Daily News

December 9, 2002

E-mail may be fast and convenient, but the historians of the future may regret the havoc wrought by the delete button on the records of contemporary social and political commentary. Researchers interested in the 20th century are more fortunate in having at their disposal the letters of one of the most intelligent and prolific writers the world has ever seen - the philosopher Bertrand Russell. Even in his 90s, Russell would commonly dictate several letters in a day on a staggeringly wide range of subjects. His correspondents included both well-known figures such as Einstein, Niels Bohr, T.S. Eliot, and Edna O'Brien, and countless ordinary people who would write to Russell requesting information or advice on topics as disparate as formal logic and marriage counselling. He was a rare private individual indeed, who could write to both Khrushchev and Kennedy at the height of the Cuban missile crisis, and expect them to read what he had to say. "Russell was ceaselessly and effortlessly fluent," comments Nicholas Griffin, McMaster philosophy professor and director of the Bertrand Russell Research Centre. "Whatever he thought of, he had the words to express it. He truly believed in the power of words to change a situation." And at times they did - as a kind of one-man precursor to 'Amnesty International', Russell met with some success in his letter-writing campaigns on behalf of eastern block political prisoners. The Russell Archives at McMaster hold more than 40,000 of Russell's letters. Faced with such an embarrassment of riches, the only problem for researchers is where to begin looking for specific information. "It can be like looking for a needle in a haystack" says Griffin, who has read more of Russell's correspondence than most.

December 6, 2002

They may be young, but the age-old adage of 'giving is better than receiving' is not a new concept for McMaster students Adam Green, Adam Spence and Sam Minniti. For cancer survivor Adam Green, volunteering is a necessity. "I don't see it as volunteering," he says. "I see it as something I have to do." Green, who was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer at the age of 15, volunteers for a number of agencies, including Shinerama, Terry Fox and at a camp for children with cancer. "When I see kids who have cancer and the hardships they go through, that's what makes me volunteer," he says. The fourth-year business student, Spence and Minniti were among 46,000 Canadians and 42 Hamiltonians to receive Queen's Jubilee Awards, given to those who have contributed up to 50 years of service to the community. The Golden Jubilee Medal of Queen Elizabeth II commemorates the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty's reign as Queen of Canada.

December 5, 2002

Crunch time's on. From a walk around campus, it's unmistakable. In the McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC), baggy-eyed students are surrounded by papers and books. In lounges, groups are huddled in serious discussion. And libraries are the busiest they've been all term. The McMaster campus is a quiet place these days, with students preparing for the 60,277 examinations that will be written between Dec. 4 and 17. But studying might be a little less stressful because of accommodations made by University services and student committees. The McMaster Students Union Student Life Committee (SLC), for example, has co-ordinated an All-Night Study Program in the MUSC, where all floors are dedicated to students studying for exams. Silent areas and discussion areas have been established 24 hours day in meeting rooms, banquet halls, lounges and the atrium. Consideration hours are in effect 24 hours a day, while no tolerance hours are between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

December 4, 2002

McMaster placed second in an annual survey designed to measure the public accountability of Canadian universities. Ranked first in this survey in 2000, McMaster scored 73.2 points this year, placing behind Queen's University (with 73.6 points). The survey uses an index that considers such public documents as mission statements, performance targets, detailed financial statements and research summaries. Click here for the 2001 results.

December 3, 2002

When it comes to fighting crime in the community, students have an invested interest. "McMaster is our home throughout the school year and we want to make this place safe for on-campus and off-campus students," says Cathy Hui, co-ordinator of McMaster's Student Walk Home Attendant Team (SWHAT). So when the SWHAT team was approached by Hamilton Police constable Greg Doerr about joining forces, they were all for the idea. "This was something we had already wanted to do," the fourth-year kinesiology student says. Students on Patrol is a new program where Hamilton police and McMaster Security provide SWHAT volunteers with training on how to make McMaster and its surrounding communities a healthier and safer place. Volunteers are educated on how to watch for suspicious activity and how to be aware of their surroundings. This fall, Hamilton Police and McMaster Security trained more than 150 SWHAT volunteers.

December 3, 2002

A seminar on steel will be hosted by the Michael G. DeGroote School of Business Thursday, Dec. 5. The all-day seminar will go beyond the technological world of steel and how steel competes with other materials, to take in new auto-steel strategies and uses of steel in the housing sector. "We don't usually think in economic terms, we think more in technological terms," said Gord Irons, head of McMaster's steel research centre. "This is the first time we've done something on this basis." The centre, part of the engineering faculty, is hosting the workshops along with the university's office of research and international affairs. About 50 people -- from local industry and economic development circles to provincial officials -- are expected. Click here to read the story in today's Hamilton Spectator. (The Hamilton Spectator, Dec. 3, 2002)

December 2, 2002

Today marks the last day of Term 1 classes. Final examinations begin Wednesday, Dec. 4 and continue through to Tuesday, Dec. 17. Go to the Office of the Registrar's Web site at http://registrar.mcmaster.ca/internal/examt/ for the exam schedule. Paper versions have been posted around campus.

December 2, 2002

McMaster helped kick off the holiday season Saturday. Close to 400 McMaster employees and their families gathered in the CIBC Banquet Hall of the McMaster University Student Centre Nov. 30 for the University's annual children's Christmas party. The celebration, which included a visit from Santa, entertainment, crafts, face-painters, refreshments, draw prizes and gifts, received support from the Office of the President, the McMaster University Student Centre, Hospitality Services, Physical Plant and numerous volunteers. Photo caption: Eight-year-old Marina Van Raay gets into the spirit of Christmas.

November 29, 2002

Mathematicians will have a chance to crunch numbers with one of the world's experts on number theory Dec. 3-6. John Coates, Sadleirian professor of pure . . .

November 29, 2002

The report issued by the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada has important messages for all Canadians, says the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). "Canada's universities recognize the need to ensure that citizens across the country have access to high quality health care services," says Robert J. Giroux, president of AUCC. Click here for the complete Canada NewsWire story.

November 29, 2002

Eight first-year students were recently recognized with McMaster Scholar Awards, valued at approximately $30,000 each over four years. This year's winners competed against more than 1,000 applicants from across Canada. The recipients are, pictured in front, right to left, Ayesha Hashambhoy, Christina Schoenhoeffer, Kalinda Ramsaran and Alicia Pinarello. Pictured in back, right to left, are Michael Schatte, Trisha Pataki, President Peter George, Heather Wong and Karleen Dudeck. The McMaster Scholar Awards are the University's most prestigious entrance scholarships. In 2002-03, the McMaster Scholar Awards were redesigned to increase the value of the scholarships. In 2002, first-year meal plans and residence costs were added to the cash value of the award. The awards are presented to students with an average of 90 per cent or higher and who have demonstrated strong academic, extracurricular and leadership achievements.

November 28, 2002

More than 120 home and health care workers from Native communities across Ontario will gather at McMaster during December and January to receive specialized training offered through McMaster's Centre for Continuing Education. The Chiefs of Ontario, with funding from Health Canada, asked McMaster to provide the training to representatives from 135 First Nations communities in Ontario. McMaster is currently the only university in the province to offer extensive programming in case management education. Over the next eight weeks, three groups of approximately 40 participants each will arrive at McMaster for six days of learning under The First Nations Case Management Training Program. The program gets under way on Monday, Dec. 2 with the first group of participants. "We have developed a week-long program that has been specially designed by McMaster professor Anju Joshi for the needs of the home and community care workers in various First Nations communities," says Ruth Nicholson, CCE program co-ordinator. "The program will feature experts who are aboriginal as well as non-aboriginal and we hope it will be culturally relevant and sensitive." "We have worked hard to customize the program's content for the participants and we are very fortunate to have the support of a wonderfully committed McMaster faculty to assist in the teaching and delivery of a wide range of subject areas," says Joshi, associate professor of gerontology. Joshi says learners will enhance their knowledge and skill sets needed to perform the role of a case manager and will be able to critically examine issues that affect the delivery of service. Instruction will cover the areas of advocacy, the health and social concerns of individuals and families in different life stages, legal issues, depression and diabetes, and case management models and approaches. The program will be delivered by a multi-disciplinary faculty of professionals and includes Wayne Warry, Bill Lee, Irene Turpie, Dawn Martin-Hill, Micheline Gagnon, Kathy MacDonald, Elizabether Latimer and Harriet MacMillan. Nicholson says the program is being supported by federal funding and is part of a new First Nations and federal government initiative to bring much needed co-ordination to home and community care in Native communities. "The Chiefs of Ontario were impressed with our program and that played a role in their decision to come here. This is really an honour for Hamilton, McMaster and the Downtown Centre, " said Joshi. The first session kicks off with a ceremony beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Monday morning (Dec. 2), which will feature aboriginal singer Lisa Longboat, Chiefs of Ontario spokespersons Tracey Antone and Donna Loft, and University President Peter George. Sessions two and three will be held during the weeks of Dec. 9 and Jan. 20. Wednesday evenings during the program (Dec. 4 and 11 and Jan. 22) have been set aside for cultural and social activities in the University Centre Marketplace. These events are being sponsored by McMaster's Indigenous Studies Program and the Office of the President. For more information, contact Ruth Nicholson at ext. 24520.

November 28, 2002

McMaster researcher James Wadsley has helped demonstrate that large gaseous planets like Jupiter could be created in hundreds, not millions of years, as previously believed. The research associate with SHARCNET (Shared Hierarchical Academic Research Computing Network) is part of a team of international astrophysicists from the U.S. and Switzerland, who have successfully created the first computer simulation that shows giant gaseous planets can be formed quickly. Their research is published in today's edition of Science. Wadsley became involved when he developed the gas computer code used for the research as a post-doctoral fellow while at the University of Washington in Seattle. Lucio Mayer, of the University of Zurich, is the lead author. The co-authors are University of Washington astrophysicist Thomas Quinn and Joachim Stadel, formerly of the University of Victoria in British Columbia and now at the University of Zurich. The popular theory holds that rocky planets like Earth were created as rocks orbiting in a disk around the young sun continuously collided, sticking to form larger and larger objects. Further from the sun, the collision process is thought to take millions of years. This theory is more difficult to accept for giant gaseous planets like Jupiter and Saturn because the planets have to form before nearby bright stars can disperse the gases that must be added to the theoretical rocky core. The new approach assumes that the disk is heavy with gas that can fragment under its own gravity to form gas giant planets in just a few hundred years without a preceding rocky stage.

November 28, 2002

In 1977, 96 new faculty and staff joined McMaster University. Last night, they joined a special group  McMaster's Quarter Century Club. "In every decade, McMaster has grown and prospered," remarked President Peter George to the staff and faculty who contributed 25 years of service to the University. "You saw it happen. In fact, you helped to make it happen. None of what McMaster is today would have been possible without the faculty and staff who dared to dream, to ask the right questions, to go above and beyond the call of duty to help a colleague or a student. You have all risen to meet the challenge, and the University is very grateful." About 20 more employees than last year were inducted, as a result of the University marking cumulative service. Introduced in 2002, the intent of cumulative service recognition is to acknowledge the total service of employees, including those who left the University for a time and then returned to continue their work. Click here for a list of the inductees.

November 27, 2002

Pop quiz: True or false Coffee cups cannot be recycled Fine paper bins located in offices should be used to recycle paper only Newspaper, fine paper, envelopes and sticky pads can be put together in the paper recycling containers Contamination renders the entire recycling bin as garbage If you answered false to any of these questions, you may need a lesson in proper recycling. While McMaster's newly reinstated recycling program is one step closer to making the University more environmentally friendly, without the knowledge of how to recycle, these efforts may as well be trashed, says Stephanie Herod, a physical plant environmental student representative who is working with OMG Media to ensure that new recycling bins are installed throughout campus. Tossing garbage into the wrong bin can contaminate the entire container, she says. "Physical Plant can get this going but nothing can get recycled unless people do it correctly," she says. "People need to be educated about what goes in what bins and we need to generate enthusiasm in people to want to recycle."

November 26, 2002

Zipping along Route 66 at speeds in excess of 70 km/h, the car won't burn an iota of gasoline. As the sun in the hazy Arizona sky burns overhead, the driver will clinch the wheel and power on in a race against more than 30 teams from around the globe. They call it Fireball II and they know it's going to be a force to be reckoned with. "We're going to be very competitive," says third-year commerce student Tammy Hwang about the American Solar Challenge just eight months away. "We plan to make it into the top five. I know that sounds ambitious, but we have the right kind of teamwork and skills to do it."

November 25, 2002

McMaster has embarked on a new and important strategic planning process called Refining Directions. University President Peter George and Provost Ken Norrie invite all members of the campus community to attend one of three upcoming information sessions to find out more about this initiative, which will help McMaster plan and prepare for the years following the double cohort (beyond 2005). Session Dates and Times Tuesday, November 26: 3:30-4:30 p.m., HSC-1A4 Thursday, November 28: 2:30-4 p.m., Room 241 Downtown Centre Monday, December 2: 1-2 p.m., Room 319, McMaster University Student Centre Refreshments provided

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