Daily News

February 11, 2004

Two conferences exploring the multi-layered character of the contemporary city begin this week at McMaster. The first, "What is the future of Your City?" is a two-part conference initiated by the Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH), with the first session, "Future Cities and Globalization" scheduled for Feb. 12 to 13. That event will be followed by the Canadian Association of Cultural Studies (CACS) second annual conference, "Culturepoles: City Spaces, Urban Politics & Metropolitan Theory," from Feb. 13 to 15. Imre Szeman, director of the Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition, is working with organizers of both conferences, located at the Downtown Centre. "I believe the conference themes will complement each other," says Szeman. He expects close to 200 attendees at the CACS conference, which boasts 100 presenters over two days and will have representation from every discipline in humanities and social sciences at every Canadian University.

February 11, 2004

McMaster will host the OUA women's waterpolo championship Feb. 14-15. McMaster advances to the championship along with Queens, Toronto and Carleton. McMaster has outscored opponents . . .

February 11, 2004

The former Rathskeller (a.k.a. the 'Rat'), a campus bar that closed two years ago when the new student centre opened, is being transformed into a . . .

February 10, 2004

Brains are buzzing as Hamilton-area high school students prepare for McMaster's first annual "brain bee," a competition that will earn the winner a trip to Baltimore to compete for a honey pot of prizes including a $3,000 US cash scholarship. Judith Shedden, associate psychology professor, is working with undergraduate and graduate students on her "brain bee crew" to co-ordinate the first event of its kind in Hamilton, guaranteeing one participant a chance to compete with 40 other regional winners across Canada and the United States for the international title. "The annual brain bee is a great opportunity for us to share with local high school students our fascination with brain and neuroscience research, and to encourage them to think about making brain research a career," she says. "Our brain bee crew is visiting a number of high schools to talk to students, and during the competition, high school students will have the opportunity to chat with McMaster psychology students about their own brain research."

February 10, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/athletics_reception_opt.jpg” caption=”Graduating student-athlete reception”]More than 90 guests attended a reception today (Tuesday) hosted by President Peter George to honour the student-athletes scheduled to . . .

February 10, 2004

McMaster quarterback and strength & conditioning coach Marcello Campanaro is the new head coach of the Marauder football program, four-time defending Yates Cup champions. Campanaro takes over one of the country's most successful university football programs and will guide the Marauders in its quest for continued excellence on the field, in the classroom and in community service. The McMaster graduate, who completed his bachelor of physical education degree in 1984, worked under Greg Marshall, the head coach of the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats and former McMaster head coach, for the past seven seasons. Campanaro's appointment reflects McMaster's ongoing commitment to the players and coaches who have made the Marauders a national power over the last half-decade. He will assume the reins as head coach and offensive co-ordinator, the same dual-roles held by Marshall during his time on the McMaster sideline.

February 9, 2004

She's slightly more than 11 centimetres (four inches) high, but the tiny Venus of Willendorf statuette represents much more to Arya Sharma. Sharma, a professor of medicine and Canada Research Chair in Cardiovascular Obesity Research and Management pulls up the image on his computer screen to illustrate that obesity has been a problem in society a long, long time. "The Venus of Willendorf dates back to almost 25,000 BCE and is one of the earliest, most realistic representations of obesity -- it's not a new problem," he notes. For Sharma, this age-old problem is one that is accelerating at an alarming rate, reaching epidemic proportions among Canadians. He estimates that almost half of our population is overweight and one-third of Canadians are obese. Sharma, one of the world's top researchers in obesity, will be discussing his latest research at tomorrow's (February 10) Science in the City lecture, Muscling in on Obesity: or How Fatty Muscles Can Increase Your Risk for Diabetes and Heart Disease .

February 9, 2004

Summer may seem like eons away, but that is what's on the minds of many students and prospective employers these days. Career Planning and Employment Centre (CPEC) will host its annual Summer Job Fair tomorrow (Tuesday) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the McMaster University Student Centre marketplace. "The Summer Job Fair is the perfect opportunity for students to start their summer job search," says Heather Hines, CPEC events & marketing co-ordinator. "The good jobs go quickly so waiting until after exams might leave students disappointed." Twenty-eight employers, including the City of Hamilton, McMaster University, YMCA of Hamilton/Burlington and several camp organizations, are participating this year. CPEC also is offering "How to Find a Summer Job" workshops, resume coaching sessions and a mock interview service throughout the day.

February 9, 2004

Superman actor Christopher Reeves attributes his notable recovery following a spinal cord injury to an intensive exercise program. Recent research at McMaster University's Centre for . . .

February 9, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Robert_Michaels.jpg” caption=”Robert Michaels “]The 2003/2004 Smooth Jazz Series, co-sponsored by McMaster University School of the Arts and Wave 94.7 fm, resumes with jazz . . .

February 9, 2004

Through University and neighbourhood planning initiatives, student and community partnerships, and many other measures, new lines of communications and co-operation are being forged between McMaster University, the City of Hamilton, and the west Hamilton communities. Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2004, the City, the Ainslie Wood/Westdale Community Association of Resident Homeowners Inc. (AWWCA), McMaster University through the President's Advisory Committee on Community Relations (PACCR), and the McMaster Students Union (MSU) will once again create new links at a Community Forum. Focusing on the theme of student housing and related issues in west Hamilton, this meeting will allow participants to develop recommendations for issues of common interest, ask questions, and present suggestions.

February 6, 2004

Creating innovative biomedical devices. Designing golf courses. Exploring new methods to make drinking water safe. Engineers do these things and more. More than 250 high school students are expected to attend the second annual McMaster Women's Engineering Experience on Saturday, Feb. 7 to learn more about the diverse fields of study engineers engage in. The students, who are coming from areas such as Belleville, Newmarket, Mississauga and the greater Hamilton area will learn about the engineering design project led by civil engineering professor Sarah Dickson, engineering risk management issues from civil engineering and management graduate Cathy Taylor '82 and chemical engineering topics from chemical engineering professor Lisa Crossley.

February 6, 2004

Parents, friends, professors and donors gathered in Convocation Hall at the end of January to celebrate the achievements of a fine group of humanities students . . .

February 6, 2004

Electronic security devices used in McMaster equipment recently prevented two thefts on campus. Silent alarms were activated when thieves attempted to steal computers and a . . .

February 5, 2004

Storybooks for schools and homes across Afghanistan are the latest tool peace workers are using to help that country's next generation work toward building a society that will live peacefully ever after. Joanna Santa Barbara, an instructor at McMaster's Centre for Peace Studies and Hamilton-area child psychiatrist, is part of an international team of peace workers involved with peace education initiatives in the war-ravaged country. "Progress has been made in schools over the past several years, and we're thrilled that the Ministry of Higher Education so eagerly picked up on our work," says Santa Barbara. "It's important that children hear messages of peace when their country is going through such a fragile, volatile phase." Santa Barbara and her Centre for Peace Studies associates hosted peace education sessions in Afghanistan in partnership with other groups, hoping the sessions might lead toward national reconciliation. They built material for the series of 16 stories from those sessions, and worked with Afghanistan native and Centre for Peace Studies Associate Seddiq Weera to get the stories implemented into the school curriculum across the country.

February 5, 2004

By a mere eight votes, Shano Mohan has been elected next year's president of the McMaster Students Union (MSU). Mohan received a total of 1,850 votes, followed closely by Peter Topalovic, who received 1,842 votes. Mohan is currently the MSU vice-president administration and a political science major. He will replace MSU president Neville Boney. A total of 3,944 students voted in the MSU presidential election, up from 3,150 during last year's election.

February 4, 2004

McMaster's campus is picture perfect. A serene image of a student studying in the faculty hollow, the beauty of fall reflected in a window of Edwards Hall, an athlete swimming in the Ivor Wynne Centre pool, and the warmth of the biology greenhouse on a cold day, are just some of the images found at Picture McMaster -- a new self-serve photo gallery that offers a wide array of images from across campus. To launch this new service, McMaster faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members are invited to participate in a photo contest. Contestants are encouraged to "picture McMaster" in a unique and innovative way. Electronic entries must be in one of four categories: people, buildings, campus scenes and sports. Winning entries will be displayed on the Picture McMaster Web site (http://www.picturemcmaster.ca). Click here to read the photo contest terms and conditions.

February 4, 2004

McMaster's School of The Arts will present RAM (Random Access Media) Feb. 6-9 — an exhibit that highlights the works in film, photography and technological . . .

February 4, 2004

Nominations are now being accepted for the President's Award of Excellence – Student Leadership. Nomination forms are available from the Office of the Associate Vice-President . . .

February 3, 2004

Medical students learn that toxins and potentially harmful agents can be found in the food we buy, and about the long term as well as . . .