October 17, 2003
Posted on Oct. 17: Message from vice-president research Mamdouh ShoukriThis morning's news reports included a story that originated from the Washington Times linking interest in the McMaster nuclear reactor to alleged Al Qaeda connections . . .
October 16, 2003
Posted on Oct. 16: Front entrance planning set to beginMcMaster's front entrance off Main Street will be getting a facelift next year when the City of Hamilton begins construction on the principal roadway that leads to campus. That clears the way for McMaster to begin planning a vision for the campus side of the entrance, working with stakeholders to ensure all issues are addressed. Over the next couple of weeks Karen Belaire, vice-president administration, will be organizing a steering committee of McMaster stakeholders including representatives from several faculties and departments, parking, planning, physical plant, as well as an external engineering traffic consultant. "The environmental assessment process has taken many months. As this process comes to an end the University will now begin to plan for the redesign. There are a number of factors to consider as we begin designing the front entrance," says Belaire. "The city has recently released a drawing of their plans for Main Street based on the environmental assessment, and now we'll work on our vision for our entrance way and access route. Addressing the needs and concerns of cyclists, pedestrians, public transit and emergency vehicles in this high traffic area will be challenging for the committee."
October 16, 2003
Posted on Oct. 16: McMaster in top ten in student surveyA lush, green campus and charming older buildings are some reasons why McMaster students like their school. McMaster ranked eighth in a recent university report . . .
October 15, 2003
Posted on Oct. 15: Nobel laureate Bertram Brockhouse: A modest hero’s figureMcMaster professor emeritus Bertram Neville Brockhouse, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1994, died Monday. He was 85. Brockhouse shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with American physicist Clifford G. Shull for their separate but concurrent development of neutron-scattering techniques. Bertram was a pioneer who made an incredible impact on the world of science, said McMaster President Peter George. He also had a passion for science that was an inspiration for many. One researcher he made an impact on was Bruce Gaulin, Brockhouse Chair in the Physics of Materials. I am literally where I am today because of the work he did, said Gaulin, who also wrote an article with Brockhouse for the Encyclopedia of Physics. Gaulin was impressed by Brockhouse's modesty for his work. To me, the most amazing thing about him was how modest he was and how he always was such a fine gentleman.
October 15, 2003
Posted on Oct. 16: McMaster to host Japan Studies ConferenceMcMaster is hosting the 17th Japan Studies Association of Canada (JSAC) conference Oct 17-19. Sessions will be held in the DeGroote School of Business (mostly . . .
October 14, 2003
Posted on Oct. 14: Airing beefs about mad cowJapan's ban on Canadian beef due to mad cow disease will be a key topic at a seminar this week at McMaster University. The disastrous . . .
October 14, 2003
Posted on Oct. 14: School of the Arts reveals fall lineupFrom art and music to theatre and film, McMaster's School of the Arts is offering a broad array of events during the 2003-2004 season. Beginning . . .
October 14, 2003
Posted on Oct. 14: Emerging emergenciesThe last SARS patients have been discharged from our hospitals and the the West Nile virus seems less menacing as the cooler weather approaches. While these infectious diseases might seem less of a threat to the general public, there are serious ongoing challenges that confront our public health system. These challenges will be highlighted in the latest Science in the City public lecture by infectious diseases specialist Mark Loeb. Loeb's lecture, SARS and the West Nile Virus: Roadmaps for Emerging Infectious Diseases, will explore the importance of rapid and accurate diagosis, risk assessment, disease containment and vaccine development. As the Scientific Director of the Canadian SARS Research Network and one of the lead researchers in the first study in Canada to track the prevalence of West Nile virus, Loeb has been on the frontlines and will offer some insight into the important recommendations coming from the recent SARS commissions and the West Nile virus study . The lecture will be held tonight at 7 p.m. in the Hamilton Spectator Auditorium, 44 Frid Street in Hamilton. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. This is a free lecture and all are welcome.
October 14, 2003
Posted on Oct. 15: Future engineers compete in McMaster’s engineering, science OlympicsMore than 500 students from southern Ontario high schools are at McMaster today (Wednesday) for the annual McMaster Engineering and Science Olympics and Open House. Students are participating in a friendly competition of events based on engineering and science principles. This year, a new remote event concept has been introduced along with the traditional on-campus competition. This remote activity involves students working on a chemistry problem in a lab at their home school with results submitted online. Through the open house program, students will have a chance to meet with university students, faculty and professional engineers as well as seeing the on-going daily activities at the university. A variety of displays, special presentations and tours will be featured. "McMaster Faculties of Engineering and Science, known for innovation and education, excellence in research and quality of student life, offer the Olympics as an innovative opportunity for students to actively participate in applying engineering and science principles through friendly competition and activities," said Bob Loree, director of Engineering 1. Awards will go to the top teams in each event. More than $20,000 in McMaster entrance awards are available to be won.
October 14, 2003
Posted on Oct. 14: Marauders fall to Toronto Varsity BluesThe McMaster Marauders lost game three of the Ontario University Athletics Baseball Championship to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday. With a 7-0 defeat in the final game of the best-of-three series, the Blues captured its second OUA baseball championship title in three years. In game one, McMaster defeated Toronto 3-1, but lost to Toronto in game two, 3-1. This is the second consecutive year that McMaster has finished the season with an OUA silver.
October 10, 2003
Posted on Oct. 10: McMaster singer, visual artist receives Opera Award[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Stanton-Award—McGuirl-03_.jpg” caption=”Loralee McGuirl”]Loralee McGuirl, a fifth-year singer and visual artist, was honoured by Opera Ontario with The Christine Stanton Memorial Award at a . . .
October 10, 2003
Posted on Oct. 10: Marauders face Toronto in OUA baseball championship[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/baseball.jpg” caption=”baseball”]In a best-of-three series, the McMaster Marauders will face the Toronto Varsity Blues this weekend in the Ontario University Athletics Baseball Championship. . . .
October 10, 2003
Posted on Oct. 10: Symposium to explore nutrition of elite cyclistsDo elite cyclists receive sufficient carbohydrates, protein, fluid and electrolyte requirements for them to perform at their peak? A panel of internationally respected scientists are hoping to translate the scientific knowledge of training and nutrition for endurance athletes, acquired through controlled scientific experiments, into practical information at a symposium today hosted by McMaster's Department of Kinesiology. "The symposium is a unique opportunity to listen to a panel of internationally respected scientists give a series of practical overviews on training, nutrition, and ergogenic aids/supplementation for high-level endurance athletics," says PhD student Douglas Mahoney, a member of the organizing committee. This free symposium is being held in conjunction with the Road World Cycling Championships this week. It takes place from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Information Technology Building, Room 137.
October 10, 2003
Posted on Oct. 28: Romance ignited during celebration of music and wordsDuring the Romantic Period, from 1820 to 1910, passion ruled the day and the music of Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf and Liszt touched the soul. This week, the passion from this period will return as McMaster co-hosts the ninth international Great Romantics Festival Oct. 30-Nov. 1. Artists from around the world will gather in Hamilton to perform works from the Romantic Period during this upcoming festival, founded in 1994 by emeritus professor of music Alan Walker. Walker is also author of the standard (and international award-winning) biography of Franz Liszt, the famous 19th century composer. Walker is enthusiastic about this year's line-up of musicians and lecturers. "The festival will appeal to everyone, from the music aficionado to the general music lover," he says.
October 9, 2003
Posted on Oct. 10: School of the Arts presents Alfie Zappacosta[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/alfie_5.jpg” caption=”Alfie Zappacosta”]Alfie Zappacosta, whose jazz career spans 20 years, will perform live in Hamilton, Friday, Oct. 17. With two Junos, including Most . . .
October 9, 2003
Posted on Oct. 9: Program educates students on recreational drug use'The Time of Your Life, A Natural High', a new program that provides information and alternate choices regarding individual decisions on recreational drug use will . . .
October 8, 2003
Posted on Oct. 8: Go speed racer!When elite cyclists are racing down Hamilton's mountain this week, you might think they know how fast they're going from information they get from their eyes. Not so. McMaster behavioural neuroscientist Hong-Jin Sun and a team of researchers have found that feedback from cyclists' legs to their brains is more important than vision in determining speed. Sun, a psychology professor, and his team use virtual reality technology combined with a modified stationary mountain bike to evaluate how the brain integrates different sources of information. The study, the first of its kind, will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal CyberPsychology & Behaviour.
October 8, 2003
Posted on Oct. 9: Artists explore re:cycled artA beach ball that's seven feet tall, a public sign that displays personal journal entries, and a biodegradable sculpture of icy water made from drywall are among the exhibits on display throughout the McMaster community in Re:cycle, a five-week outdoor art exhibit that coincides with the Hamilton 2003 Road World Cycling Championships. The Re:cycle project, a collaborative programming project co-ordinated by the McMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton Artists Inc., Art Gallery of Hamilton, and the Workers Arts & Heritage Centre, officially kicks off today (Thursday, Oct. 9). It will feature five artists' interpretations of what the word 're:cycle' represents for them, using the word broadly to reflect recreation, activity, and environmental issues. "We wanted to use the cycling championships as a springboard for ideas and issues surrounding cycling," says Re:cycle project co-ordinator Ivan Jurakic. "Some artists were very literal in the cycling connection while others were more exploratory."
October 8, 2003
Posted on Oct. 8: Administrator helps with restructuring of hospitalOne of McMaster's senior administrators has been asked to assist in the search for a new chief executive officer and board of directors for Cambridge . . .
October 8, 2003
Posted on Oct. 8: Off-campus lot to ease parking crunchWith capital projects, enrolment increases, and general University expansion, McMaster continues to grow. Along with the growth comes an increase in the number of vehicles accessing campus and an increasing need for parking. To help address this need, McMaster's Parking & Transit Services has leased a lot that will be used as an off-campus parking site. Owned by the Henkel Canada Corporation, the five-acre property is located south of Main St. W. between Rifle Range Road and Leland Avenue. The site will be used this fall and winter to accommodate the vehicles of construction personnel working on campus and some University staff. The parking lot will be open from approximately 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, and will be locked after hours. A number of renovations are underway to make the site a safe and serviceable parking area. A gravel surface has been installed over the property and an access point from Ward Avenue is being constructed. The railway right of way will not be used as an access point. The University plans to install appropriate lighting, asphalt surfacing, and landscaping at the site next summer.