Daily News

February 2, 2006

A field trip to Hiroshima has been organized for students taking Inquiry in Science II course 4SZ3 (also known as Med Phys 777). Aptly named Phoenix: Out of the Ashes and Into the Atomic Age, the course examines the short- and long-term impact of nuclear weapons testing upon humans and the environment. Doug Boreham, associate professor of medical physics and applied radiation, will lead the excursion to the Japanese city in May. Hiroshima, which was bombed by the United States on August 6, 1945, has ironically become a model of the nuclear age.

February 2, 2006

Four-year cumulative averages of 11.8 by McMaster engineering students Gaurav Bahl, electrical engineering, and Andrew Maw, computer engineering, resulted in the first tie at an Ontario university for the most prestigious award in undergraduate engineering. Both students received the gold medal award from the Ontario Professional Engineers Foundation for Education at the Faculty of Engineering's annual Awards Assembly. This is the first time since the award was established in 1961 that two students at the same university have tied for graduating with the highest cumulative average.

February 1, 2006

MBA and commerce students from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University continue to score among the highest in North America in a recent Major Field Test (MFT) conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) - the largest educational assessment organization in the world. The exam was administered in December 2005 to graduating students, and DeGroote's undergraduate commerce students scored in the 95th percentile in North America while the MBAs scored in the 90th percentile.

February 1, 2006

As human beings, its easy to feel big - we have machines that allow us to see particles that are less than a billionth of a metre big, we've built towering skyscrapers hundreds of metres tall, we fly thousands of kilometres around the world in mere hours and we've even traveled more than 380,000 kilometres to the moon. However, perhaps it is good to be reminded every so often of our size in the scale of things.

January 31, 2006

Upwind Downwind, a biennial conference on air pollution and health, will be held at the Hamilton Convention Centre on Monday, Feb. 27 and Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006. The theme of this year's Upwind Downwind conference is "Cities, Air and Health". "The inter-relationship between air pollution, urban form, and health is a prominent topic, and the Upwind Downwind conference provides an important venue for various stakeholders to come together and discuss research progress," says Bruce Newbold, director of the McMaster Institute of Environment and Health (MIEH).

January 31, 2006

McMaster's School of the Arts is now presenting its annual Directors' Series, a festival of unique shows directed by theatre and film students in their final year of study. The Directors' Series 2006 features eight new plays, six written by the directors themselves. From social realism to absurd comedy, from docu-drama to surreal fantasy, all 12 of the plays dynamically engage with our culture and our times, each in its own unique style.

January 31, 2006

It has been a notable year for McMaster's Gary Warner. On the heels of receiving the Order of Canada, the professor of linguistics and French has been named Hamilton's Distinguished Citizen of the Year. Warner was selected among six recipients (three from McMaster) last night to receive the 2005 Royal Bank Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award.

January 31, 2006

Researchers are looking for 800 Ontarians with spinal cord injuries for a landmark study to determine whether physical activity is related to better health and quality of life. It will be the largest study of its kind, and could change the treatment currently given to those with such injuries. Kathleen Martin Ginis, associate professor of kinesiology at McMaster University, and the lead investigator in the Study of Health and Activity in People with Spinal Cord Injury (SHAPE-SCI) said people with spinal cord injuries are at heightened risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity as well as various secondary health complications such as chronic pain, skin ulcers, and urinary tract infections. The key to preventing these problems, she believes, lies in increasing a person's physical activity.

January 30, 2006

Telling McMaster's unique story is the focus of an initiative now under way. "One of the critical success factors identified in McMaster's strategic plan, Refining Directions, is building and defining the University's reputation on a national and international level," says Judith Chopra, branding advisor for the University. "The first step in achieving that goal is to define McMaster's reputation - What makes us different? Who succeeds here? What do we aspire to achieve? What promises do we make and keep?"

January 30, 2006

More than 530 McMaster employees, retirees and their families came out to support the women's and men's Marauders basketball teams on Saturday in Burridge Gymnasium as both teams faced Brock University. This was the fourth annual McMaster Employee Spirit Society (M.E.S.S.!) basketball event. Employees and their families were provided free admission, child-minding services, complimentary food and refreshments and the opportunity to win draw prizes. In addition, the complimentary face painting was a big hit with the young, and the young-at-heart.

January 30, 2006

A renowned Hamilton physician will be remembered for his distinguished accomplishments in the field of rheumatology. William Watson Buchanan, 75, died on Saturday, Jan. 28. He was a McMaster University professor emeritus of rheumatology and had retired as a clinician with Hamilton Health Sciences in June, 2005.

January 30, 2006

Soulfood. Just the name warms the heart. But since it's inception in 2000, the annual Soulfood Fair has been concerned with more than just the heart; it aims to promote the healthy balance of the body, mind and spirit. This year, the Soulfood Fair is entitled Stepping Stones. "The theme," says Carol Wood, ecumenical chaplain and chair of the Soulfood Organizing Committee, "reminds us that health is an incremental process. We need to take steps daily and weekly to achieve health of our body, mind and spirit."

January 27, 2006

Plans to develop a new McMaster campus in Burlington now include a much larger presence for the DeGroote School of Business. The Business School's strategic plan calls for a significant expansion of programs and dean, Paul Bates says the Burlington campus is a golden opportunity to accelerate those plans. "The DeGroote School of Business will begin planning a selection of expanded programs to be located at the new Burlington campus," Bates said, during a speech to the Burlington Mayor's Economic Roundtable on Thursday. "Having a second site for the School provides the chance to develop some unique programs that will attract new students and faculty."

January 27, 2006

More than 150 students representing 19 Ontario universities will put their management leadership skills to the test tomorrow (Saturday, Jan. 28) when McMaster University hosts the Certified Management Accountants of Ontario inaugural Case Competition. Teams will use a computer-based decision-driven simulation, interview a fictional company's executive team, and review corporate documents in order to strategically advise senior management on issues that directly impact the company's future.

January 27, 2006

It appears Daily News readers want to know more about how to cut down on the time it takes to get in shape. A study by McMaster's Martin Gibala, an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology, was the most read story on the Daily News in 2005. Gibala's research suggests just six minutes of intense exercise a week could be as effective as an hour of daily moderate activity.

January 27, 2006

Three outstanding McMaster students will receive scholarships from the Vietnamese Association Toronto tomorrow in Mississauga. Bachelor of health sciences students Anne Dang and Nghi Phan and biotechnology and genetic engineering student Julie Tran are among 12 Ontario students to be presented scholarships at the annual Tet New Year Festival at the Hershey Centre.

January 26, 2006

Jack Rink feels a little more like Jay Leno than Sir Edmund Hilary these days. Rink, a geochronologist in the School of Geography and Earth Sciences, is developing techniques to foster some rapport between him and the 175 students who have signed up to take his GeoScience Adventurers and Explorers course. This is the first time the third-year course has been offered.

January 25, 2006

Olympic winner Adam Van Koeverden, who took both the gold and bronze medals for Canada in kayaking during the 2004 Olympics, will address fellow academic award winners tomorrow (Thursday) at the annual awards assembly for McMaster University's Faculty of Social Sciences. The event honours social sciences students, including those registered in the Honours Bachelor of Kinesiology program.

January 25, 2006

One-hundred McMaster students were presented with a Millennium Excellence Award Tuesday in recognition of both extracurricular involvement and academic success. Within this group of outstanding students, 22 are in-course award winners and 32 are entrance award winners (for September 2005) with another 46 renewals for students who demonstrated excellence in their McMaster studies and met retention terms. In-course awards are given to students who have already completed their second year of post-secondary studies.

January 25, 2006

Distinguished University Professor John C. Weaver gave the first of two lectures last night on 'Life's Troubles and Sorrows'. Weaver's research on suicide has been centred in the rich collection archives of the coroner's reports of Australia and New Zealand. Weaver was honoured with the title of Distinguished University Professor at the November 2005 Convocation. The title is the highest honour McMaster can bestow on one of its own, and although the designation is held for life, it is restricted to eight full-time faculty members at any given time.