Daily News

August 12, 2005

For civil engineering and management students David Heska and Shayne Love, the Faculty of Engineering's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) has made the decision to continue on to graduate school much easier. "We worked with a lot of graduate students over the past year who gave us a really good view of what graduate school is like," says Love, who intends to continue his research on "tuned liquid dampers" in graduate school when he completes his undergraduate degree in two years.

August 12, 2005

McMaster University's campus continues to grow. Tremendous progress is being made on the Athletics and Recreation Complex and recently work began on the new student residence beside Hedden Hall. In the near future, work will begin on the Ronald V. Joyce Stadium. These are all exciting projects that will provide much needed facilities and resources for the McMaster community. The development on central campus has created an impact on the Zone 1 parking area. To accommodate the new construction, more than 200 parking permit holders had to be moved out of Zone 1 to Zones 6 or 7 on west campus.

August 12, 2005

McMaster University has recruited an internationally recognized scientist in stem cell research to establish a new institute focused on human cancer and stem cell biology, the first of its kind in North America. Mick Bhatia, PhD, who is known for his work understanding the regulatory mechanisms in human stem cells, will become scientific director of an institute for cancer and stem cell biology research. The core funding for the institute will be provided from the gift by philanthropist Michael G. DeGroote to the university.

August 12, 2005

This morning, the Service Employees' International Union (SEIU) Local 2.on conducted an information picket at the University. They were joined by representatives of the Canadian Labour Council (CLC) who are at McMaster this week attending a Summer School. The CLC is also sponsoring a social justice camp at the University. McMaster welcomes these delegates to campus, and hopes their conference is a success. While the SEIU has a right to hold an information picket, the University is concerned that the message in the demonstration flyer is inaccurate and misleading. The University will be addressing this issue directly with the union when the parties meet at the bargaining table with a conciliation officer on August 30. The SEIU has been certified to represent casual call-in custodians and is negotiating with the University for a first collective agreement.

August 11, 2005

Andrew Hrymak, P.Eng. has been appointed director of the newly established School for Engineering Practice at McMaster University. The School for Engineering Practice was created by the Faculty of Engineering in response to the growing need for engineers to manage increasingly complex issues requiring an in-depth knowledge of design, innovation, entrepreneurship and the impact of technology on society.

August 11, 2005

How do you celebrate the conclusion of nine years as dean of the Faculty of Science and a new appointment as director of the Arts & Science Program? For Peter Sutherland, the answer was a 650-kilometre bike ride through the Rocky Mountains. From June 19 to 25, Sutherland participated in the Denver Post Ride The Rockies, an annual bicycle tour that takes 2,000 cyclists on a weeklong ride through Colorado's Rocky Mountains.

August 10, 2005

In his new office in the General Sciences Building, less than two weeks into starting his job as the new dean of science, boxes are still unopened, the walls are devoid of pictures and his desk is in relative order. But aside from all outer appearances, John Capone talks as though he's been in the job for years. It could be because in all of his other roles at McMaster since 1986, he has worked closely with the Faculty of Science. He has seen it grow into McMaster's second largest faculty - prominent in research, education and service.

August 9, 2005

Editor's note: The following article, written by Stephanie DeSa, was published in Denmark's JP Aarhus. The article is about DeSa's experiences on a five-month student exchange at the Aarhus School of Business, in Denmark. DeSa, a fourth-year student in McMaster's DeGroote School of Business will return to McMaster this fall to complete her studies in commerce. Lao Tzu once stated - a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

August 9, 2005

Two things McMaster prides itself on - state-of-the-art technology and recycling - have a lot in common. When the university updates its technology, the old equipment gets a second life. Through a Surplus Computer Donation Program, the University encourages offices and departments that are upgrading electronic or clearing out older models and getting rid of working computers, hard drives, monitors or CD-Roms, to consider donating the old equipment to a non-profit organization called "Computers for Schools". This organization reuses the computers in classrooms at elementary and high schools across Ontario.

August 9, 2005

At the end of each year, first- and second-year engineering students reflect on what they learned the year gone past. During the Faculty of Engineering's annual Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) on Friday, Aug. 12, students will showcase their experiences gained during a poster presentation, representing the culmination of the 2005 work term. UROP provides an opportunity for undergraduate students in level 1 and 2 to gain experience in a research-oriented environment and develop mentoring relationships with professors and graduate students.

August 8, 2005

The first week of school will be music to student's ears as the McMaster Students Union will feature K-OS as the first-year students-only concert on Saturday, Sept. 3, and Sam Roberts as the free faculty hollow concert on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

August 8, 2005

Nearly 2,000 visitors - about 700 of which will be incoming first-year McMaster students - will descend upon campus this Friday for Welcome Day. "Welcome Day is part of McMaster's undergraduate orientation and is designed to help students feel more prepared for their move to McMaster three weeks later," says Danielle Stayzer, First Year Experience manager. "Students and parents will leave understanding more about what to expect from first year university and will also have a better sense of what the McMaster community is about and start to feel a part of it."

August 5, 2005

Women with a post-secondary education and a full-time job are the most likely people to suffer repetitive strain injury such as wrist tendonitis, says Harry Shannon, of McMaster's program in occupational health & environmental medicine. Their risk is even higher if the job is both psychologically and physically demanding, and the employer is on the verge of downsizing. Shannon is co-author of a study from the Institute for Work & Health in Toronto published in the July issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

August 5, 2005

On Sunday, Aug. 14, McMaster alumni and students will run, walk, jog or simply roam through Westdale and the McMaster campus in McMaster's version of the Amazing Race. In the "MACmazing Race", teams will be looking for clues that will take them from checkpoint to checkpoint, towards the finish line and $400 grand prize.

August 5, 2005

The Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) has awarded a $370,000 grant for long-term follow-up of children with acquired brain injury (ABI). This research project is a collaboration between the CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability, the School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University and McMaster Children's Hospital. This research will build on a recently completed three-year study, funded by the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation, which followed children who were admitted to McMaster Children's Hospital with ABI.

August 5, 2005

People with chronic pain often suffer alone as they stay hidden away in their own homes, unable to join in the day-to-day routines of society. However, a Canadian advocate for chronic pain sufferers is coming to Hamilton next week from Halifax, intent on showing chronic pain sufferers in this area that banding together and offering each other support and advice is an effective way to improve their quality of life.

August 4, 2005

While running on the coastline in Reykjavik, Iceland, Jill Axisa will see the faces of those who helped get her there. Faces of those who told her stories about loved ones lost to diabetes, those diagnosed with it, or those who encouraged her in her quest to run a marathon to raise awareness of the disease that effects more than two million Canadians. They will be her inspiration as she completes the Fire and Ice Marathon with other members of Team Diabetes on August 20.

August 3, 2005

Whether it's for the feeling of the wind against his face, the smell of the seawater as it mists against him, or simply the drive to be the best sailor in the world, McMaster student Evan Lewis is committed to what he does best - sailing. He hopes his commitment - including a seven-day a week, two- to five-hour-a-day training schedule - brings him gold in the Canada Summer Games in Regina, Saskatchewan this August.

August 3, 2005

Three second-year McMaster students have helped organize a three-on-three basketball tournament to raise money and awareness for children in Sudan. Life sciences students James Khan, president of Visionary Development, Jeril Kanampuza, vice-president, and biochemistry student Priyanka Joseph, director of finance, helped organize the first Mississauga Charity Basketball Tournament, which will be held Saturday, August 6 at Father Goetz Secondary School (330 Central Pkwy. W).

August 2, 2005

After many weeks of development, Working at McMaster has re-launched its website. Upgrades to the site include a more user-friendly, easier to navigate website and newly packaged sections for Careers, Professional Development, Awards and Recognition and Leadership Effectiveness. The project arose directly from the feedback received from the site's users. It was frequently noted that the site was difficult to navigate and that information could be hard to find. The Working at McMaster Steering Committee recommended that the re-architecture should be considered a high priority.