Daily News

May 28, 2004

McMaster University and St. Joseph's Healthcare announced Thursday the creation of two endowed chairs and a professorship that will have a significant impact on surgical innovation and research. These appointments will serve to benefit patients, community and healthcare in Canada. Mortgage Intelligence/GMAC Residential Funding of Canada, and Johnson & Johnson Medical Products, a division of Johnson and Johnson, Inc., through the St. Joseph's Healthcare Foundation, have each directed $1 million towards the creation of the two endowed chairs, the first in Thoracic Surgery, and the second in Minimally Invasive Surgery and Surgical Innovation. McMaster University is also matching $1 million toward each endowed chair. Additionally, a donation of $1 million from Margaret and Charles Juravinski will set up the Juravinski Surgical Professorship, which will include a specialty focus in thoracic oncology surgery.

May 27, 2004

Peter George, President of McMaster University, today announced that Henry Giroux, an internationally-renowned educator from Pennsylvania's Penn State University has accepted the Global Television Network Chair in Communications in the Faculty of Humanities at McMaster University. He will begin lecturing this fall in the Communication Studies Program and the Department of English. Giroux was named in 2002 as one of the 20th century's top contributors in Fifty Modern Thinkers on Education. He ends a 12-year term at Pennsylvania State University as the Waterbury Chair in the College of Education. He has written more than 300 articles and 40 books and had his work translated into languages around the world. "McMaster's community is extremely pleased to welcome Henry Giroux as Global Television Chair," the McMaster president said. "We have a culture of innovation at our University which is second to none in the country. Henry Giroux is renowned for breaking down barriers in cultural and education studies and we look forward to the explosion of ideas we know he will generate on campus."

May 27, 2004

Five graduating McMaster students are leadership exemplified. For their outstanding scholarship and service to the community, students Gregory Athaide, Sean Park, Dan Freeman, Candy Hui and Sarah Roger, were selected by McMaster President Peter George as recipients of this year's distinguished President's Award of Excellence in Student Leadership. Established in 1993, the award recognizes students who have demonstrated a commitment to the University's belief in excellence in its student body. The students will receive their awards at next week's Spring Convocation.

May 27, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/LuLu_Bursztyn_opt.jpg” caption=”LuLu Bursztyn”]McMaster wrestler Lulu Bursztyn has been selected as one of eight Academic All-Canadians by Ontario University Athletics. Bursztyn will be honoured . . .

May 26, 2004

At a special celebration, Hamilton philanthropists Margaret and Charles Juravinski have installed a time capsule at the new Margaret & Charles Juravinski Education, Research & Development Centre, located in the Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery, which is under construction at McMaster University. The stainless steel time capsule, to be opened in 2054, is filled with memorabilia that highlights Charles Juravinski's entrepreneurial business career, including an original photograph of him as a young man, as well as the tie he is wearing in the photo. Juravinski's professional career began at a construction company and then went on to ownership of a series of businesses, including a gas station, a development company and Flamboro Downs racetrack. "Charles Juravinski has learned much during his long life as an entrepreneur," said John Kelton, dean and vice-president of the Faculty of Health Sciences. "This time capsule will be like time-release medicine. It will do good for our descendents to learn his lessons when it is opened in 2054."

May 25, 2004

McMaster's Faculty of Engineering has appointed Peter Mascher its new associate dean of engineering for research and external relations. In this new position, Mascher will act as a spokesperson and advocate for the Faculty outside of the University. Internally, he is a liaison with the Office of the Vice-President Research and International Affairs and will work with other faculties to identify and initiate large, multi-faculty initiatives to enhance McMaster's research capabilities and reputation. "The creation of this position signals the Faculty's commitment to maintaining and further enhancing its status as one of the most research-intensive engineering schools in the country," Mascher says. "It will allow us to aggressively pursue new opportunities and partnerships, both in the academic environment and with industry. Among the most notable are initiatives in the areas of biomedical engineering, micro- and nanosystems, engineering design, energy systems, and environmental engineering and public policy."

May 21, 2004

A prestigious Killam Fellowship is helping pave the way for McMaster honours arts & science student Theresa Enright. Enright was awarded $5,000 to study at the American University in Washington D.C. in the 2004/05 winter semester, an opportunity she says will help her towards a career in international diplomacy or law. "I am really honoured to be chosen for this scholarship and think that it's a fantastic opportunity for personal and academic growth," she says of the cross-border undergraduate scholarship and exchange program. "One of the goals of the award is to foster relations between Canada and the United States, and I am hoping that through the exchange, I will gain a greater understanding of the relationships that exist between these countries. As I will be living in Washington D.C., I will be able to witness the Canadian-American dynamic on a political level, but on a social and cultural level as well. I am considering a career in international law or diplomacy, and I hope that this exchange will help me on that path."

May 21, 2004

The Joint Job Evaluation Steering Committee (JJESC), established by McMaster University and the McMaster University Staff Association (MUSA), has completed development of the new job . . .

May 21, 2004

Want an excuse to get fit, help the environment, and have fun? The Commuter Challenge is the answer. McMaster University is once again joining the City of Hamilton's efforts in the Commuter Challenge, an Environment Week event that encourages Canadians from St. John's to Victoria to try more active, sustainable forms of transportation. It all takes place May 30 to June 5, 2004. On Wednesday, May 26, ACT will host an Active Transportation Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC) marketplace. The fair will feature informative speakers, a "Foot First Fashion Show", vendors and other activities.

May 21, 2004

On Tuesday, May 25, the McMaster cross country program will host the Marauder Invitational 5,000 meter track race as part of the 2004 Hamilton Summer . . .

May 21, 2004

It's 5:30 a.m. and Lou Ariano leaves his Bloor Street home in downtown Toronto. At about 6:15 a.m. he arrives on McMaster's campus and heads for the Pulse, where he works out for an hour before getting changed into his "registrar's" suit. By 8 a.m. he's ready to help recruit the best and brightest students to McMaster. It's a routine he's grown accustomed to since starting his job as university registrar Feb. 1. He came to McMaster from York University where he worked as registrar for the past three years. Promoting McMaster is an easy job for him. It helps that he's so impressed by the University. "McMaster has always had a very high profile and a great reputation in Ontario and among Canadian universities. I've been involved with universities in Canada since 1981 and I've always known about McMaster," he says. In fact, it was McMaster's reputation that drew him here.

May 20, 2004

Ontario's current home care policy has led to deteriorating working conditions for home support workers, a decreased number of qualified workers in the Hamilton area, . . .

May 19, 2004

McMaster's consultation process is completed and the University has submitted its report to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) on the transformation of the granting council to a knowledge council. The report recommends a variety of new programs and structures and emphasizes McMaster's values and goals. "Not surprisingly, our researchers and graduate students were very involved in this process and provided substantial ideas and suggestions on both the SSHRC proposals and how McMaster can prepare for this transformation. We are very pleased with the participation, and the result is a document which we believe will place McMaster among the leaders when it comes to the development and implementation of the new SSHRC programs and structures," says Mamdouh Shoukri, vice-president of research and international affairs. "Dr. Rockwell has done an excellent job of leading these consultations and in developing recommendations that will benefit our research and graduate student communities. This report reflects the voices of our humanists, social scientists and business scholars and it will be important to the institution as we go forward with Refining Directions, our revised strategic vision."

May 19, 2004

McMaster announced the early football recruiting class based on first round offers made by the University. McMaster has picked up nine players including receiver Mike . . .

May 18, 2004

The biotechnology and biosciences sector in the Golden Horseshoe region continues to grow and mature, with wide-ranging activity in industry and on research campuses throughout the area. On Wednesday, May 19, McMaster University will be the site of the Golden Horseshoe region's second Biosciences Innovation Summit, an excellent networking opportunity for the biosciences research and business communities. The idea of holding a BioSummit for the Golden Horseshoe region comes as a result of the province's Biotechnology Cluster Innovation Program (BCIP), whose goal is to "accelerate the development of Ontario's biotechnology clusters by supporting commercialization infrastructure projects such as research parks and other initiatives that promote entrepreneurship and innovation."

May 18, 2004

McMaster University men's rugby player Dan Pletch was named to the Rugby Canada Senior National team. Pletch joins teammate Aaron Carpenter on the Canadian squad . . .

May 17, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/bontis.gif” caption=”Nick Bontis”]McMaster business professor Nick Bontis provided the keynote address at today's (May 17) Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS) National Informatics Conference. . . .

May 14, 2004

The Joint Job Evaluation Steering Committee (JJESC), established by McMaster University and the McMaster University Staff Association (MUSA), has been working on the development of a new job evaluation tool for positions in the MUSA bargaining unit. The implementation of the new system is scheduled for June 16, 2005. "We are pleased to announce that we have reached a significant milestone in this joint initiative," says a JJESC bulletin released today. "The development of the new system and pilot test phase are now complete. MUSA and the University have agreed and signed off on several components including: the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), the JCQ Instruction Manual and Sample Responses, the Job Evaluation Plan, the Factor Weightings, and the Rating Notes format." The JJESC has put a great deal of effort into developing the system, the bulletin says, adding several employees and supervisors have also contributed a significant amount of time into testing the new system.

May 14, 2004

Particles in the air we breathe may pose genetic risks to humans and wildlife, according to new findings by researchers at McMaster University. In December 2002, associate professor of biology James Quinn and PhD student Chris Somers made headlines when they announced findings that suggested some component of industrial air pollution had the potential to cause genetic damage. Now, joined by chemistry professor Brian McCarry, Quinn and Somers have been able to conclude that fine airborne particulate is the culprit. "Air pollution has the potential to affect millions of humans worldwide, and has been associated with an increased risk of lung cancer and genetic damage in other tissues," says Quinn, who was the principal investigator on the study. "These findings implicate exposure to airborne particulate matter as a principal factor contributing to elevated mutation rates in sentinel mice, and add to accumulating evidence that air pollution may pose genetic risks to humans and wildlife."

May 14, 2004

A desire to study the effects of salt consumption in causing gastric cancer with some of the best researchers in Canada is sending a Grade 9 student of St. Thomas More Catholic secondary school to a national science fair. Natalie Raso is headed to St. John's, Nfld. on May 15. She qualified when she came in second at the Bay Area Science and Engineering Fair (BASEF) in March with her research project on Helicobacter pylori in the development of gastric cancer. She completed her research at McMaster under the guidance of Richard Hunt, and his research associate Rene Padol, Ph.D, of the Intestinal Disease Research Program. "My aim was to investigate the relationship between the bug (H.pylori) and a high salt diet, to see if it increased cell proliferation, which may develop into stomach cancer," said Raso.