Daily News

March 17, 2009

McMaster's chair of Chemical Engineering has been appointed the next Dean of Engineering at the University of Western Ontario. Andy Hrymak begins his new post in London on July 1.

March 13, 2009

McMaster's Venture Engineering and Science Camp has been voted best summer camp for the second year in a row by the Hamilton Community News Reader's Choice Awards. Venture received the first-place Diamond rating for Summer Camps in the Best Entertainment/Sports category. It was up against several other area summer camps, which received Platinum through Honourable Mention awards.

March 13, 2009

University students are used to staying on campus for long hours studying, and many claim that they have no money. However, not too many could say that they lived at McMaster for five days straight, slept outside at night, and begged for food.

March 13, 2009

Not all books are considered equal. Every day books and magazines are removed from the shelves of libraries, schools and stores around the world. Whatever the rationale, attempts to ban books in Canada have been met by libraries and literacy advocates who are doing their best to preserve our freedom to read by refusing to allow challenged books to be censored or banned.

March 12, 2009

VitaSound Audio has the sounds of success ringing in its ears. The company, which manufactures hearing aid devices using technology licensed from McMaster, has been named one of three winners of the second annual Innovations@Work Awards. The awards program is run by Rogers Cable Communications and Profit Magazine.

March 12, 2009

McMaster students and recent alumni are invited to Career Services' annual Opportunities Expo, a recruitment fair for summer employment and full-time new graduate positions. The Opportunities Expo is the largest recruitment fair held at McMaster and offers information for students across all faculties.

March 11, 2009

Someone in the developing world - particularly in rural Africa - dies from a rabid dog bite every 10 minutes. But global elimination of this horrific disease appears to be possible, according to a team which includes scientists from McMaster University, Britain and the United States.

March 11, 2009

Twelve organizations in the heavy construction industry have pledged $1,127,500 over five years to establish an endowed chair at McMaster University. It is believed to be the first such chair in Canada. Among the key duties of the chair will be to provide leadership in advancing innovation in the heavy-construction sector, attracting and developing talent, and contributing to the advancement of a modern and durable infrastructure in Ontario.

March 11, 2009

Every patient trusts their family doctor to run a safe and efficient medical practice. To ensure this happens, researchers in McMaster University's Department of Family Medicine have developed a program which assesses a family practice's quality of care and provides service improvement suggestions.

March 10, 2009

McMaster employees tied up their running shoes and joined together in a half-hour lunchtime walk to promote fitness on campus. The Walk the Boss event, co-led by Karen Belaire, vice-president (administration) and physiotherapist Susan Robinson, kicked-off the annual Get MACtive Challenge. Employees walked along the David Braley Athletic Centre indoor track.

March 10, 2009

Students at the DeGroote School of Business received an introduction to the field of Certified Management Accounting at a CMA Round Table held last Thursday. The event, which was the first of its kind at DeGroote, provided both Commerce and MBA students the opportunity to network with Certified Management Accountants.

March 10, 2009

McMaster University recently unveiled its new weather station, which sits on top of the Burke Science Building. The McMaster Weather Station will serve the McMaster community by providing up-to-date weather information, such as temperature, humidity, precipitation, radiation, atmospheric pressure and wind data, every 15 minutes via website. A wall monitor located outside the School of Geography and Earth Sciences' main office displays current weather details for passersby.

March 9, 2009

Advertising claims about weight-loss products that sound too good be true - and most likely are - are rampant in North America. Yet consumers buy into the claims and spend millions in their quest to find a quick fix for shedding excess pounds.

March 9, 2009

She was born in Kirkcaldy, proud to say she shares the same birthplace as Sir Sanford Fleming - the Scottish-Canadian known as the "Father of Standard Time." What Fiona McNeill plans to do with her time over the next five years is far from standard, reflecting an ambitious vision for research at McMaster University.

March 6, 2009

At first glance, you might not think that Quiz Bowl is any different from a rainy afternoon spent playing Trivial Pursuit with your friends.

March 6, 2009

Reduce, reuse, recycle and de-stress? Sustainable living involves more than just following the three R's, a fact highlighted with the launch of the McMaster Sustainability Office's brand new website.

March 5, 2009

The federal Networks of Centres of Excellence today awarded $14.8 million to McMaster University for development and commercialization of novel surgical robotic systems. The announcement was made at McMaster by Gary Goodyear, the minister of state (Science and Technology).

March 5, 2009

Messages sent within stem cells through a specific pathway can trigger them to specialize and develop into blood cells, according to new research from the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute. The finding, to be published in the March 6 issue of Cell Stem Cell, marks the first time scientists have demonstrated the importance of the communication pathway, known as the noncanonical Wnt, in inducing blood formation in humans or any other species. The pathway works by organizing the cells so that they can respond to signals for blood development.

March 4, 2009

McMaster's Faculty of Social Sciences has joined a special initiative of the Ontario government to help Crown wards succeed at college and university. The initiative adds three new Education Championship Teams to aid Ontario communities in assisting Crown wards pursue post secondary education.

March 4, 2009

McMaster University researchers have found patients with a very severe asthma benefit from injections of the antibody, mepolizumab. The study by Dr. Param Nair and colleagues based at The Firestone Institute for Respiratory Disease, St. Joseph's Healthcare, found patients who require a lot of medication, including prednisone, to control their disease benefit from the injections.