Daily News

January 10, 2006

Donald Trump brags that his television series The Apprentice brings out the best and brightest that business has to offer. But the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University may give "The Donald" a run for his money when students compete in their own version of the hit television show. And the stakes are just as high as on TV. For four consecutive weeks beginning Wednesday, Jan. 18, 10 students will vie for one of four summer internship positions with host companies, including Frito-Lay, Jan-Kelly Marketing, RBC and Xerox. Each week, two competing teams will be assigned a real-world challenge from a host company. They will have just one week to research, prepare and present a solution. At the end of the competition, four of the ten participating students will be offered summer jobs with the host companies.

January 9, 2006

This past summer, hip hop music flowed from Regent Park in Toronto while children aged eight to 12 learned how to read and write. The students were part of the Literacy Through Hip Hop initiative created by third-year McMaster health science student Jason Shrouder-Henry and his friend Shahmeer Ansari from the University of Toronto. In May 2005, Shrouder-Henry and Ansari approached TD Canada Trust with a proposal to improve literacy skills in children living in poor Toronto neighbourhoods. Using hip hop music as a source of inspiration, children learned to read and write about the issues, history and artists of the hip hop culture.

January 9, 2006

All members of the McMaster community are invited to participate in the Inclusive Community focus groups running this week on campus, and a session at the downtown centre. If you haven't already signed up, don't forget to register soon. This is a key opportunity to provide your input to the initiative designed to help "build an inclusive community with a shared purpose," as outlined in McMaster's strategic plan, Refining Directions.

January 7, 2006

An interim solution has been implemented to address MUGSI performance issues. In response to the problems students have experienced accessing MUGSI, a secure webpage, located at https://adweb.cis.mcmaster.ca/gt/menu, has been created to allow students an alternate access to grade reports and course timetables. MUGSI is up and running for the weekend and staff will monitor the situation. A longer term solution continues to be a priority.

January 6, 2006

When one of Herb Schellhorn's grad students applied for a job at Toronto's prestigious Centre of Forensic Sciences, not only did they need a reference from their supervisor, they also needed to submit the lab notebooks they'd maintained while here at McMaster. Schellhorn wasn't at all surprised that the world renowned Centre wanted to see the lab notebooks, "they're looking for scientists who know how to keep a meticulous record of their experiments and their findings. Whether it's testing DNA for the Centre for Forensic Sciences or documenting drug experiments for a pharmaceutical company, the lab notebook is essential to the employer, government agencies and to patent offices," says Schellhorn, a professor in the department of biology.

January 6, 2006

Barbara Ferrier, a professor emeritus of the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, has died. Born in Scotland, she came to Hamilton in 1969, joining the Faculty of Health Sciences part-time in 1972, and full-time in 1982. She held a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Edinburgh. Although she retired in 1998, she had been actively involved in the recent development of the new curriculum for the MD program.

January 6, 2006

The dates for drop and add have been extended. There have been difficulties accessing the MUGSI system so the decision has been made that the drop and add for second term will be extended to Monday, Jan. 16. No student will be impacted negatively because of the system problems. The University's chief information officer, Debbie Barrett says, "we're doing everything possible to make sure students get their marks and have access to their financial account information and drop and add system. In an attempt to improve service all marks for first term were to be released yesterday but the demand on the system combined with a security attack on McMaster's network yesterday stretched the system beyond its capacity."

January 5, 2006

As you pull out the cheque book to pay off holiday bills, have sympathy for the clerks who sold you those gifts in the first place. For it is the retail workers themselves who may have the most difficulty paying off presents. Recent statistics show that retailers employ part-time and casual workers the most of any industry. These people regularly face unpredictable hours and low wages and benefits, the result of which is that they must juggle multiple jobs in order to earn a living wage. And following the busy holiday season, many front line sales staff find their hours cut, just when they may need the income the most.

January 4, 2006

The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), has honoured McMaster obstetrician Jean Chamberlain with the 2005 Distinguished Community Service Award for Emergency Obstetrical Care. Chamberlain, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, is the executive director of the international Save the Mothers program operated by Interserve Canada, and has authored a book titled, Where Have All the Mother's Gone?, that contains stories of hope and courage during childbirth among the world's poorest women.

January 3, 2006

Within the first couple of weeks of September, I went to two receptions and ate delicious, free food. Since then, I've taken up photography, even though, previously, I didn't know how to take a photo to save my soul. My writing has been deemed worthy of publication on the University website. Last month, I met McMaster President Peter George. These are all things that I never imagined I would say. But now I can, thanks to my job as a work-study student in McMaster's Office of Public Relations.

January 2, 2006

McMaster has appointed a new director for the Museum of Art. Carol Podedworny, currently the director/curator with the University of Waterloo Art Gallery, will begin her new position at McMaster on January 16. "I am very excited about coming to McMaster," says Podedworny. "The McMaster Museum of Art has a wonderful facility and an outstanding collection."

December 23, 2005

McMaster University will be closed from Saturday, Dec. 24 to Sunday, Jan. 1, reopening on Jan. 2. Winter term classes begin Tuesday, Jan. 3. Employees are reminded to lock all doors and put away valuables. If you are on campus during this period and notice anything suspicious, phone Security Services at ext. 24281 or visit http://www.mcmaster.ca/security/. Security will be on duty throughout the holiday period, providing emergency services 24 hours a day. Officers will be patrolling campus, answering alarms and monitoring security systems.

December 23, 2005

McMaster University, Canada Basketball and local area high schools have partnered to create a residential elite athlete training centre in Hamilton. The National Elite Development Academy (NEDA) will bring together 12 of the top 15-to-17 year-olds from across the country to train under the guidance of Canada Basketball coaches. The program will launch in September 2006 with the women's section of the academy, followed by the men's side in 2007. The academy will run for the academic year, September to June.

December 22, 2005

Enrolment numbers, a new underground parking structure, a three-year financial plan and an update on the McMaster Innovation Park were some of the highlights from recent Senate and the Board of Governors meetings. The following are some of the topics addressed at these meetings:

December 22, 2005

Brain size matters for intellectual ability and bigger is better, McMaster University researchers have found. The study, led by neuroscientist Sandra Witelson, a professor in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, and published in the December issue of the journal Brain, has provided some of the clearest evidence on the underlying basis of differences in intelligence.

December 22, 2005

McMaster has hired Wilfrid Laurier offensive co-ordinator Stefan Ptaszek to be the head coach of the Marauder football team. Ptaszek takes over one of the country's most successful university football programs and will guide the Marauders in its quest for continued excellence on the field, in the classroom and in community service.

December 21, 2005

Astronomers have found "light echoes" from three ancient supernovae by detecting their faint, centuries-old light reflected in the clouds of interstellar dust. The finding, to be published this week in Nature, means astronomers will, for the first time, be able to study these important but rare events that appeared hundreds to thousands of years ago.

December 20, 2005

Behind on your Christmas shopping? Still looking for that perfect gift? Not enough time to wander the malls? Titles Bookstore, located in the basement of Gilmour Hall, is a popular place for last-minute McMaster shoppers. "We're going to be busy right up to Christmas," says Barry Petrie, interim director of the bookstore. And it's no wonder, considering its convenient location at the heart of the McMaster campus and wide selection of merchandise. "We still have plenty of items in stock," says Petrie. "Shoppers can still find everything they'll need to finish their Christmas shopping."

December 19, 2005

Marc Colangelo, a medical sciences graduate student in the Faculty of Health Sciences, was the lead author on the article chosen for the Best Paper Award at the 18th International Conference on Computer Applications in Industry and Engineering (CAINE). Colangelo received the best paper award during the conference sponsored by the International Society for Computers and their Applications, held in Honolulu recently. It was chosen from among 108 submissions from 28 countries, some authored by established researchers and industry experts.

December 19, 2005

A McMaster University geneticist, in collaboration with genome researchers from Penn State University and the American Museum of Natural History has made history by mapping a portion of the woolly mammoth's genome. The discovery, which has astounded the scientific world, surpasses a study released today by Nature that also concerns the woolly mammoth. Hendrik Poinar, a molecular evolutionary geneticist in the department of anthropology and pathology at McMaster University, says his study involves the vital nuclear DNA within a mammoth rather than the lesser mitochondria, on which the Nature study is based.