New $120 Million General Motors of Canada Automotive Centre of Excellence Launched at UOIT

The establishment of a unique new General Motors of Canada Automotive Centre of Excellence at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) took the next step towards reality today with more than $120 million in contributions from General Motors of Canada and the PACE partnership, the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada.

The new GM of Canada Automotive Centre of Excellence will be the hub of the broader Automotive Innovation Network linking automotive engineers, auto suppliers and Canadian universities. When completed, the centre will house state-of-the-art research and development tools in the areas of vehicle dynamics, noise and vibration, thermal climatic wind tunnel, structural durability testing and the ability to accommodate future automotive fuels like hydrogen.

“Our vision has been to create a new advanced automotive technology cluster centered at UOIT that links together our best Canadian companies, universities, students and engineers with companies in the Canadian automotive supply chain,” said Arturo Elias president, General Motors of Canada. “At GM we believe that building new innovation and commercialization linkages is critical for our industry’s success in Canada and Canadian suppliers’ ability to use innovation as a core advantage for the future.”

The new centre will partner with PACE, (Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education) a consortium of companies with five partners GM, EDS, HP, Siemens PLM Software and Sun Microsystems, and 10 other PACE contributors. PACE will provide an initial investment of more than $C60 million in state-of-the-art computer based hardware, engineering software and student and instructor training and academic support. That level of support is expected to grow over time as it is integrated into new curricula. The Ontario government is investing $58 million in the centre as part of its $235 million auto strategy investment in GM’s Beacon project.

GM and the Government of Canada also announced further support in the form of a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) grant to co-fund an NSERC-GM of Canada Chair in Innovative Design Engineering, which has been awarded to Dr. Remon Pop-Iliev, an associate professor at UOIT. NSERC and GM of Canada will contribute $1 million each over a five-year period, in combination with UOIT's contribution of $250,000, to fund this key new academic position.

“By investing in know-how, the McGuinty government is bolstering the long-term future of our auto industry. The centre will help inspire our next generation of auto engineers and strengthen Ontario's R&D network that is essential to make this province the best place to create the products and jobs of the future,” said Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Economic Development and Trade.

“UOIT is honoured to have the opportunity to create the GM of Canada Automotive Centre of Excellence here on campus,” said UOIT President Dr. Ronald Bordessa. “This partnership is very important strategically as it significantly builds upon the foundation we have developed at UOIT for educating Canada’s next-generation automotive engineers, men and women who will blend technical knowledge and creative design skills to greatly advance automotive research and design.”

“This Conservative Government's commitment to the automotive sector, its workers and its partnership with industry and academia in the development of the GM Automotive Centre of Excellence is unwavering,” said Colin Carrie, Member of Parliament for Oshawa and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry. “This investment ensures the continuation of our community as an international leader in automotive excellence.”

The GM of Canada Automotive Centre of Excellence at UOIT will anchor a broader Canadian Innovation Network comprised of selected universities in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. Founding members of GM’s Canadian Innovation Network include McMaster University, University of Waterloo, UOIT, Université de Sherbrooke, École Polytechnique de Montréal, Université du Québec Institut national recherche scientifique, University of British Columbia and Auto 21. GM has also provided approximately $10 million in new R&D and design support for innovative auto technology programs at these universities.

General Motors of Canada (GMCL) is engineering and manufacturing advanced environmental technologies ranging from Active Fuel Management (cylinder deactivation) and hybrid systems to E85 biofuel and fuel cell vehicles – more than any other auto company right here in Canada.

Headquartered in Oshawa, Ontario, GMCL employs more than 19,000 people nationwide. GM of Canada manufactures vehicles, vehicle powertrains, and markets the full range of General Motors vehicles and related services through 732 dealerships and retailers across Canada. Vehicles sold through this network include Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Saturn, Hummer, Saab and Cadillac.

As an innovative university, UOIT delivers a leading-edge learning environment that uniquely combines academic knowledge, research opportunities, hands-on skills and a vibrant student life. UOIT's 5,000 students are taught by professors who are experts in their fields from around the world. As Ontario's first laptop-based university, the university offers a diverse array of challenging undergraduate and graduate degree programs. UOIT’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science offers excellence in education, high-calibre and value-added research, and high-quality and innovative market-driven programs in areas such as Automotive, Manufacturing, Mechanical, Software and Electrical engineering.

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Ridgebacks record first ever shutout victory

Twenty-four hours after being shutout in their second consecutive game, the UOIT Ridgebacks men’s hockey team flipped their fortunes with a 4-0 victory over the York University Lions.

UOIT starting goaltender Matt Mateja made 40 stops, 16 of which were in the third period, to record the Ridgebacks (5-18-3) first ever shutout victory for the men’s hockey program. York, who entered the game on a six-game winning streak, fall to 13-10-3 on the season and are now out of contention for the OUA Mid-West division title.

Dustin Turner got things going in the first period as he blasted a one-time past York goaltender Devin Ramasawmy, to put the Ridgebacks ahead 1-0. Turner’s goal on the power play ended a 0-27 drought for the Ridgeback’s with the man-advantage. Ramasawmy had been unbeatable lately and was named last week’s CIS Athlete of the Week, making 99 stops in wins over McGill and Guelph.

Marlin Muylaert’s squad seemed to be much more energized coming out of the gate compared to the night before, as the Ridgebacks recorded a total of 16 shots in the first period.

Much to the fans delight, the second period was much the same for UOIT as they logged 18 shots on net, creating scoring chances by out-skating the Lions and winning the battles in the corners. At the 16:55 mark of the period, Turner and the Ridgebacks' power play struck again as he buried a loose rebound to put UOIT up by a score of 2-0. Turner is now tied for second in team scoring with eight on the season.

Leading the team in scoring is Jordan Freeland who, early in the third period, streaked down the right wing and blew a snap shot into the back of the net, giving the Ridgebacks a 3-0 advantage.

With the York goalie pulled, Justin Allen, who also picked up an assist on Freeland’s goal, found the back of the net locking up the Ridgebacks fifth win of the year.

The UOIT coaching staff relied on the depth on their bench, with several key players out of the lineup due to suspensions and injuries for Saturday night’s game. Derrick Bagshaw received a game misconduct for hitting from behind just three minutes into the game.

In his 22nd appearance of the season, Mateja locked up the Ridgebacks first-ever shutout in team history. The Mississauga native had great rebound control and made several key stops in the game to preserve the memorable victory for the Ridgebacks.

After going 1-37 on the power play over the course of their six-game losing streak entering the night, the Ridgebacks snapped out of their funk going 3-for-8 with the man advantage. With Mateja stopping everything York threw at him, the Lions were 0-for-7. Final shots were 40-37 in favour of York.

The Ridgebacks and Lions will meet up again on Friday night at the Campus Ice Centre for the Ridgebacks final home game of their inaugural OUA season. The regular season series between York and UOIT is spilt at one win apiece.

UOIT Ridgebacks defeat Carlton Ravens in 5-4 Battle

The UOIT Ridegebacks defeated the Carleton University Ravens, 5-4, in overtime, to win the battle of the two first year Varsity OUA Ice Hockey programs. The win improves UOIT’s record to 3-11-3 for 9-points while Carleton’s record now stands at 7-9-2 for 16-points.

The Ridgebacks jumped out to an early 2-goal lead in the first period on goals by Derrick Bagshaw, Oshawa, Ontario and a short handed tally by Chris Lowe, Smith Falls, Ontario. The Ravens out shot UOIT Ridgebacks 10 to 7 in the first period as UOIT’s goaltender, Matt Mateja, Mississauga, Ontario, stopped all 10 shots he faced.

In the second period Carleton came to life tying the game with 2 goals in a six minute span by Adam Marriner, Perth, Ontario and a short handed goal by Jared Cipparone, Tecumseh, Ontario. The Ravens would then go ahead for the first time in the game at the 12 minute mark on a Marriner power play goal. The lead was short lived as Dustin Turner, Charlottetown, PEI tied the game one minute later to send the teams into the second intermission tied at 3 goals each.

In the third period the play was even as both teams had numerous chances to take the lead. The Ridgebacks went back on top with a power play goal at the 7-minute mark by Richard Power, Scarborough, Ontario. However Carleton would answer at the 14-minute mark with a goal by Justin Caruana, Orono, Ontario, tying the game for the third time.

The game went into overtime and lasted less than one minute as the Ridgebacks Shane Nolan, Enfield, NS, beat Carleton’s goaltender Jordan Wakefield, SpruceGrove, Alberta, with a slap shot to end the game at the 55 second mark of overtime.

Mateja made 30 saves for the victory in UOIT’s net and assisted on the overtime winning goal, while Wakefield recorded 21 saves in a losing cause for Carleton. The Ravens out shot UOIT 34 to 26.

UOIT 2 1 1 1 = 5
Ravens 0 3 1 0 = 4

1st Period:
08:58 UOIT Bagshaw (Power, Gubler)
17:31 UOIT Lowe (Brunt) SH
2nd Period:
01:30 Ravens Marriner (Cipparone, Mackie)
06:00 Ravens Cipparone (Walker, Smith) SH
11:59 Ravens Marriner (Cipparone, Walker) PP
13:0 7 UOIT Turner (Legge, Connolly)
3rd Period:
06:31 UOIT Power (Varty, Spaling) PP
11:59 Ravens Caruana (Macdonald-Depew, Higgins)
Overtime:
00:55 UOIT Nolan (Connolly, Mateja)

Next Home Game: Saturday, January 5, 2008 York @ Carleton 3:00PM CU Ice House

Here is a video clip of a fight between Dylan Garrioch (25 white - OttawaU) & Ian Brunt (20 blue - UOIT).

Academia 2.0

Finally indexed properly

It took almost a week but finally the blog has been updated in Google's index to include The UOIT Student Blog as the title. Now to get to the front page for 'uoit' then maybe I'll have some actually incentive to post useful information here. If anyone is interested in becoming a poster (you can post pretty much anything you want as long as you are a UOIT student) please email me. This is a great chance for all the photographers and writers out there to get a little exposure for their work.

Casa Pub : Leave Your Mark

Host: CASA
Time: Thursday, September 13, 2007 at 9:00pm
End Time: Friday, September 14, 2007 at 2:00am
Location: E.P. Taylors
$3 advance tickets
$5 at the door
Live performance by Chrisco Hype
Free Prizes All Night

UOIT University Of Ontario

Now this may have little relevance to most of you but I'm hoping this will serve more as a review of the school for students that are looking to go to the school and want a students perspective on how the school is, what it has to offer, and anything else they should know about it. I'm going to try and go into as much detail as I can about my personal experiences at the school and also an overall impression. Some of the things I'm going to talk about include my course (commerce), the buildings, the administration, the mobile computing (laptop) program, events, residence, and whatever else I'm going to come up with as I write this. I would like to hear your feedback if you go to UOIT or plan on coming to this university.

My Program - Commerce
Now sometimes when I tell people that I am in the commerce program they look at me with a blank look on their face then spit out the famous "that's like business right?". Yes its like business but it incorporates a very wide range of courses that deal with different aspects of business, economic theory, markets, math in business, building leadership, and making sure your company operates within the limits of the law. My first year gave me a strong understanding of how a business operates in a wide range of markets, how the external world affects the business environment (whole course), and many mathematical approaches to business. If you are looking to start your own business and want to develop a strong business background then commerce is a great direction to head in.

The Buildings
So if you've gotten this far then probably know what and where UOIT is but for those of you who are still wondering wtf I am talking about read this, it should clear up some of the questions. Although prepare yourself if you do decide to come to UOIT to receive an endless supply of question either exactly or closely related to the following: 'UOIT, that's that new university eh', 'Oh, the University of Toronto / Ottawa', 'Where is that?', 'Never heard of it', or 'Is that the one with the college?'. Now back to the buildings... The main buildings used by the university include UA and UB. This is were the majority of your courses will be held unless you are in Eng, god forbid. The university also has courses offered through Trent University and these are usually located in the college buildings. It is weird to describe them as buildings because it makes them sound independent from one another where in fact the university and college is basically one large building with smaller buildings built around it. The library is three stories of quite studying wonderfulness. Its an excellent place to go to get work done because there is little to get distracted with, unless your a book person (wtf?).

The Administration
From my little experience and interaction with the schools administration I would say its always been a good experience with no problems what so ever, they actually found my wallet for me whenever I lost it. Most of your dealings with admin can be dealt with either by e-mail or through their automated systems (tuition payment, course registration etc...). They are quick to reply to e-mail (all under 24hrs for me) and since the university is not as large as others they can take the time to deal with each individual case and make sure a solution has been reached. WebCT is the central hub for information from the university and your primary means of communication with admin, teachers, Ta's, and other students. Throughout the entire year WebCT has only been down once and this was at the beginning of first semester, easily understood.

Mobile Computing
By being apart of UOIT you also get the luxury of having a laptop with you twenty four hours a day, seven days awake. Sure the thought of lugging a laptop around all the time may seem daunting but after a couple of days it becomes more of a convenience than anything. I couldn't think of not having a laptop within access at almost anytime. Now whether that is a good thing or not is another question. The school is served with wireless virtually every where you go within the buildings. I have never had the experience of not being able to get a wireless connection somewhere on campus. The tech support are always very helpful and willing to answer any questions you may have. If something breaks they will most often fix it for free but if they do need to get a part for it then they will charge you a fee. The Rollback software has given lots of people troubles this year and they have decided not to include it in next years image which is a huge bonus!! Next year students are lucky that don't have to deal with that.

Events
E.P Taylor's is the campus pub and is always holding events during the day and at night all through the week. Check out their website for more information about what is going on. There is all ages nights but they usually suck so if your not 19 be sure to try and arrange a fake i.d otherwise you'll be stuck for going out.

At the beginning of the year CampusFest plays host to many greats bands including Cardinal Offishall and Hedley (not great at all but anyways...). I haven't heard any information about CampusFest 07' but when I do I'll be sure to let everyone know.

Residence
I lived in South Village for my first year and was happy with it the entire time. The security and front desk won't bother you unless you are breaking something, making too much noise late at night, or underage. Other than that your free to do pretty much whatever you want. Its a time to be enjoyed. That is all...

Hopefully this will help anyone looking for a little more information about UOIT.