Media releases

• Grand opening set for Brock Functional Inclusive Training Centre

  Thursday, January 18, 2024 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: January 18 2024 – R0006

  Brock University will mark the official opening of a facility dedicated to enhancing people’s quality of life through exercise and activity.

  A grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held for the Brock Functional Inclusive Training (Bfit) Centre on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 2 p.m. at the Walker Sports and Abilities Centre at Canada Games Park, 2021 Canada Games Way, adjacent to the University’s main campus.

  Members of the Brock and Bfit community will come together with representatives from industry, community partners and all levels of government to learn more about the state-of-the-art, 13,000-square-foot facility and how its supervised community exercise programs help to improve the health and quality of life in older adults, cancer patients and survivors, cardiac patients and individuals living with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, amputations and Parkinson’s disease, while also contributing to innovative multi-disciplinary research and offering experiential learning opportunities to students.

  Previously called the Brock-Niagara Centre for Health and Well-Being, Bfit moved from its previous location on Lockhart Drive to the new space one year ago this month.

  Speakers at the grand opening will include Daisy Wai, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility; Lesley Rigg, Brock University President and Vice-Chancellor; Peter Tiidus, Dean, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University; Deborah O’Leary, Bfit Centre Director and Acting Associate Vice-President, Research, Brock University; Matthieu Dagenais, Brock University PhD candidate in Applied Health Sciences — Population and Behavioural Health, former Bfit student volunteer and current Bfit staff member; and Kevin Cavanagh, Bfit Centre member.

  What: Grand opening of the Brock Functional Inclusive Training (Bfit) Centre
  When: Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 2 p.m.
  Where: Walker Sports and Abilities Centre at Canada Games Park

  Media are invited to attend the event and ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the space.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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  Categories: Media releases

• Encryption, espionage and the Enigma machine at centre of public Brock event

  Tuesday, January 16, 2024 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: January 16 2024 – R0005

  History and technology tie together at an upcoming Brock University event that will discuss the German Enigma encryption device, its role in the Second World War and its impact on modern encryption and computational sciences.

  Organized by Brock University’s Faculty of Mathematics and Science in partnership with the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, “Beyond the Imitation Game: From Dieppe and James Bond to Blackberry and Quantum Encryption” will feature Enigma and cryptology artifacts as well as discussions about the significance of the Enigma — and of the Allies breaking its code — on world and Canadian history, along with its impact on modern espionage and encryption technology.

  “More than any other encryption device, it was the German Enigma machine that embodied the unleashing of a covert war between rival intelligence services and capabilities, and it was the breaking of the Enigma code that gave the Allies a critical edge over the Nazis,” says Peter Berg, a computational physicist and Dean for Brock University’s Faculty of Mathematics of Science.

  “The Enigma was arguably the first serious, semi-automated encryption device to be employed on a large scale. Its functionality, flaws in operation, vulnerabilities and associated codebreaking methodologies spurred advancements in computing and shaped the development of modern encryption technologies and algorithms,” he says. “Physicists are now trying to move beyond conventional encryption and utilize quantum mechanics to generate more secure communication channels, even via satellites.”

  Berg is one of three guests speaking at the event set to take place Friday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC) in St. Catharines. Tickets are pay-what-you-can, with a suggested price of $20.

  Joining Berg on stage will be Richard Brisson, a mathematician and collector of cryptology artifacts, who will be showcasing the rare Enigma machine, and Thomas Jennewein, Associate Professor for the University of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing and Department of Physics and Astronomy, who will discuss the Enigma’s impact on modern technology, such as space-based quantum communication technology.

  The community engagement event is one of several in which Brock University has partnered closely with the PAC.

  “The FirstOntario PAC thrives on our partnership with Brock University, and we enthusiastically welcome collaborations with multiple departments annually,” says Sara Palmieri, Director of Programming and Marketing at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. “We are thrilled to collaborate with the Faculty of Mathematics and Science on this fascinating program to help deepen understanding and appreciation of this important piece of our history.”

  Complementing the “Beyond the Imitation Game” event at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre will be free academic lectures by Brisson and Jennewin at Brock University.

  Brisson will present Cryptologic History and Canada on Friday, Jan. 26 from 1 to 2 p.m. in Rankin Family Pavilion room RFP 214/215 as part of the Faculty of Mathematics and Science Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Seminar Series. The presentation will shed light on some of the most meaningful instances of cryptologic history in Canada through a selection of events and artifacts from the Second World War and the Cold War as well as the 18th and 19th centuries.

  Jennewein will present a technical talk on quantum physics on Friday, Jan. 26 from 1 to 2 p.m. in Thistle Complex room TH 257.

  For those interested in diving deeper into the Enigma machine, a film screening of The Imitation Game is taking place Sunday, Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the PAC. Tickets are $9.50 for the general public or $7.50 for Film House members.

  For more information, and to reserve tickets for “Beyond the Imitation Game: From Dieppe and James Bond to Blackberry and Quantum Encryption,” visit the FirstOntario Performing Arts website. Limited tickets are available, and advance registration is encouraged.

  The event is supported with sponsorship by the Canadian Applied and Industrial Mathematics Society.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209 

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  Categories: Media releases