The Globe and Mail, The National Post, Maclean’s and CBC National – these are just a few of the places stories about the U of S iPhone application, the iUSASK, have appeared recently. As the first university in Canada to offer an iPhone app, the U of S is leading the way in hand-held technology and the media has taken notice.

Download the iUSASK application for the iPhone or iPod Touch:

iTunes Link:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=324722704&mt=8

App store link:
http://appshopper.com/education/iusask

A crowded room of curious onlookers gathered in the Thorvaldson Building recently for a sneak peek at the newest version of iUSASK – the new U of S application for the iPhone that will be the first of its kind in Canada.

About 15 people were involved in the development of the application and most of them were on hand for the demonstration June 26. Chad Jones, one of the developers, said the idea to create the iUSASK application seemed logical, given what was already happening in the Department of Computer Science.

The University of Saskatchewan has joined a provincial working group set up to explore how Saskatchewan might provide a solution to the current shortage of medical isotopes in this country.

For students in Dr. Rani Kanthan's pathology classes, playing games in school is serious business.

Using a cell phone to shut off your stolen vehicle sounds like something out of a James Bond movie, but the invention is not from Q’s laboratory. It was designed and created by students at the University of Saskatchewan.

The first day of a new academic term is always busy for the university's computer system, but Jan. 5 will go into the books as a record-breaker.

The University of Saskatchewan has joined with a number of Canadian institutions in an initiative that links their wireless services, making campus visits easy for students, staff and faculty.

The Saskatoon Theological Union (STU) library catalogue is finally going online in a brand new and innovative system, putting an end to their 100,000 volumes being checked in and out using stamps and old fashioned card drawers.

STU Librarian Laureen Marchand

To improve service and provide better support for all PAWS users, the regular monthly maintenance which affects access to PAWS has been changed so that it will occur later in the evening.

The University of Saskatchewan Space Team (USST) is well into modifying its climber for this year’s Elevator: 2010 competition, a NASA Centennial Challenge. What the team members need now is the kind of financial sponsorship that will get them to the winner’s podium.

USST President Clayton Ruszkowski
Photo by Colleen MacPherson

A University online store should be up and running to sell Huskie Athletics gear in time for the fall semester, with the future goal of selling textbooks via the web.

Tanieth Dale and Cary Bernath want to spread the word about Linux.

Tanieth Dale, left, and Cary Bernath of Linux4US.
Photo by Silas Polkinghorne

The University is hoping to double its wireless access points around campus, thanks to a provincial government initiative to spread Internet access far and wide.

If you didn’t see it during the Hardy Cup, the Mitchell Bowl or the Vanier Cup telecasts, now is your chance to view the new University of Saskatchewan commercial.

The current state of PAWS and its evolution will be up for discussion in an open forum Nov. 1.

A new University webcam that has brightened up the picture and changed the view for Internet users interested in taking a look at the University of Saskatchewan campus online has also be used to make a Welcome Week movie.

Rick Bunt, associate vice-president of information and communications technology on campus, is hosting an open discussion about the University’s new e-mail policy.

The acceptance of e-mail as a formal means of communication has prompted the University to adopt a new electronic mail policy that outlines acceptable use of the technology, and the responsibilities of both users and service providers.

Jonathan Moore-Wright, director of Student Information Systems, is hosting an open discussion about the SiRIUS information system and its role on campus.

The performance of the PAWS portal came under fire at University Council, with a Commerce professor charging that its slowness and crashes in September and January caused service problems for students and staff.

New web-based U of S information systems like SiRIUS and PAWS may speed up access to personal information about students and staff – but officials say longstanding ethical standards for handling the information still apply.