Daily News

January 31, 2005

As the McMaster community has grown in recent years, so too has the impact of its growth on the surrounding community. Issues related to traffic, parking, and students living off-campus are among the most common that generate concerns for local residents. In an effort to help address such issues, McMaster has retained the services of The Community Dispute Resolution Services of Hamilton (CDRS) to assist when conflict arises. The Office of the Associate Vice-President, Student Affairs has contracted CDRS to provide mediation services for issues arising in the local neighbourhood. Local residents, landlords, students living off campus  anyone in the surrounding area can take advantage of the services free of charge to help resolve individual or group conflict.

January 31, 2005

Ahmed Ghobarah, a structures and earthquake engineering specialist at McMaster, is traveling to Southeast Asia today (Jan. 31) as part of a Canadian engineering and science group selected to evaluate the effects of the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami. The group includes earthquake, structural, coastal and geotechnical engineers.

January 28, 2005

McMaster has entered into an agreement with one of Korea's leading engineering universities. Negotiations between McMaster and Changwon National University (CNU) concluded Thursday, when the two institutions signed an agreement on student mobility and academic co-operation. CNU is one of the leading engineering universities in Kyongsangnam-do Province located in the southern part of Korea. Situated in the provincial capital of Changwon City, one of the leading manufacturing centers in Korea, CNU offers some of the regions best programs in megatronics, robotics, information technology, biotechnology, labour management, genetic engineering, environmental sciences, basic sciences and regional sciences. It was the first university in Korea to develop it's own intranet, electronic library, and cyber university education system approach and is currently developing a mobile campus funded by Korean telecom.

January 28, 2005

McMaster student Sammy Ali admits that one of the most challenging aspects of his university experience has been balancing his academic studies and extracurricular activities with his family and social life. A third-year student in the prestigious Bachelor of Health Sciences Program, Ali is also a volunteer camp counselor for autistic children, an editor of the student-run medical journal the McMaster Meducator, a volunteer tutor at Delta Secondary School in Hamilton, vice-president of the McMaster Golden Key academic honour society, a residence community advisor, and an anatomy and physiology teaching assistant.

January 28, 2005

McMaster students will pull out their formal dresses and dust of their suits for the seventh annual Charity Ball tonight (Friday, Jan. 28) at the Hamilton Convention Centre. Stacey Gemmill, McMaster student and Charity Ball co-ordinator, along with her team of McMaster Students Union (MSU) volunteers, has worked hard for almost a year to make the formal a success. The theme of the evening is New York, New York and like the city, Charity Ball will be bustling with different things to do and see.

January 28, 2005

Harald Stolberg had been teaching for 37 years but, even in retirement, was on the cutting edge, developing electronic enhancements for teaching evidence-based radiology to students of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University. The internationally-recognized clinical professor died Tuesday at age 79.

January 27, 2005

Aboriginal high school, college, and university students, and those interested in returning to school for a career in healthcare, will be at McMaster Saturday for the second annual Aboriginal Health Conference. Organized by the McMaster Student International Health Initiative (SIHI), the McMaster Indigenous Studies Program and the Native Students Health Sciences office, the conference, called "Bridging the Gap: Moving from Awareness to Action", will take place in the McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC).

January 27, 2005

Dave Zalitack was fed up. Not only was he paying Dalton McGuinty, Paul Martin and the folks at PetroCanada and TD Canada Trust to keep a second vehicle on the road, but he was paying McMaster to park it. He could think of a few better things to do with his money. Zalitack, an electrician for McMaster's Physical Plant, sold that second car two years ago and bought his first bus pass: a shiny, white, aerodynamic number with magnetic-striping and "Burlington Transit" inscribed in bold letters on one side. He cancelled his McMaster Parking permit and instead swiped that snazzy compact card each time he wanted to ride Burlington Transit to downtown Hamilton, where he could hop on a Mac-bound HSR bus.

January 27, 2005

The word "fortunate" sprung to fourth-year kinesiology student Jonathan Little's mind several times at the Faculty of Social Sciences Annual Awards Assembly last night. "I have been extremely fortunate for being a part of McMaster Social Sciences and the Department of Kinesiology," said Little, who accepted three scholarships, was named to the Provost's Honour Roll, Dean's Honour List and retained an entrance scholarship based on his academic achievement. "The combination of the outstanding academics and extracurricular activities has provided me with an extremely solid foundation of life skills that I will take with me wherever I go."

January 26, 2005

President Peter George hosted a reception Tuesday to celebrate McMaster's first managers and leaders to complete the Core Competencies leadership development program.

January 26, 2005

Engineers and organizations can now transform technical ideas into commercial ventures while developing entrepreneurial and business skills through a single, innovative program unique in North America. McMaster's Faculty of Engineering is offering a new Master of Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MEEi) degree program through the recently established Xerox Centre for Engineering Entrepreneurship & Innovation (XCEEi).

January 26, 2005

Family doctors, Elizabeth Shaw of Hamilton and Stephen (Sandy) Buchman of Mississauga, both graduates of McMaster's medical program in 1981, have been named Family Physician of the Year for the Southern Ontario Region by the Ontario College of Family Physicians.

January 26, 2005

This week, McMaster's School of the Arts opens Directors' Series 2005, a festival of unique shows directed by theatre and film students in their final year of study. Fourteen productions will be presented this year, and will involve the collaboration of more than 100 students in a series featuring powerful works by some of Canada's finest playwrights along with four international plays. Students earn academic credit for their work on the shows.

January 25, 2005

Construction of the University's new athletics and recreation complex is set to begin in early March. Shortly afterwards, construction of a new student residence will begin also on north campus near Hedden Hall. For local residents who wish to learn more about these projects, a public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 27, 2005 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Gilmour Hall, Rm. 111, Council Room. The meeting provides an opportunity for the project managers and contractors to provide information to local residents and discuss their specific inquiries and issues.

January 24, 2005

Bridges Cafi, McMaster's first all-vegetarian eatery, opens today (Monday, Jan. 24) in the newly renovated Refectory Building. The opening takes place from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

January 24, 2005

A new year and a new you. Slogans like this are everywhere and they all seem to be saying that the old you just isn't good enough. New year's resolutions guarantee that diet books are on the bestseller list and gyms are full of people trying to change the way they look. Sociologist Michael Atkinson sees both men and women in his gym but what's most intriguing to him are the number of men busily mixing powders and potions in the change room after punishing workout regimens.

January 22, 2005

Due to inclement weather conditions, McMaster University closed today (Saturday, Jan. 22) at 12 p.m. All classes, meetings and other scheduled events are cancelled and libraries and other non-essential areas are closed. Faculty, staff and students are advised to consult the Storm Emergency Policy and Procedures, the Daily News Web site and local radio stations for additional and updated information. Please check the usual media sources for information for Sunday, Jan. 23.

January 21, 2005

Nearly 200 McMaster students will learn what it takes to work in their occupation of choice during the third annual Job Shadow Week, Jan. 24-28. "The experience and information students gain from their job shadow placements is second to none," says Cristina DeSilvio, a career development co-ordinator with Experiential Education. "The opportunity results in more confident career decision-making and allows participants to get the 'inside scoop' on a particular career they have been thinking about for their future."

January 21, 2005

McMaster University Senate met on Wednesday, Jan. 12 in the Council Chambers of Gilmour Hall. The following are some of the items addressed at this meeting.

January 20, 2005

McMaster University in partnership with the McMaster Students Union (MSU), the City of Hamilton, and Hamilton Police Service is taking steps to improve the quality of life for permanent residents and students living around the campus. Effective Jan. 14, 2005 an enhanced community security initiative was implemented in West Hamilton. The program provides two off-duty Hamilton Police officers to patrol the streets in the Ainslie Wood/Westdale neighbourhoods on Friday and Saturday nights during the academic year. These special duty officers are in addition to regular bylaw and police officers already working in the West Hamilton community. The staffing costs will be paid for by McMaster University and the MSU.