Daily News

April 8, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Team1_SenThesis_opt.jpg” caption=”TestBot team with IBM reps”]Software engineering students built innovation with Lego in the fourth annual IBM competition. In the capstone software engineering . . .

April 7, 2004

McMaster University is part of a Hamilton-Toronto-Guelph health research triangle being touted by the Ontario government as the location for a new national public health agency. At a press conference at the Health Sciences Centre Tuesday, Marie Bountrogianni, MPP for Hamilton Mountain, said McMaster, and Hamilton, should take a lead role in the development of the Canada Public Health Agency (CPHA) proposed by the federal government in the recent Throne Speech. "You have a public health powerhouse here in Ontario when you add up McMaster University's international reputation in health policy, evaluation and information, Toronto's real-world experience of managing the SARS outbreak, and Guelph University's world-renowned expertise in animal and water-borne illnesses," said Bountrogianni. She holds a double portfolio as Ontario's minister of children's services and the minister of citizenship and immigration.

April 6, 2004

Students will soon be closing their books for another year. Classes finish today (April 6) at McMaster and students are now preparing for exams, which take place April 12-28. Students preparing for exams can take advantage of the All Night Study Program (ANSP), a service provided by the McMaster Students Union. The ANSP provides students with student center meeting rooms and lounges during the examination session overnight. Students can meet in discussion areas in the atrium and lounges on the first and second floors or in silent study areas in meeting rooms on the second and third floors.

April 5, 2004

Nearly half a century ago, a round hole was dug at the west end of campus to make room for a structure that would revolutionize radiation research and education. From it, new cancer fighting isotopes would be produced, fossilized specimens would be dated, students, researchers and scientists from around the world would have access to some of the most sophisticated research facilities, and a Nobel Prize would be born. On April 4, McMaster's Nuclear Reactor (MNR) marked its 45th anniversary. The reactor, built under the leadership of former McMaster President Harry Thode, opened in 1959 by John Diefenbaker, then Prime Minister of Canada. It was the first university-based research reactor in the British Commonwealth and today is the only Canadian medium flux reactor in a university environment.

April 5, 2004

Although their fields of research are diverse, McMaster's newest Canada Research Chairs are all ultimately looking at how to keep us healthier in our environments. The three newest recipients come from the disciplines of medical physics and applied radiation sciences, business administration and geochemistry and geochronology. McMaster University now has 47 Canada Research Chairholders.

April 5, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Civil_Engineering_donation_.jpg” caption=”Centre for Effective Design of Structures donation”]A generous gift to McMaster University's Centre for Effective Design of Structures from two civil engineering . . .

April 2, 2004

McMaster University has developed a new way to select its medical students that has the applicants doing 12 short successive interviews instead of a traditional panel interview. This week, 384 potential students are at McMaster for bell-ringer interviews that have them attending individual 10 minute sessions with a consecutive series of interviewers over two hours. Each interviewer asks the same questions of each candidate on a topic in the areas of ethics, communications, collaborative work or critical thinking. A bell is sounded when students should rotate to the next interview. The change is the result of three years of study on ways to improve the student selection process, and is unique among Canadian medical schools. "This new process is far better than other methodologies for being able to differentiate between candidates on the basis of their personal qualities," said Harold Reiter, chair of admissions for the medical school. "Research has found that the reliability of measuring those qualities through traditional interviews is weak."

April 2, 2004

More than 150 elementary and secondary students from the Bay Area will be at McMaster today learning about chemicals, stars, brains and fats. Four of . . .

April 2, 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 . . .

April 1, 2004

Posters representing amazing women leaders will be on display in the McMaster University Student Centre today. McMaster's Mary E. Keyes Leadership Program, offered through the Centre for Student Development, is recognizing women leaders through a Women in Leadership Poster Session. Fourteen women leaders are featured on the posters. Some of those include: Erin Laende, Student Walk-Home Attendant Team co-ordinator, Carol Wood, ecumenical chaplain, Debbie Marinoff-Shupe, manager, recreation services, Therese Quigley, director of athletics and recreation, Mary Williams, associate vice-president, University Advancement, Eileen Schuller, chair of religious studies, Nasrin Rahimieh, dean of humanities, Susan Elliott, dean of social sciences, Cristina DeSilvio, experiential education officer for social science and Cheryl-Ann Jackson, international students' advisor. Women presented on the posters were chosen from suggestions provided from students, staff and faculty. The posters will be displayed in the McMaster University Student Centre Marketplace Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and then across campus on bulletin boards.

March 31, 2004

Outstanding McMaster students and alumni were recognized for their contributions to the University community during this week's 24th annual Student Recognition Night. McMaster students Candy Hui and Sam Minniti were honoured with the Honour M Award, the highest award presented by the McMaster Students Union. This Award is presented to students who show commitment to extra curricular activities both within the McMaster community and have rendered outstanding and valuable service to the Hamilton community and/or the McMaster community by any or all of the following: university government, student government, residence government, departments, clubs, societies, and/or university athletics. "The Honour M Award in one of the most esteemed award programs hosted by McMaster University," said McMaster provost Ken Norrie. "It is reserved for those who are recognized as clearly going above and beyond the norm in terms of their extracurricular service and student leadership."

March 30, 2004

McMaster has signed a key strategic alliance with Toronto-based biotechnology company CELLutions Biosystems, Inc. Through this partnership, CELLutions will acquire the exclusive rights to market and distribute selected novel cell lines and other innovative biological reagents developed by researchers at McMaster. CELLutions focuses on the commercialization, marketing, and distribution of innovative cell lines and other research tools for use in basic science, drug discovery, and therapeutic development. "We are very excited about the potential benefits that this strategic partnership will bring to our institution and its researchers," says Mamdouh Shoukri, vice-president of research at McMaster University. "We are looking forward to developing this relationship and working together with CELLutions to identify promising scientists and research projects whose work has, or will develop unique cell lines, as well as other research tools that have innate value to the biopharmaceutical industry."

March 29, 2004

McMaster's Committee for Recommending a President hopes broad-based feedback will help it select the best candidate to fill the Universities' top job over the next five years. The Board of Governors and University Senate recently appointed members to the committee. It will examine the academic mission and vision, strategic leadership, fiscal management, external relationship building and strengthening of the McMaster community. McMaster President Peter George's current term concludes June 30, 2005 and he is eligible for reappointment for a third five-year term. The process of selecting a University president is critical, says Edward Buffett, chair of the committee. "There are incredible opportunities on the horizon for the institution and as we move forward in the global economy, leadership will be a critical element in the institution's success," he says. "McMaster must be well led to attract the best and the brightest in terms of students, research dollars and its educators."

March 26, 2004

Researchers and graduate students at McMaster will have a chance to speak first-hand with the man who is leading the transformation of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Marc Renaud, president of the SSHRC, will be at McMaster Tuesday, April 6. Renaud is travelling across the country during March and April visiting academic institutions and meeting with university stakeholders as part of SSHRC's transformation process. The federal body, which funds research in the humanities and social sciences at universities across the country, is engaging key stakeholders in discussions to develop a new blueprint for the organization and to increase and improve dialogue between the council and its stakeholders. The council aims to expand and improve its current programs and adopt new structures to better serve the research community over the next 25 years.

March 25, 2004

McMaster health physics student Lindsay Churchley has great insight into her future thanks to her co-operative placement that garnered her an impressive recognition from the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE). Selected from among 74,000 post-secondary co-op students at 85 member institutions across Canada, the fourth-year student received one of four honorable mentions from the CAFCE Co-op Student of the Year Award (2003), based primarily on a job placement at Ontario Power Generation. "One of the best things that co-op has done for me, is it has given me the chance to try a variety of fields so that I can figure out which direction I would like to go in after graduation," says Churchley. "I now know I want to be a health physicist." Churchley's nomination included an impressive academic grade point record of 10.3, contribution to extra-curricular activities at school and in the community, volunteering with the McMaster Children's Hospital, participation in student governance, and involvement in the McMaster jazz choir and McMaster Ultimate Frisbee league.

March 25, 2004

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/kunisadoweb.jpg” caption=”Isaac Applebaums”]Collectors and donors of the McMaster art collection will be honoured today (Thursday) in conjunction with the opening of two new . . .

March 24, 2004

The federal government's commitment in its budget to boosting financial support for students is welcome news, McMaster University President Peter George says. "The government's commitment to improving access to post-secondary education mirrors a fundamental tenet that we follow at McMaster  fostering a passion for lifelong learning," said President George. "We wholeheartedly support efforts to ensure students who are qualified and have the desire can access post-secondary education. Achievement in university will mean Canada has a highly skilled, educated workforce that will foster a robust and dynamic economy. "Improving access and helping reduce student debt loads will undoubtedly spur an increase in demand for post-secondary education. The challenge continues to be to ensure that students receive a quality education in an environment where tuition fees - a major source of University operating funds to hire faculty and provide student services  are frozen by the provincial government and operating grants lag well behind the Canadian average. "We are looking forward to the provincial government acting to ensure that Ontario students truly benefit from these federal initiatives by increasing provincial operating support and providing full compensation for the announced tuition freeze."

March 23, 2004

The 2003/2004 Celebrity Concert Series sponsored by McMaster University School of the Arts, continues with early music group Anonymus on March 26 at 8 p.m. . . .

March 23, 2004

Like other Ontario universities, McMaster is preparing to face some significant fiscal challenges in the next three years. The University has always taken a prudent approach to budget planning and forecasting which traditionally serves us well for short and long term fiscal planning. Although there are challenges to be addressed, our goal is to continue to be prudent and to maintain our focus on the University's strategic goals as established in Refining Directions. The Budget Committee (a sub-committee of the University Planning Committee charged with advising the President on the annual operating budget for approval by the Board of Governors) believes that it is important to share the nature and extent of the challenge with members of the McMaster community at this early stage of the budget process. To this end, we have scheduled two public information sessions as follows: Wednesday, March 31, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in Council Room, Gilmour Hall-111 Monday, April 5, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in Council Room, Gilmour Hall-111 To set the context for the information sessions, our best estimate at this time is that aggregate revenue in 2004/05 will be a minimum of $4 million less than the amount that would be necessary to sustain operations at current levels. As a result, budget managers have been asked to prepare 2004/05 budgets based on funding allocations that will fall short of their expected increases in costs. Further, unless circumstances change markedly, the revenue shortfall is likely to be substantially greater in 2005/06 and 2006/07.

March 23, 2004

McMaster's Department of Athletics and Recreation announced the award winners for 2003/2004 at the annual athletic awards presentation and celebration Monday. The Ivor Wynne Award for the Male Athlete of the Year was shared between McMaster basketball all-Canadian Adam Guiney and McMaster football all-Canadian Jesse Lumsden. The Female Athlete of the Year Award was presented to CIS gold medal winning wrestler Pam Wilson. The Dr. Ray Johnson trophy for the graduating player that demonstrates leadership on and off the field while exhibiting the "Spirit of McMaster" was awarded to OUA all around men's rugby player of the year Harry Cheung. The Dr. Edna Guest Award for the graduating player that participated in varsity sports each year at McMaster that displays outstanding athletic ability and the "Spirit of McMaster" is co-president of the McMaster Athletic Council, and women's volleyball player Deborah VanBolderen.