Ring June 2006
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Publications mail agreement No. 40014024 No. mail agreement Publications JUNE 2006 www.uvic.ca/ring Business grad Spring 2006 sets sights on a Paralympic medal DIANA NETHERCOTTDIANA The only lines that UVic jump competition, where she Convocation business grad and Paralympic landed in eighth place. athlete Andrea Holmes will “I know I have it in me to allow to be drawn on her win a Paralympic medal,” says life are the marks in the sand Holmes, who came late into measuring her long jump training for Athens. She’d distances. never heard of the Paralym- Hopefully, those are more pics, in spite of a childhood than 4.32 metres, her per- filled with sports such as bas- sonal best, which ranks her ketball, track and field, swim- first in Canada and fifth in ming and snowboarding. the world. Holmes, born “Everyone has some sort without the lower portion of of weakness they must deal her left leg, is aiming higher with in their lives, mine just and further to attain her happens to be more visible goal of winning a medal for than others,” says Holmes, Canada at the 2008 Beijing an ambassador and motiva- Paralympics. tional speaker for lululemon “I have decided to train athletica and the War Amps full-time to be medal-ready of Canada. for Beijing,” says Holmes, Eventually Holmes would who lives in Victoria and like to do a master’s program trains three to four hours in Hong Kong and dreams of a day under the guidance a career that combines busi- of her coach, Ron Parker. ness with sport. “School or track, I give every- But first there’s Beijing, thing I have to attain a goal which could be something I’ve set for myself.” of a homecoming. Holmes’s Determination, focus and mother was born in China desire helped Holmes achieve and still has family in Canton. high marks in her commerce Holmes aims to visit them degree while training and after the Paralympics, hope- competing for the 2004 fully sporting a medal around Athens Paralympics long her neck. PETER THOMSON / ATHLETICS CANADA ATHLETICS / THOMSON PETER Gibson Hard work + talent = top of the class When it comes to winning formulas, English. “Maybe I didn’t put full enough credits for a minor in compu- the above equation is one that young effort into those two or something, I ter science and many awards, includ- mathematician Richard Gibson lives don’t know,” he laughs. ing a Fairfax Financial Holdings Inc. by. Gibson figures the last time he Scholarship, the Marvin Shinbrot Gibson, 21, graduates this month got a mark below an A was in Grade Memorial Scholarship, and a Corpo- with an honours BSc, a perfect GPA 5. It’s no surprise, then, that he rate Express Scholarship. of 9.0 and the Governor General’s graduated from Victoria’s Spectrum Last summer, he worked on a Silver Medal as the university’s top Community High School at the top research project in mathematical bi- undergraduate in all faculties for of his class. ology with UVic professor Reinhard 2006. Mathematics has been his aca- Illner. The work resulted in a scientific “I was a little surprised,” says Gib- demic passion for as long as he can paper that has been submitted to a son of the day last month when the remember. “Even in elementary prestigious journal for publication. office of the dean of science phoned school math was my best subject, so Gibson heads for a master’s degree to tell him of his achievement. “I I thought I’d just keep doing what in math at Simon Fraser University this was definitely trying to win it, but I’m best at,” he says.” I think it’s fall. Next on the agenda is a PhD and I knew I was up against some other the problem-solving. I like figuring hopefully a career in academia or in- good students.” things out.” dustry. He’ll miss his UVic intramural Gibson’s academic record is replete Not that it always comes easily. sports buddies—in floor hockey, espe- with A+’s, including tough third- and Although he sailed through courses cially —and he has some parting words fourth-year courses in combinatorial in his first couple of years at UVic, of advice for incoming students. mathematics, complex analysis and upper-level courses took more study “Manage your time well and don’t mathematical modelling. He seems hours—and sweat. “Math takes time put work off. I’m not a big fan of let- slightly embarassed about an A he to do, no matter what,” he says. ting things linger. Get to it as fast as received in astronomy and an A- in Along the way, Gibson collected possible. And then have some fun.” Holmes For more convocation coverage, see pages 5–8, 12. Super-secret census National postsecondary leader data assist researchers joins board of governors by Patty Pitts cartoons. “The 1901 census was the last The university’s board of governors Giroux held a number of senior Giroux is a graduate of the Some Canadians voiced concern one to use the term ‘colour’ and the has a new member. Robert Giroux, posts in the federal public service, University of Ottawa (BA in com- over Statistics Canada contracting 1911 census was the last one to use a prominent advocate for higher including secretary of the Treasury merce, MA in economics). He has the Canadian division of U.S. com- ‘crazy or lunatic,’ for example,” says education in Canada, has been Board, comptroller general, presi- received honorary degrees from pany Lockheed Martin to supply Baskerville. “If a user of our public appointed to the board by the pro- seven universities, including UVic scanners to read some forms in last samples wants to understand the vincial government for a three-year (in 2004). month’s national census. meanings behind such usage we term, effective July 1. In other board of governors But the Canadian government provide data from debates of the Giroux brings to the board news, Victoria business executive used American technology to help time in machine-readable form. an extensive knowledge of the Peter Ciceri has been reappointed it crunch census data as far back “We’re also making it possible complex policy environment in for another three-year term begin- as 1891, says a UVic historian in- for users to compare, in a system- which Canadian universities are ning July 1. Ciceri is one of two volved in a national research project atic way, information across the operating. From 1995 to 2004, alumni representatives on the to make past census data available early 20th-century censuses. As he served as president and CEO board. for future public use. well, we’re providing maps for all of the Association of Universities The 15-member board of gov- “In 1891, the government used censuses so that the information and Colleges of Canada in Ottawa, ernors is one of the two primary the hollerith, a punch card tabu- can be analysed from a geographic where he played a significant role governing bodies of the university. lating machine, for the first time perspective.” in advocating the importance of It includes elected faculty, staff instead of tabulating data by hand,” The UVic team is responsible for university research in relation to and students, and eight members says Peter Baskerville of the Cana- entry of census data north and west national goals for innovation and appointed by the provincial gov- dian century research infrastructure of Ontario. Once completed, the development. He was also a force ernment. project. He says concerns over data are sent to Statistics Canada behind the creation of the Canada dent of the Public Service Com- For a complete list of the board accuracy and security remain para- for “anonymizing,” to strip away Foundation for Innovation and the mission, and deputy minister of of governors membership, visit mount in the current multi-year, any information that could lead Canada Research Chairs program. Public Works Canada and National web.uvic.ca/univsec/governance/ multi-university initiative. to individual identification. Data Prior to joining the AUCC, Revenue, Customs and Excise. governors.htm. “Anyone working on this project entry for 1911 and 1921 is com- must undergo a criminal record plete and will be available to the check and swear a confidentiality public in a format it can use online oath to Statistics Canada, which by 2007. regularly checks our facility to en- The $15 million in funding Inmemoriam sure it’s secure. Any data we send for the project (UVic’s share is to Statistics Canada undergoes $2.1 million) is from the Canada Professor emeritus Douglas Millar law school in 1987. Doug was the UVic law dean from 1985 to 1990 and military-level encryption to ensure Foundation for Innovation, the first Johnston died on May 6, having just founding Chair in Asia-Pacific Legal a longtime friend, describes Johnston the information remains secure. We time the agency has provided major celebrated his 75th birthday. Born in Relations at the Centre for Asia-Pacific as a wonderful scholar and a hugely operate on a closed network.” funding to a non-science project. Dundee, Scotland, he immigrated to Initiatives (CAPI) before retiring in 1995. engaging teacher who inspired a number Baskerville and his UVic col- “From a historical perspective, Canada in 1955 after graduating from St. Demonstrating a passion for writing, of graduates who are now themselves leagues are converting data from nothing can match the information Andrews University. Earning postgraduate he wrote over 30 books and 90 articles.