Friday, July 20, 2018

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• Victoria Chu named associate university librarian
• Remembering Chancellor Emeritus Josef Kates
• Mental health training opportunities available

Victoria Chu named associate university librarian

A message from the Library.

Victoria Chu has been appointed to the position of Associate University Librarian, Learning, Research and User Services, effective October 15, 2018. Victoria will provide leadership for the Library's user-focused information programs, policies, and spaces, including research consultations and services, instruction, user experience, accessibility, student engagement and outreach.

Victoria brings to this newly-shaped senior administrative role an impressive and deep combination of professional and academic qualifications. She is currently Director, Research Advisory Services Program at the University of California San Diego Library, where she has held both administrative and subject specialist appointments in Area Studies, International Relations, and Chinese Studies since 2005. Prior to that, Victoria held professional appointments at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Library, and the University of Toronto East Asian Library. She holds a master's degree in Information Studies as well as advanced degrees in East Asian Studies from the University of Toronto, and bachelor's degrees in Political Science and History and Philosophy with highest honours from McMaster University.

"Victoria's deep experience in leading user services and specialized research programs in several academic libraries brings critically important perspective to the Library as the University of Waterloo shapes its future in a highly innovative, research-intensive environment," says University Librarian Beth Namachchivaya.

At the University of California San Diego Library, she has been instrumental in developing the Library's research advisory services as well as planning for programs and space for data science, GIS and digital scholarship. Through her significant change management expertise, she has facilitated lasting and positive change in Area Studies library programs and collections, including International Relations and Pacific Studies, and East Asian Studies.

Victoria's extensive professional and community service includes membership and leadership roles in the Council on East Asian Libraries (CEAL), the American Library Association (ALA), the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS), the California Digital Library (CDL) Resource Liaison Program, and leadership of the University of California system-wide East Asian Bibliographers' Group. She has published and presented internationally at professional society meetings and conferences on the topics of scholarly communication and digital scholarship initiatives in East Asian studies, Chinese and East Asian collection development and licensing in the electronic environment, and library consolidations and closings.

Remembering Chancellor Emeritus Josef Kates

The University of Waterloo's fourth Chancellor, Canadian computing pioneer Josef Kates, died on June 6.

Born in Vienna in 1921, Kates fled Austria after the German annexation in 1938 and found refuge first in Italy and then the United Kingdom before being interned by the British government (along with thousands of other German- and Austrian-born UK residents) and sent to Canada in 1940. In 1942 he moved to Toronto and worked for the Imperial Optical Company, designing precision optics for the Royal Canadian Navy. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a BA in mathematics and physics. 

From 1944 to 1948, he was special project engineer from at the Rogers Majestic Company (now part of the Royal Philips Electronics conglomerate).

In 1947 Kates joined the new computation centre at the University of Toronto, the first such centre in Canada. As a graduate student, he became one of the leaders of a research project to build Canada’s first digital, electronic, general-purpose computer, known as UTEC (University of Toronto Electronic Computer). While the project was ultimately unsuccessful (the University of Toronto eventually purchased a Ferranti Mark I, imported from Manchester, UK), it was an important milestone in Canadian computing.

In 1950 Kates developed what many consider to be the first electronic game, Bertie the Brain, a computerized tic-tac-toe machine, nigh-unbeatable, that debuted at the Canadian National Exhibition in 1950. Kates obtained a PhD in physics in 1951, developing an electronic cathode ray tube for use in computer applications, the Additron tube, which he had demonstrated in his Bertie the Brain arcade game. The development of the transistor made such technology obsolete.

In 1954, he set up Canada's first computer consulting service, KCS Data Control Limited, named after its founders, including Len Casciato, who served as Kates' assistant on the UTEC project, and Joe Shapiro. KCS provided computing consulting services to a number of major corporations and government bodies. 

Among KCS's innovations were the first computer-controlled traffic signal system for Metropolitan Toronto (a world first), coordinating some 1,300 traffic lights, and efficiency improvements to the capacity of the Welland Canal. Kates also developed computer models for urban and regional transportation and land use planning.

A Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada, Kates was appointed to the Science Council of Canada in 1968 and chaired that body from 1975 to 1978. He also served on the boards of the Canadian Society for the Weizmann Institute, Canadian Technion Society, and new Mount Sinai Hospital.

Named the fourth chancellor of the University of Waterloo in 1979, Kates succeeded Carl A. Pollock. His reputation as a distinguished scientist, science booster, and computing pioneer brought a definite cachet to the University of Waterloo as it was establishing its global reputation. As Chancellor he was a very dignified presence at Convocation ceremonies. 

He served as Chancellor until 1985, when he was succeeded by J. Page Wadsworth.

Kates was predeceased by two wives, Lillian Kates and Kay Hill, and his son Philip, and is survived by three children including son Louis, a University of Waterloo Systems Engineering graduate.

Kates was 97.

Photo courtesy of the University of Waterloo's Special Collections & Archives. Thanks to Scott Campbell and Ken McLaughlin for additional background information.

Mental health training opportunities available

A message from Campus Wellness.

We are so very fortunate to have people across campus that are passionate about mental health awareness for our students, staff and faculty. Knowing mental health warriors can be found in all types of roles we wanted to reach out to see if anyone in our staff and faculty groups have the certification to facilitate a SafeTALK, Mental Health First Aid or ASIST training.

Campus Wellness is looking to our campus community to add to our facilitator roster. If this is of interest to you and it fits within your current role here on campus please connect with Tanya Andrews in Counselling Services at tanya.andrews@uwaterloo.ca or at extension 38487. We are very interested in partnering with you.