Daily News

March 6, 2006

You are likely aware that there is a possibility of a strike by full-time faculty of Ontario colleges, including Mohawk College, represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees' Union (OPSEU), as early as Tuesday, March 7, 2006. In this event, there may be picketing activity on McMaster's campus, particularly at the Institute for Applied Health Sciences (IAHS) a facility that is jointly operated by Mohawk College and McMaster University. As this may affect McMaster students, staff and faculty, this message is to inform you of McMaster's plans in this regard.

March 6, 2006

McMaster associate professor Robert Hamilton and Sheridan instructor Dan Zen organized the fourth annual Interactive Interactive IV (four), which took place at the Hamilton Artists Inc. gallery on Friday February 24. Interactive Interactive is a juried exhibition of student works from the Sheridan Interactive Multimedia department and the McMaster Communication Studies and Multimedia department. All types of work were eligible from experimental art to functional websites with the focus being more on creativity and interactivity.

March 3, 2006

In 2004 there were 143 structure fires per week in Ontario, 106 of those occurring in homes. On average 11 civilians and 2 firefighters were injured per week. Effective March 1, 2006, the Ontario Fire Marshall has amended the Ontario Fire Code making smoke detectors mandatory on every floor of a residential home. These changes have been made to further protect the life safety of occupants in residential housing.

March 3, 2006

Carla Geurts-Cole has won a silver medal in the Women's 200-Meter Obstacle Swim at the Rescue 2006 World Life Saving Championship in Austraila. The obstacle swim took place in a 50-metre olympic-sized pool with a requirement of diving 6 feet below the water at both the 10 and 40 metre marks. This was repeated four times to cover the 200 metre distance. Geurts-Cole's time of of 2 min 11.67 seconds set a new Canadian record and was faster than the previous world record.

March 3, 2006

Thinking about quitting? A special "Smoke-Free Day at McMaster" is coming on Monday, March 6 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. to the McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC) marketplace. Keynote speaker Shaine Peters, a youth-oriented ex-smoker and ex-tobacco advocate will be in MUSC at 12:45 p.m. to share his personal experience overcoming an addiction to tobacco. Peters paints a startling and disturbing picture of youth tobacco use, with emphasis on tobacco industry marketing tactics that target young people. The event is being organized by Leave The Pack Behind (LTPB) and the McMaster University Campus Health Centre. Representatives from local organizations, including Hamilton Public Health, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Heart and Stroke, and the Lung Association will be presenting displays in the University Student Centre alongside campus displays from the Health and Wellness Centre, SHEC and LTPB. Special entertainment includes the music of Mac students, free food, and fun prizes. Organizers would like to ask smokers to refrain from smoking or to smoke off-campus during the event times. Peters speaks to youth about his personal experience overcoming an addiction to tobacco, and paints a startling and disturbing picture of youth tobacco use, with emphasis on tobacco industry marketing tactics that target young people.

March 3, 2006

Stephen Lewis, a Canadian icon who has established a global presence through his humanitarian and political roles, will be delivering a much anticipated lecture this weekend at McMaster University. Appointed in 2001 as the United Nations' Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, Mr. Lewis has led the worldwide campaign to raise awareness about this devastating pandemic. Named by Macleans magazine as the "Canadian of the Year" in 2003, and recently in 2005 as one of TIME magazine's "100 most influential people in the world", Lewis has no doubt left an impression on the world. Lewis is featured as a keynote speaker of McMaster's Global Citizenship Conference taking place this weekend from March 3 to 5 in MDCL. His lecture, sponsored by the Faculty of Social Science, will be a rare and exciting event, as Lewis has given talks around the globe in many influential roles including the Canadian Ambassador to the UN, and the Deputy Director of UNICEF. A limited number of tickets to his lecture will be available as of Tuesday, Feb. 28.

March 2, 2006

A new affiliation agreement signed yesterday by McMaster University and St. Peter's Health System will result in more research on issues affecting adults with chronic illness and training of health care professionals in the care of these individuals. Each year, many McMaster students come to St. Peter's for practical hands-on training in complex care. The renewed affiliation agreement further enhances this academic association, as well as emphasizes the commitment of both St. Peter's and McMaster University to research in this area.

March 2, 2006

Beginning March 14, McMaster's Department of Religious Studies will be presenting Hooker Distinguished Visiting Professor Gary A. Anderson for a series of public lectures. Anderson is presently professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible at Notre Dame University. He has taught at the University of Virginia and Harvard Divinity School, and he has been a senior fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Hebrew University. His awards include a Luce Fellowship and grants from the National Endowment of the Humanities.

March 2, 2006

Three McMaster University rowers are currently at a National Team Development camp getting ready for National Team crews for the summer. Alan and Aubrey Oldham (twins that represented Canada at the World Under 23 Championships, 2005) as well as their fellow McMaster oarsman Doug Csima (who represented Ontario at the Canada Summer Games in 2005 as well as posted the fastest Under 23 men's score in Canada at the Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships, 2006 in Toronto) left Feb. 25 for Victoria, B.C. for a National Team training camp.

March 2, 2006

McMaster's campus libraries would like to know how well they are meeting the needs and expectations of their users. From March 6 - 26, the libraries will participate in LibQUAL +", a web-based survey which is part of a North American effort led by the Association of Research Libraries(ARL) to measure satisfaction with library services, collections and facilities, and to identify best practices. In the next few days, an email will be sent to a random selection of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff inviting them to participate in the survey, which takes between 8 and 13 minutes to complete. Responses will be confidential; no identifying links between responses and the individual responding will be retained. The libraries will receive initial results in May, and will share final results with the campus community by fall 2006.

March 1, 2006

As has been widely reported in the media, two women, one of whom is a third-year medical student at McMaster University, has been linked by Mexican authorities to the double slaying of an Ontario couple while on holiday in Mexico. Student Cheryl Everall was quoted in today's Toronto Star as saying that McMaster has been "wonderful" about letting her take a break from exams to cope with the stress of the Mexican situation.

February 28, 2006

McMaster University's first-year and fourth-year undergraduates are currently being polled by a North American-wide survey about their experience at McMaster. The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) asks students to assess their classes, faculty and friends. They are asked about their interaction with faculty, the quality and timeliness of the feedback, and whether expectations are communicated effectively. It asks whether a co-operative attitude exists among students, whether students are engaged in active learning and new ways of learning, and if there is respect for diverse talents. The results of the survey are used by institutions to see how they stack up against their peers in the delivery of student programs and services. The survey takes about 15 minutes complete.

February 28, 2006

New research into a missing link in climatology shows that the Earth was not overcome by a greenhouse period when dinosaurs dominated, but experienced rapid fluctuations in temperature and sea level change that resulted in a balance of the global carbon cycle. The study is being published in the March issue of Geology. "Most people think the mid-Cretaceous period was a super-greenhouse," says Darren Gr

February 28, 2006

The concept of leadership can invoke many different things for many people. For some it is hierarchical, for others it is a process of self-growth and development; some may see leadership as a position, and some feel it is about the relationships they build with others. These definitions are by no means mutually exclusive. Each one of us must apply our own understanding of leadership and what it is to be a leader to our daily lives. With this thought in mind, the Centre for Student Development provides students with an opportunity to explore their ideas about leadership and develop their leadership skills through the Dr. Mary E. Keyes Leadership Programme. Students work towards a leadership certificate through attending a series of workshops and engaging in volunteer service, or they can participate in any of the workshops that might be of interest to them and review various resources on the leadership website. This year, the leadership programme is offering two events intended for students, staff, faculty, and community members. Leadership peers and staff have chosen March as "Leadership Month" during which two key events are planned: an annual Poster Series and the first ever Leadership Speaker Series. The goal of both series is to highlight the concept of leadership not only on campus but also in the community. The poster series will focus on various student team leadership opportunities available across campus and recognize the work of the students and the projects and programmes they have worked on. Nine posters will be displayed in the lobby of Mills library from March 14 to 16 and again on April 3 to 4, 2006 in the McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC).

February 27, 2006

Are you an engineering student who wants to see more of the world? Would you like to study abroad and earn credits while experiencing the culture of Eastern Europe? Well, now you can. The Faculty of Engineering at McMaster has partnered with its colleagues at Michigan State University and two Russian Universities - State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering in Volgograd and St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University - to offer the Engineering Study Abroad Program(ESAP).

February 27, 2006

Repetitive strain injury(RSI) is currently one of the fastest-growing workplace disorders. RSI typically attacks the muscles, tendons and nerves in hands, wrists and elbows as well as the neck, shoulders, back, lower limbs and spine. Though commonly blamed on computer use, RSI can occur just as easily at home and at play. McMaster will hold a full day of workshops and activities on Tuesday, Feb. 28 in an effort to raise awareness among employees about ways to alleviate RSI. Clinics will be held on office layout, design and ergonomics, health and safety ergonomics, culminating with an open forum featuring Steve Peters, Ontario's Minister of Labour.

February 24, 2006

Liss Platt, assistant professor for the Department of Communication Studies and Multimedia, has won the prize for Best Documentary at the United States Super 8mm Film + Digital Video Festival for her work entitled "You Can't Get There From Here." The film is a coming of age story, rife with burgeoning desire, adolescent rebelliousness and family crisis.

February 23, 2006

It is no matter of science that three of McMaster's Millennium Excellence scholars are all students in the bachelor of health sciences program. Rather, it is a matter of dedication and caring for the community. Diana Choi, Randy Ai, and Carol King have all perfected the formula for the foundation's standards of leadership, innovation, community involvement and high grades in order to achieve the top-level award from the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation.

February 22, 2006

Two graduates of McMaster University have been named to key positions in Stephen Harper's new government. Kevin Lynch (PhD '80) was appointed Clerk of the Privy Council yesterday. Lynch, who studied economics at McMaster, was former deputy minister in the Department of Finance and executive director for Canada at the International Monetary Fund. He takes up his new position on March 6. Sandra Buckler (BA '95) is Harper's new director of communications. A native of Hamilton, Buckler previously worked as a lobbyist for De Beers Canada, Rogers Wireless, and Coca-Cola, and as communications advisor to Preston Manning, Kim Campbell and Tom Long. She has been a long-time strategist in Conservative backrooms at both the federal and provincial level.

February 21, 2006

McMaster alumna Margot Page '87 had a front row seat for the Olympic gold medal win by the Canadian women' hockey team yesterday, as she is an assistant coach with the team. Page, who graduated with a bachelor of physical education degree in 1987, has spent the last year in Calgary working with the national team. A native of Stoney Creek, she was an Honour M award winner and female athlete of the year award winner while at McMaster and was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame.