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(June 14, 2001, Gazette)

Schools to benefit from art program
Seven schools in the province will participate in this year’s Artists in the Schools program offered by the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador. A professional artist will spend a week in each school, working with selected students on an intensive art project, from research to production. Other students have a chance to watch and discuss the projects as they develop, learning from the creative process and the work involved in making a career as a practicing artist.

Grants for researchers in residence
The Daniel Langlois Foundation for Art, Science and Technology is launching a program of grants for researchers in residence. With this new program, the foundation hopes to foster critical thinking about how technologies affect people and their natural and cultural environment. The program offers two grants every year to enable researchers to work in the foundation’s collections at the Centre for Research and Documentation (CR+D) in Montreal. The CR+D’s mandate is to document history, artworks and practices associated with electronic and digital media arts and make this information available to researchers in an innovative manner.

The research residencies run from three to six months and must be completed between Jan. 1, 2002, and December 31, 2002. Each researcher will receive a fee of $5,000. For researchers who do not live in or near Montreal, living and research expenses of up to $10,000 will be covered. The grants are not renewable. The deadline for applications is Aug. 31, 2001.

For more information, see www.fondation-langlois.org/e/programmes/bourses.html

Motor City mania
The engineering students who participated in the Formula SAE event in Pontiac, Michigan, are back on track after their first experience as Memorial University’s representatives in the race car designing, building and racing competition. The 12-member team spent the past two years fund-raising, creating and testing their vehicle, and it all came together May 16-20.

Though it finished 91 out of 126 universities competing, the Formula MUN car garnered several smaller successes, including passing technical inspection on its first try and participating in all events.

Team member Gilles Gardner reported the team was thrilled to learn that the Big Three automakers who sponsor the event perceive it as an opportunity to harvest the next generation of motor sports engineers.

The team plans to spend the summer experimenting with the vehicle in preparation for next year’s event.

Summer tours at IMD
The Institute for Marine Dynamic’s summer tour program is starting again. Located on Memorial’s St. John’s campus, the IMD offers tours of its facilities for all members of the public. On a tour, visitors will see how model computer-designed icebreakers, oilrigs and production platforms like Hibernia and Terra Nova are built and tested for their sea-worthiness. See the world’s largest ice tank and a model ocean that simulates true environmental conditions. Tours are free Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the months of June to August. For more information or to book a tour, call 772-4366.

Appointments confirmed by Board
Dr. Michael Collins was appointed as Memorial’s associate vice-president (academic), June 1, 2001. The appointment was approved at the May 29, 2001, meeting of the university’s Board of Regents. In addition, the board approved the appointment of Dr. James Black as interim dean of arts, effective July 1, 2001.

The associate vice-president (academic) is responsible to the vice-president (academic) for the development and maintenance of the academic policies of the university and for sharing leadership in designated aspects of academic administration and will be especially involved in academic programming and collaboration.

Saudi delegation visits campus
The second-in-command from Saudi Arabia’s most prestigious technical educational institution visited Memorial’s St. John’s campus last week – the first such visit from a representative of the school.

Dr. Khedair Saud Al-Khedair, vice-rector of academic affairs for King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, visited Memorial in conjunction with the university’s ongoing Oil and Gas Development Partnership. The purpose of Dr. Al-Khedair’s visit was to identify opportunities for collaborations between Memorial University and King Fahd University, such as student and faculty exchanges, faculty sabbaticals, and industry affiliations. He toured facilities at the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, the Department of Earth Science, the Marine Institute, and the National Research Council’s Institute for Marine Dynamics. He also met with officials from the Engineering, Business, Computer Science, and Genesis Group.