McMaster Archive

April 1, 2005

New chair supports humanities research at McMaster

Imre Szeman, professor of English, and director of the Institute for Globalization and the Human Condition, has been appointed to the Senator William McMaster Chair in Globalization and Cultural Studies. Szeman will be honoured at a reception today (Friday, April 1) at 4 p.m. in Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall, Room 111) at McMaster University. He is the first person to hold the chair.

March 31, 2005

Was Einstein relatively right?

It is the 100th anniversary of the publication of Albert Einstein's greatest discoveries in physics: relativity, the quantum nature of light, and the existence of atoms. What better time to pick apart his work? Just how right was Einstein? Did he simply luck out with his theory? Did he change the laws of gravity to fit his assumptions about how the universe operates? Does God really play dice with the universe? Come with your own personal scorecard as the second MACafi Scientifique debates the pros and cons of Einstein's ideas, and his scientific legacy.

March 31, 2005

Memorial service planned for nursing student

A memorial service will be held Monday, April 4 for a third-year nursing student known for her commitment to health care and helping people. Krista Cantwell died Tuesday after in a Hamilton traffic collision. She was a Mohawk College student taking a McMaster University Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) through the Mohawk/McMaster/Conestoga Collaborative BScN Degree Program.

March 31, 2005

Excellence in student leadership recognized

The McMaster Students Union (MSU) hosted its annual awards night Wednesday to celebrate excellence in student leadership. The Rudy Heinzl Award of Excellence recognizes an outstanding one-year achievement that improves the lives of McMaster students. This year's recipient was Umair Khan, 2004-05 MSU vice-president of finance.

March 30, 2005

Main Street construction projects set to begin

Two construction projects, beginning in April along Main Street West in Hamilton, will greatly improve the entrance to the University and Hamilton Health Sciences' McMaster site. During the work, which begins next Monday, April 4, and runs through mid August, the City of Hamilton will reconstruct Main Street West between Cootes Drive and Gary Avenue. At the same time, McMaster University will construct a new Main Street entrance onto campus to improve safety and enhance the University's entrance.

March 30, 2005

David Suzuki to deliver lecture at McMaster

Environmentalist/broadcaster David Suzuki will provide a lecture at McMaster on Tuesday, April 5 entitled, "Rediscovering Our Place in the World." The lecture is co-sponsored by the Faculty of Engineering and the Department of Physical Plant. It will take place at 10 a.m. in the Michael G. DeGroote Centre of Learning and Discovery, Rm. 1305/1307.

March 29, 2005

Business students highly rated in North America

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

Forum set for MD curriculum innovations

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

Conference to explore lessons learned from peace through health

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

Student athletes honoured

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

Hamilton seeks Women of the Year from McMaster campus

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

Students helping students

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 receives McLeod Scholarship

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

Lecture to explore cultural studies in dark times

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

Is society truly interested in alternative fuelled cars?

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

University of Manchester educator to discuss entrepreneurship, innovation and higher education

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

Colorectal cancer screening methods: People are willing to endure discomfort or embarrassment for accuracy

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

McMaster Dance Company steals the show at recent competitions

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

Craig Kielburger delivers on his social activism promise

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

Students celebrate multiculturalism

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.