March 17, 2005

Health promotion and helping employees return to work are the focus of changes being made to McMaster's Employee Work-Life Support Services (EWLSS). "For the past few years, we've run a number of programs," says Wanda McKenna, manager, Employee Work-Life Support Services. "That's given us time to see what employees really want and a chance to refine the programs so that they have the most impact." The delivery of health programs for employees will now fall under the EWLSS.

March 17, 2005

For their ability to communicate and their approachability and enthusiasm, 11 McMaster professors have been selected by students as the University's top teachers. Students paid tribute to their favourite professors at last night's annual Teaching Awards Ceremony, hosted by the McMaster Students Union. The event took place in the CIBC Banquet Hall in the McMaster University Student Centre.

March 16, 2005

Twenty-five McMaster biology students presented a diverse range of research at the 18th annual Ontario Biology Day last weekend at Laurentian University. They were among 74 students from six Ontario universities to give oral and poster presentations on the senior thesis and project work they undertook this academic year through the following courses: BIOL 4C09; BIOL 4F06 and MOL BIOL 4R09.

March 16, 2005

Graduate achievements and contributions were acknowledged last night at the tenth annual Graduate Students Recognition Day. Hosted by the Graduate Students Association (GSA) and the School of Graduate Studies, the event recognized a range of activities, including innovation in research, teaching assistant excellence and off-campus endeavours.

March 16, 2005

West Hamilton features two of Hamilton's most distinctive and attractive areas: the McMaster University campus and the Ainslie Wood/Westdale commercial and residential neighbourhoods. These two areas form one community with common concerns, issues, challenges and opportunities. Community representatives came together last week at a Community Forum to inform local residents of the progress that has been made over the past year in addressing these common issues.

March 16, 2005

Work on a tan or build a robot? Or, maybe, design a car or an aircraft instead. These are two of the main activities Grade 11 and 12 students interested in science and engineering can undertake as part of a new summer engineering enrichment camp launched by McMaster's Faculty of Engineering. "We're seeing more students looking to pursue their interest in science and engineering rather than camping in the wilderness," said Peter Smith, associate dean of engineering.

March 15, 2005

After a devastating tsunami struck South East Asia in December, many McMaster students, faculty and staff were left struggling to find ways to help. McMaster University medical school graduate, Hanif Jamal was one of these people. As a first-year family medicine resident, Jamal knows most university students do not have an abundance of extra cash. Therefore, he wanted to find a way for himself and young people in general, to contribute to the cause.

March 15, 2005

Knowing where to place your knife and fork after a meal may not be something students need to know to earn their degree. But it appears they understand the importance of this knowledge when entering the workforce. This was made evident by McMaster's Alumni Association's most recent student/young alumni event, "Etiquette Dinner", which attracted nearly 200 participants.

March 15, 2005

Vitamin E does not work to prevent cardiovascular incidents in people who have diabetes or cardiovascular conditions, say McMaster researchers in a paper to be published in the March 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The study, an extended follow-up of the HOPE trial, which began in 1993 and looked at the role of ACE inhibition and vitamin E in cardiovascular prevention, explored the role of vitamin E supplements in preventing cancer, heart disease and stroke in a high-risk population.

March 15, 2005

McMaster psychologists Mel Rutherford and Sigal Balshine will ponder the evolution of sexuality, and muse about why we aren't all hermaphrodites at McMaster University's inaugural meeting of MACafi Scientifique. The Cafi Scientifique approach complements more traditional lecture series, such as Science in the City, providing a forum for discussion that gives non-academics a chance to weigh in on science-related topics. MACafi Scientifique will premiere at The Bean Bar in Westdale, on Wednesday, March 16.

March 15, 2005

McMaster President Peter George sees the decision out of the University of Toronto today to end mandatory retirement at age 65 for professors and librarians as an inevitable move given the growing imbalance of older and younger workers in the workforce.

March 14, 2005

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have announced a major partnership with McMaster's Department of Athletics and Recreation. Under terms of the two-year agreement, the Tiger-Cats will handle all corporate sales and ticket sales for the McMaster football program. Ticket requests for McMaster football events will now be handled directly by the Ticats' business operations while Ivor Wynne Stadium, home of the Ticats, will also host all Marauder home football games for the next two years.

March 14, 2005

It's a snowy morning in late February but Joan Garson doesn't bother to shovel the driveway or sweep off the car before she departs for work. She leaves the house, locks the door and steps carefully down her driveway, past her silver car which is resting lazily beneath its undisturbed white blanket of snow. Today it's co-worker Muriel Gervais' turn to drive. Joan slides into the passenger seat of Muriel's waiting car. The car is already warm. So is Muriel's "good-morning" smile.

March 11, 2005

More family physicians will be trained at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University. The Hon. Marie Bountrogianni, Ontario's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Minister of Youth and Children's Services, today announced the addition of 22 new first year family medicine residency positions by 2006. Previously, the school had 41 new family medicine residents join the two-year program. The increase is part of an initiative of the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care to increase the supply of family physicians in Ontario, and improve health care.

March 11, 2005

Foreign species, such as zebra mussels and carp, are invading the Great Lakes and changing the ecology of this vital ecosystem. A study from McMaster University published in the March issue of the Journal of Great Lakes Research suggests that for the round goby, a recently introduced fish species, their ability to wrest territory from native fish plays a key role in their dominance of the Great Lakes.

March 10, 2005

Robert Hamilton, a multimedia professor at McMaster, was awarded a $20,000 research grant for new media and audio artists from the Canada Grants Council. The funding supports his project, "Moving Pictures", an interactive display of still images. It was one of three to receive funding in this category.

March 10, 2005

It's decision time for the Ontario government and a critical time for MPPs to hear from you that strong and vital universities are the foundation of Ontario's future. "The Bob Rae Report on Postsecondary Education established the clear need for new resources for higher education and laid out an action plan that will help to ensure that Ontario universities and colleges can deliver the programs needed to train tomorrow's leaders and entrepreneurs," says President Peter George. "But the report isn't enough. It is essential that the provincial budget expected within the next month increases funding to universities. It is vital that the government support increased accessibility and quality."

March 9, 2005

McMaster's Engineers Without Borders is hosting a lecture series about appropriate technology for sustainable development and minimizing consumption habits.

March 9, 2005

Bridges Vegetarian Cafi celebrated its existence as one of Canada's only all-vegetarian campus eateries, at a grand opening celebration Tuesday. The event, which was by invitation-only, featured entertainment from Pangaea, samples of food from the cafi, performances from a jazz band, an exhibition of student art, and a word from President Peter George and McMaster students Aaron Orkin and Jaime Baxter, who came up with the idea for the cafi.

March 9, 2005

It has been more than two months since a devastating tsunami hit South East Asia. But McMaster's relief efforts have not dwindled with time. In fact, momentum for relief efforts by students, faculty and staff continue as strong as the day they learned of the tragedy. This Saturday, McMaster will host an all-day symposium entitled "In the Aftermath of the Tsunami, What are the Challenges We Face?" The event will feature speakers on McMaster's relief efforts and will discuss ways to sustain these efforts.