Daily News

July 30, 2004

McMaster's Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research (BIMR) summer student research program has paid off in more ways than chemistry student Phil Elder could have imagined. Not only has it boosted his enthusiasm for chemistry  now he can't wait to do his thesis. The fourth-year honours chemistry student was one of 17 BIMR students who participated in an annual engineering poster presentation yesterday (Thursday). Approximately 200 students took part in the event, including those in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), and students with Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) grants in science and engineering.

July 29, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Hodgson.Nicole.jpg” caption=”Nicole Hodgson”]Hamilton's reputation as a centre of excellence for health care and evidence-based medicine has lured a new cancer surgeon home. McMaster . . .

July 29, 2004

News of hostages appears daily in media around the world. As reporters examine the reasons people are taken hostage and governments work to rescue their citizens, a different investigation of hostage situations will be happening on the McMaster University campus as part of the McMaster Summer Drama Festival, which runs July 26-31. In conjunction with performances of Frank McGuinness' Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, the cast, crew, and audience of this edgy modern hostage drama are invited to participate in an open discussion Friday, July 30 at 12 p.m. in Togo Salmon Hall, Rm. 719. Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, directed by McMaster student Robert Porter, presents an Irishman, an Englishman, and an American trapped in a cell in Lebanon during the Civil War in the late 1980s. They struggle to stay alive and sane by constantly testing one another's wits, faiths, and senses of humour.

July 29, 2004

The City of Burlington and McMaster University today announced their intention to enter into discussions aimed at bringing a post-secondary campus to Burlington within the next three years. The City of Burlington initiated the search for a campus presence in the city earlier this year by establishing an 11-member Mayor's Task Force on Post-Secondary Education. The Task Force met with a number of colleges and universities, and considered a variety of options for post-secondary education in Burlington. They developed selection criteria and a vision for a post-secondary institution in Burlington, and sought out a respected partner with a proven track record in post-secondary education that could offer Burlington a unique and innovative way to enhance learning opportunities for Burlington citizens, while at the same time reflects the values of the community. McMaster senior administrators and faculty met with the task force on a number of occasions to articulate the University's desired growth directions, our interest in interdisciplinary education and our commitment to student-centered, research-driven learning. Ultimately, the task force recommended that McMaster University be chosen as the lead partner for the next stage of planning for a new campus in the city.

July 28, 2004

McMaster University cancer researcher, Tim Whelan, a radiation oncologist with the Juravinski Cancer Centre, has developed a tool that enables women with breast cancer to choose their own course of treatment. The Decision Board (DB) is a visual aid designed to help physicians inform patients of their options in a concise and effective way, thus paving the way for women to make their own choices. The long-term results of international trials have demonstrated equivalent survival rates for mastectomy and breast-conserving therapy (lumpectomy plus radiation therapy) for the treatment of early stage breast cancer. Consequently, the choice of treatment, mastectomy or breast conserving therapy, should be based on a patient's preferences.

July 27, 2004

School isn't just about books for the nearly 200 engineering students studying at McMaster this summer. They're learning first-hand what engineering is about and this week they're showing it off. On Thursday, July 29, students in three engineering summer programs will participate in an annual poster presentation hosted by the Faculty of Engineering. "The purpose of the event is to promote the research endeavours of undergraduate engineering students at McMaster University," says Anne Markey, manager of Engineering Co-op & Career Services. "This type of work is also an important component of experiential education. By having our students create a poster about their research, this process encourages them to reflect on their accomplishments and what they have learned in their research position."

July 26, 2004

Because of a $50-million injection into the Shared Hierarchical Academic Research Computing Network (SHARCNET), McMaster researchers will probe the structure of matter at nano-scales -- making McMaster one of the most powerful research centers in the world. "The new expansion of SHARCNET to its current state will enable new state-of-the-art simulations that allow us to probe the structure of matter at the nanometer (billionth of a meter) and micrometer (millionth of a meter) scales, linking the properties of that world to functionality of materials on the scale of world we live in," says Nikolas Provatas, McMaster professor of engineering and materials science. "This emerging area, known as computational materials science promises to create innovations in everything from stronger, light weight alloys for automotive and aerospace applications, to new electronic materials to be used in future computers and electronic devices." The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) has invested $19.3M, with matching funds from the Ontario government and an additional $10M from SHARCNET's institutional and private sector partners.

July 26, 2004

Collaborative research conducted between McMaster University, Syracuse University and Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is accelerating the development of molecular imaging. New fluorescence-based technology called SAACQ (Single Amino Acid Chelate-Quinoline) is enabling the visualization of radiopharmaceuticals interacting with cellular structures -- an advance that is expected to accelerate the development of molecular imaging agents and targeted radiotherapeutics. The results were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS). "The ability to observe and monitor radiopharmaceuticals at the cellular and sub-cellular levels has previously not been possible," said John Valliant, assistant professor of chemistry at McMaster. "Previously, a fluorescent dye would have to be attached to a new radiopharmaceutical in order to visualize cellular behavior, but the modification can alter the behavior of the studied molecule, significantly diminishing the quality of the results. SAACQ allows the study of the original structure without modification. The opportunity to use fluorescent microscopy should increase R&D productivity by illuminating the mechanisms underlying the targeting of radiopharmaceuticals to specific molecular receptors."

July 23, 2004

New students at McMaster University will receive a special introduction to the 2004-05 academic year through a new online orientation program called Prelude to Mac. Launched Monday, July 19, Prelude to Mac is designed to help ease the transition from high school to University for first-year students before they arrive for classes in September. The Web site, which is organized around seven weekly themes such as Introduction to Mac, campus resources and academic success, comes complete with videos, information, weekly quizzes and message boards. Michele Corbeil of the First-Year Experience Office is one of the founders of the project. "Prelude to Mac will help new students become familiar and comfortable with the campus and university life. It allows new students to meet upper-year students online and assist them in achieving success while they are here," Corbeil explains. Offering online services, including streaming video and message boards, Prelude is an innovative and emerging trend in welcoming and orienting first-year students to the University says Corbeil.

July 21, 2004

McMaster has announced the 2004 men's and women's basketball recruiting class. The recruits include two National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) transfers, one Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) transfer, one CCAA (Canadian College Athletic Association (CCAA) transfer, four local recruits, and an Ottawa native. The McMaster men's basketball recruiting class includes Mohawk College transfer, Martin Ajayi, a 2003 OUA all-star, local recruits Nathan Histed, Andrew Losier and Joe Polizzi and Ottawa native Andrew Capern. The McMaster women's basketball recruiting class includes NCAA transfers Julie Burr and Lindsay DeGroot, CIS transfer Julie Critchley and local recruit Cari Teboekhorst. Lindsay Degroot will have to sit out the 2004/2005 season in accordance with CIS transfer policies.

July 20, 2004

A classic comedic farce, an edgy comic drama, and a romantic Shakespearean comedy will take to the stage when the curtain rises on the fourteenth season of the McMaster Summer Drama Festival July 26-31, 2004. For the 2004 season, the Mac Drama Club and the McMaster Thespian Club in association with the McMaster School of the Arts will bring the week-long festival back to the outdoors of scenic McMaster Universityunder sunlight, sunset, and moonlight. Productions this year include William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Molihre's Two Precious Maidens Ridiculed, and Irish playwright Frank McGuinness' Someone Who'll Watch Over Me. Twelfth Night and Two Precious Maidens will both be playing in Faculty Hollow, while Someone will be at the Refectory patio. Admission is by a suggested donation of $5 per performance.

July 19, 2004

McMaster's Department of Biochemistry has undergone a name change, to better reflect the unit's mission and vision. Now called the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, it encompasses a wide range of research from structural biology to leading edge cell biology and from molecular mechanisms of diseases to the development of therapeutics. "Our vision for the department is bold and innovative and places us here at McMaster well ahead of the curve in comparison to other departments across the North America and the world," says Gerry Wright, chair of the department. "Our goal is to become the most innovative and respected biochemistry department in the country and the changes we have made over the past couple of years, including the change in name, will make us a magnet for the best and brightest graduate and undergraduate students, post docs, and faculty."

July 19, 2004

The Joint Job Evaluation Steering Committee is holding additional orientation sessions about the new job evaluation system for positions in the MUSA bargaining unit. The . . .

July 17, 2004

Somewhere, amid more than two kilometres of shelving that's teeming with boxes of historical records, large and small artefacts and rare books, there is man at a small desk that's piled high with new archival donations to be filed. He's the self-proclaimed "troll in the hole," working to organize, preserve, and amass McMaster University's archival history along with the Canadian Baptist Archives, deep within the belly of Divinity College. An instructor at both Divinity College and Toronto's Tyndale Seminary, part-time archivist, pastor at a church in Toronto, and author, Mark Steinacher says he likes to keep busy. He can be found in the archives three days a week, orchestrating a great reorganization of existing files and finding space for recent additions that donors often bequeath to the collection, which is also the third-largest Baptist Archives in the world. "People who come to the archives need to understand it'll take them some time to sort through boxes of information, and that nothing is internet-ready," says Steinacher. "But that's my favourite part about archives  the Easter eggs or interesting tidbits you discover even when you're not looking for them."

July 16, 2004

Whether they are investigating the formation of the universe or developing new medical devices, McMaster University's newest members of the Royal Society of Canada, John Brash and Bill Harris, are improving our understanding of both our world and ourselves. John Brash of McMaster's Department of Chemical Engineering is recognized internationally as a pioneer in the science and technology of biomaterials. Over the past four decades, his studies have contributed directly to the development of advanced medical devices, such as artificial arterial grafts, blood pumps, and heart valves. Through his personal research, service on policy and granting agency committees in Canada and abroad, interaction with collaborators, and innovative role as an educator, Brash has played a major role in defining the discipline of biomaterials. William Harris, a professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at McMaster, is the world's leading expert in the study of globular star clusters in galaxies. The oldest remaining visible entities in galaxies, stars in these clusters formed 13 billion years ago, and their properties yield unique clues to the early state and evolutionary history of large galaxies. Harris' investigations of the properties of individual globular clusters in our galaxy are among the most exacting and widely used studies in the field. This work is having a growing impact on scientists' understanding of stellar populations and galaxy formation.

July 16, 2004

If you're one of Canada's brightest young students, how do you spend a Saturday on your summer vacation? For a select group of students from across Hamilton, Niagara, Waterloo, and the greater Toronto area, the answer to that question is at university. On Saturday, July 17, 150 Grade 9 and 10 students will travel to McMaster to participate in the University's annual MiniShad Day. The day-long program provides participants, their teachers, and parents with an opportunity to learn more about the academic programs available at McMaster and to experience a day in the life of a Shad student firsthand. The award-winning Shad Valley Program began two weeks ago when 52 exceptional young high school students from across Canada arrived at McMaster for a month-long immersion into university life. Shad -- or MacShad as it's known at McMaster -- is an elite science, technology, mathematics, and entrepreneurship summer camp for senior high school students who have demonstrated excellence in academics, recreation, leadership, entrepreneurship, and community involvement.

July 15, 2004

McMaster employees will soon have career planning advice at work with the introduction of a new career services initiative to be offered by the Career Planning & Employment Centre (CPEC). A one-year pilot project will offer a variety of career services to McMaster employees, including sessions on career decision making, planning for professional development/training and employment applications. "Offering career services to employees is an emerging trend in the field of human resources development," says Lisa Boniface, director of CPEC. "By offering this service, it will further enhance our ability to be an employer of choice."

July 15, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Bontis.jpg” caption=”Nick Bontis”]Business professor Nick Bontis has won the Emerald Literati Awards' 2004 Outstanding Paper accolade for best article published in The Leadership . . .

July 14, 2004

McMaster researchers have received a two-year $130,000 grant (USD) from the American Tinnitus Association to try to better understand tinnitus, or "ringing in the ears." "This funding will support research on the development of new procedures to ameliorate tinnitus, a medical condition that causes millions of people to hear disturbing noise when no external source is present," says Larry Roberts, McMaster psychology professor. "The research will also help us to understand how tinnitus is generated by the brain." Roberts will oversee the two projects related to this study. The first study will establish a procedure for measuring "residual inhibition", which is a temporary suppression of tinnitus produced by masking sounds. The sounds will be customized for each subject in order to maximize residual inhibition and assess clinical benefits. Researchers will also assess whether sounds that induce residual inhibition span regions of hearing loss, as predicted by some brain models of tinnitus. Lawrence Ward of the University of British Columbia will collaborate with the McMaster group on this study.

July 14, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/hair_shaving.jpg” caption=”Jeannette Jackson”]Staff members in the Department of Biology had a 'hair-raising' challenge last week. One member of the department shaved her head . . .