January 22, 2003

Renowned environmentalist David Suzuki is coming to McMaster University as the keynote speaker for a student engineering conference that is focused on the theme of sustainability. Members of the public, including area high school students, are invited to hear Suzuki speak on environmental sustainability on Friday, Jan. 31 at 9:30 a.m. The talk by one of Canada's most recognizable figures in environmental education will take place in the Ivor Wynne Centre gymnasium. Suzuki's Web of Life talk is the keynote address for a two-day gathering of engineering students taking place at McMaster Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. The ninth annual Canadian Society for Civil Engineering Student Conference on connections between civil engineering and environmental issues will also include talks on sustainable communities by McMaster engineering professors Brian Baetz and Cameron Churchill.

January 22, 2003

For three days, he will let his imagination run wild. Secluded in a box, there will be no one to talk to. No influence from the outside world. No media will be allowed to penetrate his mind. Just two video cameras, four walls, a ceiling, a few cans of paint, brushes and some light. James Ruddle, a third-year fine arts student, walked into a box in the atrium of the McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC) at 2:30 p.m. today. He will only come out for washroom breaks until his final departure from the box on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. During these 72 hours, he will paint the walls and ceiling. "By being segregated from society and secluded for a period of time I hope to create something unique and personal to me that has not been influenced by the media," he said, moments before entering the box. He had no idea what he was going to create, anticipating an idea would come to him once he was inside. The 21-year-old obtained the necessary permission he needed from Risk Management, McMaster Security and MUSC administration. His progress can be viewed live via a television set hooked up to two video cameras. Photo caption: At top, James Ruddle gets ready to paint the walls on the inside of the box. Below, he can be seen live through a television set situated in front of the box. Photo credit: Chantall Van Raay

January 21, 2003

The Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) has approved the distribution of McMaster's pension surplus. Funds will be distributed as soon as possible to members, both individually and to RRSP institutions by the trustee, CIBC Mellon. Each member will receive a direct payment. Members will be sent a letter by the end of January with details explaining the final calculation and interest portion. For more information on timelines of distribution, click here. Discussions between the McMaster Employees' Surplus Sharing Committee and the University have been going on for more than four years. During the negotiations, the University and the Committee (representing approximately 4,500 pension plan members) agreed that each group will share the $150-million surplus -- $75 million will be returned to plan members, including pensioners, and $75 million will be returned to the University to fund other initiatives. "In October 1998, a committee was formed by the President made up of administrators and employee groups, and this committee looked at the rather large and growing surplus of the pension plan," said Les Robb, chair of the McMaster Employees' Surplus Sharing Committee. "It took a long time and much negotiation to get to this stage. I'm relieved we have finally reached the goal of distributing this surplus and I thank all members for their patience."

January 21, 2003

The Faculty of Engineering has announced the appointment of Peter Smith to the Office of Associate Dean as of Dec. 1, 2002. McMaster has been home to Peter Smith for the past 25 years, since arriving from Brazil in 1978. He was in the first class to receive the B.Eng.Mgt. degree in computer engineering and management, in 1983. He continued on at McMaster to complete his M.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering, in 1985 and 1988, respectively. He joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McMaster in 1987. Smith brings to the office a broad perspective and interest on issues that affect undergraduate students in engineering. He was director of Engineering 1 at McMaster between 1996 and 1999, during a period of rapid expansion to the undergraduate engineering program. He was the student activities chair for the Canadian Region of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) between 1995 and 1997, and has participated in numerous other student-focus programs and activities. He is one of the leading experts worldwide on surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices, a subject on which he has co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and for which he was awarded the R. A. Ross Medal by the Engineering Institute of Canada. He has provided leadership as head of the Microwave Acoustics Laboratory at McMaster since 1989. Smith is a senior member of the IEEE and a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario. Smith replaces Philip Wood who on July 1, 2002 accepted the position of associate vice-president, Student Affairs. Smith has been acting-associate dean in the Faculty since Wood's departure. "Dr. Smith is truly an exceptional educator and scholar who has gained the respect of the engineering student body. He is extremely qualified to provide the necessary leadership for our undergraduate engineering program," remarked Mo Elbestawi, dean of Engineering.

January 21, 2003

A major water main break in West Hamilton this morning left the University without any water for a short time. Although the water is now back on, director of Physical Plant, Tony Cupido says the temporary shut down has left some offices colder than usual. Water pressure is also a problem in some areas particularly on upper floors of some buildings. If possible it's best to use washroom facilities in the lower floors. "The air in the lines has left us with some problematic areas. We're checking all of the systems and we hope everything will be operating normally by early afternoon," says Cupido. If anyone is concerned about the temperature or water pressure in their area or if there are any other concerns staff, faculty and students are encouraged to call the Physical Plant service desk at ext. 24740.

January 21, 2003

McMaster's Centre for Student Development (CSD) and the Career Planning and Employment Centre (CPEC) Peer Helper Program is hosting an open house today and Wednesday in the McMaster University Student Centre marketplace from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The program is currently recruiting full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate student volunteers from all faculties and levels of study. Peers are trained and supervised by professional staff and assist students with academic, disability, personal and career needs. There are 45 peer helpers currently in the program who are responsible for a wide range of services offered by CPEC and CSD. The deadline to apply is Jan. 29 at 4:30 p.m., and Feb. 3 for CPEC peers. For job descriptions and further information about the program visit http://csd.mcmaster.ca/peerhelper/

January 17, 2003

When it comes to cracking problems faced by e-businesses, McMaster's MBA students have a strong case. Two groups of McMaster business students placed first and third in the second annual eCase Competition held this week. Presented by the Michael DeGroote School of Business and the McMaster eBusiness Research Centre, the competition was held in conjunction with the McMaster World Congress Conference. Six graduate teams from across the country were given 24 hours to present a detailed analyses, recommendation and implementation plan on an actual case faced by Canadian Tire Online. The situation was about the company's online service and challenges it faced with multi-channel retailing. "The eCase competition gives students a chance to showcase their talent and apply the knowledge they've gained through the MBA program," says Khaled Hassanein, associate professor of Information Systems. "Each case allows students to assume the role of a consultant to management of a company." After the first round of presentations on Tuesday, two teams from McMaster, a team from Calgary and a team from New Brunswick advanced to the final round on Wednesday. The top three teams were announced at the World Congress banquet Wednesday evening. Nearly half of the approximately 800 international delegates from industry and academia who attended the World Congress were at the banquet. The University of New Brunswick team placed second. Prizes of $10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second place and $2,500 for third place were announced by co-directors Hassanein and Milena Head, director of the McMaster eBusiness Research Centre and assistant professor of Information Systems. "It was a fantastic night," said Hassanein who, with Head, coached the McMaster teams. "Our case competition teams have once again proven the quality of our students and our MBA program." Five members of the McMaster teams recently completed a second-year MBA course entitled 'eBusiness Case Studies', designed by Hassanein and Head, who co-taught the course the first time it was offered in the fall of 2001. Now taught by Hassanein, the course allows student teams to analyze and present cases related to eBusiness on a bi-weekly basis. The eBusiness case studies course and eCase competition help prepare students for life beyond school, says Hassanein. "This allows them to take the knwledge they gained through the MBA program and apply that knowledge to actual real-life situations," he says. "Especially if students are young, like they typically are when they join the MBA program at McMaster, they usually don't have a lot of experience, so the case method is a great way to give them experience in a short time." Photo caption: The McMaster University I team pose for a photo after being presented a $10,000 cheque for winning first prize in the eCase competition. Coaches Milena Head, left and Khaled Hassanein, right, flank students Constantinos Coursaris, Caroline Dwyer, Umar Ruhi, Ramez Salti and Carlos Santos.

January 17, 2003

As of Friday, 101,668 Ontario high school students have applied for entrance into an Ontario university, announced the Council of Ontario Universities. Of these students, approximately one-third have applied to McMaster, indicates preliminary data from the University. "We're pleased to see so many students are interested in applying to the University," said Fred Hall, associate vice-president academic. "These numbers speak to the strong demand in all of the programs that McMaster has to offer." Historically, 65 to 70 per cent of students who apply to university in Ontario go on to register. In a news release, minister Dianne Cunningham said, "Our government has always promised that there would be a place for every willing and qualified student in college or university. I am pleased to report that the preliminary numbers are within our plans, and I remain confident that with the measures we have taken, and continue to take, we will meet that commitment."

January 17, 2003

McMaster University researcher Boris Sakic has been awarded more than $400,000 Cdn to study mechanisms of brain damage in an autoimmune disease. The assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioural neurosciences along with four American researchers have been awarded separate grants to study this aspect of an autoimmune disease known as systemic lupus erythematosus. The grants were from the U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Lupus is a disease which can be fatal, and in which immune cells become confused. Instead of protecting the body by attacking bacteria or virus, they start to attack the body's own cells by producing proteins called autoantibodies. When the brain becomes the target this often results in psychosis, depression and memory loss.

January 16, 2003

Hubert Saint-Onge sounds more like a self-help guru than a leader of the information revolution. Where others making presentations at this week's McMaster World Congress on Intellectual Capital, Innovation and E-Business filled the heads of their audiences with talks on integrated concepts for measuring the performance of e-services and how to build knowledge-based cultures in organizations, Saint-Onge speaks of values, "your sacred self" and other words which seem to have vanished from the business dictionary. Speaking as part of a lunch-time panel at the conference's opening session yesterday, the University of Waterloo's executive-in-residence told participants that despite the massive changes information technology has brought to the world, there's still room for individual values, still chances for individuals to make a difference. Click here to read more. (The Hamilton Spectator, Jan. 16, 2003)

January 16, 2003

Through its link with Hamilton Health Sciences, Groves Memorial Community Hospital is now a teaching site for medical residents specializing in rural medicine at McMaster University. On Jan. 25 it will open its doors to 40 first- and second-year students, to introduce them to rural medicine and generate an interest in pursuing the specialty. Click here to read more. (The Guelph Mercury, Jan. 16, 2003)

January 15, 2003

It's as old as the hills, maybe even older than this clichi. Plagiarism. Whether it's stealing ideas, facts or passages, academic dishonesty is not new to universities. But since the advent of the internet, cases of it have grown. At McMaster, there were 173 cases in the 2001-02 academic year  90 more than the year before. Offences ranged from plagiarism from the internet to copying of assignments. "Cheating is not new," says Andrea Thyret-Kidd, McMaster's academic integrity officer. "However, with the Internet now in existence, so many students have taken the old way of cheating and are now using this new technology." McMaster is battling back with Turnitin.com, a computer software package designed to reveal plagiarism. Turnitin.com is used by a number of Canadian universities, including the University of Western Ontario, the University of Toronto and York University. "Cheating is a universal problem that universities are responding to," Thyret-Kidd says.

January 15, 2003

The numbers are in and the message is clear. McMaster is a popular place with students seeking entrance into university. So popular, in fact, that about 39,000 applications from Ontario high school students have been received for approximately 3,900 spaces McMaster will be able to offer this year. And as Wednesday's midnight application deadline neared, this number out of the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC) continued to grow. McMaster signed an enrolment target agreement with the government, which means the University has agreed to admit approximately 3,900 Ontario high school students. The total level one class target is about 4,900.

January 14, 2003

This time Kathie Fairman aims to quit smoking for good. And she hopes to get a boost from a smoking cessation contest being run this month at McMaster as part of National Non-Smoking Week, beginning Jan. 20. About a decade ago, the clinic aide in McMaster's Campus Health Centre quit her 12-cigarette-a-day habit cold-turkey. Before that she had smoked for eight years, beginning in her late teens. She stayed off cigarettes for three years, until she says stress and trying to cope with family illnesses broke her resolve. Now she plans to try again, likely through some combination of Zyban and the anti-smoking patch. Fairman also hopes to get some motivation from a contest called Let's Make a Deal, which will begin during National Non-Smoking Week (including Weedless Wednesday on Jan. 22).

January 14, 2003

Two McMaster undergraduate students have helped a team of astronomers discover three new moons around Neptune. The students (Dan Milisavljevic, a fourth-year arts and science student and Wesley Fraser, a third-year astrophysics student) worked with J. J. Kavelaars, of the National Research Council of Canada, who co-led the project with Matthew Holman of the Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysics Center. The two organizations jointly announced the find yesterday. Kavelaars said the discovery, which boosts the number of Neptune's moons to 11, will help scientists unravel the mysteries of how gaseous planets, such as Neptune, are formed, and eventually help solve the puzzle of the creation of the solar system. Neptune is one of four gaseous planets, with Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. Click here to read the complete story in The Hamilton Spectator.

January 13, 2003

Whether they're using giant telescopes to explore the farthest reaches of the universe or miniature cameras and surgical robots to assist in delicate surgeries, McMaster University researchers are involved in exciting science. McMaster University, in partnership with The Hamilton Spectator, is sponsoring the Science in the City Lecture Series, an opportunity for the community to come out and hear what some of our fine minds are doing in engineering, science and health sciences. The genesis of this new series was the result of conversations between psychology professor Allison Sekuler and Nick Markettos, senior advisor to the Office of the Vice-President, Research & International Affairs.

January 10, 2003

A provincially-appointed conciliator has been requested to help the University and the union representing teaching assistants (TAs) reach a new collective agreement. The University's bargaining team asked for a conciliator late last month because it felt a third party would help both sides reach common ground. Once a conciliator is appointed, he or she will call a meeting of the bargaining teams from the University and the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3906 - Unit 1, to continue their work on reaching a new collective agreement. McMaster University President Peter George said he is confident both groups can work together to reach a collective agreement in the coming weeks. "We firmly believe in and are committed to the collective bargaining process," said President Peter George. "I have every confidence that with the aid of a conciliator the two bargaining teams will work hard to successfully negotiate a new agreement." On Wednesday, an information picket was held outside council chambers by some union members prior to a regularly scheduled Senate meeting. During the last full academic year, there were more than 1,800 TAs. At McMaster, teaching assistant duties may include running tutorials, marking, lab supervision and student consultation. The TAs' previous collective agreement expired Aug. 31, 2002 and negotiators representing both sides met 11 times between September and December 2002. Sessional lecturers, represented by Unit 2 of CUPE Local 3906, settled with the University at conciliation in early July last year. They have a three-year agreement that expires April 30, 2005.

January 9, 2003

A move from an information age to a biomedical one spawned the creation of a new program in biomedical engineering at McMaster. Providing a mix of electrical and biomedical engineering courses will meet current demands, according to a report from the Undergraduate Council to University Senate. "There is an urgent need for highly qualified professionals to both develop and manage these technological resources," says the report. "While much of the 20th century saw the consolidation of the Information Age, the 21st century will see the emergence of the Biomedical Age."

January 8, 2003

A McMaster alumnus and successful entrepreneur hopes to foster another generation of innovation with a $1-million gift to support the creation of a new research chair in engineering entrepreneurship and innovation. The gift from Woodstock businessman Walter G. Booth will be used to establish the Walter G. Booth Chair in Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Faculty of Engineering. The gift was celebrated today with an announcement at the University. Booth is Chairman and CEO of the Timberland Group, a group of three companies that specialize in winching and hoisting products that are sold around the world. Booth graduated from McMaster with a bachelor of engineering in mechanical engineering in 1962 and obtained his master's in engineering in 1965. Booth said this gift is his way of saying thanks to two McMaster professors  former engineering dean Jack Hodgins and Jim Siddall  and honouring their willingness to be academic leaders of innovation. Booth said both men were instrumental in his academic life and pursuit of a meaningful and successful career as an entrepreneur. "Both men took a chance on me at crucial times in my life and entrepreneurship and innovation are about taking chances and taking risks," he said. "I see the need in our own organization and in Canada for this type of engineering person who has an entrepreneurial bent and strength."

January 7, 2003

The merging of cultures, blurring of borders and camouflaging of history are explored in the critical and often humorous photographs of Gu Xiong, presented by the McMaster Museum of Art, Jan. 5 to Feb. 23. Entitled FLOW, the exhibit is curated by artist/curator Andrew Hunter. The presentation includes a series of Xiong's photographs taken over the past two years in China and across Canada, including such images as Starbucks in the Forbidden City, Mount Rushmore in Chongquing, Bruce Lee trinkets and portraits of Mao and Audrey Hepburn side by side in a funeral supply storefront. The series provides a contemporary view of the dialogue between two cultural forces.