Daily News

May 28, 2002

During last year's Commuter Challenge, over 2000 individuals, including 157 from McMaster University, left the car at home and kept over 35 tons of pollution from Hamilton's air. McMaster University is again joining other Hamilton residents in improving local air quality in the Commuter Challenge. Interested in participating? Register online at the Commuter Challenge website , or pick up a Commuter Challenge information kit in your department office. Host organization Green Venture is encouraging people to carpool, board the bus, walk, jog, rollerblade, and bike -- to use any and all alternatives to the standard drive alone car trip most of us take every morning. The Commuter Challenge is aimed at everyone who commutes, including those who regularly travel to and from work by bicycle or foot. It's not just for those who drive to and from work everyday. While participants are encouraged to use environmentally friendlier transportation for the duration of the week, the focus for McMaster will be on getting as many people as possible to participate on Wednesday, June 5, Totally Transit Day. This is National Commuter Challenge Competition day, where individuals taking public transit will be rewarded with newspapers, giveaways, and coupons. As if saving money, reducing stress, and joining the fun aren't reward enough, all participants will be entered in a draw to win two first class return rail travel tickets to anywhere in the Windsor-Quebec City corridor, courtesy of VIA Rail Canada. (End of story)

May 28, 2002

Not one model of student leadership, but three. This year, University President Peter George is awarding his student leadership awards to three individuals whose exemplary scholarship and service to community provide models of leadership for their fellow students and all members of the McMaster community. Mary-Melinda Gillies (nursing), Arif Manji (Arts & Science) and Leila Salehi (biology) are this year's recipients of the distinguished awards, given to McMaster students in their graduating year who exemplify leadership. The students will receive their awards at Spring Convocation. For biographical information on each winner,

May 28, 2002

The 2001 President's Working at McMaster Awards for Outstanding Service were presented May 28 to eight individuals and to two work groups. Under the President's Staff Awards Program, these awards have recognized 85 exceptional employees and team members since 1997. The program was renamed this year and the number of awards for 2001 was doubled to 10, including two work-group awards. More than 100 nominations were submitted. Click on "Read more" for profiles of each winner/team.

May 22, 2002

The flowers are blooming. The birds are chirping. Spring has sprung and it's May@Mac! May 25 is the date of McMaster's second annual May@Mac, an open house for prospective students that runs from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday. Event organizers expect 5,000 to 6,000 high school students will come out to experience the wide variety of events on campus--everything from participating in an auction market, touring a trading floor, taking an engineering challenge, finding out if your ankles and knees are stable--to learning how to overcome budget fears and successfully manage the cost of a university education. While most universities hold their spring open houses during March break, McMaster has taken a different approach. Student liaison officer Bonnie Crocker explains that May is the ideal time to showcase the entire university, "McMaster has a lovely campus, and it looks much nicer in the spring. It's also easier to get facilities when classes aren't in session. As well, it's good timing, because this open house falls right between the two rounds of offers of admissions that students receive." Two large tents--one in front of Burke Science Building and the other in front of the John Hodgins Engineering Building-- will house the McMaster Marketplace where prospective students can pick up a final schedule of events for the day, chat with current students, tour more than 40 displays, and meet with academic, student services and student organization representatives. Self-guided campus tours allow visitors to stroll around the campus at their leisure, with the option of stopping at various checkpoints where staff are available to answer questions and provide directions. Students will also have the opportunity to tour the residences. Athletics and recreation staff will give presentations on the university's competitive sports, intramurals, instructional and outdoor programs, as well as the facilities available, including "The Pulse" fitness facility. The department is also sponsoring a "Meet the Coaches" session where students can meet McMaster Marauder coaching staff. The Student Liaison Office organizes May@Mac and sent open house invitations to each of the 22,000 students who applied to McMaster. The office expects attendees to be mainly Ontario students graduating from high school this year. Since information about May@Mac has been sent to high schools across Canada, organizers are expecting out-of-province students as well. The final schedule of events will be available at the Welcome Tent (or in the Ivor Wynne Centre if it rains). Family and friends are welcome and parking is free for this event. (End of story)

May 22, 2002

What would the Renaissance masters have made of scratches on tin foil, inkless prints and mud splatters? If you visit the current exhibition at the McMaster Museum of Art you're likely to find the answer. The exhibition, entitled Medieval to Mud explores the development of prints and drawings from the intricate engravings of the late medieval period to the contemporary and sometimes unorthodox techniques of artists like Antoni T`pies and Richard Long. More than seventy significant prints and drawings will be featured in this exhibition. Highlights include Picasso's etched study for his masterpiece, Guernica, Goya's folio Disasters of War, prints by D|rer, Rembrandt, Hiroshige, Matisse, Ensor and Hockney. Of course McMaster's stellar collection of German Expressionist art will also be well represented. McMaster University possesses one of the finest University collections of works on paper in North America. Medieval to Mud is an opportunity to highlight strengths and notable recent growth as well as to present a number of acquisitions that have never before been exhibited at the Museum. Admission to the Museum and this special presentation is pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation of $2. Students, seniors and members are free. Museum Hours: Tuesday - Friday 11-6; Thursday evening 7-9; Sunday 12-5. (End of story)

May 22, 2002

More than 200 members of the University gathered in the foyer of the University Centre on Tuesday to celebrate the ways in which the University and staff are improving the workplace at McMaster. The Working at McMaster Achievement Fair was sponsored and organized by staff, mentors and facilitators who have been involved in implementing many of the recommendations that resulted from a staff survey and follow-up project. The event provided an opportunity for all involved in the process over the last two years to share and celebrate their experiences and inform other members of the community, including representatives from campus employee groups, supervisors and senior administrators, of the progress on the recommendations made by staff following the 1998 survey. In 2000, the University took up the challenge of responding to the survey by instituting the Staff Survey Follow-up Project, a plan to develop and implement recommendations flowing from the study results. In 2001, the concept of Working at McMaster was developed by an employee team as a vehicle to carry forward the spirit of the staff survey, for the long term. At the Achievement Fair, five active Working at McMaster task teams informed the community of what the follow-up has accomplished. Along with a general information table entitled "Staff Survey: Progress", displays set up featured specific projects that are under way as a result of the survey: employee lounges, Perspectives (an electronic, by employees-for-employees newsletter), career planning and development, and core competencies for McMaster's managers and leaders. The main feature of the Achievement Fair was the launch of the Working At McMaster Web site. The brainchild of the career planning and development task team, the site is service-driven and employee-oriented. Team members include Tina Horton (chair), Grazyna Ziolkowski, Delia Hutchinson, Barb MacDonald, Janet Walsh, Marvin Gunderman, David Lawson, and Cate Walker-Hammond.

May 17, 2002

First Convocation and then an anniversary. There is much to appreciate in the Faculty of Health Sciences in the month of May. The 30th anniversary of the Health Sciences Centre, which opened in May 1972, provides an opportunity for us to celebrate both the innovation in the design of this facility and the innovative spirit and workings within it. When it opened its doors in 1972, McMaster's Health Sciences Centre "reduced architects' offices everywhere to a hush of awed admiration," noted Canadian Architect last year. Thirty years later, its design and architecture persist as the hallmark of the centre's education and health care. The "hush of awed admiration" lives on today in the successes and achievements of the many talented and accomplished individuals who have studied and worked in this building over the past three decades. The Health Sciences Centre has been the home of many firsts, reflective of innovative trends and advances in our approach towards learning and the provision of health care. The opening of the building in May 1972 occurred simultaneously with the creation of our medical school and its new curriculum, a curriculum without lectures and exams. Our first health sciences dean, John Evans, willingly undertook the development of a new system of education and his efforts resulted in an entire faculty devoted to the principles of problem-based and self-directed learning which other universities, such as Harvard, have followed. Some highlights since the building's opening: 7 In 1985, Guy Martel, the head of prosthetics and orthotics at Chedoke-McMaster, followed through on Terry Fox's idea of creating an artificial leg which allowed running with a normal gait. 7 Fraser Mustard, the second dean and another innovator, discovered through medical research that aspirin can prevent heart attacks. He updated the medical school to serve as a model to other universities and to stimulate further advancement in PBL. 7 Jack Hirsh's research achievements include pioneering work in investigating the problems associated with thrombosis and vascular disease and improving the safety of oral anticoagulant therapy. 7 James Orbinski, a 1989 of McMaster's medical school, became a founding member of Midecins Sans Frontihres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Canada with fellow McMaster graduate Dr. Richard Heinzl. In 1999, Orbinski accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of MSF. These brief snapshots represent a small sampling of the long list of accomplished people associated with the Health Sciences Centre's education, research and health care services. Many contribute to the innovative building of our centre, each adding to our image as a resourceful, imaginative, creative and inventive institution, building the reputation of innovator. Thirty years of innovative building celebrates the people of the Health Sciences Centre, past, present and future, as well as the structure. Note: An exhibit is on view in the Health Sciences Centre lobby (Main St. entrance) until the end of May. To view a related story on the 30th anniversary of the Health Sciences Library click here

May 17, 2002

Graduands, honorary degree recipients and two winners of this year's President's awards will be recognized this afternoon at the Faculty of Health Sciences Convocation at the Great Hall, Hamilton Place. The commitment and hard work of 298 health sciences students will be recognized with the awarding of the following degrees and diplomas: doctor of philosophy (2), master of science (18), doctor of medicine (101), bachelor of health sciences midwifery (16), bachelor of science nursing (129), graduate diploma in advanced neonatal nursing (1), diploma in occupational health and safety (15), diploma in child life studies (9), diploma in environmental health (7). Health sciences professors emeritii Susan French (nursing) and Arnold Johnson(CE&B) will receive honorary doctor of science degrees for their contributions to health sciences education. French will give the Convocation address. And two women in the Faculty, nursing student Mary-Melinda Gillies and professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences Priyanthy Weerasekera will be recognized with President's awards. Gillies will receive an award for student leadership while Weerasekera will receive an award for excellence in course or resources design. The valedictory address will be given by Michelle Violette. For biographical information about the award winners and honorary degree recipients select "read more."

May 17, 2002

This Saturday 12 fine young performers will have the chance to try out the University's new world-class Steinway grand piano in Convocation Hall. They will be competing for the Reginald Bedford Award for Excellence in Piano Playing, one of the School of the Arts' most prestigious awards. The Reginald Bedford Awards have been made possible by a generous bequest from Mrs. Evelyn Bedford in memory of her late husband. It was felt that this was the most appropriate way to honour the career of one whose entire professional life was bound up with the piano, both as a teacher and as a performer. The competition is open to both in-course and incoming students, and in addition to a medal, the winner receives up to $2500. This amount can be divided between two competitors. Last year's winners were Eva Ng (first place winner, $1500), then in Level III Music, and John Kirstein (second-place winner, $1000) who entered Level I Music in September. This year the competition has attracted a remarkable field of 12 competitors, twice the usual number of participants, and the public is cordially invited to attend what promises to be a wonderful feast of music. The Reginald Bedford Award for Excellence in Piano Playing 2002 takes place 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 18, in Convocation Hall. (End of story)

May 16, 2002

In just five short years, McMaster's McWork Program has more than quadrupled the number of students that it helps to find summer jobs on campus. The summer work-study program for qualified students was created in 1997 through a partnership between the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and McMaster University. Today it is one of the largest summer work-study programs in Ontario. "At the start, there weren't very many jobs on campus for students. There were about 80. It was very limited," states Jill Davren, a financial aid adviser with the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships and the program's co-ordinator. Students must demonstrate financial need in order to be considered for the program. In 2001, 601 students applied to the program and 488 were approved -- an 81 per cent approval rate. This summer, there are 378 McWork jobs on campus and 90 per cent are full-time. Students are employed on campus throughout the summer. Davren explains the large volume of summer jobs for students. "We felt the best way to spend our money is in the summer. During the year, we have Ontario Work Study and other programs to assist students." While the Library, athletics & recreation, and physical plant are the biggest employers, jobs range from office duties to lawn care to research assistants.

May 16, 2002

An extensive refurbishment of the heating, ventilation and air circulation (HVAC) system in Arthur Bourns gets under way this week. The system renewal will improve the comfort levels and quality of air distribution in ABB. The project will take approximately one year to complete and will be done largely during off hours. The project is one of a number of HVAC upgrades and system renewals that will take place in many campus buildings over the next year. The systems in John Hodgins Engineering are nearing completion and work continues in the Life Sciences Building. The renewal projects stem from a comprehensive and extensive study and assessment of several campus buildings conducted by Physical Plant in conjunction with two independent consultants, Dynamic Flow Balancing and Filer Engineering. The consultants have conducted a total performance evaluation in the buildings, identified deficiencies and made recommendations to improve, repair and replace the existing ventilation system. The initiative is part of a University plan to address deferred maintenance on campus. Like other universities across the province, McMaster's buildings are showing significant signs of age and are in need of urgent refurbishment and upgrades. For senior administrators Karen Belaire, vice-president administration and Tony Cupido, director, physical plant, improvements to the air quality and flow within buildings is a top priority for the University. "Our goal is to establish a better physical working environment for all," says Belaire. "We are confident our work on improving these systems will address concerns that have been raised by occupants of a number of our aging buildings." Cupido says his team in physical plant is working hard to address the recommendations contained in the consultants' reports. "It's going to take time, but we are making progress and our goal is to do both a thorough and comprehensive job. We appreciate the support and co-operation of faculty and staff on the work we have done to date."

May 15, 2002

When you first walk into the Health Sciences Library, you're struck by its modern design and the abundance of space and light. The library is a bright and welcoming facility, thanks in part to the original plan by the architectural firm of Craig, Zeidler & Strong - the same firm that designed the Toronto Eaton Centre - who first designed their plan for the library some thirty years ago. The first Health Sciences Library at McMaster was a far cry from the facility that exists today. Beatrix Robinow, Health Sciences first librarian, was appointed in October 1966 to work from a small area in the embryonic medical school quarters in Gilmour Hall. The library offices later moved to a small room on the third floor of Gilmour Hall , formerly occupied by the School of Music. The previous tenants left behind a few bookshelves, which Robinow welcomed, as well as a piano. For the next five years, the small staff worked to plan both the physical space and the collection for the new library. Although the McMaster University Medical Centre did not officially open until May 27, 1972, several health sciences faculty were appointed in the five year period before the building was complete. Many brought with them ongoing research projects and an immediate demand for library resources. As a result, homes were found for the newly acquired library materials so as to make them available to the McMaster community. By August 1971, 30,000 volumes were scattered across 7 different areas in 5 different buildings, including Gilmour Hall, McKay Hall, Convocation Hall, Mills Memorial Library and the science library in the School of Nursing. Several of the hospital libraries throughout the city also helped store the collection. Finally, moving day arrived and all the books and journals were gathered and delivered to the library in the new Medical Centre at McMaster. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the shelving--it arrived 5 months later.

May 15, 2002

Tara Sullivan, a master of science student at McMaster University, has been awarded an honourable mention for Let's Talk Science's national volunteer award. She received the Annual Partnership Program National Volunteer Award for her outstanding dedication to supporting science education in Canada. Sullivan was featured in today's Hamilton Spectator.

May 14, 2002

The annual ritual of Spring Convocation begins tonight with graduands from Divinity College receiving their degrees at a ceremony in Convocation Hall. About 3,000 McMaster University students will receive degrees during Convocation ceremonies taking place today (May 14), May 17 for Health Sciences and June 5 to 7 for graduands from the Faculties of Humanities, Social Sciences, Engineering and Science, Business and the Arts & Science Program. (All ceremonies, except Divinity College Convocation, take place at Hamilton Place.) President's Awards for student leadership and excellence in teaching will also be presented at the various Convocations. As well, 16 individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their fields of expertise and areas of interest will receive honorary degrees from the University (* denotes Convocation speaker or performer). The honorary degree recipients are: Divinity College Convocation (May 14) - Pastor Joao Samuel Matwawana, Doctor of Divinity; Biblical translator Eugene Nida, Doctor of Letters* Health Sciences Convocation (May 17) - Nursing professor emeritus Susan French, Doctor of Science*; Arnold Livingstone Johnson, Doctor of Science, Canadian cardiology pioneeer Business Convocation (June 5) - Calvin Stiller, Doctor of Laws, physician, scientist and entrepreneur; Executive development expert Henry Mintzberg, Doctor of Laws* Humanities, Arts & Science Program (June 5) - Tenor Richard Margison, Doctor of Letters*; Philanthropist Neil McArthur, Doctor of Laws Social Sciences Convocation (June 6) - Anthropologist and film maker Hugh Brody, Doctor of Laws*; Enrico Henry Mancinelli, Doctor of Laws, labour leader and community supporter Social Sciences Convocation (June 6) - Hamilton entrepreneur Ethilda (Tilly) Johnson, Doctor of Laws; Roger Neilson, Doctor of Laws, Ottawa Senators assistant coach Engineering Convocation (June 7) - Former McMaster provost and vice-president academic, civil engineering professor emeritus Arthur Heidebrecht, Doctor of Science; Chemical engineering expert George Stephanopoulos, Doctor of Science* Science Convocation (June 7) - Investment entrepreneur Stephen Jarislowsky, Doctor of Laws*; Leslie King, Doctor of Laws, former McMaster vice-president academic and geography professor emeritus. (End of story)

May 14, 2002

Thirty graduands of Divinity College will receive degrees and certificates this evening at the college's Spring Convocation. Degrees to be conferred at the 8 p.m. ceremony in Convocation Hall are: doctor of ministry (3), master of theology (3), master of divinity (8), master of religious education (4), and master of theological studies (10). Certificates for Christian studies and parish nurse will also be presented. This year Divinity is awarding honorary degrees to pastor Joao Samuel Matwawana and biblical translator Eugene Nida. Nida will deliver the Convocation address. Eugene Nida Doctor of Letters Rev. Nida has enjoyed a long and influential career as a biblical translator and a theorist in biblical translation. He received an MA in Greek at the University of Southern California (1939) and a PhD in linguistics and anthropology at the University of Michigan (1941). For most of his working career, he was employed by the American Bible Society, acting for many years as the society's executive secretary for translation. He is the author of two classic works in the field of translation theory, Toward a Science of Translating (1964), and The Theory and Practice of Translation (with co-author C.R. Taber, 1974). Both books span the fields of translation theory and practice, anthropology, linguistics, semantics and the Bible. Nida postulated the theory of dynamic or functional equivalence translation that focuses on the meaning rather than the literal wording of a text. He will also be remembered for his association with The Good News Bible - an innovative and controversial (at the time) translation of the Bible into contemporary English. Born in the United States in 1914, Rev. Nida currently resides in Belgium where he continues to conduct research and to write. Joao Samuel Matwawana Doctor of Divinity Following graduation from Acadia University with a master of divinity, Rev. Joao Matwawana served in a variety of pastoral ministries in Canada and abroad. From 1967 to 1975, he was chaplain and deputy superintendent at the IMB Hospital in Kimpese, Zaire, offering spiritual guidance to both to patients and staff. For three years (1975-77), he was a co-ordinator with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Zaire, helping to co-ordinate relief services for Angolan refugees. After serving as pastor at the Lockeport United Baptist Church in Lockeport, Nova Scotia, in the early 1980s, Rev. Matwawana spent nearly 10 years as the prison chaplain at the institution in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia. Most recently, he has worked as a trainer/facilitator with the Canadian Baptists Ministries for the Congo/Rwanda/Kenya region, training clergy and tribal leaders in conflict management, mediation and reconciliation. Fluent in six languages, Rev. Matwawana has extensive knowledge about and understanding of African culture, politics and economics. Note: Photo of Matawana unavailable at press time. (End of story)

May 13, 2002

This fall, there will be a new classroom structure located on campus, capable of accommodating more than 300 students. The University has been full of construction activity in response to continued enrolment increases and the double cohort in 2003. Those familiar with the full slate of construction projects currently underway might wonder how it's possible to have a new building ready for September when there's no apparent construction underway, no footprint for this new structure. This is because the university has committed to the installation of a temporary classroom, a 50 ft. by 100 ft. (15.25m. by 30.5m.) pre-engineered steel structure that can be assembled in a matter of weeks. The structure, designed by Arch Plus Steel Buildings (a Canadian engineering design firm), is self-supporting and features a clear span construction, which eliminates the need for trusses and posts, making it less labour intensive to construct. The decision to commit to the temporary classroom arose from a report entitled Classroom Needs for 2002 and Beyond (January 2002), which addressed enrolment planning needs to accommodate growth in the next few years. "The study was originally commissioned to determine the University's classroom needs for the double cohort in 2003. However, it was apparent from the report, that as early as September 2002, our enrollment would not be accomodated by our current classrooms," says Fred Hall, associate vice-president, academic. There were several locations under consideration as possible sites for the temporary classroom, including: the tennis court area; in Zone 2 parking south of the tennis courts; between the Institute for Applied Health Sciences and the Information Technology Building; and in the Zone 4 parking lot. Each location was analyzed for both its positive and negative potential impact on the McMaster community. The temporary structure had to be located in an area that would best serve the needs of students and the University and accounted for the flow of student traffic. The current recommendation is to locate the temporary classroom on the southeast tennis court (west of the Ivor Wynne Centre), a location central to campus that will provide the most practical and functional solution to meet McMaster's teaching needs. Installation of the temporary classroom will commence in the next month, with an estimated completion for September 2002. The pre-engineered structure has an estimated total cost of $480,000. The installlation of the temporary classroom was approved on the understanding that it will be used only until the lecture theatres in the new Health Sciences expansion are available. (End of story)

May 10, 2002

McMaster's medical school is leading the revolution to build a better doctor. This is the thrust of the May 13 edition of Maclean's magazine, which devotes six pages to its cover story Building a Better Doctor and features a cover photo of second-year medical student Menaka Pai. Writer and columnist Rob Sheppard spent close to one month researching Canada's 16 medical schools to determine what makes a better doctor and how medical schools are going about building that doctor. Sheppard's article begins, "Thirty-three years ago, upstart McMaster University in Hamilton sparked a revolution in training of doctors that eventually spread to all the big medical schools in North America. Now it wants to start another. Its plan is bold, courageous and designed to combat some of the ills of today's health-care system. " Sheppard discusses the medical school's first revolutionary innovation--the problem-based learning (PBL) approach--then focuses on McMaster's new vision for the future of medical training. This revolutionary new plan, described by John Kelton, vice-president and dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, as a "marketplace model" is one that matches training more closely to the real needs of communities and ordinary doctoring. Sheppard writes, "Change comes when an institution with a flair for innovation, like McMaster, pops its head up above the crowd." (End of story)

May 10, 2002

A mentor in the field of information technology hopes to foster a new generation of professors with his gift to establish an endowed research chair in information technology. Doug Barber, an engineer, professor and entrepreneur, and Gennum Corp. of Burlington, Ont. have donated $1.3 million to McMaster University to create the Barber-Gennum Chair in Information Technology. Barber, one of the founders of Gennum Corp., believes the only way to ensure there are enough highly-skilled people working in the information technology sector is to make sure there are enough professors available to teach them. "There is a great danger of losing our capability to educate people because the demand for knowledge workers has exceeded the supply," said Barber, former chair of McMaster's Board of Governors and Distinguished Professor-in-Residence. "We have lost many from the academic world to industry. The whole idea is to make sure there is an opportunity for young people who are knowledgeable and want to become university professors to be supported and make the academic world attractive to them." The endowed chair is for a five-year term, non-renewable, and eligible candidates cannot have held a tenured appointment at any university. The inaugural chairholder is Ian Bruce, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, who is researching biomedical engineering. Bruce is studying the neurobiology of hearing loss with colleagues in psychology, electrical & computer engineering and Gennum Corp. to design better hearing aids.

May 9, 2002

McMaster officials were back at City Hall yesterday presenting a plan that will help Hamilton build its biotechnology base. McMaster has been working with the City of Hamilton's economic development staff over the last several months to develop a partnership that ultimately will result in the creation of the Hamilton-McMaster Biomedical Incubator. The proposed incubator will assist new companies with the commercialization of biomedical research while capitalizing on McMaster's research and research capacity. The city has identified biotechnology as one of six economic development clusters. It was decided at the meeting that the University and the city will collaborate in the development of a business plan for this project. Mamdouh Shoukri, vice-president, research & international affairs, sees this as an important first step. He believes this partnership is a tremendous opportunity for McMaster to support the city's economic development and job creation goals and to diversify its industrial base. "The timing is right for this," Shoukri told a number of city councillors who participated in the hearings sub-committee meeting. "There is a convergence of priorities  the University and its affiliated hospitals, the city and the province all have identified biotechnology as an area of strategic importance, while the federal government's innovation agenda clearly outlines commercialization of university research as a priority." Mayor Bob Wade attended the meeting and told his colleagues that the biotechnology window of opportunity "may pass Hamilton by." He went on to say, "if we are intent do to something for the city's economy, then we must find a way to endorse this project." (End of story)

May 8, 2002

Lori-Ann Linkins, MD, and Yu-jing Gao, PhD pharmacology, are this year's recipients of the Basmajian Award for Excellence in Post-Doctoral Research Work. The award is intended to recognize post-doctoral research fellows at McMaster who have made meritorious contributions in research during their post doctoral research training. The award, first established in 1991, was made possible by John Basmajian, professor emeritus of medicine and anatomy. Basmajian is recognized as a world leader in rehabilitation medicine and in 2001 was awarded an honorary degree, Doctor of Science, at the Faculty of Health Sciences convocation. This year the Basmajian award was offered in two catergories: one to a clinical post-doctoral fellow and the other to a non-clinical post doctoral fellow.