Archive: New

August 12, 2005

The call of Montreal

Katie Marshall

AITT student Amber Judge may have lived almost everywhere from Toronto to Trois-Rivières, but she says Montreal is her favourite place of all. “It’s multicultural,” she says. “You can explore different things easily…it’s kind of a melting pot of different things coexisting.”

And that’s what interests Judge—different ideas, religions, or anything else that gets her thinking. “Religion is not something I do,” she says. “It’s something I learn about. Spirituality is like that.” She’s especially interested in environmental issues and human and animal rights. “I think all life and all Earth is a sacred place,” she says. “I find its disrespectful when we use those resources given on Earth for our own means.”

While she started off as a philosophy major here at Acadia, after her first year she switched to music technology to fuel her interests in creative expression. “I’m really an artist at heart,” she says. Now, after a year of philosophy and two years of music technology, this fall she’s moving back to her favourite city to take Electroacoustic music at Concordia.

Judge is always working on something, from writing and performing her own songs on guitar, to painting and film. Right now, she’s thinking of creating an online gallery to sell some of her paintings—she says she’s running out of room in her apartment.

Judge’s work at the AITT is like her interests; she works on a variety of projects including everything from helping professors with PowerPoint presentations to working on concept mapping software like Inspiration. She’s also been researching the relative strengths of blogs, wikis, and ACME for online discussions.

Although creativity and expression are important to Judge, her values mean more than anything to her. For instance, while she loves a variety of food (especially anything spicy), when she found out how animals raised for slaughter are treated, she turned vegetarian. Even her music studies are part of her values.

“I don’t want to be famous or to be a pop star or anything like that,” she says. “I want to use my creativity to promote awareness, make people think and maybe change, or raise money for good causes (if I make enough money to feed me that is!).”

Playing with cars

Katie Marshall

With his stylish sunglasses and shiny car, AITT Academic Computing Specialist and Kentville native Christian Taylor may look like a “valley boy”, but like the cars he loves, Taylor always has to be traveling onward. “The real thing about me is that I want to continuously better myself and move ahead,” he says.

Graduating with a degree in Computer Science from Acadia, Taylor has worked for Acadia doing computer “stuff” since he was hired by the User Support Centre in high school. He worked at the USC Helpdesk, worked on web applications and ACME, and developed software for Continuing Education. “I actually created the first system they used to deliver their courses online,” he says. During his student days, he also worked for the National Research Council at the Institute for Marine Bioscience in Halifax.

That’s not to say computers are all Taylor thinks about. He’s recently gone back into mountain biking, and often goes out for a ride during his lunches. But of course, his passion is cars. Three and half years ago, he bought his pride and joy—a 2002 Acura RSX with a custom subwoofer install in the trunk.

He has even competed in what are called “dB Drag” contests—where challengers crank their stereos, competing to see who has the loudest system. He prefers imports such as Honda and Subaru, although his eyes do mist over a little when he talks about the theft of his father’s yellow, customized 1967 Mustang. “To this day, he [my father] will not repeat the words he said when it was stolen,” says Taylor.

Taylor is busy here at the AITT, providing technical support, as well as project management and creation for all academic software development on campus. “I went to Acadia, and I feel like I’m giving back to Acadia,” he says. “You know you’re contributing back to the university and people are really using the work you have done.”

Outside of work, Taylor works on his software business opNexus, a company started by co-workers Scott Olszowiec and Craig Place. And he’s always driving towards the future. “I’m very career-oriented,” he says. “Everything I do I see as kind of a step to the next thing.”

Acting, fashionably

Katie Marshall

One of the first things you might notice when you step into the AITT bullpen is very fashionably attired staff member Karen Turner. Not only does she have experience in fashion from working as a customer service representative and manager at Zebians and Third Avenue and a certificate in fashion merchandising, but “my mother always said from the time I was three years old that I could get myself up and dress myself…and everything always matched from the socks on up!”

Of course, when you have two daughters, following fashion trends is part of the job. Chelsea (almost 12), Courtney (almost 9), and of course furry friend Carlie (a Australian Cattle Dog mix that Turner jokingly calls her third daughter), are a major focus to Turner’s life. “I love planning birthday parties,” she says, adding that “I do like volunteering at the school as much as I can.”

Raised in Bridgetown and Kentville, Administrative Assistant Turner is known around the AITT for her bubbly smile and interest in graphic design. She has experience in the Acadia Alumni Office, and has taken courses in business computing and business secretarial. Here at the AITT, she puts all those skills and abilities to work. “I like the fact that there’s a lot of variety in the types of things that I do,” she says. “You never get bored. You never know from one day to the next what you might be doing.”

And that applies outside of work as well—this Christmas she was finally convinced to not only act, but sing and dance with her daughters in the Atlantic Theatre Festival’s production of Fezziwig, a community Christmas musical based on Scrooge. “I’ve never done anything like it; it was a big step out of my comfort zone,” she says. “I loved it, and I’m going to be in it again this year

August 5, 2005

Question of the week

Congratulations to Angela MacKenzie who correctly identified Judy's shirt colour (blue) at the Golf Classic!

However, there were only three entries last week! So... the chances of winning a fabulous AITT prize are good. All you have to do is email me the answer to the following question by 4:30 on Monday. The answer is here in the newsletter somewhere.

Q: What the name of the multimedia tribute to Alex Coville that Dave Sheehan worked on in the AITT Media Centre?

Lawfully speaking

Katie Marshall

If you ever find yourself needing to incorporate a business (hey, you never know!), there’s a local expert right here in the AITT. Business student Dave Rankin is so interested in business law that not only does he want to become a lawyer, but he even did all the research and incorporated his own software company when he was 17.

“It was going to cost $1,000 or more to get a lawyer to do it,” he says.

The Quispamsis, New Brunswick native (“that was most of my elementary schooling, learning how to spell it,” he says), has been interested in law and math ever since he was young. He is going into his third year of a Business degree, and will be writing his LSAT this fall. He says he plans to become a corporate lawyer—“the boring stuff with contracts,” he says with a smile.

On his spare time, Rankin works out at the Acadia gym, reads, and studies for his LSAT. His latest reading reflects his passion—Crime and Punishment and Plato’s Republic. He also enjoys Neapolitan ice cream and omelets. “You can put anything inside an omelet,” he says.

Here at the AITT, Rankin has just finished a project called English Central. Intended as a repository for resources and information for both practicing and student teachers, the site features a train station theme and an interactive map of Nova Scotia. It also has an interactive component where education students work on scenarios asking them to create English Language Arts lesson plans in accordance with the Nova Scotia Department of Education learning outcomes. In the next little while, Rankin will be working on projects with Cynthia Alexander.

It’s a busy time ahead for Rankin, with his third year of classes and the LSAT to worry about, but he’s ready for the challenge. “I put a high value on personal achievement,” he says.

"Every day is a new adventure"

Katie Marshall

There’s always interesting tidbits to find in anybody’s past. For instance, full-time AITT staffer Judy Noel-Walsh not only was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces for two years, but also dislocated her knee while on duty in Aldershot, Nova Scotia “I was injured in the military,” she says with a smile.

During her time in the military, Noel-Walsh says she “dug trenches, shot rifles…I did the real boot camp.” She was working on her administrative trade qualification when on a whim she drove to Acadia to see the campus. “I just drove here and fell in love with the place,” she says.

Since that day, Grand Falls Newfoundland native Noel-Walsh has earned both an English degree and a certificate in adult education from Acadia, as well as her program planner certification from the Lern Institute in Kansas. After spending some time at Dalhousie, she found her true love—project development. Since then, Noel-Walsh went to Acadia to work in the department of Continuing and Distance Education, and moved to the AITT five years ago.

While Noel-Walsh’s official title is “Program Manager”, here at the AITT she has a variety of roles. She organizes conferences, manages projects (especially anything under the McConnell grant), and handles the budget for the AITT. “It’s so diverse and different every day,” she says. “That’s what makes it so interesting.”

At home, she’s busy as well. Married to a full-time farmer, Noel-Walsh does all the things a “farm wife” would do on their farm that specializes in orchards, honey-bees, beef cattle, and gladiolas. “Anything from helping to change a tire on the tractor to birthing calves…this weekend, I’ll be hauling hay,” she says. And her two children, Gordon (who is almost 6) and Alexander (10) are an important focus to her life. “I’m always thinking about them,” she says.

A self-described “morning person”, Noel-Walsh is refreshed every morning as she pops out of bed and outside for her morning walk with her dog, Honey. “Every day is a new adventure,” she says.

July 29, 2005

Question of the Week

After last week's small hiatus, we're back on track with the ever-popular "Question of the Week". We have one more software package to give away, so email your responses to this week's question to me!

Q: What colour was Judy's shirt at last week's Golf Classic?

"Accomplish something in

your life"

Katie Marshall

AITT student Kaur Singh may be soft-spoken, but he’s got a lot on his mind. He recently became a vegetarian after seeing a website about cruelty to animals being raised for food, and his religion is important to him.

“Sikhism means ‘to learn, to experience life’,” he says. “Take what God gives you… the basic principle of Sikhism is to remember God.”

Singh was born in Kuwait, spent his childhood in India, and eventually moved back to Kuwait for high school. He came to Canada when he started his Computer Science degree here at Acadia. Now that he’s graduated, he’s looking for work here in Canada.

“I find people are very welcoming and friendly here,” he says.

On his spare time, Singh says he likes to spend time visiting places and seeing nature. While some of his favourite foods include curries and cholay (a chickpea dish), he says that before he became vegetarian, he liked shepherd’s pie and mousaka.

This is Singh’s third summer at the AITT where he’s known for being a Flash guru. This summer, he’s been creating updates for the French Tutor program, an interface for the online Herbarium, and a media player for the Africa Project. He says he loves working at the AITT. “It’s a very relaxed environment here,” he says.

In the future, Singh says he may look to complete a master’s degree. He’s got plenty of wisdom to pass along too. Every day, he says, is “a new beginning…accomplish something in your life. Make use of what is given to you.”

Special delivery!

Katie Marshall

When you work full-time, you’re the mother of a toddler, and you have a second one on the way, it’s hard to get time for yourself. Hard enough, in fact, that AITT Faculty Project Coordinator Pamela Farrow decided to create her own company called “Me Time”, producing all-natural bath bombs and salts, tub truffles and other good-smelling pick-me-ups, in an effort to find some of that elusive stuff.

“It’s about finding natural ways to do the ‘me time’ thing,” she says. And while she may be married to web guru Scotty Olszowiec, she admits she doesn’t have a website for her business yet.

While project coordination and making bath bombs might seem like an odd combination, Farrow’s educational and work background is just as diverse. Not only does she have a diploma certifying her as an electronics technician from the Radio College of Canada, she also has a bachelor’s degree in Music with minors in Economics and Physics from Acadia.

She has worked at gas stations, and a Chinese restaurant, and toured as a trumpet player with Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra. She even sold books out of the back of her car, until she “snapped, and called my mom.” She also is an amateur nacho critic; she says Joe’s nachos aren’t worth your time, but Paddy’s are about an eight out of ten.

Farrow has been at the AITT since 1997, starting as a student. Originally hired as an audio specialist, now she coordinates faculty projects, making sure that organization happens at both at the beginnings and ends of projects. “I’m like the bookends in the projects”, she says. Farrow says the job is a good fit for her. “I’m really good at taking something that exists and ‘fixing it’. I like organizing.”

And of course, there’s a lot of organizing for Farrow to do in the coming months: moving, wrapping up the summer projects, and, above all, the delivery of a very special bundle.

July 15, 2005

Question of the Week

Congradulations to Amy Evans, who won last week's Question of the Week for knowing that the recon bot being designed by iRobot and John Deere was PackBot.
Email me the answer to the following question by 4:30 Monday to enter in the draw.

Q: What was this week's score for AITT against the Alumni?

Ignorance is no Longer Bliss

Canadians are not psychologically prepared for the possibility of terrorism, according to Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan. The frequency of natural and manmade disasters in the last five years alone has increased dramaticly, from SARS two summers ago to the tsunami last winter. Canada is currently on a short list of terrorist targets, along with the United States, England, Spain and Australia. Now with three of the targets already hit, Canadians need to brace for possible attacks here.
Click Here for more on Canada

Sneak Peak at Potter

A Canadian SuperStore in Coquitlam, British Columbia slipped up last week and sold 14 copies of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince". The next book in the famous series is set to hit shelves everywhere on Saturday, July 16th. There is currently a court order from Justice Kristi Gill, ordering those who had obtained the book not to talk about, copy, sell, or even read it before the book is scheduled to be released.

July 8, 2005

Question of the Week

Congratulations to Jamie Chang who knew that Puerco Pibil is also known as Mexican Slow Roasted Pork.

This week's prize is a choice between three different software packages; Video Wave III, Photo Suite III, or Live Picture. Email me the answer to the following question by 4:30 Monday to enter in the draw.

Q: What is the name of the military reconnaissance robot currently being designed by iRobot?

Interruption

Jamie Chang

Due to unforseen events that have transpired this past week, the newsletter duties will be taken over by myself, Jamie Chang. The end result of this is that some of the features that you would normally see here may be temporarily discontinued while the regular newsletter director is away. While I will attempt to continue the newsletter features as best as I can, some of the features may end up being breif. I would like to appoligize in advance to those who be disappointed in this interruption, and would ask that they bear with me for the next two weeks, after which time we will return to our regularly scheduled newsletter.

June 30, 2005

Question of the Week

Congratulations to Angela MacKenzie who found that there are over 700 different ant species in North America!

This week's question of the week is just a little bit different. Instead of a tee-shirt, the prize is your pick of four different software packages. Feel free to stop by and see the selection anytime! And, of course, email me the answer to the following question by 4:30 Monday to enter in the draw.

Q: What is an alternate name for Puerco Pibil?

Teaching or travelling?

Katie Marshall

AITT student Angela MacKenzie may have an honours degree in mathematics and statistics, with a minor in physics, but she’d rather be traveling or teaching than sitting in a room doing math.

“I love the teaching of math…not the research,” she says. “My favourite pastime in the world is travel.”

The second year education major was born in the local town of Melanson (right beside Gaspereau), and loves the Valley. “I love how you know everybody [here],” she says. “I could live here for the rest of my life, and I’d be fine as long as I could travel.”

Teaching is another one of MacKenzie’s passions, and she’ll be looking for a teaching job when she finishes her education degree next year. “It’s a lot harder than I had ever thought in my entire life,” she says. “It’s exciting…you could never have the same day at work.”

MacKenzie is an instructor at the AITT, and spends her time on projects ranging from researching Tablet PC’s to helping organize the PRISM program that will send her, with fellow instructor James Griffin-Allwood, to Maine this summer. That program pairs Maine teachers and students with AITT staff for a week of community web-based training. “We help them learn all the tools they need,” she says.

On her spare time, MacKenzie plays softball, enjoys aerobics, and reads. But her big project is planning for her upcoming wedding to Mark Pound next summer, held during her family reunion. “It’s gonna be big, and fun,” she says.

In the short term, she’s thinking of organizing an AITT apartment crawl. If you’re interested in attending, email her!

Rockin' on in art

Katie Marshall

According to AITT full-time staffer Craig Place, when his family planned to move to Northern Manitoba in 1977, the Canadian consulate in England swore the temperature in Canada never dropped below minus 16 degrees. When they landed in Winnipeg in February, the temperature was minus 35. “My parents were a little in shock,” he says. “For me, it was somewhat of an adventure.”

After that rocky start, Place moved on to the University of Manitoba, where he received an honours degree in geology. After doing graduate work in vulcanology and structural geology, he moved to the University of New Brunswick to study sedimentology, spending several summers in PEI where he found some of the first tetrapod (ancestors of all modern four-limbed animals) tracks in that area.

But don’t think for a minute that Place is interested only in science. Ever since he was in grammar school he’s been interested in art and creating art through several different media, even entering the Acadia Art Show. “I find it relaxing, and I like the detail,” he says. “It’s that along with the creativity of it all.”

When he was a teenager, Place twice competed in the All-England finals for track and field, and says his best time for the 100 metre race was 11.2 seconds. Nowadays, among other things, he pursues his art, dabbles in photography, experiments with Indian cooking, and designs custom programs to help his daughter Nicola, who is 9, learn her schoolwork.

At the AITT, Place manages full-time staff and several projects, as well as some project development. Before joining the AITT, he taught labs in the Geology department, as well as developed websites and graphic design on his spare time. His drawing of an eagle can be seen at the Robie Tufts Nature Centre in downtown Wolfville.

While Place originally came to Acadia intending to only spend a year finishing his master’s degree, he has now been here for 18 years. “I’m stuck in some kind of strange time-space continuum called Nova Scotia,” he says. “I like Nova Scotia, it’s one of the better places I’ve lived.”

June 24, 2005

Question of the Week

Congratulations to Tim Crowell for winning last week’s Question of the Week! He correctly identified the word above Dave Kristie's hand--"egg".

This week’s question is also for an AITT tee-shirt. All you need to do is email the answer to the following question to me by 4:30 on Monday, and you will be entered into a draw for the fabulous tee-shirt!

Q: According to Raid, approximately how many different ant species are found in North America?

Balancing act

Katie Marshall

When it comes to balance, AITT student Matthew Carswell is obviously an expert. Not only does he climb anywhere and everywhere he can, he brings balance into his daily life through a wide range of creative outlets including photography, music, web design, basket-weaving, play-writing (most recently, he co-wrote a play called Director’s Cut with fellow AITT staff member Beth Lyons), and video.

“I just like working with my hands,” he says. “I wish I did it more.”

The fifth year French major (and music minor) was born in Halifax, and grew up in Lower Sackville. He spent the majority of his youth, however, in the village of Chester, on Nova Scotia’s South Shore. “It’s a drinking town with a sailing problem,” Carswell says with a smile.

Carswell has worked at an interesting array of jobs too, including house painting, recycling, mowing lawns, snorkelling for car keys dropped by boaters in the water, dishwashing, and even as an extra in the TV movie Catch a Falling Star.

Carswell will be starting his honours this fall, and hopes to do a non-traditional thesis involving a creative work in French. “I think it’s important, being from Canada (a fairly bilingual country), to be fluent in both languages,” he says.

This summer he is working for the AITT on the Spanish Video project, creating a website that will showcase 434 video clips captured in Cuba last summer by professor Anna Saroli and AITT full-time staffer Dave Sheehan. The videos, featuring native Spanish speakers, are intended to help students taking first year Spanish courses at Acadia, as well as anyone else who is interested. The videos will be available, with accompanying dialogue text, in various difficulty levels.

Carswell’s plans for the future are varied, but most include his overriding interest in the French language. “I’d like to go to the Moon or Mars,” he says. “Chances are the aliens will speak French…they’ll need an interpreter.” More down-to-Earth, he says he’s interested in teaching and/or travelling, while pursuing his many creative interests. Especially, as he says, since “I’ll probably be president of Canada someday”.

The Punmaster

Katie Marshall

A typical conversation with AITT full-time staffer Terry Aulenbach might go something like this:

Terry: What do you get when you make airplane baggage out of roadkill?
You: I dunno???
Terry: Carrion luggage.
You: (Takes a second to register…) Groan.

Work is never boring with Aulenbach around. Graduating from Acadia in 1999 with a degree in Computer Science, Aulenbach is known around the AITT for his playful jokes.

“He’s the punmaster,” says coworker Dave Sheehan.

A sense of humour definitely helps when you have a job like Aulenbach’s. While he has spent time working at Computing Services, the old Help Desk, and the User Support Centre, Aulenbach now spends his time at the AITT providing tech support for AITT staff, summer students, and Acadia faculty. He also works on software trials, training, and pilot projects, like the recent video conferencing project. He has also recently been awarded for his ten years of service at Acadia. “I do a lot of things,” he says. “It’s never boring.”

“He is the first line of support for faculty,” says Sheehan. “He da’ man.”

While Aulenbach started his degree at Acadia in 1985, he took time off to work—including a two year stint in Japan as a Mormon missionary. Now, he spends his spare time playing mini golf, reading, watching movies, cross-stitching, and going to the beach. But his most important job, he says, “is being a good dad…doing it right.”

Aulenbach and his wife Michelle were married by Mark Parent on the wharf at Halls Harbour (he finally gave in to the pier pressure). They have two children, Sam, 13, and Liam, who will be 8 next month. His favourite time, he says, is simply “a good family day”.

In the future, Aulenbach plans to travel more. Until then, he’ll get his travel fix from his other interest—ethnic cuisine. “I like to try different foods from different cultures,” he says. “I like it when your lips tingle when you’re done.”

June 17, 2005

Question of the week

Congratulations to Jamie Chang, the Question of the Week winner who correctly identified the recipe as coming from Newfoundland.

This week, the rules are the same: Email me the answer to the following question by 4:30 on Monday, and you'll get entered into a draw for a fabulous prize! This week the prize is even better than a Bean coffee card--you'll be entered into a draw to win an AITT tee-shirt (there's both boy's and girl's cuts available).

Last week only three people entered the draw, so think about how good your chances will be to win! But, of course, since there's a better prize, the question is going to be a little harder.

Q: What did it say on the blackboard above Dr. Dave Kristie's left hand during the video conference lecture?

The Iron Chef

Katie Marshall

Don’t worry; AITT student Jamie Chang isn’t trying to hit anybody. He’s just demonstrating the Korean art of Tae Kwon Do, an art he has spent thirteen years perfecting. Chang has his First Dan under the World Tae Kwon Do Federation (WTF), a rank which translates as first-degree black belt. He also practices Tai Chi, a type of Chi Gung or “energy work” exercise which is characterized by flowing movements and concentration on breathing patterns.

“I always have more energy when I finish Chi Gung exercises,” says Chang, who also studies foil and sabre fencing.

Chang grew up just outside of St. John’s, in a community called The Goulds. He moved to Centreville in Nova Scotia in 1996 and finished high school, and later completed a one-year course in 3D Animation at the Eastern Business Computer Institute in Moncton. He will be completing his Computer Science degree at Acadia after next year.

On his spare time, Jamie doesn’t seem to stop moving. He does Chinese paintings, flies his stunt kite, does 3D animation and artwork, plays videogames, does freelance web design, gardens—a list of activities that grows every time you give him a chance to speak. He also takes his cooking very seriously—“I like to eat, so I like to cook,” he says.

This is Chang’s third summer at the AITT. He has worked on a variety of projects, most notably the “You Quote It, You Note It” plagiarism module for the library website which won the President’s Award for Innovation. The module is available at http://library.acadiau.ca/tutorials/plagiarism/

This summer, Chang is working on many projects, as well as assisting others. He’s taught some “Just-In-Time” sessions in Flash, as well as working on additional library modules, and web design for the Atlantic School of Business. “I think my official job title this summer is ‘catch-all’,” he says.

Keeping Jamie happy at work is simple. He likes working with Flash, saying it feels more like playing than work. “Working on Flash has got to be the best part of this job,” he says. “I love it when I have a stack of content to work on!”

Feeding a billion people

Katie Marshall

After you’ve done a live video feed for over a billion people, it’s a little easier to get perspective on life. Dave Sheehan, AITT full-time staff and a video producer for Acadia, experienced that rather unique event when he was a cameraman for the G7 conference in Halifax, sending live video to people all over Europe during their supper hour news.

“If I made a mistake, almost all of Europe would see it,” he says.

And Sheehan has perspective in abundance. He has worked on a variety of projects both inside and outside Acadia, most notably traveling to the Netherlands for 11 days with world-renown artist Alex Colville and his wife to film a commemoration of the 45th anniversary of the liberation of the country by Canadian troops. “Not many Canadians have pride in their country,” he says. “Every Canadian should see the pride the Dutch have for Canadians. It really opens your eyes.”

Sheehan was born in Halifax and moved to the Annapolis Valley for high school, where he attended Horton. After getting his start in the video industry by volunteering and then working at a cable television company, he went to school for Electronic Cinematography in the US. Since then, he experimented as an entrepreneur for a few years, eventually working for Acadia on a contract basis in 1985. The schedule suited him.

“While I had my eight month contract for stability, I had my summers to grow my skills by working with experienced people,” he says. He wasn’t kidding—some of his past experiences include working with Jim Henson, Kingworld Entertainment, Tokyo Broadcasting, and Charlton Heston. In later years, Sheehan was instrumental in the adoption of the Acadia Advantage Program, and a founding member of the Acadia Centre for Virtual Learning Environments and the AITT. In fact, he worked with the architect who designed the AITT offices to develop the Media Centre. He has also received two President’s Awards for Innovation.

At Acadia, Sheehan is involved with every stage of video production—including script-writing, shooting, and editing. “That’s one thing I really enjoy about working here,” he says. “In the television industry, you become very specialized—you’re a cameraman, an editor, a writer, or a director,” adding that he feels that being involved with all stages of production of a film adds to its continuity. “Also, I work with people from all over campus and every department, so I get a little window into their world—from the president’s office to the hockey dressing room.”

But Sheehan’s life outside of work is important to him. “My key words are balance, challenge, and satisfaction” he says. He is raising a daughter and son with his wife of 21 years, and he’s involved in youth soccer as well as playing himself. He also enjoys skiing, hiking, biking, canoeing, and sitting on the beach. “I’m an outdoors person,” he says.

Some day, Sheehan says he would love to broaden his perspective even more by working on projects for humanitarian or environmental organizations. “I’m at heart a humanist and an environmentalist and I care very much about people, especially those less fortunate,” he says. “My favourite things to do are watch my son play soccer and walk on a long sandy beach in my bare feet, along the water’s edge in the warm sun. That’s my idea of paradise.”

June 10, 2005

Congratulations to last week's Question of the Week winner Amy Evans!

Remember, all you have to do to enter is email me the answer to the following question by 4:30 Monday. You will be entered into the draw for a free Bean Coffee Card, just like what we got during Training Week. This week's question is:

Where is this week's recipe for Cod Au Gratin from?

Have Geology degree, will travel

Katie Marshall

For AITT student Tim Crowell, the top of Tower (see last week’s article) is just the latest in a long list of exotic spots he’s visited. The fourth year Geology major has been to Iceland, Holland, and Kenya in recent years, and hopes his degree will take him to even more places.

“That’s the good thing about Geology, you can pretty much go anywhere and get a job,” he says. And while he admits Geology is not the most popular science among students, he says, “I was kind of curious about it…it’s important, but not well-known.”

Sports like golf, baseball, sailing and skiing keep Crowell outside in his spare time—which is just how he prefers it. “I just like being outside and playing on the water,” he says. He also likes exotic fruits, and says he barbeques almost every day. Crowell is from St. Margaret’s Bay, a small town just 15 minutes outside of Halifax. And to keep him outside even more, starting this week, Crowell will be coaching a Mosquito (ages 9 to 11) softball team.

At the AITT, Crowell is responsible for a variety of Geology-related projects that will assist teaching in courses, including a website about macrotidal areas and crystal-growing videos. Crowell says he’s enjoying his work. “It’s a chance to work in my field, and I get computer training at the same time,” he says. “I hope students find it useful and helpful.”

After next year, Crowell is hoping to get into a master’s degree program in hydrogeology at the University of Alberta or Trent University. And of course, he wants to travel some more. “I need to find somewhere close to the mountains so I can ski, but close to the water so I can sail,” he says.

Experiencing it all

Katie Marshall

Experience is everything says full-time AITT staff member Scott Olszowiec (also known as ScottyO). “I like to see as much and do as much as I can,” he says. “I think an experience is an experience. No matter if it’s good or bad, it’s all good for you.”

ScottyO has certainly lived what he talks. Born in Zambia, he has lived all over Canada as well—BC, Ontario, Manitoba—before eventually settling down in Milford, Nova Scotia for high school. He’s been to a variety of colleges, studying photography, computer animation, digital imaging, video production and electronics at Nova Scotia Community College, MacKenzie College in Halifax, and Radio College in Toronto.

He’s been accepted to film school in Vancouver for next winter, but he’s also thinking seriously about taking a bachelor’s degree in science to develop his interests in what is known as “tangible media”—using everyday or physical objects and materials as seamless couplings between our physical world and our digital spaces. “Today’s UI’s are clunky and are a far cry from what immersive should mean,” he says.

While taking a science degree may seem like an odd career direction after several years as a graphics expert, ScottyO disagrees. “All the creative stuff is related to all the academic stuff,” he says. “It all relates back to my interest in user interface design—creating interfaces that are tangible, or maybe organic...you’re never too old for school. I think I’ll always be going to school.”

At the AITT, ScottyO is known as the mastermind behind the Acadia University and AITT websites. He is also the manager for several summer projects, and does external consulting on his spare time. “I like the environment here,” he says. “You have so many different ideas—you can have a handful of people in one room, and all the different backgrounds and ideas make for a really interesting dynamic. I just kind of feed on being around all that knowledge.”

When ScottyO’s not busy designing websites or consulting, he likes going on long hikes on Cape Blomidon and spending time with his wife Pamela and his young daughter Emma. He also enjoys reading—especially non-fiction about technology and culture. And he swears that “nothing beats a plain old peanut butter sandwich and a glass of cold milk” for comfort food, although he also enjoys his grilled cheese sandwiches dipped in ketchup.

In the future, ScottyO says he’d like to work with tangible media, interactive cinema, virtual reality, or artificial intelligence—“investigating the next generation of interfaces”. Or, he says he might just decide to build furniture. “Furniture is kind of an interface type,” he says. “You have to interface with furniture—more like interbutt.”

But experience is important. “I know there’s so much for me to go see and learn—that’s what makes me restless,” he says. “The great thing is that I have a partner who really understands me.”

Superman shirt Wednesdays: Pass it on

Katie Marshall

There’s something that AITT student James Griffin-Allwood would like to pass along. It’s a simple thing that doesn’t require anything more than a weekly commitment, and can be easily summed up in the phrase “Superman shirt Wednesdays”.

“It’s gotta catch on,” says Griffin-Allwood, who always wears his Superman shirt on Wednesdays. His brother as well as a friend from back home in Kentville will be coming to Acadia in the fall—wearing their Superman shirts on the appropriate day. “Definitely in the fall, you’ll see them around campus,” says Griffin-Allwood.

Faith is also an important part of Griffin-Allwood’s life. He was exposed to religion early as the son of a pastor, but he still made the decision to embrace his beliefs independently while in high school. “It was definitely a life choice I made,” he says. “My faith is basically who I am.”

While Griffin-Allwood is seriously considering attending the Acadia Divinity College to become a Baptist minister after he finishes his Computer Science degree, he says he’s realistic about what people think about “religion”.

“When I hear the word ‘religion’, I know people think about rules and codes. They focus on the ‘don’ts’,” says Griffin-Allwood. “I think it [faith] should be about ‘do’s’.”

At the AITT, Griffin-Allwood is an instructor with a variety of projects. “I have more bosses than I can count,” he says, since he has four AITT full-time staff to report to, and just as many professors he’s working with. Right now he’s testing Tablet PC’s and will soon be moving on to working with an impact model project that he will convert to Excel format. And, in early August, he is one of three students who will be going to Maine as part of the PRISM program.

After working as a camp instructor, Griffin-Allwood is adjusting just fine to the office environment. “Someone told me I needed to get a real job, since I worked at a camp for two summers,” he says. “Now I’m working here [AITT], and I’m having too much fun.”

June 3, 2005

Announcing the new weekly newsletter draw!

Email the answer to the following question (the answer is somewhere in this week's issue of the newsletter) back to Katie by Monday at 4:30. A name will be drawn from the correct answers, and the winner will receive a free coffee card from the Bean!

Q: Where, instead of the finish line, did Maestro Shizzle head on the weekend?

The Manchurian connection

Katie Marshall

“History in the wider sense is all that has happened, not merely all the phenomena of human life, but those of the natural world as well. It includes everything that undergoes change; and as modern science has shown that there is nothing absolutely static, therefore the whole universe, and every part of it, has its history.” – The 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica.

AITT student and history major Maddy Fowler would agree with these words. “It’s cool to be able to associate science with history,” she says. “It’s a field of history that’s really rising right now.” Her upcoming honours thesis about medicine and disease (especially pneumonic plague) in Manchuria lets her combine her two interests.

Fowler is a native of the town of Cornerbrook, on the west coast of Newfoundland. Not only was it a great place to grow up in—“I love Newfoundland, I absolutely adore it,” she says—but Fowler is also proud of Newfoundland’s past. “The history behind the province of Newfoundland is pretty unique and fascinating,” she adds.

This summer, Fowler is working at the AITT with History professor Dr. Perrins, who is also her thesis advisor. They will be working with the Humanities Hypermedia Project, working on a course on Imperial China for next semester as well as general research. “It’s hard in humanities to incorporate web and all these technologies into something that’s really subjective,” she says. “We’re looking at ways of orienting his[Dr. Perrins’] projects to involve web design…incorporating it all.”

Fowler loves 19th century literature (especially Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters), as well as a classical music. But her tastes also run to the modern, as she’s a self-confessed Scrubs fanatic. “I have insane amounts of Scrubs episodes,” she says. And licorice and Nibs keep her going on rougher days. “You could put baskets in front of me, and I’d eat every single one,” she says.

Fowler will be writing her LSAT in October, but regardless of what she does after Acadia, she knows she wants be a professor some day. “In the end, I want to teach,” she says, adding that she likes the thought of being a good influence. “There are professors changing people’s lives all the time.”

Tish'in it out

Katie Marshall

In writing, as in many arts, there are very few absolutes. When you try to write about a person, the difficulties are multiplied with intricacies and contradictions that refuse to embed themselves into the rigid black and white of type. AITT student and veteran writer Zac May offers advice to those struggling, and provides an example of the very problem. “As long as your view at the end is more confused than when you began, I think you did a good job,” he says.

It’s hard to keep track of the absolutes (or lack thereof) when you’re talking to May, who claims to on his spare time to build furniture, parasail, hot air balloon, perform expert tattoo artistry, and “practice my modesty”. Another hobby is eating—“I’m like a gourmet compost bin,” he says.

May is from Richmond Hill, a suburb just north of North York in Toronto. And while it was a pretty place to grow up, “it’s an emoticon existence,” he confesses. He may be from Richmond Hill, but he is proud to call Wolfville “home”.

The English and Philosophy double major thrives on knowledge and its complexity, and says the two majors complement each other. “The best philosopher will know everything—it’s the study of knowledge,” he says. “English is the cultural representation of where we are in that stream of knowledge.” And May is just starting research on his honours thesis about independent arts publications, including the Tish literary journal movement that began at UBC in the sixties.

May will be scanning the Athenaeum archives (which go back over a hundred years) over the summer, working with Sarah O’Connor to create a database of articles that students can search using webcat. While he estimates the project will take 5 years or more, May says the project will help him prepare for his job as the new Athenaeum content manager in the fall. “The project is secondary; it’s necessary, but the real value is we’re paying students to educate themselves,” he says. “Basically it’s so that I can become a damn good newspaper editor.”

In the future, May says he’s planning to create a media empire modeled after the Asper family, known for its draconian editorial control. “I’m going to do exactly the opposite of what they did,” he says. “I want them[the public] to get some damn fine information on the way things actually are.”

May 27, 2005

Three degrees and counting

Katie Marshall

English > Comp sci. A simple inequality, scrawled on a whiteboard ironically amidst scraps of code. But according to AITT student Darrell Rhodenizer, it sums up seven complex years of university.

The quirky native of Lunenburg first came to Acadia to study computer science in the fall of 1998. “Yes, I’m a pan-dimensional being of inordinate age,” he says, confirming the opinions of many around him. “Yes, I’m insane,” he adds with a smile.

The high energy guy finished his Computer Science degree at Acadia (with a small foray into English), then began a Master’s degree in the same subject in 2002. Half way through, Rhodenizer transferred to St. Thomas University in Fredericton, continuing his thesis. Last October, his schedule took a double whammy; he graduated at Acadia with a Master’s degree in Computer Science, and got married at the Acadia Chapel the next week. Two weeks ago, he graduated from St. Thomas with an honours degree in English. And starting this fall, he will be starting his Master’s degree at Acadia in English.

“My brain is worth like $60,000,” says Rhodenizer after his extensive schooling and resulting student loans. And even though he has both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Computer Science, he realizes now that English is his passion. “I feel like Computer Science is something I’m good at, while English is something I like,” he says. “Where else can you get away with a paper called ‘Vampire Lesbian Sisters’?”

This summer, Rhodenizer, employing his dichotomous background, is crafting a course website for English professor Anne Quema called ‘Gothic and Family Law’, ENGL 5713. He’s also working on a database for the website, so students can post references that will be sorted by theme.

During his spare time (what little there is to be had), Rhodenizer enjoys biking, chocolate milk, Pronto Pizza, and of course the online game of World of Warcraft. Or if things get really slow, he says “I dress my puppets up in lingerie and make them dance to Cyndi Lauper music.” He’s kidding—maybe.

With a minimalism much like the inequality he proposed earlier, Rhodenizer has a simple plan for his life. “I want to be a pipe-smoking, pontificating, pompous professor. And I want to have an English accent when I do it,” he says. “That, or a vampire hunter.”

Canada's just a bit bigger

Katie Marshall

Thanks to help from the Wolfville community, Acadia, the AITT, and Mauricio’s background in Technology, in a few days Canada will have four brand new landed immigrants well on their way to citizenship.

AITT designer Mauricio Duarte and his family have received word that after four years of waiting, they will finally be granted landed immigrant status in Nova Scotia through the Provincial Nominee program. “It was a lot of waiting,” says Duarte. “I’m excited to finally be a Canadian.”

The designation of landed immigrant means that while Duarte and his family pay Canadian taxes, they also now as residents get the benefits of being Canadian: receiving the Canadian rate on tuition, free health care, and student loans. They will not be able to vote or join political parties until they receive full citizenship.

Becoming a landed immigrant is a long and involved process. “They’re screening people to their toes,” says Duarte. “They ask for information on your brothers, cousins, uncles, aunts, everybody.” Police certificates have to be provided for every country the applicant has lived in; since Duarte’s father was a diplomat, the list is extensive, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Colombia.

There’s paperwork that gets bounced around from Canada to the country you have citizenship (Colombia in Duarte’s case), medical exams, and to officially receive landed immigrant status, you actually need to leave Canada and re-enter. Duarte says he and his family plan in the next few days to board the ferry to Maine from Yarmouth, then return. It will take three years of being landed immigrants, as well as history and politics tests, before full citizenship can be granted and Duarte and his family will be able to vote. “It’s not that hard” says Duarte.

Duarte has been attending Acadia University since 1999, first studying Biology and then switching majors twice and taking some part time semesters to work. He graduated with a degree in Music Technology last May, and next May will receive a degree in Computer Science.

After graduation next year, Duarte says he intends to head to the West Coast to try to find work in research or development for a multimedia firm. “I’d like to combine music, technology, and computers… It’s been my dream all this time. I can’t wait to finally settle down with my girlfriend as well once again,” says Duarte.

May 20, 2005

The dancing developer

Katie Marshall

You might think of the “average” computer science major as a guy sitting at his computer all day, maybe taking a break now and then for a computer game. But Layla Rashid is almost the exact opposite. The sociable recent computer science graduate loves dance, and when she was 15, she won the Bangladesh Child Artist contest for her skill in Kathak, an Indian classical dance.

Rashid came to Wolfville in the fall of 2002 from her home in Dhaka, the capitol city of Bangladesh. Rashid says it took a little time to adjust to the differences between Nova Scotia and Bangladesh. For instance, Dhaka has a population of 15 million people, while Bangladesh is home to approximately 141 million. “In our country, you will never find yourself alone,” says Rashid. “There’s always people around you!”

While it might be a 21 hour flight home for Rashid, she enjoys Wolfville very much. “It’s very safe here,” she says. “I never feel insecure.” On her spare time, she browses the internet, and while she likes rice (the staple food in Bangladesh), she enjoys Subway and chocolate for a treat.

This is Rashid’s first summer in Wolfville. Here at the AITT, she’s working on the multidimensional texts project as a developer. Professor Terrance Weatherbee is studying textbooks and how they are changing with modern technology. Rashid will be designing a database containing information on 300 books that will be integrated with a searchable website. Fellow AITT staffer Jamie Chang is designing the interface, while Rashid will provide the coding “back end”.

“You’ll see all of Jamie’s work,” laughs Rashid, “but mine will be there too!” She’s also working on an ACCESS database for Amy Miller, a business student working on the McConnell projects.

In the future, Rashid says she’ll go back to Bangladesh and find work in web programming, or maybe networking. But for now, she’s glad she came all the way to Wolfville. “I wanted to explore the world,” she says.

Eager for existentialism

Katie Marshall

Feminism is dead. Or so argue many people, saying that modern society has abolished the unfair suppression of women. But Beth Lyons, going into her fifth year of Theatre Studies and English at Acadia, would like to dispel that myth.

“I think fundamentally, almost everyone you run into is a feminist, whether they know it or not,” she says, explaining that feminism is more about human rights and equality than bra-burning or hating men. A self-asserted “existential feminist”, Lyons is interested in feminist theory, especially through the works of prominent feminist author Simone de Beauvoir.

Lyons also loves reading for pleasure, especially books about social revolution. Other interests include her “absolutely stunning” godson Aidyn, who is almost 2 years old. “I love cheesy horror movies too,” says Lyons, and she suggests Sleepaway Camp and Monkey Shines. And M&M Peanuts get her through the long days. “It’s all about the candy-shell, chocolate, and nut combination,” she says.

Lyons, a veteran of slow summers from her time in Wolfville and her similar hometown in the Greater Moncton Area, has advice for students staying in Wolfville for summer for the first time. “You just have to accept that it[the summer] is really different than the school year, but in a really good way,” she says. “It’s not like going to the bar and dancing, it’s like staying home and playing guitar.”

At the AITT, Lyons is working on a course for the Humanities Hypermedia Centre that will form the core of a new minor in humanities hypermedia at Acadia. The course is full year and interdisciplinary, and is taught by a combination of 4 faculty, two librarians, and Michael Shaw from the AITT. Not only is Lyons developing a course website, but she says she gets to do research on the course material itself.

While she started as a Theatre major, Lyons is planning to continue her studies in English after she finishes her honours next year, and plans to be an English professor some day. “I’m going to teach angry feminist theory,” she says with a smile. “English theory has completely won me over.”

May 13, 2005

Weekly student newsletter launched

Katie Marshall

The challenge for many students remaining in Wolfville for the summer is to find a sense of community as well as things to do. To help address this need, last summer’s journalist Abby Whidden suggested creating a weekly newsletter to act as a central hub for events, news, and anything else going on at Acadia and the surrounding community.

“We’ve never had a collective thing before,” says AITT Faculty Project Coordinator Pamela Farrow, “but we’ve always had social people… Abby saw it [the newsletter] as a way of getting the word out about things going on.”

The newsletter is broken down into five sections. “Events” is intended to cover anything that happens within the AITT, including workshops, speakers, and holidays. “Social” is intended to cover activities in the greater Wolfville area, classified ads, and social events. “News” involves student profiles, and large events that happen at the AITT. “Tech” will contain weekly tech tips from staff and students, as well as links to interesting or informative external articles. And “Fun Stuff” covers everything else from recipes to movie reviews to student art.

Most importantly, the newsletter is a forum for “getting the word out” about anything going on at the AITT or around it, as well as to create that sense of community. Everyone is encouraged to submit articles, classifieds, photos, art, tech tips, or anything else they might have. Stay tuned for next week’s updated look!

Icebergs and computer science

Katie Marshall

According to Josh Dove, there’s more to do in his hometown of Too Good Arm, Newfoundland than you might think. The 4th year Computer Science major says that there was an incredible sense of community, minor hockey, and “they say there was pirate’s treasure in Too Good Arm, but I never saw any proof.”

The view from Dove’s house was also amazing, since his family lived right next to the ocean. “You could see icebergs from my house,” says Dove. And he never ate a “typical” Newfoundland diet either.“I’m from Newfoundland,” he says, “and I’m allergic to fish".

Since coming to Acadia, Dove has learned to downhill ski, and spends his spare time away from his laptop weight-lifting, biking, and playing guitar. This is his third Wolfville summer, and he suggests that those new to the experience learn to “become one with the environment, because there may not be enough stuff like parties going on.”

Dove spent the last eight months working as a developer for AITT on a project for the North American Benthological Society (NABS), and he’ll spend part of his summer finishing it. The project involves an examination suite where people can attempt to gain certification as an insect taxonomist with the society by completing two tests. Dove is working on the programming “back end” of the project, while Kaur Singh tailored much of the interface according to the NABS design.

Later this summer, Dove will be working with the AHHA (Acadia Hypermedia Humanities Archive) project, doing more programming. He will be building upon the already existing framework for the project, adding some features and fixing some bugs.

As for the future? Dove says he wants to eventually work in a computer-related job, but in the short-term he’s planning to join the military. “I don’t think computer science is good for physical well-being,” he says. “I want to take some time for a tune-up.”

Download a rock version of a traditional Newfoundland tune played by Dove and his buddies.

A billion things at once

Katie Marshall

Janice Hudson may only be working here at the AITT until the end of May, but she’s got lots on her plate between then and now. Hudson is a Master’s of English student that will be finished at the end of August. “I have to have a full draft of my thesis by the end of this month,” she says. “It’s really fun, but pretty intense.”

Her thesis looks at works by Scottish author and poet Jackie Kay, and is about how a person’s gender identity is “performed” through their daily living. “It [gender] is not something that’s intrinsic quality, it’s changed and mutated over time,” explains Hudson.

Her thesis fits right in with her work as an instructional designer for the AITT. Hudson is currently creating a website for a new Women’s Studies course in cyber-feminism (IDST 3023) for professor Anne Quema. A preliminary version of the site is available now.

Hudson is also helping with some of the research for the course, which looks at representations of gender in recent culture and media such as blogging and the Internet, as well as more the typical feminist thinkers and texts. The course is “a mixture of conventional theory with contemporary cyber culture,” says Hudson.

On her spare time, when she gets it, Hudson enjoys painting, biking, swimming, and even reading for pleasure, although she admits that “my thesis is kind of like my past-time right now.”

Hudson also swears by her early morning swims. “There are so many cool old people there,” she says. “I’m the youngest there by 30 years and they’re better swimmers than I am.” CBC radio, coffee, and “the fear of falling behind” help motivate her on rainy days too.

After she finishes here at AITT, Hudson will be doing some free-lance writing as well as working for The Advertiser in New Minas. After her degree is finished in August, she hopes to work either as a journalist or an instructional designer doing research. “I kind of worry that I’ll be bored doing just one thing,” says Hudson. “It would be great too to work for a non-profit, contributing to whatever community I live in.”

Hudson is used to and enjoys her challenges. “I’ve never been able to do just one thing at a time,” she says. “I always need to have a billion things going on at once.”