Daily News

January 17, 2002

An old-fashioned ribbon cutting ceremony officially opened McMaster's latest high-tech facility, the Learning Technologies Resource Centre (LTRC). The leading-edge centre is committed to assisting faculty in using technology effectively to improve teaching on campus. The LTRC was established with the help of a $1-million gift from RBC Royal Bank, a partnership praised by President Peter George as a "demonstration of support for the spirit of innovation." As well as a resource development and training lab, the LTRC features a high-tech classroom with a 'smart podium' that includes a built-in computer connected to a video-data projector and screen, VCR, sound system and electronic whiteboard--putting the various technologies at instructors' fingertips. This smart classroom', located in the basement of the H.G. Thode Library of Science and Engineering, will be used to train faculty and graduate students in the use of multimedia resources and reflects both the current needs of instructors and the changing nature of educational technology. Bart Strong, executive director of administration and classroom services at the LTRC, describes the centre's mandate as "researching and developing new learning technologies and assisting faculty in integrating new technology into their course delivery." Dick Day, professor of psychology and academic director of the Centre for Leadership in Learning notes that the LTRC envisioned in early 2000 changed with the recommendations of John Platt, professor of psychology and special adviser for academic computing. "In a bit of forward thinking of our own, McMaster saw greater potential in the LTRC and the centre was given the primary responsibility for instructional technology support campus wide." The LTRC is holding an open house today (Jan. 17) and tomorrow (Jan.18) to showcase the technolgy and staff that are available to help faculty use high-tech equipment when teaching. High-Tech Teaching: Laila Bastedo, LTRC course management systems administrator, is framed by the various electronic interfaces available for use (top photo). Muriel McKay (in the black suit) is walking Dick Day through the operation of the newly installed equipment (bottom photo). Photos by Ron Scheffler (End of story)

January 16, 2002

With wet snow flying, September seems a long time away. If you're a student who will be living off-campus next fall, now is the time to start working on finding housing arrangements that will suit your needs. Jennifer Kleven '90 is McMaster's first full-time off-campus housing co-ordinator. She's hosting two information sessions designed to help students unravel the mysteries of securing suitable off-campus housing. The information sessions are 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 16 (Wentworth House, Main Lounge) and Thursday, Jan. 17 (Hamilton Hall, Blue Lounge). Kleven, who studied sociology here, has personal experience with the off-campus housing market. She had a "great landlord" and got along well with her roommates. She knows that's not always the case as she's heard some troublesome stories in her new role. That's why she believes the information sessions will be useful. "Part of our mandate is to educate students, open their eyes to what they need to be aware of and what to watch for," Kleven said. "It's important to make them aware that this is the time to begin looking for the best houses."

January 15, 2002

Members of both the staff association and the management group will receive copies of the new collective agreement this week. Printed copies of the Collective Agreement Between McMaster University (the Employer) And The McMaster University Staff Association (the Association) are being distributed in the mail. The document contains the complete text of the agreement, which runs until June 15, 2003, as well as an alphabetical index of frequently referenced topics for easier use. MUSA president Barry Diacon says any member who does not receive a copy should contact the MUSA office to arrange for one. TMG members who do not receive copies should contact Carol Nelson in HR Services. Preparing the collective agreement for printing was one of several tasks of the Implementation Committee established to oversee transitional issues related to getting the agreement up and running. The committee members are Ron Lodewyks and Kerry Jay from MUSA and Judy Forbes and Murray Lapp from HR Services. The committee has met weekly since Aug. 30, 2001. Its mandate is to consider the applicability of layoff provisions for people given notice between the start of mediation/arbitration and the date of the award, the applicability of the collective agreement to job postings in effect up to the date of the award and the phasing-in of the provisions of the collective agreement. "The University and MUSA are working hard to ensure that the collective agreement is brought to life in a way that is fair and that establishes a strong base for their future relationship," says Murray Lapp, director of employee/labour relations.

January 15, 2002

The 23rd McMaster World Congress Conference begins today (Jan. 16) and runs until Friday, Jan. 18. This annual event draws hundreds of corporate executives, recognized . . .

January 15, 2002

How ready-to-learn are five-year-olds in Hamilton? A landmark initiative launched today (Jan. 15) will help answer that question. The two school boards in Hamilton will . . .

January 14, 2002

Nobel laureate John Polanyi will present the J. W. Hodgins Memorial Lecture Tuesday on How Discoveries are Made and Why it Matters: Technology, Tolerance and Terror. The lecture is Tuesday, Jan. 15, at 7:30 p.m. in the Health Sciences Centre, Room 1A1. Polanyi is a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto. His research is on the molecular motions in chemical reactions in gases and at surfaces. Educated at Manchester University, England, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University and the National Research Council in Ottawa. His awards include the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Royal Medal of the Royal Society of London and some 30 honorary degrees from six countries. Polanyi was a founding member of both the Committees on Scholarly Freedom of the Royal Society and an international human rights organization, the Canadian Committee for Scientists and Scholars. He is the current president of this committee. As well, he was the founding chair of the Canadian Pugwash Group in 1960 and has been active for 40 years in International Pugwash. He has written extensively on science policy, the control of armaments and peacekeeping. Polanyi is the co-editor of a book, The Dangers of Nuclear War and was a participant in the recent Canada 21 study of a 21st century defence posture for Canada. The J. W. Hodgins lectureship was established by the Faculty of Engineering in 1983 and supported by donations from corporations and friends, as a memorial to J. W. Hodgins, McMaster's first dean of engineering. The focus of the lectureship is on the engineer in society. (End of story)

January 11, 2002

The McMaster Senate met Jan. 9 and dealt with a number of items. (See also New 5-year program combines chemical engineering, biosciences and New programs . . .

January 11, 2002

Senate approved the establishment of several new programs at its Jan. 9 meeting. The highlights of the programs are: Combined honours in arts & science . . .

January 10, 2002

Senate has approved the creation of a new five-year program in chemical engineering and bioengineering. The unique program, expected to attract up to 25 students, would combine the experience of a traditional chemical engineering degree with the additional background required for a career in bioengineering industries or graduate studies. Students, who would graduate with a bachelor of engineering & biosciences, could pursue careers in the food and beverage industry, biomedical devices and environmental and pharmaceutical industries. The program is structured to include courses on biology, human anatomy, physiology, biochemical metabolic processes, biochemistry of macromolecules and cellular biology. It will also cover the application of biological processes to engineering in new courses such as bioreactors.

January 10, 2002

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Schreiber.Elliot.DNews.jpg” caption=”Elliot Schreiber”]Market strategist Elliot S. Schreiber has been named director of McMaster's E-Business Research Centre in the School of Business. The research . . .

January 10, 2002

The Centre for Continuing Education is celebrating its new downtown teaching and learning space on the second floor of the former courthouse. The centre is holding an open house today from 12 noon to 8 p.m. at its new location at 50 Main St. East. The opening marks the first time McMaster has held classes in downtown Hamilton, with winter classes starting today. The City of Hamilton donated the former Wentworth County courthouse property to McMaster for 10 years as a leadership gift to the Changing Tomorrow Today campaign. "It's a win-win situation for McMaster and Hamilton and the surrounding community," said Dale Schenk, director of the Centre for Continuing Education. "McMaster's downtown presence contributes to the ongoing revitalization project and we are fortunate to have such a wonderfully well-equipped facility in which to hold our courses." The former courtrooms, replete with wood panelling, have been transformed into classrooms and some of the centre's program co-ordinators occupy former judges' chambers, equipped with private washrooms. The centre features three state-of-the-art computer labs, 13 classrooms, a high-tech training lab, a student lounge and instructors' rooms. Visitors who attend the open house can take a tour of the new facility, learn more about the centre's 15 certificate and diploma programs and numerous general interest courses and be eligible for prizes. (End of story)

January 10, 2002

A team of 16 MBA students from the Michael G. DeGroote School of Business just returned from Edmonton where they took first place in the . . .

January 9, 2002

The Humanities Essay Prizes are awarded for outstanding essays written for courses in the humanities. The deadline for Term 1 essays is Friday, Jan. 11. The prize winners will be announced Feb. 28. Eight 1st place prizes are awarded each year: one per level per term. The 1st prize in each category is $250, with the 2nd prize in each category being $50. At the end of the fall term and at the end of the spring term, students may submit essays for consideration. Instructors will encourage authors of outstanding essays to enter the competition, but students are free to submit their work whether or not they have been advised by an instructor to do so. Any student in any program is eligible for this award. Students are asked to submit a clean copy of the essay to Christa Schlechta, Office of the Dean of Humanities, CNH-112. Each submission should include the following information: name, student number, address, e-mail address and telephone number; the title and date of the essay; the course name and number; the instructor's name and signature to indicate approval. Deadline for submission of Term 2 papers is Wednesday, May 1, with prize winners being announced on June 28. (End of story)

January 8, 2002

The well-being of patients will be the focus of research conducted under the auspices of the new Jack Laidlaw Chair in Patient-Centred Health Care at McMaster University. The endowed chair is being supported by a $2-million dollar gift from Bill and Joyce Young, a portion of which is being administered by the Hamilton Community Foundation. The research goals also include improving communication between health providers, patients and their families. The chair is named in honour of Jack Laidlaw, a former dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and chair of the Department of Medicine, as well as a leading scientist in the field of endocrinology. His concern for patients led him to focus on patient-centred care, communications with patients and between health professionals, supportive care for cancer patients and the education of future health care providers. "The generosity of the Young family will be felt by many patients and their families," said Carolyn Milne, president of the Hamilton Community Foundation. "Through the establishment of this innovative chair, the body of scholarship on patient-centred health care will be advanced across disciplines and will ultimately demonstrate the professional legacy of Dr. Laidlaw - that expert technical care can and should be integrated with humane care." John Kelton, dean and vice-president of the Faculty of Health Sciences, noted, "Dr. Laidlaw continually reminded students and his peers that their job entailed caring for patients, not just treating a disease. The McMaster approach to medical education was founded on teaching not only the technology, but also the humanity of medicine, and innovation in education continues to be a hallmark of the Faculty." Charles E. Cunningham, a professor of psychiatry & behavioural neurosciences in the Faculty of Health Sciences, is the first chairholder. He is a psychologist in the Children's Hospital at Hamilton Health Sciences.

January 3, 2002

The Viking Icelanders first set foot in North America 1,000 years ago. The occasion was marked at McMaster last month with the presentation of a special collection of Icelandic sagas. Outlaws, rogues and champions. Regional feuds, horse fights and love stories. These and other sagas are presented and told in a beautifully illustrated and bound five-volume collection given recently to the McMaster University Library by the people of Iceland. The volumes contain 40 Icelandic sagas and 49 tales that have been translated, for the first time, into English from Icelandic. Titled The Complete Sagas of Icelanders: Viking Age Classics, the collection published by the Leifur Eriksson Publishing Limited, is one of 500 sets of the famous sagas that are being distributed throughout North America as a cultural gift from the people of Iceland to the people of Canada. Saga literature has been a national treasure in Iceland for centuries, although it remained unknown elsewhere until it began to be printed in the 17th century. The stories describe the events surrounding the discovery and settlement of Iceland, and became an endless source of knowledge and wisdom, entertainment and brilliant language.

December 21, 2001

Happy holidays from the Daily News. The University will be closed from Monday, Dec. 24 to Tuesday, Jan. 1, reopening on Wednesday, Jan. 2. Classes resume Monday, Jan. 7. Most campus services are closed for the holiday period. Go to Hospitality Services for a listing of dining facility operating hours. Go to the Library Web page for hours of operation. Security will be on duty throughout the holiday period, providing services 24 hours a day. Officers will be patrolling campus, answering alarms and monitoring security systems. For assistance, call security at ext. 24281. The Daily News returns Wednesday, Jan. 2. Photo by Kelly Curwin

December 21, 2001

Ken Norrie, Prairie-born and Alberta raised, today begins his post as McMaster's provost and vice-president academic. Norrie's five-year appointment officially began Jan. 1. Born in Saskatoon, Norrie, 55, was educated at the University of Saskatchewan where he obtained an honours degree in economics in 1967. He completed his master's and PhD at Yale University, graduating in 1971. His dissertation was titled The Canadian National Policy and the Wheat Economy. Norrie said he expects to continue broadening his knowledge, learning about disciplines in engineering, science and health sciences in his new role. "That's what I'm really looking forward to," he said. Norrie said he was attracted to McMaster's "notion of a planning culture," its commitment to an academic plan, mission and vision and the integration of teaching and research and emphasis on interdisciplinary work. The challenges of his new position are easy to list, he said. "This is a whole new environment, a new university, a new culture and a new government to work with," he said.

December 20, 2001

Faculty and staff in the Faculty of Engineering yesterday celebrated the awarding of the new Veronicka Czerneda Staff Award for Outstanding Service. Dean Mo Elbestawi announced that the inaugural recipient is Anna Sciascetti, administrative assistant in the dean's office. Sciascetti has been a full-time employee for the past 12 years. The staff award was formerly launched last spring by former engineering dean Mamdouh Shoukri, in memory of Veronika Czerneda, administrative co-ordinator in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, who died in July 2000. Engineering faculty spearheaded a fundraising campaign to create an endowment for a staff award that would be given in honour of Czerneda's many years of service. The award is to go to a staff member who made an outstanding contribution to the Faculty. Three of the eight nominations received this year nominated Sciascetti. As well as a framed citation, Sciascetti received $500 from the interest earned on a $10,000 endowment fund established from the fundraising campaign. Eighty-four donors, including alumni, faculty, staff, family and friends, contributed to the endowment fund. Sciascetti's 14 nominators wanted her to know her work and her approach to the job are highly valued. "We see it only fitting to honour Anna in this very special way and to send a message to her that her efforts have definitely not gone unnoticed," one nominating letter said. A second letter noted, "Anna is blessed with an exceptionally cheerful disposition and it's always uplifting to pass her in the hallways as she goes about her responsibilities." Award Winner: Anna Sciascetti and Phil Czerneda hold the plaque marking the new Veronicka Czerneda Staff Award for Outstanding Service. Photo by Barb Owen (End of story)

December 20, 2001

University employees extended season's greetings to colleagues and friends today at the second annual Holiday Open House. This morning's gathering in Convocation Hall drew large . . .

December 19, 2001

They are the "smart" classrooms of today created with the perspective of the past and a vision for the future. The Charles P. Fell multimedia classrooms on the second floor of Togo Salmon Hall are equipped with the latest in computers and digital technology that has put the Faculty of Humanities' multimedia program in a league of its own. The classrooms' retrofitting was funded by a gift from Tony Fell, vice-chair of McMaster's successful Changing Tomorrow Today campaign. Fell is the chair and chief executive officer of RBC Dominion Securities. The teaching rooms are named in memory of his father, Charles, a 1917 graduate of the University when it was based in Toronto. Fell's brother, Fraser, who attended the official opening of the classrooms earlier this year on behalf of the Fell family, noted Charles Fell always had an interest in the visual arts and the University itself. Charles Fell served on McMaster's Board of Governors for 34 years and was University Chancellor from 1960-65. Fraser Fell said his father had a keen interest in new technology development, saw McMaster acquire its nuclear reactor and was fascinated with the development of television in his day. "He would be quite ecstatic to see what are in these classrooms today," Fraser Fell said at the opening ceremony. Andrew Mactavish, assistant professor of multimedia in the School of the Arts, noted that the outfitting of the state-of-the-art teaching rooms has ensured that McMaster "now boasts the largest university program in multimedia in Canada. Other universities are following in McMaster's footsteps, but it is McMaster University that is leading the way in this new and exciting area of humanities instruction and research." Mactavish said the classrooms also represent the Faculty's foresight in embracing new directions in humanities education. "Facilities like these allow us to provide students a unique opportunity to blend the critical traditions of the humanities with the technical elements of new digital communications," he said. High-Tech Learning: (Top photo) Students Deborah McIvor (seated) and Houmed Arjomand and Fraser Fell, representing the Fell family, check out the equipment in one of the newly-equipped Charles P. Fell multimedia classrooms. (Bottom photo) Charles P. Fell. Photo by Shelly Easton (End of story)