Music downloading habits, Easter astronomy and a new inductee into the sports hall of fame

Newspaper

McMaster is known for making a positive impact on the local, national and international stages. Media coverage enhances this reputation. Every Monday, Public Relations highlights a few of the many McMaster stories making the news in the past week.

Research

The Los Angeles Times,  Globe and MailCTV News ChannelThe Hamilton Spectator, Canadian Press, Britain’s Daily MailCHCH TVand 900 CHML-AM reported on research by Chris Bart (DeGroote School of Business) that compared the decision-making processes of women and men.

The Los Angeles Times featured Hendrik Poinar (Anthropology) in a story about the possibility of bringing extinct species back to life, particularly the woolly mammoth – the subject of much of his research.

Public Radio International program The World featured research by Susan Dudley and graduate student Amanda File (Biology) showing that plants display altruistic behaviour toward their own relatives.

CBC Hamilton and 900 CHML-AM reported on the opening of McMaster’s new Digital Music Lab, including an interview with researcher Matthew Woolhouse (Music Cognition and Music Theory).

Teaching, learning and student success

The Hamilton Spectator published a story about two McMaster students,Brianna Smrke (Arts & Science ) and Rosa Lee (Arts & Science) , earning 3M National Student Fellowships.

Expert opinion

The Globe and Mail sought the expertise of Ron Balvers (DeGroote School of Business) for a piece on the recovery of the stock prices after the 2008 recession.

The Toronto Star published an op-ed piece by Gerry Wright (Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research) on the urgent need to develop new antibiotics, as pathogens adapt to overcome existing drugs.

CBC Hamilton sought the analysis of Patricia Chow-Fraser (Biology) for a story about the restoration of Cootes Paradise. Huffington Post later picked up the story.

The Ottawa Sun published a piece about sinkholes, featuring an interview with professor emeritus Derek Ford (Geography and Earth Sciences).

CBC.ca interviewed Robert Cockcroft (Physics and Astronomy) about the complex reasons behind the shifting date of Easter.

The Hamilton Spectator interviewed Neil Johnston (Medicine) for a story about the high proportion of children among food bank users.

Community engagement

The Hamilton Spectator talked to Henry Giroux (English & Cultural Studies)for a piece previewing a public lecture by social activist Angela Davis, an event commemorating the opening of McMaster’s Centre for Scholarship in the Public Interest. Radio station KPFK in Los Angeles also interviewedGiroux about gun violence in the US.

Feature Story

The Hamilton Spectator published a front-page column on the many contributions of Les Miller to McMaster athletics, and athletics in general as manager of operations and facilities, on the day of his induction into McMaster’s sports hall of fame.