July 31, 2003

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Mac_Volleyball.jpg” caption=”Volleyball team”]McMaster has won the right to host the CIS Men's Volleyball Championship in 2006 and 2007. The CIS Volleyball Championship has . . .

July 31, 2003

It's the last leg of the race. The finish line is in sight and thousands are waiting anxiously to see who the winner will be. Hamilton? New Delhi? Supporters at today's 2010 Commonwealth Games news conference have their money on Hamilton. "We believe that the Hamilton bid is strong on all fronts, but especially on the technical merits that are the subject of the Commission's specific attention," said David Adames, general manager of the Hamilton 2010 Commonwealth Games Bid Corporation. "In fact, we welcome their scrutiny. We know that they have discovered our bid's unparalleled public support, the precision of our plans, the readiness of our people and venues, the technical skill of our sport communities, and perhaps most importantly, the enthusiasm our city has for the Commonwealth Games." Welcomed by about 250 cheering children taking part in McMaster's summer camp program, members of the Commonwealth Games Federation Evaluation Commission (CGF) arrived by bus at McMaster Thursday for the only news conference by the Commonwealth Games evaluation commission. Others in attendance included athletes, representatives from local, provincial and national sports organizations, sports enthusiasts and local and national media.

July 30, 2003

Today, support is key. When members of the Commonwealth Games Federation Evaluation Commission (CGF) attend the one and only news conference for Hamilton's 2010 Commonwealth Games bid at McMaster, it will be the city's time to shine. It's the final visit to Hamilton by the CGF commission. Next, it's off to New Delhi, India, to assess Hamilton's only competitor. A decision on a host city will be announced in November. The news conference begins at 1 p.m. in the McMaster University Student Centre lobby and is hosted by the CGF Evaluation Commission, comprised of six international members of the Commonwealth Games Federation. Delegates are in the Hamilton area for a four-day visit to assess the technical components of the corporation's bid for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

July 29, 2003

Edward Buffett has taken the seat of Board of Govenors' chair. The president and CEO of Buffett Taylor & Associates Ltd. was elected by McMaster's Board of Governors to succeed Edward Minich, who served as chair since 2001. As chair of McMaster's highest governing body, Buffett will lead the Board on matters pertaining to the administrative governance of the University. Buffett also is chairman of Wellness Councils of Canada, past chair of the Whitby General Hospital and Durham Community Foundation. Donald M. Green, who for the past 35 years has been president & CEO Tridon Ltd., was appointed vice-chair of the Board. He is currently chairman and CEO Greenfleet Ltd., a private investment company, deputy chairman CGU Group Canada Ltd. and chairman Avista Software Corporation. Minich is president and CEO of Otis Canada. He served as Board chair at McMaster University for the past two years. Minich was inducted to the McMaster Alumni Gallery in 2000 and became the Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient in 2002. He continues to serve on the Board as an Alumni representative. The one-year appointments took effect on July 1, 2003.

July 28, 2003

One day, when you come into work and click on your internet browser, the Daily News home page is going to look quite a bit different. McMaster's top news and information will still be there, but it will be cleaner and easier to navigate. New features will be added, and old features will be gone. But before that day comes, McMaster's Office of Public Relations is seeking input from both the McMaster and external community on how to best recreate the Daily News. Launched in 2000, McMaster's award-winning Daily News Web site has become a regular source of news and information for the McMaster community. Some of the new features being considered include an online subscription to a weekly news list; an audio/visual page; an interactive online photo gallery; regular spotlights on faculty, staff and students; and a section devoted to media relations. The new site, which will be incorporated into the University's new Web templates, will be launched this fall. To provide your two cents into the Daily News redesign, click here or visit http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/ and click on Daily News Survey on the left side of the page.

July 28, 2003

McMaster University is sending Canadian business leaders back to school. Up to 30 corporate directors are expected in class when the first directors' college session . . .

July 28, 2003

McMaster University is the first university in North America to develop a program to train cardiovascular nurses as researchers. Heather Arthur, a professor in McMaster's . . .

July 25, 2003

McMaster enjoys a tradition of innovation across the University. In the Faculty of Health Sciences, they're demonstrating some of their innovative approaches to education through the Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) Program. Currently one of McMaster's most popular and premier programs, the honours program has grown to 300 students since it was first offered in September 2000. The program continues to enjoy much success, with more than 3,000 prospective students applying this year. The growth in this program is one reason McMaster needs additional space. The University is building a new Centre for Learning & Discovery which will provide these and other health sciences students with specialized space to conduct classes in inquiry and small-group learning, hallmarks of this new program. Students who are admitted to the program hold high averages in studies such as English, biology, chemistry and calculus, are involved in extracurricular activities and are interested in health issues. They are also well-rounded in their studies because the BHSc Program uses a unique interdisciplinary approach to the study of health. Students gain an understanding of health from biological, behavioural, and population-based perspectives. McMaster's internationally known expertise in problem-based, self-directed learning is a big feature of the program. This approach provides students with skills that will facilitate learning now and later in their careers. The program's assistant dean, professor of pathology and molecular medicine Del Harnish, states that the heavy emphasis on inquiry classes is the most unique and valuable aspect of the program. "Inquiry will be very valuable to these students in the long term. It will enable them to develop critical thinking skills and to take an active role in their own educations."

July 25, 2003

The Conference Board of Canada and the Michael G. DeGroote School of Business at McMaster announce that Ernst & Young, a global leader in professional . . .

July 25, 2003

Hamilton's Commonwealth Games bid is down to the final strokes as the Commonwealth Games Federation Evaluation Commission comes to the city next week. The CGF Evaluation Commission will hold its only public news conference about the Canadian bid on Thursday, July 31 at McMaster University at 1 p.m. in the student centre lobby. Then the CGF commission will depart for India to assess the New Delhi bid, Hamilton's only other competitor. The CGF Evaluation Commission, comprised of six international members of the Commonwealth Games Federation, is in the Hamilton area for a four-day visit to assess the technical components of the corporation's bid for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

July 24, 2003

She brings a familiarity of Canadian institutional art collection, a strong understanding of modern art and is skilled in research, display and dissemination. Alexandria Pierce started her first day on the job Monday as the new acting director and curator of the McMaster Museum of Art. "I am really excited about being part of such an extraordinary facility that is renowned for its collection and state-of-the-art exhibitions," said Pierce. "The art museum is the jewel in the crown of a knowledge-based, research-oriented university. Our role is to guide and teach in the cultural sphere." Pierce comes from Montreal where she recently obtained her Ph.D (History in Art). Her past experience includes assistant curator at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and curator at the Gallery III (University of Manitoba). She also has a strong background in research and teaching at the university level.

July 24, 2003

Thirty-four students who wrote deferred exams last Thursday will need to be re-examined after a thief stole finished exam papers. Just over 50 students from . . .

July 23, 2003

McMaster's Trish Chant has been named director of games at Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC). The position takes effect in mid-October. Chant has been part of the McMaster University Advancement and Athletics & Recreation team as an advancement officer for the past five years. Her responsibilities include managing annual fundraising programs, generating private and public support and strengthening alumni affinity and commitment to the University and the department. She has also served as the co-ordinator of communications and media relations for the department. Director of Athletics and Recreation, Therese Quigley says, "Trish has contributed tremendously to our athletic and recreation program and we will miss her immensely. She is a dear friend to so many of us and we wish her continued success and happiness as she takes on new adventures with Commonwealth Games Canada and married life in Ottawa." As a member of the Hamilton Bid Corporation for the 2010 bid to host the Commonwealth Games, Chant has been intricately involved in all aspects of the bid process from the preparation of the bid documents and hosting of international delegations, to behind the scenes operational and logistical tasks over the past 10 months.

July 23, 2003

Starting this week, three temporary generators installed on the northwest corner of campus will supply up to 80 per cent of the peak energy demand at McMaster. The low-sound, natural gas fired generators will produce 23.7 megawatts of power to all of campus. The generators will operate between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. Monday to Friday for a maximum of four hours a day. McMaster will use all of the power in the summer months, while in the cooler months, the excess power will be fed into the Hydro One grid, with cost savings from this going to McMaster. The Ontario government awarded Ontario Energy Management (OEM) a contract through the Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation to provide three 7.9 megawatt generators (a total of 23.7 megawatts) of firm peaking capacity and energy located at the NF91 substation over the next seven to nine months.

July 22, 2003

The Swiss and French Alps are what physics professor Cecile Fradin misses the most since coming to McMaster 20 months ago. Hamilton's infamous mountain just isn't the kind of rugged terrain Fradin, a native of France, considers a challenge. Instead, Fradin's new challenges are found in a newly renovated research lab in the Arthur Bourns Building where she is conducting research into cellular dynamics. Her field of study, biophysics, is an amalgamation of biology and physics. Fradin, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Molecular Biophysics, was always drawn to the area of optics in her studies that have taken her from the heart of Paris, to Pisa, Italy, New York and Israel. "I've always liked experiments that involved optics," she says. "I like to be able to see things with my own eyes instead of reconstructing them."

July 21, 2003

There is something rewarding about submitting a paper that is your own. Spending hours on the computer, deleting words that don't fit, adding paragraphs with more pizzazz. Putting sweat and tears into an assignment worth 20 per cent of the final grade. But what about the student that logs into a paper mill, searches through a database containing thousands of papers, and paying $50 for something they have no knowledge about? Both may get the same mark, but the satisfaction they feel will be poles apart. Indeed, integrity is worth more than the grade itself, feels Andrea Thyret-Kidd, McMaster's new academic integrity officer. Thyret-Kidd was hired last fall to implement the University's new Academic Integrity Code, which took effect May 1, with a transition between the old and new policy until September. The code, which replaces the Academic Dishonesty Policy, is intended to change people's attitudes from dishonesty to valuing integrity, she says. "It's not just about the negative side but it's about the positive side too. Part of the reason we're doing this is to protect the integrity of the entire campus and the integrity of those students who didn't cheat."

July 18, 2003

McMaster medical students are being job shadowed  by a film crew. Filming has begun for the second season of a highly acclaimed television reality show based on their lives and learning. The Med Students series is produced by Breakthrough Productions of Toronto in conjunction with the Faculty of Health Sciences and Hamilton Health Sciences. The first season, 13 episodes of Med Students was broadcast last year on the Life Network and Discovery Health to great acclaim. The first season showcased the excellent education and patient care provided at McMaster and its partner hospitals. The show enjoyed significant popularity and positive feedback from viewers, including fan mail to some students. Second-year internal medicine resident Jamie Newman was recently filmed during his first shift at St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton as a senior medical resident, taking responsibility for incoming patients. "I thought it would be fun," he said. "I also feel that my story is pretty common to people in and outside of medicine, therefore easy to relate to."

July 17, 2003

Hungry? How does Asian smoked tuna loin paired with a crispy Szechuan barbequed shrimp roll, and a salad of sea asparagus and braised fennel sound? What it doesn't sound like is a traditional campus meal, but these delicious dishes were actually part of the grand prize-winning meal prepared by a team of chefs from McMaster University at the recent Canadian College & University Food Services Association (CCUFSA) conference. McMaster University Hospitality Services hosted the 2003 conference from June 25 to 29. Now in its 25th year, this event drew 180 Canadian and international delegates to McMaster for four days of workshops, presentations, and collaboration. One of the highlights of the conference was the fourth annual Culinary Challenge. Five teams, including McMaster University, University of Waterloo, University of Massachusetts, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and Chartwells, participated in this ultimate test of culinary prowess and skill. Each team prepared an appetizer, entrie, and dessert, which were judged both individually and as complete meals. The McMaster team, consisting of Stephen Lee, John French and Nathan Evans, took grand prize for their meal.

July 16, 2003

McMaster has experienced strong demand this year for residence space so Housing & Conference Services is advising students who are on the waiting list to investigate other possibilities for housing. Traditionally, this is the time of year when students are changing their minds about attending university so the number of people who want a space in residence does fluctuate. Last year during the month of July more than 100 students changed their minds about attending McMaster or living in residence. Phil Wood, associate vice-president student affairs, says that trend is continuing this year but the 400 or so students on the waiting list should be considering other alternatives. "The situation is pretty fluid at this point," he said, "but we encourage students on the waiting list to plan accordingly and ensure they are looking at other arrangements."

July 16, 2003

Some people do it because they want to advance science. Others do it because they want to make fast money. If you're willing to be . . .