December 8, 2003

Like most of us, civil engineering professor Sarah Dickson likes to quench her thirst with water. But unlike a growing number of Canadians, her first choice isn't bottled water - good old Ontario tap water is what she prefers. Dickson's area of expertise is in water and environmental engineering and her research involves the input, transport and fate of organic contaminants in groundwater systems. She's most comfortable choosing water from the tap  a fact that might surprise the legions of bottled water users whose numbers have increased since the events of Walkerton in 2000 and the subsequent inquiry into the contamination of the town's water supply. "People might choose bottled water for taste, but the bottled water industry simply doesn't have the same regulations that are in place at the municipal level. Ontario's drinking water is safe but there are still some issues with the municipal infrastructure funding that's needed to keep wastewater treatment up to capacity," she says.

December 5, 2003

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Quarter-Century-Club.jpg” caption=”Quarter Century Club”]On Thursday, Dec. 4, more than 100 guests were invited to McMaster University's annual Quarter Century Club dinner. The dinner, . . .

December 5, 2003

Candles will softly light the dark sky as a group, huddled closely, will walk towards the steps of Gilmour Hall. A reflection will light the steps and remind them of why they are outside on this cold December night. It is to remember the 14 women who lost their lives to violence on Dec. 6, 1989 in the Montreal Massacre. The 14th annual National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women service will be held on Saturday, Dec. 6 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. beginning on the steps of Gilmour Hall and proceeding into Gilmour Hall, Rm. 111. In the Council Chambers, 14 students will place a rose in a vase to remember the 14 victims, as well as four women from McMaster who died violent deaths. Donations collected for the Bathtub Project will be presented to representatives from Hamilton organizations working to prevent violence against women. There will also be a performance by the local band the Raging Grannies. "On Dec. 6, we stand with women whose lives have been taken or demeaned by violence," says Carol Wood, ecumenical chaplain, who will open the service. "We offer our support and our commitment to work toward a more peaceable and just society."

December 4, 2003

The work of Jorge Zontal, AA Bronson and Felix Partz, internationally recognized for their media interventions in the late 1960s and early 1970s, is on display at the McMaster Museum of Art until Jan. 4, 2003. The influential art collective "General Idea" presents more than 200 items, including prints, postcards, posters, photo-based projects, multiples, serial publications, flags and crests produced between 1967 and 1995. It closely examines a key aspect of General Idea's art, with an emphasis on changing forms of art practice and their relation to commerce and fashion. Organized by the Blackwood Gallery (UTM), the exhibit has received financial assistance from the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Andy Warhol Foundation. The circulation is made possible by a grant from the Museum's Assistance Program of the Canadian Department of Heritage. It is co-presented by the Art Gallery of Hamilton and McMaster Museum of Art.

December 3, 2003

Like highly toned athletes on the eve of the big event, McMaster students are trading in their Nikes for notebooks as they prepare for final exams, which run from Dec. 3-16. For some, the thought that months of classes and study may boil down to how they perform during three hours in a examination room can be a source of great stress. The key to success on exam day will largely be determined by how well students have prepared themselves in the weeks leading up to the finals. "University is not that much harder than high school, but there are higher expectations and a large increase in the volume of material and the speed at which its covered," explains Peter Walsh, academic skills counselor in the Centre for Student Development (CSD). "Once you get behind, it can be difficult to catch up."

December 2, 2003

McMaster University will receive $8.1 million from the federal government this year to help cover the indirect costs associated with research. The indirect costs of . . .

December 2, 2003

High school students and teachers are at McMaster today, learning about geographic information systems that can help solve world environment and health problems or assist . . .

December 2, 2003

Lulu Bursztyn  a dean's list chemical engineering student, playing varsity and intramural sports, and serving in student leadership positions  never backs down from a challenge. Her decision to pursue chemical engineering was driven by a desire to integrate one of the most academically challenging programs on campus with becoming part of the dynamic social culture that's long been associated with engineering students at universities across the country. "Usually when you hear about engineers at University it's because they're the ones who are 'doing things,'" she says. "It's a really fun experience and I wanted to be part of that." Bursztyn's propension for 'doing things' earned her the Chancellor's Gold Medal at November's convocation ceremony, which is awarded to an undergraduate student in his or her final year of study who ranks highest in scholarship, leadership, and influence. She's spent her four years at McMaster exhibiting those qualities, through her extensive involvement in academics and extra-curricular activities. And in her final and most demanding year of her undergraduate career, Bursztyn shows no sign of slowing down.

December 1, 2003

McMaster's Joe Raso and Tracy Vaillancourt will be honoured tonight (Dec. 1) with Lifetime Honourary Child Abuse Council Memberships for organizing Canada's largest university basketball . . .

December 1, 2003

There's a bug going around campus and it's catching fast. It's the "Sprit of Giving" bug, and the 2003 Holiday Hamper Food Drive is one of many ways people can donate to those in need over the next several weeks. Until Dec. 11, food donation boxes decorated in Christmas wrap will be placed around McMaster University and the Hamilton Health Sciences site. "Please be generous in your donation of non-perishable food items," says Jennifer Holland, a co-ordinator of the Holiday Hamper Food Drive. "Your contributions do make a difference to the disadvantaged in our Hamilton community." Senior officials representing the corporation and the Faculty of Health Sciences will present the Holiday Hamper to Joanne Santucci, executive director, Food Share, Greater Hamilton, on Friday, Dec. 12 at 10:45 a.m. in the main lobby of the Health Sciences Centre.

November 28, 2003

The potential for life in other areas of our galaxy and solar system will be explored in the third in a series of five public lectures tackling origins research. During the free lecture, From the Big Bang to the Origins of Life, in Rm. 120 of Togo Salmon Hall Monday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m., James Ferris, a chemistry professor and director of the New York Centre for Studies on the Origins of Life at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, will discuss the processes that led to the formation of the elements, galaxies, solar systems and planets. Ferris will take the audience through scenarios for the origins of life including the proposal that an RNA world preceded the DNA-protein world, which is the basis of life on Earth today.

November 27, 2003

McMaster's Alternative Commuting & Transportation (ACT) office is seeking input from the McMaster community on how to improve cycling on campus. ACT is hosting two campus walkabouts on Tuesday, Dec. 2 in an effort to identify problem areas on campus and find ways to improve them. This includes identifying the number of bike racks on campus, secure bike parking and bike access. "Campus cycling facilities need improvement," says Daryl Bender, ACT co-ordinator. "We need your input to make it happen."

November 27, 2003

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/sandra_witelson.jpg” caption=”Sandra Witelson”]Sandra F. Witelson, professor of psychiatry & behavioural neurosciences and the Albert Einstein/Irving Zucker Chair in Neuroscience, will present the Ben . . .

November 26, 2003

McMaster astronomer Christine Wilson wants to see what others don't. To do that, she needs high-tech tools such as a complex telescope that uses radio waves to clearly uncover cold gases and dust between stars  research that will help her learn more about the universe. The McMaster astrophysicist's ability to conduct research on how stars, planets and galaxies formed received a boost Wednesday with the announcement of a $7.9 million investment from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) in the Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) in Chile. Wilson is the Canadian project scientist for the international $550 million (US) ALMA project, considered the most important development in radio astronomy in this decade. ALMA will be the highest altitude, full-time ground observatory in the world. This investment in ALMA is very important for the Canadian astronomy community, said Wilson. Not only will it help with infrastructure costs, such as buildings and access roads on the site in Chile, but it will also allow us to help develop the software for translating the raw data from ALMA into the images that scientists analyze. ALMA will be a single instrument made up of an array of 64 radio antennas (each 12 metres in diameter) that will work together as one telescope to study millimetre and submillimetre radio waves from space. The antennas can be repositioned so that the telescope can function as a giant zoom lens. The antennas must be kept cool and dry so the lab' for this research is Chile's Atacama Desert, a flat area located 5,000 metres above sea level in the Andes that hasn't had rain in years.

November 25, 2003

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Tryon.Valerie.jpg” caption=”Valerie Tryon”]It is rare to find anything in this world as beautiful as the sounds of a solo piano beneath the capable . . .

November 25, 2003

Although many first year students have not yet completed their first term at McMaster, they're already planning for next year. As they think about writing exams and going home for the holidays, many students are thinking of a home of another kinda home to live in next year at McMaster. Many of the 3,389 first-year students who this year called one of the on-campus residence home are now looking for housing off-campus. And it's not a simple search. For Lindsay Fidler, a first-year resident of Moulton Hall, location, cost, and housemates are some of the key concerns. She admits that she doesn't understand a lot about leases, and she's not sure where to begin her search for a house. For students like Fidler, the Off-Campus Resource Centre will help find with their hunt. p>Beginning Thursday, Nov. 27 at 9:30 a.m. in the McMaster University Student Centre, Room 309 and continuing Monday, Dec. 1, 2003 at 1:30 p.m. in the same location, the OCRC is offering sessions on The 5Ws of Finding a Home Off-Campus Next Year. These free information sessions tell students when, how and where to look for housing, what questions to ask landlords, what their rights are as tenants, and other valuable information.

November 25, 2003

A luxury suite with air conditioning, two washrooms and a stone's throw from fine dining isn't the typical first home-away-from-home experience for most students. But the 280 residents  168 of them first-year  who secured a room in McMaster's new Mary E. Keyes residence this fall are discovering that the typical campus residence experience is undergoing some changes. Today the residence officially opens, with speeches from Cathie Miller, director of Housing & Conference Services, Peter George, President and Vice-Chancellor, and members of the Keyes family. The residence is the namesake of the late Keyes, who dedicated 38 years of service to the University in faculty and administrative roles, putting students' interests and concerns at the forefront of any initiative. "Dr. Keyes initiated the vision for this new student residence," says George. "Reflecting her respect for the needs of the students, she insisted that the building needed to provide an environment that would be comfortable for living, learning, working and socializing. I am proud that her vision has become a reality."

November 24, 2003

The bathtub in the McMaster University Students Centre marketplace overflows with generosity. Toothbrushes, hotel-sized lotion bottles, bars of deodorant and little yellow ducks nearly spill over the side, as another person walks up and hands a bag of items to donate. The immense goodwill of McMaster is amazing to the five co-ordinators of the first annual Rub a Dub Dub, Drop Your Stuff in the Tub project. The co-ordinators -- Jessica Waserman, Hanieh Rahimi, Alana Kayfetz, Cole Bassarab and Stephanie Forrest -- as well as an army of volunteers are collecting toiletries and stocking stuffer toys for holiday gift baskets for battered women's and children's shelters of the Hamilton community. "We have received phenomenal contributions so far," says Kayfetz, a second-year communications and women's studies student. "We are overwhelmed by the response." The bathtub will be located in the McMaster University Student Centre marketplace today (Monday) and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

November 21, 2003

Imagine learning about the ideals of science, engineering, and technology in a fun, interactive club environment. The Venture Kids Club, a new and exciting addition . . .

November 20, 2003

McMaster University and the McMaster University Staff Association (MUSA) have established a committee to develop and implement a new job evaluation system and process for the positions in MUSA. This involves selecting a job evaluation tool, collecting job content information and rating jobs. Implementation of the new system is scheduled for June 16, 2005. The Joint Job Evaluation Steering Committee (JJESC) includes: Carmela Civitareale, Kathy Ouellette and Gord Slater as the MUSA representatives and Susan Birnie, Heather Grigg and Marvin Gunderman as the University representatives. The JJESC has two alternate members, Rosemary Viola for MUSA and John Drake for the University. The JJESC also includes two expert advisors, Nancy Vukelich for the University and Daina Green, a labour consultant contracted by MUSA.