Daily News

November 22, 2002

Two recent reports outline challenges and opportunities for McMaster in ensuring our libraries continue to play a vital role in the academic mission. The report of the Ad Hoc Committee to Review the University Library and its Relationship to McMaster's Academic Mission and the Health Sciences Library External Review are posted on the University's Web site. University Provost Ken Norrie and members of the University Planning Committee are inviting feedback from the campus community on the findings and recommendations contained in both documents. "These reports serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of the Library to the teaching and research mission at McMaster and the potential dangers if we neglect it," says Norrie. "Our libraries are among our most important resources and are a crucial component of the academic operation. Academic libraries around the world are in a state of transformation and the change is rapid and unprecedented. The challenge for McMaster, as well as for other academic institutions is to embrace this change, manage it, and, in the end, strengthen and protect a resource that is absolutely essential and integral to our academic mission," says Norrie. Comments on the reports can be sent to Bruce Frank, Secretary of the Board of Governors, by the first week in December. While financial cutbacks have taken their toll on academic libraries, including McMaster, libraries have also been drastically affected by external factors: rapid technological change, the declining value of the Canadian dollar in a largely American book and journal market, and publication monopolies. The reports outline the crisis facing McMaster libraries and others, most notably a decline in intellectual resources. For more details about the reports,

November 21, 2002

The community care component of the Healthy Babies, Healthy Children (HBHC) Postpartum Enhancement program is reaching most postpartum women, according to the results of a study released at the Ontario Public Health Association Conference in Toronto. Nursing professor Wendy Sword and social work professor Susan Watt, of McMaster University, presented the initial findings from a survey of 1,250 women at five hospitals in southern and central Ontario, conducted last winter and spring. This study, called Maternal and Newborn Infant Health Outcomes and Community-Based Service Utilization in Ontario Following Policy Change, is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The expanded HBHC program, announced by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in 1999, responded to concerns about the health and well-being of mothers and their newborn infants. The changes were intended to provide women with the option of staying in hospital for up to 60 hours after a normal birth, a follow-up telephone assessment by a public health nurse within 48 hours of discharge and the offer of a home visit.

November 20, 2002

McMaster's Centre for Peace Studies is hosting a Festival of Light fundraising dinner on Sunday, Nov. 24 to help poor rural women in India learn how to improve village life. Funds will go towards training camps that promote peace by teaching women about non-violence, peace and democracy. In these camps, women learn about their rights and responsibilities and essentially about how to stand on their own feet. Many of these women are members of the village council who were elected two years ago after a constitutional reform gave women more power by reserving one-third of the seats in all elected bodies for women. For many, this is their first chance to learn what democracy means. The peace training camps, called Women's Shanti Sena, began last February with an International Peace Conference in Vaishali, India, co-sponsored jointly by the Centre for Peace Studies and an Indian non-governmental organization located in Patna, India. Since that conference, about 2,000 women have been trained with the financial help of the State level UNICEF office. Also at the conference, the Vaishali Sabha People's Assembly became a Vaishali Sabha Peace Movement. There is a great demand for holding similar Women's Peace Training Camps in other parts of India. At the fundraiser, members of the Peace Centre, including religious studies professors Graeme MacQueen and Anne Pearson and biology professor Rama Singh, who participated in the Vaishali Peace Conference, will present their thoughts on the conference as well on the ongoing work of Women's Shanti Sena. The fundraiser takes place at the Michelangelo Banquet Centre and will consist of an exhibit on Vaishali, cultural program (Kathak dance) and an Indian vegetarian dinner. The cost of the dinner is $50 per person (tax receipt) and it will start at 5 p.m. Interested individuals should contact Rama Singh at 905-525-4471 ext. 24378 singh@mcmster.ca

November 19, 2002

Research that advances the science of intelligent machining has garnered a national Synergy Award for Innovation for engineering dean Mo Elbestawi. Elbestawi teamed up with eight industrial partners, including Siemens Westinghouse Canada, General Motors, Cobra Machine Tool Co. and Pratt & Whitney Canada at the McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute to refine and improve intelligent precision machining. The national innovation award recognizes outstanding achievements in university-industry collaboration. It is co-sponsored by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Conference Board of Canada. The university receives a $25,000 NSERC research grant and the industry partner receives a sculpture. Intelligent machining is machining controlled by a computer. Although it is not new technology, researchers are constantly trying to refine the technology to improve productivity and quality. "The machines are usually computerized and unmanned," said Elbestawi. "Just imagine the computer can now make decisions on the fly, so if there is something happening in the cutting process and it needs to speed up or slow down, for example. The idea is that the machine is capable of making the right decision without human intervention."

November 19, 2002

If Canada switched to for-profit dialysis centres, death rates would increase by eight per cent, according to a major study to be published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). "The results extend our previous findings of higher death rates in for-profit hospitals," said the study's lead author, Philip Devereaux of McMaster University. "We've now found that the profit motive leads to increased deaths in both hospital and out-patient settings." Devereaux, a clinical scholar in the Department of Medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences, was the lead investigator on the study.

November 18, 2002

In the first of two Canadian Interuniversity Sport football national semi-finals, the Saint Mary's Huskies defeated the No.1 ranked and previously unbeaten McMaster Marauders 36-25 on Saturday afternoon in front of a capacity crowd of more than 6,400 at Les Prince Field to claim the Churchill Bowl and earn a berth in a second straight Vanier Cup. Next Saturday at Skydome in Toronto, the Huskies will try to become the first team since the Western Ontario Mustangs in 1976 and 1977, and the third in history, to repeat as CIS champions. The contest marked the first ever appearance for an Atlantic team in the Churchill Bowl. For OUA champion McMaster, it also marked a third consecutive loss in a national semi-final. The Marauders lost to Ottawa in 2000 and Manitoba in 2001.

November 18, 2002

Security cameras on campus proved their worth over the weekend. About 3 a.m. Sunday, a student was walking to her car in Zone 4 parking when she was assaulted. An alert operator saw the attack on video surveillance and officers were on the scene within three minutes. The student was frightened and shaken up but there were no serious physical injuries. Officers nabbed the suspect just minutes later after a short foot chase. "Security for people on campus is our number-one priority," says Bill Armstrong, operations manager for McMaster security. "The operators did a first-rate job and everyone involved deserves tremendous credit for acting quickly. The video cameras are an important part of our work not only to catch crimes in action but also to provide clear evidence when a case goes to court." The Hamilton Police sex assault unit is working with security on the case. The suspect is in custody and it's expected that charges will be laid later on Monday. Armstrong says it's important that people keep their safety in mind and recommends not walking alone, particularly after dark. There are red security phones across campus and he says everybody should be aware of their locations. The Student Walk Home Awareness Team (SWHAT) is also available for students and he emphasizes that people should never hesitate calling security if they see anyone suspicious on campus.

November 15, 2002

He is considered among his peers to be the pre-eminent gastroenterologist in Canada and among the top two or three in the world. His research and scholarship have helped to make McMaster's intestinal disease research unit the top clinical and investigative gastrointestinal group in the world. In his 21 years at McMaster, Stephen Collins has been a scholar of the highest calibre, earning an international reputation for excellence in research and scholarship in the field of gastroenterology. McMaster is honouring his career and lifetime achievements and contributions with the title University Professor, which he will hold for his lifetime. The title is the highest honour McMaster can bestow on its faculty and the designation is awarded to professors who demonstrate exceptional achievement by distinction in research, scholarship and education such that the work has made a major impact on a given field of study, and/or the work has had a major impact across disciplinary boundaries.

November 14, 2002

She spent a summer herding goats in Europe to improve her French. She travelled to Honduras to help children at an orphanage. She teaches music as a volunteer for a local community group and she has helped an international student with his English. Next fall, the talented and accomplished fourth-year linguistics major heads to Queen's University to attend medical school. Roxanne Lai, the winner of this year's Chancellor's Gold Medal, has a bright career and future ahead of her. Her resume reflects leadership and influence among her peers and within the broader community, and excellence in scholarship. Lai says she's astounded to have won the medal. "I can't even take in the idea of it and the full university recognition that goes with it. I can think of a million people who deserve it more than me." The Chancellor's Medal is given to an undergraduate student in their final year of study who ranks highest in scholarship, leadership and influence.

November 14, 2002

McMaster University officially opened the doors to its campus expansion in Hamilton's downtown core today. President Peter George welcomed the Honourable James Bartleman, Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, and Hamilton Mayor Bob Wade to conduct the official opening of the McMaster University Downtown Centre. Approximately 200 people attended the event including McMaster staff and faculty, representatives from the City of Hamilton, local elected officials and the Hamilton community. In 2001 Hamilton-Wentworth regional council agreed to lease the former Wentworth County courthouse to McMaster for a 10-year period, as a leadership gift to the Changing Tomorrow Today campaign. The former courthouse, now renamed the McMaster University Downtown Centre, houses 17 administrative departments and offices including the Centre for Continuing Education. "The Downtown Centre project is a win-win initiative for the City of Hamilton and McMaster," said McMaster President Peter George. "Use of the former courthouse provides McMaster with much needed space to expand our growing campus. There are 200 McMaster employees travelling to the Downtown Centre daily and thousands of people per year coming into the downtown core for continuing education programs. We are pleased that our partnership with the city allowed the McMaster University Downtown Centre to become a reality and we are proud to be part of downtown Hamilton."

November 13, 2002

American linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky gave a wide-ranging, challenging talk to a capacity crowd gathered in McMaster's Ivor Wynne Centre Tuesday night. More than 1,100 people streamed into the main gym to hear the 74-year-old professor speak on "Is There Intelligent Life on Earth: the Role of the Intellectual Culture and Institutions". The topic gave Chomsky a large canvas on which to explore a number of issues: the role of universities and how they are/are not fulfilling the ideals of nineteenth century classical liberalism; the concept of "excess of democracy" and why the elite in a democracy are fearful of  and try to contain - its appeal to the populace at large; and the question of "is it better to be smart than stupid?" Although he admitted later during the question period that he is not the most dynamic of speakers, Chomsky effectively kept the crowd listening intently for more than an hour. His measured delivery was supplemented by wry humour mixed with a healthy dose of cynicism. Bringing his talk to an abrupt end, he quietly commented that the answer to the question posed by the title will "probably be known by us all in a few days".

November 13, 2002

Two new Canada Research Chairs have been awarded to McMaster University, bringing the University's total to date to 35. The two newest chairholders will focus on research that will develop novel interventions for treating obese people and study complex chemical systems to improve the design of new medicines and catalysts. Professor Arya Sharma is the Canada Research Chair in Cardiovascular Obesity Research and Management. Sharma, who comes to Canada from Germany, will use basic and clinical research to determine the genetic causes of obesity and an evidence-based approach to managing cardiovascular and metabolic problems in obese patients. Sharma, a senior Tier 1 researcher based in the Faculty of Health Sciences, will receive $200,000 per year for seven years. He has also been awarded a Canada Foundation for Innovation grant for $125,577 for infrastructure such as equipment and lab space related to the research position. Assistant professor Paul Ayers, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Theoretical Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the Faculty of Science, comes to McMaster from Duke University. His research will look at the development of theoretical and computational methods for predicting reactions in complex chemical systems that can eventually add to the improved design of new medicines and catalysts. Ayers is a Tier 2 researcher based in the Faculty of Science and will receive $100,000 per year for five years. He has been awarded $113,715 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation for infrastructure support. McMaster has now filled nearly half of its allotted 73 Canada Research Chairs.

November 13, 2002

Another overflow crowd of 7,000 plus is expected back at McMaster University's Les Prince Field on Saturday as the Ontario university champion McMaster Marauders face Atlantic conference winners Saint Mary's Huskies in the Churchill Bowl. Tickets, which went on sale Monday, are selling briskly, leaving McMaster officials expecting another wall-to-wall crowd. One glitch, however, could result in a late crowd. Tickets sold at McMaster erroneously list game time at 1 p.m., one hour later than the actual kickoff. The game will be broadcast live on radio station CFMU 93.3 and nationally by TSN. "It's going to be packed," confirmed Robert Hilson, manager of marketing and communications for the Mac athletics department. "Ticketmaster called today and said they needed another block of tickets. "Our student numbers should go up. People went last week and had a good time and told two of their friends," he said, referring to the 7,000 plus crowd that watched McMaster win the Ontario championship over the Queen's Golden Gaels last Saturday. Click here for the complete story in today's Hamilton Spectator.

November 13, 2002

McMaster University has learned that it will be a major part of a new centre of excellence on electricity which is being proposed by the Ontario government. Yesterday, energy minister John Baird announced a series of initiatives the Province will undertake as part of their action plan to lower hydro bills. The centre of excellence, also involving the University of Waterloo, was among the initiatives. Mamdouh Shoukri, vice-president (research & international affairs) and a member of the Advisory Committee on the Centres of Excellence  a committee made up of industry, university and government representatives to provide advice on the operation and strategic direction of the centres of excellence program to the Minister of Enterprise, Innovation and Opportunity  says there has been talk of such a centre for some time. Many of the details are still being finalized but Shoukri expects the centre will be based on the same model as the other centres which bring together universities, industry and government. "The Province has had great success with the existing centres and they are confident it is a winning formula," says Shoukri. "All four centres  Materials and Manufacturing Ontario, Photonics Research Ontario, Communications and Information Technology Ontario and the Centre for Research in Earth and Space Technology  have proven track records."

November 12, 2002

George Daley, Whitehead fellow at the MIT-affiliated Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, and assistant professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, will deliver the 2002 Redman Lecture on the topic of stem cells. His talks are scheduled for Monday, Nov. 18 and Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. in the Health Sciences Centre, Room 1A1. Monday, Nov. 18: "The Science of Stem Cells" In 1999, Science Magazine highlighted Stem Cells as the "Breakthrough of the Year", based on the isolation of human embryonic stem cells, startling revelations about stem cell plasticity, and the conviction that patients of the 21st century stand to benefit from harnessing the potential of Stem Cells for cellular and genetic therapies. Tissue replacement is the optimal treatment for a wide array of degenerative disorders, especially since organ transplantation cannot meet all the needs of an aging population. The realization that Stem Cells from embryonic and somatic tissues can differentiate into a diversity of tissues and provide a renewable resource for regenerative therapies has stimulated enormous interest in these versatile cells and their applications in human disease. Daley will provide a layman's overview of the exciting science behind the revolution in stem cell biology and the brazen new technologies for therapeutic and reproductive cloning, while providing a realistic projection about the immediate and future prospects for medical breakthroughs. Tuesday, Nov. 19: "The Stem Cell Debate: Science Confronts Politics" The isolation of human embryonic stem cells entails the destruction of human embryos, and this has stimulated a debate about the morality of this research. One perspective holds that human life begins with conception and that a human life should not be sacrificed even for medical therapies to help scores of others. On the contrary are those who believe that embryonic stem cells represent the best hope for cures for countless human diseases, and that the needs of patients justifies the sacrifice of early embryos. Alongside this debate is the concern that research in stem cell biology might lead to human reproductive cloning. Daley will recount the history of the stem cell debate and highlight the controversial questions concerning embryonic and adult stem cells, and therapeutic versus reproductive cloning. Daley, M.D., Ph.D., created the first mouse model to demonstrate that the BCR/ABL oncogene causes the human leukemia CML. He received a bachelor's degree magna cum laude from Harvard University (1982) and a Ph.D. in biology from MIT (1989) where he studied in the laboratory of David Baltimore. Daley was only the twelfth individual in the history of Harvard Medical School to receive the M.D. degree summa cum laude (1991). He served as chief resident in Internal Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital and is currently a staff member in Hematology/Oncology at the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Children's Hospital in Boston. His awards include the Leon Reznick Memorial Research Prize from Harvard Medical School, the New England Cancer Society Research Award, a Research Award for Clinical Trainees from the National Institutes of Health, the Burrough's Wellcome Fund Career Award in the Biomedical Science, and Scholar Awards from the Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America.

November 12, 2002

Leading American political dissident Noam Chomsky says we needn't fear Saddam Hussein because the reviled Iraqi leader doesn't possess any nuclear weapons. "Nuclear weapons are of no use unless people know you have them," Chomsky told a roomful of journalists at McMaster University yesterday. "If I have nuclear weapons in my garage and nobody knows it, I can't use them as a threat or a deterrent. You have to make it obvious you have them. But the minute Saddam indicates he has them, it's suicide. The moment Iraq lets on it might have nuclear weapons, it will be obliterated." Yesterday's press conference kicked off the noted linguist's week-long visit to the Steel City, including two public lectures that sold out within an hour of tickets becoming available. Organizers say people from across the region and as far away as Montreal called for tickets. Hundreds had to be turned away. Graeme McQueen, a McMaster professor of religious and peace studies, chalks it up to "people's desire to listen to an informed person who has the courage to tell the truth. In a time of lies and great danger, this can be an intoxicating experience." A slim volume simply titled 9-11, containing excerpts of Chomsky's interviews with journalists from around the world immediately following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorists attacks in the United States, remains on the best-seller lists in the United States, Canada and abroad. In his book, Chomsky says he's been quoted by the mainstream media much more often since 9-11 than he ever was before. Yesterday, he said he's constantly in demand to give public talks and that he hasn't seen an audience of fewer than 3,000 people in a long time. And everybody wants to talk about the impending war on Iraq. "There's huge opposition to it, in fact, it's completely without historical precedent," Chomsky said. "There are huge demonstrations of protest. "Ask yourself, when in the entire history of European imperialism, counting the U.S. as part of Europe, has there been massive opposition to a war before it's begun? People mention Vietnam but the U.S. had been attacking South Vietnam quite publicly for four or five years. They had practically destroyed the country before there was any protest." He boils down the present situation to "two extreme positions" : That the Bush administration believes it alone has the authority it needs to attack Iraq. The Arab League endorsed the UN Security Council resolution calling for Iraqi disarmament with explicit guarantees from Secretary of State Colin Powell that the resolution "is not a trigger for war." "The Arab League statement is calling for regional disarmament, not just Iraqi disarmament," Chomsky noted, adding their position goes back more than a decade, predating the Gulf War and, in fact, might have prevented it. Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait was on the table but was contingent upon a conference on regional problems of armament threats "which is really code for Israeli weapons of mass destruction." He says the proposal was turned down by the U.S. and not reported by the mainstream media. Even retired general Lee Butler, former head of the U.S. strategic forces who once had the American nuclear arsenal under his command, pointed out in recent years that "the main problem of proliferation in the region is Israel's nuclear capacities which are far beyond anyone else's and part of the U.S. system of regional and global dominance," Chomsky said. No one in the Middle East is in favour of a war on Iraq, he noted, even Kuwait and Iran, which were both invaded by Iraq. "Most people in the region hate Saddam Hussein but they don't fear him because they know there isn't much he can do. The only people afraid of Saddam Hussein are Iraqis ... and for good reason ... and the U.S., and they're terrorized by George Bush telling them that if he doesn't do something, they're going to bomb us tomorrow." Meanwhile, the war on Iraq is serving to distract voter attention from tax cuts for the rich, a fiscal crisis manufactured to justify cuts to social spending and an environment facing destruction, Chomsky said. (The Hamilton Spectator, Nov. 12, 2002)

November 12, 2002

Future scientists, engineers and health researchers studying at McMaster University are honing their skills in new chemistry labs that rival the industry standard. The University community and guests, including Ontario Labour Minister Brad Clark, celebrated today the official opening of the newly retrofitted undergraduate chemistry labs that are equipped with state-of-the-art fume hoods, measurement tools and lab equipment. The $11.3 million retrofitted labs feature more than 150 new fume hoods that will allow first and second year students to conduct experiments in a controlled setting that mirrors the industrial environment. McMaster is the only university in Canada to offer chemistry courses to first year students in labs equipped with fume hoods. The University has more than 3,000 students from various disciplines enrolled in Level 1 and 2 chemistry courses. The new labs, located in the Arthur Bourns Building, span four floors and occupy 20,000 sq. ft. of newly-renovated space.

November 12, 2002

The health and environmental toll of war on Iraq could include more than 500,000 people dying, civil war, famine, epidemics, millions of displaced people and refugees and catastrophic effects on children's health and development, a new report says. McMaster's Centre for Peace Studies and Physicians for Global Survival (Canada) released the report, Collateral Damage: the health and environmental costs of war on Iraq, today (Nov. 12). The evidence-based report, researched and written by health professionals, analyzes the impact of a new war on Iraq from a public health perspective. The report concludes that the threatened war would be disastrous for the Iraqi people and people world-wide. Click here to view the report. Speakers at the news conference included Joanna Santa Barbara, a Hamilton child psychiatrist and president of Physicians for Global Survival (Canada), medical student April Kam and religious studies associate professor Graeme MacQueen, of the Centre for Peace Studies. The report was produced by Medact, the U.K. affiliate of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) and is being distributed internationally on Tuesday, Nov. 12. The IPPNW received the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. Physicians for Global Survival (Canada), a registered charitable organization, is dedicated to the abolition of nuclear weapons, the prevention of war and the promotion of non-violent means of conflict resolution. It is the Canadian affiliate of IPPNW.

November 11, 2002

The average McMaster student overestimates the number of nights per week that their peers spend drinking alcohol, according to the latest Alcohol Awareness Survey by Student Health Services. The statistics show a 34.6 per cent inflation rate, between the perceived and actual number of nights that McMaster students spend drinking alcohol. The "Reality Check" Alcohol Awareness Campaign, run by Student Health Service, is a program designed to inform students of this misperception and increase student awareness of the realities related to alcohol use amongst their peers. As part of the campaign, the Health and Wellness Centre of Student Health Service is hosting the "That's the Spirit" McMaster Alcohol Awareness Fair Tuesday, Nov. 12 from 12 to 4 p.m. in the McMaster University Student Centre Marketplace. Campus departments, student groups and community partners will be on hand to promote moderate, responsible use of alcohol. The fair will include challenging games, prizes and giveaways. Student Health Service also developed a series of posters that have been placed around campus; in bathrooms, residences, on bulletin boards and distributed through various student associations and clubs. This year's theme "You Know You Want To..." alludes to the peer pressure associated with alcohol use, but completes the sentence with positive results of responsible drinking habits, such as "...make it to class" and "...make a good impression". The campaign is based on social norms theory; which argues that the misconceptions students have about the alcohol usage rates of their peers can become a self-fulfilling prophecy as students consume more alcohol in a subconscious attempt to meet the perceived norms. By presenting actual data on alcohol usage and its effects, the Reality Check Campaign attempts to shift these perceptions. Jane Radix, co-developer of the Reality Check campaign and Health Education Coordinator at the Health and Wellness Centre said, "So far, the campaign posters have been very successful in terms of students recognizing them and recalling the statistics." This year's study also investigated the negative consequences of alcohol use. When respondents were asked to list the consequences of alcohol use experienced in the last two months, one-third cited embarrassing themselves and missing class. Other notable consequences students identified were receiving unwanted sexual advances, personal injury and engaging in unprotected sex. For more information about the campaign, and social norms theory, visit the Student Health Service Web site at www.mcmaster.ca/shs/

November 11, 2002

In front of a capacity crowd, the McMaster Marauders secured their third straight OUA Yates Cup Championship Saturday by defeating the Queen's Golden Gaels 33-19. The top-ranked Marauders will host the fourth-ranked Atlantic University Sport monarchs and defending Vanier Cup champions Saint Mary's Huskies in the CIS National Semifinal Churchill Bowl at Les Prince Field Saturday, Nov. 16. Kick-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. The winning team of this game will vie for the national championship Vanier Cup to be held in Toronto at the SkyDome Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m.