Daily News

March 29, 2005

MBA and commerce students from McMaster's DeGroote School of Business continue to score among the highest in North America. Such was the case again 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 2004 to graduating students, and DeGroote's commerce students scored in the 95th percentile in North America while the MBAs scored in the 90th percentile. The commerce result was consistent with previous tests but the MBA result was the highest ever.

March 28, 2005

The architects of the new curriculum for McMaster's undergraduate MD program are holding a public forum to provide an overview of the changes in store for the university's world-renowned medical school. Known as COMPASS, the new curriculum will be rolled out this September for students entering the first year of the three-year medical program of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.

March 24, 2005

Lessons learned from peace through health will be the focus of the second annual Peace Through Health conference, hosted by McMaster. "There's a growing network of people throughout the world who are becoming more aware of the impact of violence, especially political violence, on health," says lead organizer Joanna Santa Barbara, McMaster psychiatrist and 2004 Sibley Award Recipient. "The possibilities of expanding peace through skilful health practice excite people. We hope to bring together practitioners and educators who are working with this framework to generate fruitful ideas."

March 23, 2005

McMaster announced the 2004/2005 athletic award winners at the 81st annual Athletic Awards Presentation last night. The Female Athlete of the Year was Ellen Macro from the women's wrestling team. The Male Athlete of the Year was Jesse Lumsden from the McMaster football team.

March 22, 2005

The City of Hamilton is looking to McMaster University for nominees for Women of the Year. "I think McMaster has been overlooked in the past," said Paula Holmes Rodman, chair of the Hamilton Status of Women Committee. "We'd like to change this, and allow women who might not have been aware of the awards to get the recognition they deserve."

March 22, 2005

They lead busy lives of class, studying and part-time jobs, but many students find time to cram a little extra time in to help others. So is the case with McMaster's 90 peer helpers and peer health educators, who were recognized last night by President Peter George. "It continues to amaze me that in the midst of classes, homework and busy schedules, we have students who regularly commit to making time for their peers and helping to see them through the challenges of their academic life," he said.

March 22, 2005

McMaster wrestler Stefanie Howorun has received the Bob McLeod Scholarship for the 2004/05 academic year, from the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association. The 2004 Canadian Junior National Champion (at 67 kg) recently placed third at the CIS Championship and will compete in her first senior national championship this upcoming May in Renfrew, Ontario.

March 22, 2005

McMaster's Henry Giroux, the Global TV Network Chair in Communications in the Faculty of Humanities, will present his inaugural public lecture this week. Entitled, "Cultural Studies in Dark Times: Public Pedagogy and the Challenge of Neoliberalism," his talk will take place Thursday, March 24 at 4 p.m. in the McMaster University Student Centre, Rm. 319. A reception will follow.

March 21, 2005

What would it take for you to make the switch from a fossil-fuelled vehicle to an alternative fuelled vehicle? That's one of the questions Dimitris Potoglou hopes to be able to answer when he compiles research into the viability and desire for alternative fuelled vehicles. The study is Potoglou's PhD thesis, and is supervised by Pavlos S. Kanaroglou, Canada Research Chair in Spatial Analysis in the School of Geography and Geology. The study is funded by the City of Hamilton, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).

March 21, 2005

Enterprise and innovation are at the heart of the University of Manchester, the largest university in the United Kingdom. Peter Winter, director of the Manchester Science Enterprise Centre (MSEC) at the University of Manchester, will discuss the growing interest in entrepreneurship and innovation and the way it is being supported by higher education.

March 21, 2005

Initial research shows that when it comes to screening for colon cancer, patients prefer the accuracy of a colonoscopy over other less invasive and more comfortable tests. The SCREEN study (the Study of Colorectal Cancer Screening Using Research on Economics) is a four-year study funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute, which began in 2004.

March 18, 2005

Reproductive choice and new genetic reproductive technologies will be the topic of McMaster University's 2005 Enkin lecture to be given by Martin Richards, a professor of family research of the University of Cambridge, UK, on Wednesday, March 23. Richards is a world-renowned researcher on genetic counseling and testing for inherited conditions, especially cancer and gene-based learning disorders.

March 18, 2005

McMaster's Dance Company was golden at two recent competitions  the American Colleges Dance Festival and Canadian University Challenge Cup. McMaster was the only Canadian university performing in the American College Dance Festival and were selected by adjudicators to show choreography in the Gala in which 10 dances were chosen from 40 entrants. The company, led by artistic director and kinesiology professor Dave Wilson, which has competed in the competition since 1989, entered both modern and urban choreography in the adjudications.

March 18, 2005

While searching for the comics in his local newspaper one day, Craig Kielburger came across the story of a young boy who had been sold into slavery as a carpet weaver, escaped, and was murdered when he tried to speak out against child labour. The story so shocked Kielburger, who was 12 at the time, that he relayed the story to his friends the next day at school, and began a campaign to advocate for the rights of children.

March 18, 2005

Two hundred million years ago, there was no north, south, east, or west. No borders, no countries, no continents; only Pangaea. Now in this space and time, students will celebrate what once was and can now be. More than 900 students are expected to attend the third annual Pangaea Multicultural Show at McMaster on Sunday, March 20. The event will bring together students in an attempt to unify the celebration of various cultures.

March 18, 2005

It's 11 a.m. on a weekday in March and you need to study for a mid-term. You head over to the library to find a quiet spot. You can't find a seat anywhere. Groups of students sit on the floor collaborating on projects. All the group study rooms are being used. In the reference area, students are lined up waiting to use the computers.

March 17, 2005

McMaster alumnus Wayne Gowan '77 was hired as the fourth baseball coach of the McMaster baseball program. Gowan, a native of Hamilton, has coached highschool, club and elite baseball at all levels including Mountain City Baseball, West Mountain Baseball, Hamilton District Baseball Association.

March 17, 2005

Primary health care providers, particularly family physicians, are the first line of contact for patients and families. They play a critical role in facilitating access to effective palliative care for dying patients in a community. Yet, most family physicians in Canada have received little or no training in palliative care and they have repeatedly identified difficulty in accessing interdisciplinary resources to address the complex issues faced by both patients and families at the end-of-life.

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.