Daily News

Posted on Oct. 8: Go speed racer!

When elite cyclists are racing down Hamilton's mountain this week, you might think they know how fast they're going from information they get from their eyes. Not so. McMaster behavioural neuroscientist Hong-Jin Sun and a team of researchers have found that feedback from cyclists' legs to their brains is more important than vision in determining speed. Sun, a psychology professor, and his team use virtual reality technology combined with a modified stationary mountain bike to evaluate how the brain integrates different sources of information. The study, the first of its kind, will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal CyberPsychology & Behaviour.

Posted on Oct. 9: Artists explore re:cycled art

A beach ball that's seven feet tall, a public sign that displays personal journal entries, and a biodegradable sculpture of icy water made from drywall are among the exhibits on display throughout the McMaster community in Re:cycle, a five-week outdoor art exhibit that coincides with the Hamilton 2003 Road World Cycling Championships. The Re:cycle project, a collaborative programming project co-ordinated by the McMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton Artists Inc., Art Gallery of Hamilton, and the Workers Arts & Heritage Centre, officially kicks off today (Thursday, Oct. 9). It will feature five artists' interpretations of what the word 're:cycle' represents for them, using the word broadly to reflect recreation, activity, and environmental issues. "We wanted to use the cycling championships as a springboard for ideas and issues surrounding cycling," says Re:cycle project co-ordinator Ivan Jurakic. "Some artists were very literal in the cycling connection while others were more exploratory."

Posted on Oct. 8: Off-campus lot to ease parking crunch

With capital projects, enrolment increases, and general University expansion, McMaster continues to grow. Along with the growth comes an increase in the number of vehicles accessing campus and an increasing need for parking. To help address this need, McMaster's Parking & Transit Services has leased a lot that will be used as an off-campus parking site. Owned by the Henkel Canada Corporation, the five-acre property is located south of Main St. W. between Rifle Range Road and Leland Avenue. The site will be used this fall and winter to accommodate the vehicles of construction personnel working on campus and some University staff. The parking lot will be open from approximately 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, and will be locked after hours. A number of renovations are underway to make the site a safe and serviceable parking area. A gravel surface has been installed over the property and an access point from Ward Avenue is being constructed. The railway right of way will not be used as an access point. The University plans to install appropriate lighting, asphalt surfacing, and landscaping at the site next summer.

Posted on Oct. 7: How learning computes

For the approximately 150 McMaster students who have been diagnosed with learning disabilities, balancing academic success with the everyday learning challenges can be an uphill pursuit. Now, a new computer lab equipped with software designed to help those students overcome academic obstacles could help level the playing field. The ATLAS lab (Assistive Technology, Learning and Academic Support Program), which opened for the first time on Oct. 6, is located in the Commons Building (B104) where it will house seven computers available daily for the use of students with learning disabilities. People with learning disabilities are very intelligent but they require certain accommodations to help them succeed as well as others do, says Caroline Cayuga, learning disabilities co-ordinator. Until now, many of the students have coped academically using resources such as books on tape or the help of volunteer readers and scribes.