March 1, 2004

In front of the largest and most boisterous crowd at the Burridge Gymnasium on the McMaster University campus this season, the nationally seventh-ranked McMaster Marauders . . .

February 27, 2004

Within the horrors of war and violence, sometimes hope, perseverance and strength are born. That's the message of a one-day event "War Taught Me", taking place at McMaster on Monday. The workshops, dinner, performance and reception are the collaborative effort of a 12-member committee representing eight campus organizations focused on promoting peace, raising awareness, and making a difference to the victims of war. "Education isn't just about expanding our understanding, but about making a practical commitment to improve things," says Elisabeth Gedge, an associate professor of philosophy and women's studies. "It's a means of advocating for communities beyond our own." In addition to raising awareness of the effects of war, the group hopes to raise $750 at a potluck dinner, enough to support a teacher in Afghanistan for one year. "One huge implication of the violence in Afghanistan was that women were cut off from education and opportunity," says Gedge. "Afghanistan's women are working to reverse this damage, and our committee wants to use this event to support their efforts as well as raising awareness of their situation."

February 27, 2004

A $250,000 science and engineering research prize in honour of the late Bertram Brockhouse, winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physics, was announced Friday at McMaster. "The new prize  the Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering  offers permanent recognition for Dr. Brockhouse's outstanding contribution to science and to Canada," said Beth Phinney, member of parliament for Hamilton Mountain. "The award signals the great importance of success in science and technology to the future prosperity of Canadians. We compete with the best in the world through our ability to generate new ideas and our ability to bring them to the marketplace." Phinney made the announcement on behalf of Lucienne Robillard, minister of industry and minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. Working at Chalk River about 40 years ago, Brockhouse invented the use of neutron scattering to study the internal structure of materials, and gave Canada many years of leadership in that field. Neutron scattering is now an essential technique used around the world both in science and industry.

February 26, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Wanda1.JPG” caption=”Mildred McLaren, Wanda McKenna”]McMaster's Human Resources Services (HRS) hosted a Meet and Greet' function themed Communicating with Clients' in the Great Hall . . .

February 26, 2004

Many students at McMaster University remember their daily struggles with mathematics. Now, more than 40 Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) undergraduates are reaching out to public schools across Hamilton, helping elementary students enrich their understanding of math. As part of the outreach program, McMaster is hosting a Math Enrichment Day today (Thursday, Feb. 26). More than 200 students from across Hamilton will be attending this event, which is designed to entertain as well as educate. Maintaining the academic enthusiasm of students is the goal of the McMaster tutors, who have been preparing the Grade 7 and 8 students to write the Gauss mathematics competition, which will be held later this spring.

February 26, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/gerberding.jpg” caption=”Kelton, George, Gerberding”]Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), presented the annual Redman Lecture last night . . .

February 26, 2004

The nationally seventh-ranked McMaster men's basketball team will face the University of Waterloo in the OUA West Semi-Final Saturday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. at . . .

February 25, 2004

McMaster researchers Katherine Dunbabin and Mike Brook will dedicate the next two years to full-time research and study, after being awarded prestigious Killam Research Fellowships. They are among 17 Canadian scientists and scholars to receive a total $2 million in the 36th annual competition administered by the Canada Council for the Arts. Dunbabin is one of just nine researchers chosen as a new Killam Research Fellow for 2004. "The great thing about this is to have the uninterrupted time to dedicate to research," says Dunbabin, a classics researcher who focuses on "Art and popular Culture in the later Roman Empire." Dunbabin will dedicate most of her time to seven public lectures that she will present at Cornell University in the spring of 2005. The lectures will look at the representations of theatrical performance and spectacle in the art of Roman Empire. Dunbabin will also use the time to produce a book based on these lectures.

February 25, 2004

The President's awards demonstrate the value McMaster attaches to its educational function and recognize those who, through innovation and commitment, have significantly enhanced the quality . . .

February 25, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/elop.jpg” caption=”Stephen Elop”]Students never know how university courses and professors might affect their careers. Macromedia Inc. executive Stephen Elop, a graduate of McMaster . . .

February 24, 2004

From climate change and precipitation to the environment of disasters to the pedagogy of peace studies to the ethics of neuroscience, more than 125 McMaster undergraduate students spent last summer looking at these and a variety of other issues. The students -- recipients of the Undergraduate Student Research Awards -- had 15 weeks, the advice of a faculty advisor and $5,000 to delve deep into their research. Their results were on display Tuesday at a poster session in the Council Room, Gilmour Hall, Room 111. Sponsored by the Office of the Vice-President (Research & International Affairs), the Faculties of Social Sciences, Humanities and Business, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the USRA awards are designed to help undergraduate students explore career opportunities in the research environment, investigate and learn more about an area of interest, enhance their academic experience and prepare for work at the graduate level.

February 24, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Guiney_opt.jpg” caption=”Adam Guiney “]McMaster Marauders success on the court, has led to rewards on the sidelines. Ontario University Athletics (OUA) presented three Marauders . . .

February 23, 2004

Although Know the Score could also refer to student's midterm marks, it is the name of an initiative developed by the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) of Ontario for post secondary students. This interactive awareness program educates young adults on the early signs of problem gambling and tells students where they can get help in their community. The Responsible Gambling Council piloted the program in 2002 and, based on the positive response from students, has expanded its outreach efforts for the coming year. Hosted by the Campus Health, Health and Wellness Centre, Know the Score will be on the McMaster campus from Feb. 23 to 26 in the McMaster University Student Centre marketplace. It is one of 20 Ontario university and college campus stops between September 2003 and March 2004. "Our research has found that 18-to 24-year-olds are among the highest risk groups for developing gambling problems," says Lisa Couperus, the Council's special events manager for prevention programs. "That group has almost twice the rate of the general adult population."

February 23, 2004

Telerobotic surgery. Functional implants like heart valves and artificial joints. Computer-assisted minimal access surgery. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. As a bridge between engineering and health sciences, bioengineering is the newest innovation in medicine and biotechnology. With established strengths in engineering and health sciences, McMaster is a leader in incubating cutting-edge bioengineering technologies. As part of the Albert Lager Event Series at McMaster University, John Brash, of the Department of Chemical Engineering, will look at how McMaster researchers are working together to link current and emerging areas of molecular, medical, and bioengineering research. Scientific and technological advances, as well as ongoing debates about Canada's national health care system, have spurred the development of these technologies. In the future, advances in bioengineering will revolutionize health care. The lecture will take place Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Gilmour Hall, Council Chambers, Rm. 111. Admission is $5 per person and includes light refreshments.

February 23, 2004

The Marauders basketball and volleyball teams shone on the court this past weekend, as the men's and women's basketball, and women's volleyball teams defeated its . . .

February 23, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/mess_1.jpg” caption=”M.E.S.S.!”]More than 500 McMaster employees and their families were invited to share an afternoon of fun with their friends and colleagues by . . .

February 22, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Jane_Coop.jpg” caption=”Jane Coop”]It takes an exquisite talent to be recognized as one of Canada's top performers. Pianist Jane Coop is consistently receiving international . . .

February 20, 2004

The phenomenal force behind MRI machines and magnetically levitated trains  called superconductivity  is under investigation at McMaster, where researchers have brought the physics community one step closer to understanding how it works. In the distant future it could mean MRI machines so affordable they're in every doctor's office, but for now it's another piece of a complex puzzle that physicists around the world have been contemplating for more than a decade. Tom Timusk, a professor in physics and former colleague of Nobel Prize-winning McMaster physicist Bertram Brockhouse, has worked with post doctorate fellow J. Hwang and G.D. Gu, a collaborator at Brookhaven National Laboratory to uncover a property about high-temperature superconductivity that disproves a recently published proposal by his international colleagues. His findings are published this week in the article "High-transition-temperature superconductivity in the absence of the magnetic-resonance mode," in the journal Nature. Superconductivity allows for the flow of electric current without resistance, providing for powerful, uninterrupted transmission of energy. Timusk likens the electrons to an army moving in the same direction with their arms linked, so that if one encounters resistance the others carry it forward without slowing down. As a result, in a closed superconductor circuit, no energy is ever lost.

February 19, 2004

In a place where the future looks dark and uncertain, the light bulb is pure information. This year, for the first time in McMaster's history, the University will be hosting an Undergraduate Communications Conference titled "Breaking the Bulb." Organized by third-year McMaster communications studies students Martin Pahulje and Yvonne Betancur, and supported by the Career Planning and Employment Centre, McMaster Association of Communications Studies Students, the Communications Studies Program, the Faculty of Humanities, and the Centre for Leadership in Learning, this conference has been put together to break down the barriers to knowledge and provide a direction for communications students concerning their future within the field of communications. "Unlike the dramatic inflation of student interest within the program of communications, resources such as scholarships, tutorial services and career initiatives (co-ops and internships), are not reflecting the importance of this program to the University as a whole," says Pahulje. "This conference seeks to rectify this problem by offering students a glimpse into what their communications degree offers."

February 19, 2004

Researchers, graduate students and other key stakeholders at McMaster and in Hamilton are being invited to help the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council transform itself from a granting council to a knowledge council. The federal body, which funds research in the humanities and social sciences at universities across the country, is engaging key stakeholders in discussions across Canada to develop a new blueprint for the organization and to increase and improve dialogue between the council and its stakeholders. A new vision, mandate and structure for the council will emerge from the process, which is designed to rejuvenate the organization and strengthen understanding of the importance of public investment in the human sciences. "SSHRC is embarking on this transformation process, which will involve 12 months of focused public consultation, to re-invent itself as not just an organization that delivers grants but also as a body that imparts knowledge to the nation," says Mamdouh Shoukri, vice-president research and international affairs. "The council is at a juncture in its history. After 25 years and considerable change within our environment and our communities, SSHRC is taking stock of what it currently does and what it wants to accomplish in the future. To do this it is engaging the research community, research users and Canadians -- its key stakeholders -- in public dialogue and consultation. This is an opportunity for McMaster and its communities to contribute to a new vision and future for the council."