag.In addition to the ubiquitous clinking that echoedthrough the halls, I noticed that most people in fourthyear seemed to have something that I didn't (besidesthe ring) - spare time. They had tons of it They werealways in POETS, drinking and having a great time.Their schedules were ridiculous and they seemed to goout at every opportunity, not having anything else better to do. The phrase Buy three, get one free." wasbantered about with great pride, and people claimed tonot worry about marks because nobody ever failsfourth year".

Well, given that exposure, it was with great anticipationthat I entered my 4B Computer Engineering term.Although I haven't done 4A yet (that whole trip thing) Iexpected to be able to slack off for the entire term, drink inPOETS and make everyone else jealous. Was I in for asurpriseI should mention that I erred by picking two CSEs that(unbeknownst to me) had major projects worth 40% and45% of my final mark. But ignoring those (CSEs aren'tconsidered real work, are they?), it comes down to threeactual E&CE courses. One has two labs (427), one has aproject (437) and one has neither (429). So my completework-load for the term consists of two labs and one project. Piece of cake, right? I might as well reserve a booth atMcGinnis

I received my schedule with much delight - two classesa day maximum, with my earliest at 10:30, and onl 10hours of daytime lectures (plus a 3-hour night course). Noscheduled labs. And who goes to tutorials? ute is good,right? And it was. For the first month of the lenn, I wasout three or four nights a week, partying and having ablast. Then February happened. Just as I was ringed,something exploded and my life disappeared. It wasburied under a mountain of work For three straightweeks I was up until 4a.m. working on the labs and project. It is now March, and although both labs are almostcomplete, the project is still in full swing with many morelate nights envisioned to complete it. I've skipped theBomber's St. Paddy's Day celebration. I've skipped. myfirst Brunnie Trip ever. All to sit in front of a computerand work

And it's not just me. All of my friends walk around halfasleep, murmuring about databases, guided waves androbotics controls. Somewhere in there, peopl e are findingtime to search for full time employment, sometimes flyingto California for a weekend for job interviews. We arelooking forward to theexam period so we can finally rest.

Be warned that the myth of fourth year is just that - amyth Those of you in 3rd year, beware It is there, lurking behind the pretense of a sparse schedule and the tasteof graduation. Do n't be lulled into a false sense of securityby the promise of cold iron. Be prepared to work likeyou've never worked beforerd type more,but I don't hav e time. I have to go work onmy project.

enureMichael Worry4B Electrical - Omega Sector

H d an interesting conversation with a UofTEngineering prof on a chairlift. He was comenting on how he'd recently earned tenure."Tenure?" I asked, What does it mean when you havetenure?"

It gives you greater work freedom. You can'tbe fired.""Excuse me?", I'm thinking. Just what our educationalsystem need&- a system to completely remove profs frombeing accountable for their actions.

Whatdo you mean?" I asked.It means that if the Dean sits down at your table at

lunch, you can tell him exactly what a terrible job he'sdoing and not wony abouthim firing you."

Now a couple interesting comments have arisen fromthis conversation:

1) Why would somebocl.y want to be in a job where youneed a policy to say you can't be fired? People shouldknow they can't be fired because they are a valuableworker. Because nobocl.y else can work the way they can.Because they bring experience and skills to the table thatnobody else has. A policy is unwarranted.

2) Why should somebody such as a highly educatedprofessor care if they're fired? You'd think that because oftheir experience, skills and education that they would bein high demand- that they could simply secure a job at thenext university or company. Job security shouldn't be afunction of the company, but a function of the employee.

3) Why would you want to work for somebody thatwould fire you for voicing your opinion? I've lived my lifesaying what needed to be said. Certainly if my manager ismore interested in his ego than in the success of the company, then I'm changingjobsand selling theirstock short.

Just a thought.

ENGINE.E.RINGSO IETY

C D Exam HoursFor all your Caffeine Sugar, and Chocolateneeds during those stressful exam days8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.Monday to Fr'iday

We re not closed for the termuntil 4:00 p.m. on

Thursday April 24thWe ll be back for the Spring term

at 8:00 a m othe first day of lectures

' *', pQQIt I t / II1I09IM 'l2'/


10/20

RON RRIOR

Home For A RestAugust 28 - September 4 Cook Islands (and a bit more)- Son o A Bit

e awoke in the moming to aglorious sight. The sun wasshining, the sky was cloud

and the roar of surf was ever-preHaving traveled from the airport

our hostel in complete darkness, weto see that we were just

from a sandy beach, nestled in aof palm trees. All in all, our first

the Cook Islands wasThe Cook Islands are about 3200km

New Zealand, almost directlyof Fiji. They are scattered over a fairly

and have a total population of2{) xx) people. The islands are small.The center of government is

the largest island, Rarotonga, whic h cancircled by car in about 45 minutes doingspeed limit. The bus service consists ofbuses which circle the island constant

in different directions. Although annation, they are a national

of New Zealand, which basimeans citizens of either country may

freely between them, and NewhandJes all of the Cooks' foreign

Interestingly, we crossed the InterLine in our travels from Fiji

the Cook Islands and thus arrived thebefore we left. As an aside to that,

Cooks at one point were trying to havee Line officially moved so that theybe the first nation to bring in the

millennium, reaping untold touristin the process.The beauty of Rarotonga is truly incredi

A volcanic island, it is dominated by

the now-extinct cone which towers overthe surrounding lush forest. The majorityof dwellings are on the edge of the island.The island is almost completely surrounded by a coral reef, which tames the fury ofthe incoming waves, resulting in calmlagoons near shore. The constant roar ofsurf comes from the waves breaking overthe coral reef -- a truly spectacular sightespeciallywhen the reef is close to shore.

While the beauty of the island is undeniable, there isn't a heck of a lot to do here.Very little is produced on the island, so allperishable goods must be shipped airfreight from New Zealand resulting inexorbitant grocery prices, and even moreoutrageous prices at the various restaurants. The islands do have a local breweryhowever, which produces an ale and lagerboth of which are quite enjoyable, reasonably priced, and available in the grocerystore.

The majority of our time, however, wasspent sitting on the beach, reading andwandering about the many stores that linethe streets in the main city of Avarua.There are some unique aspects of the CookIslands tha appeal to the tourist mind,such as their currency which includes a $3bill and a triangular two-dollar coin. Themost notable image is that of the nativegod Tangaroa. This little fellow is the subject of everything from wood carvings topostcards. This is no ordinary god, however, since the standard pose has himproudly displaying his manhood. And hehas reason to be proud. Note that thiscaused some embarrassment when thedollar coin was minted with Tangaroa ono ne side and Queen Elizabeth T on theother.

Opting out of the cross-island walk dueto the heavy nightly rainfall (must be dueto their links with ew Zealand), weinstead took a trek to the famous waterfallin the middJe of the island. This waterfallhad been touted in every tourist book andpamphlet for Rarotonga, and was referredto as the island's only waterfall. After a 20minute bus ride and a 40 minute walk wecame to the waterfall. Or rather, where thewaterfall was supposed to be. Instead , wef.ound a rock face with some water trickling down it, with a murky pool at thebase. And mosquitoes. Lots of mosquitoes. I was left with the distinct impressionthis waterfall is actually a mean jokeplayed on touristsby the residents.

We also took part in some incredibleScuba diving among the wreck of a fishingboat, during which I was able to descendto 30m and achieve my deep-diving certification. And then there was the mightybattle between me and a coconut, involving a 12-fo.ot long iron pole, a stubborncoconut in a tree, a Swiss Army knife, abutter knife and a long iron spike stuck inthe ground for the purpose of openingcoconuts. It took me a good 40 minutes toget the husk .off .of that coconut. Whichmakes me wonder how the Polynesiansever though there could be anythingworthwhile inside one of those things. Thework was worthwhile, however, sincenothing quite compares to the taste of freshcoconutmilk and meat.Soon, however, it was time to leave. Itwas the end of my vacation. Both Melodyand I had very mixed feelings about theend. On one hand, we were ready to goback to our friends and familiar surroundings in Canada. We hadn t had a decent

shower or slept on a decent bed in monthand we were both craving a meal at ESide Mario's with unlimited salad. But tfreedom and relaxation that travel bringsquite soothing to the body and soul. Tthought of following the lead of somepeople we met on our travels and becoing full-time travelers ran through ominds. In the end, the homesickness wout and we began to get excited at tthought of finally rehuning to Canada.

Of course, as with any travel storthings were not going to be that easy. Fiwe had to get through security at the Rartonga airport, which is done by hand -x-ray machine. The front pocket of mcarry-on luggage was checked, and I wasked if I had a knife. I showed him mSwiss Army knife, which he took and pinto an envelope to be stored in the lugage comparbnent. Then he waved mthrough without checking the main copartment of my bag

Once on the plane, we were reassuredcouple of times that although the plawas painted with Pacific Air colours (Fiairline) the aircraft was indeed owned (amore importantly, serviced) by ir NeZealand. Soon we were airborne. The fhad justbegun

Having been up for only twelve hoursthis point, I could not sleep during the shour flight to Honolulu. ArrivingHawaii, we set about waiting for the plato be refueled for the next leg of our jouney to Los Angeles. And waited. Anwaited. Finally an ann.ouncement wmade that the windshield of the plane wcracked (must have been a stone-chip) anwould need to be replaced. As a resuour flight would not be leaving until t


11/20

next afternoon So off we went to the AlaMoana Hotel where we feasted on a trulyincredible breakfast buffet before retiringto our lush 100m to watch thesun rise overthe mOlIDtains and then catch a bi t of sleep.All courtesyof Air ew Zealand of course.

After two or three hours sleep, wegrabbed some free lunch and rushed to theairport and to board our plane. We werethen informed that two mechanical failureshad been discovered, neither of which wassignificant enough to delay our departure

but both together required repairs. Ofcourse, the first part they brought for therepair was defective, and our total delaystretched to 3 minutes. The hour flightto Los Angeles was uneventful, but theline to re-book the missed connector flightsin IAX was complete mayhem. TIle idiotsbarging to the front of the line, demandingto speak to managers did not help thingseither. We finally booked our flight toToronto and went to the Airport Hilton forsome much needed sleep. The 100m had

,

RONcable TV. I had alma;t forgotten h w badcable TV was. But the sheer novelty of itamused us for quite a while.

Our flight wa not until Wpm 0 \ espent the n t day at Disne land, gettingback to the hotel just in time to have $25salads ( urtesy of Air ew Zealand) andget to th airport. The flight was packedand we were soon in th air hcaded forToronto. Since th LA-Toronto flight is notcon idered international by ir Canadathere was no free bar and I soon becambored as everyone el e around me fellasleep. So I figured, what th h , andasked if could go sit up in t he cockpit. Tomy surprise, I was invited up.After chatting with the pilot for a whilc,it came up that I was in Engineering atuw. It turns out he had originally been inmechanical engineering before droppingthat and going to pilot school. He had awealth of great storics, including one inwhich him and a friend put a bunch ofthose flashing yellow danger lights on thelightning rods atop the General Servicessmoke-stack. He claimed that the lightscould be seen from Guelph He also toldof him and a friend hosing down Waterloo

police officers from the third story ofHanmer Residence. We talked fromUS midwest, over Chicago and Deand into Ontario. I woke up Melodybrou ht her up as just we flew overand we were allowe d to tay in the cocfor th landing at Pearson. A fitting enth trip, 1 thought.

We, ere finally in Toronto, onlyh UTS after leaving Rarotonga. We pathrough cu toms with relative easesaid our good-byes. Melody went oGuelph and I into Toronto. e tripover. After tra eUing more than S XXblair, land and sea, 1was hom .

And thus ends my tal . As I approthe summ r, where Ishall make up myterm, I know that I am extremely gl\ vent on this trip, and I know that the eriences will be with m forever. I'd likthank those of you who have followedstory (especially the ones who ve toldthey liked it) and at the same time askple who don t read this why they fenecessary to tell me so. I've enjoyed reiting these places in mind. With any lI ll be able to revisit them in body one d

Next time you finish(Check one)

oooooo

ExamsMidtermsong Weekendong Dayong Nightonging for thatspecial someone

eavers Wesel e /1Arms SArCHhat RO.E. 1:S. would be like f h Dean was cool

Located in the W C R I Housing Complex 268 Phillip st Waterloo 884 6606


12/20

AposlasizedThe blue womb envelops me;I drift through the viscous fluid.It is cold but it keeps me w rmAll cozy-like. My security.T each toward the rubbery wallsU\at change before my eyes.Turquoise green indigo ...Shifting turning distorting ...It is decp ..anabyss.see the light

And crave its distancc.1am rotating rolling lilting;Turbulating I suppose becausel mThesourcc.It is catm ..serene.Iamfeta1In my swimming pool

Caroline PageEnvlro Chem Envldlous

Thin and fr ilWith ghostly white scalesImmovable nd pennanentMillions offingers reach outExtending farther for securityNaked;Stripped of everythingWithering of ageSurrounded by barenessWaiting ...For new replenished LIFE.

Nirmalene Chelvanayagam8 Enviro Chem Envidious

Female Figure and Wolf Silhouetteby onnie Chan48 Mechanical


13/20

RON

MBA? I learned more in EngSocMike Worry48 Elec - Omega Sector

During Grad Week I attended a lecture Laurier put onabout their MBA program One of the slides they put upshowed the following numbers:

Average NewGrad Engineering Salary: 38kAverage bonus for MBA 15kAverage bonus for Masters 12kTheir argument was that an MBA was worth more than

a Master's due to the higher starting bonus, and it was

Research project Prepar ing the bu ine plan for theCorporate Manager required many month of re 'ear h.di cu ion, and pre entation . Both execs and council.a well as Alumni and multiple group within theUniversity had concerns to be addres ed. When I tartpreparing bu iness plan for my own company, I l l ha ethis valuable learning experience to build from.Financial Risk Management - The large financesEngSoc manages combined with continuity is uesrequires a high demand for financial risk management.S.A.Y.E., Backup Fund and bringing thesociety from 6kin debt to 1 5k equity

integration and change i daily EngSoc life Thi termfa ilitated th EGAD meetings to look at long-termprobJems and growth opportuniles and attempt to sughow EngSo could continue to evolve.

EngSoc taught me skills that I could never learnclassroom. Leadership, Judgement, Motivation, Persion, Committment , Passion. These are the skills thatjob intervie""s, carve areers and build empires. I tLaurier's little chart would read better as follows:

Average NewGrad Engineering Salary.Average bonus for MBAAverage bonus for Masters Average bonus for heavy extra-curricular activitiesDon't sell yourself short. Be more than normaL

involved in your life.

worth spending a year to increase your starting salary by Managing Integration Change - This i probably the15k. I disagreed with them for three reasons. First off, largest single issue facing EngSoc. Trying to run abecause of my high extra-curricular involvement, I have society with changing members every four months, andjob offers on the order of 6Ok. Second, after a year of work changing exec every sixteen months is difficult in i sel f.experience I would expect more than a 15k increase in Combine that with a dynamic, student population thatsalary. Third, their numbers entirely assume that gradu- comes from a wide range of backgrounds and managingates will be working for somebody else. I asked the pre- .senter for the value of this program for Entrepreneurs. The E&CE 4presenter pointed to the valuable course topics. As he list-ed off each course I fotmd myself comparing the topics tothe skills EngSochas taught me.Strategic Management - A member of EngSoc Executive has to deal with a wide variety of issues from manydifferent facets of the University. Getting anything doneamong all the politics requires a high degree of strategyMarketing. Back in my first term as VP-Finance it wasdecided to raise the EngSoc fee. I spent a great deal oftime "Marketing" all the services and learning opportunities that EngSoc offers. Through all the pamphlets,posters and class presentations I found it is difficult toconvince people to part with even a few dollars. In theend, the customer was convinced and the "sale" wasmade. The organizers of every event including CanadaDay, Bus Push or Explorations has to figure out how toencourage people to attend.Accounting When I started as VP-F, I was presentedwith "the box". A more-or-Iess random combination ofchecks, receipts and bank statements. I quickly had toleam accounting principles as I computerized aLI therecords. By the end of term, balance statements, cashflow statements and budget updates could be producedwith a few mouse clicks. A most valuable learningexperienceOrganizational Behaviour This course tries to teachmanagers how to motivate and organize employees withdiffering human traits. EngSoc is organized by students,and trying to encourage volunteers to become involved,while they are facing academic time pressures is noteasy. Further attempting to maintain communication,continuity and accountability requires a great deal ofOrganizational Behaviour.Financial Management During my two and half yearsof VP-F I was respon ibJe for a cash flow of over threequarters of a million dollar. Every director is given abudget to manage. From collecting advertising for theJW, to getting 80k in Corporate sponsor hip for CCES, toassisting with the C&D, EngSoc offers many chances tolearn Financial Management.

Just Don t o ThereMichael Worry48 Electrical - Omega Sector, , un off your computer. Put away your cal-

culator. Shelve all your reference material.Remove anything else that you might use

during a working day. Your manager slaps down apiece of paper on your desk. Across the top is reads:

Prove the Convergence Theorem of the Cardinal Seriesusing the CauchySchwartz Lerruna."Your manager continues, Answer the question. Weneed this proof for a new product we're releasing. Youwill not be permitted to consult with your colleagues, normake use of any references or aids. If you get it wrong youwill not make senior designer and if you get it wrongagain you will be fired. It took the inventorhis entire adultlife to prove this formula, you have tvventy minutes."Does this situation seem just unrealistic? Maybe just alittle?

Of course In real life a supervisor would never ask youto solve a problem,and then remove every tool that couldpossibly assist. Neither would a superior discourage youfrom consulting with colleagues, as the best ideas are bornfrom groups. Nor would a manager demand you regurgi-tate inapplicable proofs under strict deadlines with threatsof dismissaLSo why then do we put up with this same situation inUniversity? Isn't school supposed to prepare us for thework force? I will graduate from University as a well educated and well rounded Engineer. Yet I estimate I velearned over 80% of my applicable technical knowledgeon work terms. And the well-rounded description sternsentirely from my extra-curricular activities, not someCSE's.

The test description above is paraphrased from myE&CE 411 course. It was a pathetic waste of time- entirelytheoretical with tests of sheer regurgitation. I spent tJipleth.e time studying for this course than any other that term,and it certainly damaged my grades in other courses. Butwhen it came down to the wire it didn't matterhow much

time I devoted, the knowledge wouldn't stick becausebeliefs on the value of education fundamentally disagrwith this course. I should be fair and say that some peenjoyed the course. Some people en joy solving napplicable theoretical problems. I should also saymost people blame th eprof rather than the courseleave that comment at that.

Needless to say, I failed the course. What truly surprme is I didn't care. Understand that I am not somebthat loses. Understand that the rest of my marks that tranged from 80-95%.

My entire life I have made observations, consultedcolleagues, decided what is the right thing to do, and dit. Sometimes I surprise myself with what I can accpli..'lh by sheer wiUfX>WI'J .md pa.'lI ion. 'Ihiil was my plem with E&CE 411. L bseJVl'tl tht' prof collJdn't tCilobserved the mat >riul to be inr'ppli 'abl . I d< kkcourse was useless. No amount of studying mlldcom that.J am writing this article to those students 'till intrenches. I have tvvo points to ptlSS on (rom this adv 'ntFirst, decide what is useful and follow y ur instincts.made a conscious effort to improve your mind wh nvoluntarly cnti red University. Mak sure your classesindeed providing you with what you think is useful.ond, recognize the strength of your own beliefs. [(believe you wiU succccd in life there is little that canvent you. &]ually though, if you believe you will fajl,already have.

It's too bad 1didn't recognjz thic; sooner and chcourses out of E&CE 4] LMany JX>opl did this, for atime the standing joke in Ihc class was that the orequired reading was th course calender. Myself, Itoo bloodystubbom to admit defeat. What I rcaJ.i.ze nothat it wac;n't a battle worth winning.

Funny how in failing, and evaluaLing that failuleamed more applicable life knowledge than I could hby passing. If defeat is a self-fulfilling prophecy, is ithen also success?


14/20

RON RRIOR

Europe: A Nice Place to Live, but I Wouldn t Want to VisitRick Barfoot4BSYS FYSH)

To travel, is to live ..- Hans Christian Anders on

.Ai he end-of-term nears, Tknow that many ofyou are busy making travel plans beforeeginning the next workterm, your career, oryour next school term. And so you should. Travelling,whether it be to a distant African nation, or to a tinycommunity just outside of Waterloo city limits, allowsyou to leave behind the preconceptions of what shouJdand shouldn't be in your daily life here in Waterloo. Ifyou're like me, you can pretty much cruise W1 onauto-pilot, not stopping to consider why things are theway they are. When in an environment that .is unfamiliar, you tend to notice things that would otherwisego unnoticed in your home setting. When I travel, mysenses are on high-alert. Often I find myself noticingstrange things when I'm away only to realise upon

returning that the strange thing was right thereunder my nose the whole time, I just hadn't noticed it.When I return to Canada, I always reaffirm that it's thegreatest country in the world. Sometimes, I tend toforget...

Europe tends to be a popular destination, but I urge youto consider other possibilities. Not that there's anythingwrong with Europe. They've got lots of old stuff, generally tolerant people in most places), hord es of tourists, similar culture/lifestyle to our own, and weil, you don't quitehave to give away your first-born to do and see somegood things. Let's face it, Euro pe is for the timid. If you'vealways had your heart set on Europe, go for it - you won'tbe disappointed (except maybe for Paris, which I think istotally over-rated). But for those of you that can surviveanother year without seeing Europe, Isuggest that you look at a world mapand choose a destination a little morecolourful Nothing is more exciting andinvigorating than strapping on a packwith a few meagre possessions and travelling into the complete unknown.

So in my 3A term, I decided that Iwould take a year off from chool tomake some cash and finance my solotravels around the world. My initialplans were grandiose: New Zealand -Australia - Southeast Asia - Middle EastNorth Africa - Continental Europe -British Isles, but my final itinerary:

they got the same shit over there that they do here, onlythere, it's a little different".

Being a six-foot-something tall WASP, I stuck out like asore thumb. I've never been a visible minority, and it wasan interesting experience being the only white guy on thebus, the only white guy in the cinema, the only white guyin the town, you get the idea. 1his sometimes led to interesting, ego-feeding situations such as having my bodymanuallyexamined" in the public market, being asked topose for photos, having my nose touched, being compli

mented on my white skin (I was trying my damnedest toget a dark tan, the locals were trying to lose theirs ) a nd, onone particular occasion being asked to breed with thelocals to make them taller (I'm NOT joking). In this part ofthe world, I urge you to travel on your own, at least initially. If you find that you need to travel with someoneelse, you can find someone along the way. I met so many.fun and friendly people (mostly Europeans) while travelling. It became less important what I was doing or seeing(there is more to see than you can ever possibly hope torealistically see) and more important with whom I wasshari ng experiences. I recall bumping into a lovely Dutchcouple that I had met the previous week, never expectingto ever see them again in my life. They mention ed a volcano on another island that they were planning to climband asked if I was interested in joining them. "Sure, whynot? " When travelling, it is most important to keep anopen mind and be ready to drastically alter your planswhen opportun ities arise.Most Commonly Asked Questions About My Travels:

Q. Where did you stay?A. In Indonesi a, I stayed mainly in losmen (guest

houses) which are budget accomodations, but generallyquite clean and comfortable. Prices vary depending uponwhere you are in the country. Don't expect any frills, buttrust me, if you're travelling for awhile, you will become

accustomed to cold showers and"squatt er" toilets. It's all part of theexperience Incidently, have youever considered how many treeswe flush down the toilet in thiscountry, not to mention the chemicals we dump in the water fromtreating the toilet paper? Imaginethe environmental impact if a country such as Indones ia (pop. 300mil-lion) was to start using toilet paperon a regular basisQ. Did you ever have any problems with your gear getting rippedoff?A. You alway s have to be care-ful, more in some places than others. Like everywhere, the big citiestend to attract the bad apples, so beextra cautious. I usually locked upmy pack with a small lock and thenanchored it to a bed frame or something with a cable lock. In threemonths of travelling in South-eastAsia, on all modes of transportationand in many different situations, Inever once had a problem.

Singapore - Philippines - West MalaysiaIndonesia - Europe more than sufficed.In total, I spent 3 months in SoutheastAsia and a month in Europe. The Southeast Asian leg of the trip was, by far, themost exciting and interesting, on manylevels. Travelling in Asia is an experiencein the strictest sense of the word. You areirrunersed in a culture that is completelydifferent from what you are used to,with a completely different history andphilosophy on life. Having lived inEurope for a year, J can say with someconviction that it's not that different fromlifehere. As a famous person once said -

While bt'I1tijilXltiQII is 110 Imlgt l widely pructiad by 1/1(1AI,lPk; if Knlimil/ltna,/ indonesiall Borneo), stretdrirrg the1111 S alld tnttooillg is am.


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ing temples, crazy jeep and motorbike driving, visitingtrange ceremonial funerals, attending traditional dances,

and even a little sight-seeing, "traditional-style" (museums, etc.). The important thing to remember is that whenyou're in a country that's so differentfrom Canada, almosteverything you do is a new experience.Q. Didn't you have problems with the food?

A In the beginning I was very careful with what I putinto my cookie-hole, but eventually I relaxed my fears.

RONt i to bottled-water ,hen you an, but I don't blame

you if you can't resist an campur (an il drink madewith ugars, fruit and condensed milk). Don't ask mewhere they get the water to mak the ice, but does it tastegooood. By the end of my travels I was eating food fromthe treet endors (I wouldn't advocate this kind f behaviour) with onI one very minor digestiv incident (I llspare you the details) in three months. I confess, in tilearly stages I was lured by th dark forces of Pizza Hut,

Dunkin Donuts and thelikes which run rampantin th Philippines, butafter the first week or twoI at only local food.Although I wanted texperience the local culinary delights, I had todraw the line at "partiallyformed duck embryoesin the Philippines and

fresh (as in, I-saw-itJ


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RON RRIOR

The half life of our educationael Worrylec Omega Sector

: en you drive a new car offthe lot, you immediately loseabout 20% of it's value. Howinformation do you forget theyou walk out of an exam?recall last term sitting in an E&CE acarep meeting where the students

to persuade the profs toclasses around midterms. One

put forward by a profesIf we rescheduled, we would go

classes and the studentsforget the material. When we

h ~ v to waste one class

to my feet and shouted acrossliDo you realize how useless ansystem is where stt,Jdents for

subjects in a week? Do you think,the same system, students have anyDo you realize what it sounds like to

you make that statement without recas a problem?/I Or that's what I

to do, but I didn't think VISA

would give me further credit for another$500 fine.Our technical skills are dated the

moment we leave University. In fact oftenthis knowledge is doomed from the startsince the University can only afford tosupply resources that are anywhere from

to 30 years behind what Industry isusing. The data that we're forced to memorize and regurgitate can be accessed farmore accurately by computer. The problems that we solve too often have predeterrrtined solutions. This leaves us ill-prepared to deal with a workforce wherethe answers to the odd-numbered questions aren't listed in the back of the book

So what can University teach us? Technologicalliteracy. I compare myself to myGrandfather, a brilliant man, but one whocouldn't begin to grasp the concept of theVCR Myself, I can sit down in front of anygiven software and pick up the rudimentson the fly. The most powerful technicalskills that we graduate with have nothingto do with p-n junctions, benzene rings orsheer transformations. What we shouldcarry with us is an ability to adapt tochange, a thirst to learn, an intrinsic curiosity, a natural creativity, and a driving need

the Wr ssSide

We ve got careeropportlAnities for

for achievementMany of these skills can be developed

outside of the academic framework Forexample, I recently had a preliminaryinterview with Universal Creative. Theywere looking for either Mechanical Engineers or Electrical Engineers with 5 7 yearsof controls experience. I was neither. Iexplained the controls courses I'd taken,but the interviewer gave little credit to academic courses. I recounted all my learningexperiences on my work terms, but itdidn't match what they were looking for.Noticing the request on the job descriptionfor creativity, I went out on a limb andstarted telling Scunt stories. It was onlywhen she heard stories about hot tubs,chainsaws and massive launch apparatuses that she phoned the head Engineer andgot me an interview in California.

The bottom line is, Scunt earned me thejob interview. The halflife of my academics was so short that my courses had little use, even when applying for jobs as aNewGrad.In speaking with a successful business

man about my career plans, he asked mewhat career I saw myself in five yearsfrom now. I started my answer with, lAs

an Electrical Engineer ../I, but he cuimmediately. What does it mattyou graduate as? I he asked. It'smatters not what our backgroundwhere our vision will take us. Ouground is not a wall limiting us tocll0ices, but a springboard to alloexpand our horizons. Education pus with the bricks that form the ftion of our career. However thmany cliferent ways to build a houarea of study certainly can opencareer doors. Yet the single largewe can open for ourselves is the aconvince others that we are capgreatness. Crucial to this plan is fivincing yourself.In order to provi de yourself w

self-confidence, ensure you develolasting skills from your educationthan simply memorizing. Confininself to only learning knowledge wakin to ignoring the possibility proofing your car and instead vowash it twice c day. Education shobe the filling of one's ~ i n wthoughts of others, but instead the of one's mind in its own powers.

EGAD: EngSoc GrowthAssessment andDevelopmentMichael Worry

8 lec Omega Sector

EngSoc will continue to grow andevolve with each new set o f executive, directors and class reps.However there are often problem solutions or opportunity plans that canspan multiple years. In the last fewyears there have been many long-terminnovative changes such as the C DManager and Corporate Manager. Eachof these changes took over two years toimplement from concept to achievement. Certainly as EngSoc continues toexpand and offer additional servicesand skill development opportunities toour members other concepts will comeforward that require long-term planning and vision. Thus EGAD was created to look at long-term problems andgrowth opportunities. Our steps wereas follows:1) Identify long-term problems2) Brainstorm potential solutions3) Develop realistic plans4) Explore growth opportunities5) Set future goals I must admit I'm impressed wi th the

EGAD thinktank Certainly I begatating EGAD with some ideas of mbut I can't take credit for the resultthe product of all the involved stuwould like to thank the future Enneurs, Innovators and Inventors ththe time out of their busy schedhelp plan for EngSoc's future.

The results of our brainstormisions is too lengthy to be includeIron Warrior, but I encourage youby the Orifice and peruse EGAD1. We also presented an overviewresults at the last Council meeting.

this report 1 because the task oflong-term problems and recogopportunities is not a productprocess.On cold iron I am graduating th

but I hope one of the EGAD mpicks up the torch and continuCommittee. As EGAD Chair thisfound it a valuable learning experifacilitate a group of such creative afident thinkers. I think EGAD reprpowerful group of highly creatinvolved people, and I'd hate to sthe way of the Avro Arrow.


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RON ARRIOR

What makes good university memoriesElec - Omega Sectorflect on my University years, and Iremember the concrete letters, theat-tub in the U-Haul, the chainsawthe auticals, the Pub Crawls, pool4th year room- and I started to

that be would prefer we didn tSomehow the late nights in the labs,lectures, and the projects don t standas positive memories- it's the special

that make University fun. Theevery ime I've heardaddress a crowd he tells the story of

Engineers stole and greased theBoar. Every ime people laugh.

y doesn' t he tell the story about thelittle Engineer that showed up five

early for every Calculus class?one that always raced home to

r got involved in extra-cur-

ricular activitie and certainly never and happy lumni. You get more bees Or maybe the two cell phones in the bmade a difference. Why? Because that's with han) than with vinegar, know what the on with th driver, the fact thatnot what sets the University of Waterloo I mean? doors auld be opened from the insapart. I figure it' our responsibi lity to Perhaps I sound a little bitter, but I've and the dozen or ' 0 people who knmake sure the Dean has good anecdotes been doused in vinegar quite a few times. exactly where we were and our preeverytime he addresses a crO\"d. ;) In all my shmts, have 1 e\' ry hurt any- schedule? And I don't know why the

I think itwill be humourus when I tart xxiy? o. Have I every damaged Uniwr- tub was 0 frowned on, I mean, besgetting phone calls from the Alumni it s our responsibility to that it was so much fun. In anDevelopment Office. I can just pic- dent, splashing water can be prture the phone call: "Hi PhilDover make sure the Dean has good hazardous eh? Apparently calling from the University of Water- week some t nagers found w100. After we spent the last five years anecdo tes every time he their Dad keeps his super soatrying to remove every last thread of addresses a crowd and not knowing it wa loafun from Engineering, we' re know ccidently shot their dog. It's tgoing to spend the next five decades bug- si ty property? o. Did I take safety pre- R ally. I read it in Policy 71. Appareging you for cash. Do you prefer Visa, cautions? Most definitely. While 1 was the dog is 110W quite wet, andMastercard or American Express?" being bitched at, did anybody ask what teenagers invol ed have been put onI'm not trying to discourage people from those precautions were? Certainly not. bation. Some reports indicate the dog adonating as Alumni- our degrees are only For example, let's consider the hot tub ally enjoyed the experience, but thworth the reputation of the school they incident. To transport Scunt Gods we put a reports have been ignored as tl1ey ccame from. I'm just saying in such a politi- hot tub in the back of a rented U-Haul . from people actually involved in thecal environment, I'msurprised the Univer- They said it was illegal for people to ride dent.sity doesn't recognize the power of a loyal standing or sitting without seatbelts. So I Al l in all, don't let the system getsuppose buses are illegal now? They said if down. It thinks it has more power th

we were in an accident that the only way does, and if you dont stress yourselfthey would know there was people inside over it, your University life will be mwas by "the blood running ou t the back". more fun

Simon- Tonka:hOUgh t ca me to mind as thenights many activites faded intone another. Talent. The talenttonight. In fact the tal-eng show.

or not to depending onopinion of engine ering talent. I

In fact, the engineers that I

have come to know.engineer myself and tend to

our of my day witham going to make a jump

talent to creativity here. I mustin my eyes talent is undeniably

with creativity. Despite whatlosing an everage of fif

duringengineering undergrad, there are still

engineers out there. How

someone's creativity anyway? Ileave that for a future time.is strange that creativity is such an

thing in engineering. Itcertain

talent. In someuum creatworld of non absolute

To me it seems it is only a matterfills this vacuAfter all nature abhors a vacuum. s

myself, it is occurring as we speak I

find myself in strange places doing, frompast experience, admittedly bizarre things.Ending up in the classic section of the universitybookstore after enduring a nauseating analytical thermo class. Contemplating reading things likeWar and Peace andLes Miserables. How long are those booksagain. Over one thousand pages each yousay. I thought I went into engineeringbecause I hated English and wanted to dosomething "interesting". All of the suddenengaging in non engineering educationadds a great balance to the highly technicalcourse content that one becomes accustomed to.

I have a great theory. Actually I can'ttake credit for it since it was passed alongto me by a fellow classmate (thanks Brad).It goes something like this. A universityshould take into account any time that youspend educating yourself, whether in classor out. In addition the subject mattedwould be completely at the students discretion All those hours spent learning toplay the guitar or reading about MartinLuther King Jr. should be counted towardsyou degree. Sure your classes are stillfocused upon engineering, butall the otherthings that develop a well rounded engineer should be considered as well. That ismy idea to change the world . Well itmight not change to entire world, but itwould see a whole lot more balanced engineers out there.

In short, I would encourage all thoseengineers who have these bizarre urges toventure beyond the bounds of engineeringto do so. It will be a great adventure intothe realm of the creative and a well rounded preparation for life.

If you're always on the go take us with you.A pager from Bell Mobility is the easy and affordableway to stay in the loop.Bell obility

P P R O V I i O G E N T


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o(or six or seven .. ) years and you're finally done.Thanks for everything you've done to help make thisschool great. Us kids really appreciate it Good luck inthe future and remember to stop by now and again tosay hi.

Next 1'd like to send out a special thanks to ChrisFoster and all the Iron Warrior staff. You have allworked really hard all term and have put out five fan-tastic newspapers. Your hard work has been seen oncampus, throughout Ontario, and across the country.You've all done a wonderful job and I hope that you

Presidentpres ,spew

H Ppy Spring everybody Now that theterm's finally winding down and we're alleaded into a potentially rough set ofexams, I really don't have a heckuva lot to say. Ihope that we'll all do fine on our exams and be backin the fall for another great term.

First of all 1'd like to say thanks and goodbye to allthe 4B students. You've worked hard for the last five

V Internal~ p wKim WhitearVP InternalH ere a spew, there a spew, everywhere aspew,spew

Well, since my last spew was unbearably LONG, Iwill keep this one short-ish and to the point

First and formost, I must congradulate the Tal-Engdirectors and everyone who performed or helped outI don't care what anyone says ....Engineers have talent,dammit Over 400 people packed FED Hall for a mostincredible show The best part about it is that the play

VPXSP WJohn FaberVP ExternalH i everyone. Last IW Spew for the term. Nomore meeting deadlines and stuff. Wait I'mgoing on work term, shit more deadlines.There is very little going on for the rest of the term, soI ll make this very short. The list of people going to

continue to contribute to the Iron Warrior in one wayor another in future terms.

On the administrative side of things, the Orifice willbe open extra late this term. The Orifice will be openfor business until Friday, April 18. So if you need tobuy your mom a t-shirt for Mothers Day or need tograb copies of old exams in a fruitless effort to pass

Jist was so long that Tal-Eng #2 was created (''Tal-Engunplugged) for the following Thursday

Also, Bus Push on Saturday was chilly, but greatThanks to the cUredorsand all the participants.

As I am writing this, LEGO Day is happening inPOETS .... it's scary when you combine a bunch ofWaterloo engineering with trays full of LEGO By thetime you read this, Brunny Trip and Mud Bowl willhave alreadyhappened as well

Well, that' s it for now. As the term is winding downto an end, I am tying up all of the loose ends regardingcfuectorships (hint, hint...I need those cfuector reports).f you are thinking of being a cfuector next term, fill out

a form in the Orifice Plans are underway for a newcUredors meeing before the end of this term to set theBlotter now for Fall term. After one term on exec.already, I have leared the ins and outs of the job andam now fully prepared to work on all of the planningand organization over work term

FSSCO AGM will be up on Monday. Thanks to everyone who applied. It's nice to have a choice sometimes.For those of you who didn't make it, there are a lot ofconferences coming up next term. Be sure to appl y forone of those.

I guess I should say something about this term. Letme tell you it hasn't been a picnic. n fact its been ratherstressful. Here's to having a lot more fun next term. Ithink I'm going to make that my goal for next term. Togo out and make everyone have as much fun as possi-ble. I think its a good goal.

That's all folks.Fabes

e wsyour own, we'll be there for you. Also, the C&D wilopen for your regular caffeine fix until Friday, AprilSo don't forget to run by the C&D on study breaks aget your caffeine and sugar fixes, all at once. Remeber that both the Orifice and the C&D will be closedGood Friday (March 28 .

While you're on work term, keep a few thingsmind. There's going tobe a Joint Council sometimethe summer [Ed: June 22], so keep your eyes out fomailout letting you know all about it. Also, make syou sign the work term address Jist in the Orificethat we can get a hold of you during the summer ifneed to.

Well, that's all I have to say for now. It's been a bia rough term, but I think I've got the hang of it noMake sure you do well on your exams so you c

the iron warrior: volume 10, issue 5

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