Daily News

Posted on April 23: IBM Challenge brings out animal instincts

A dog, a mythological creature and an eagle have what it takes to impress IBM. The Rottweiler Reactor Sentry was the winning project in the third annual IBM challenge. Second place went to Cerberus Satefy System and an honorable mention was awarded to Eagle Eyes Monitoring System. Software engineering students in their senior thesis course competed in the challenge by building a monitoring system for the McMaster Nuclear Reactor. "The winning teams in particular did an excellent job of applying their software engineering education towards building a functional and reliable system," says Spencer Smith, assistant professor of computing and software, who is in his first year of teaching the thesis course. In the course, teams of students design and document a software system. Teams consider the entire software development cycle, from elicitation of requirements to design to implementation and testing. The designs take into account economic, health, safety, legal and marketing factors.

Posted on April 23: Scholarships send students abroad

Eleven students will enhance their educational experience with travel abroad thanks to the Student Financial Aid & Scholarship office. The winners of this year's travel scholarships are: A.G. Alexander Scholarships: Agnes Magdziak, Level III Humanities; Emily Robb, Level III Humanities; Jenna Wells, Level II Humanities Beale-Lincoln-Hall Travel Scholarship: Monica Karski, Level II Humanities; Lam Erin Siu, Level II Humanities Class of '37 Travel Scholarship in Arts & Science: Jessica Shearer, Level II Arts & Science Joan Jackson Dunbar Travel Scholarship: Lisa Devries, Level III Humanities John P. Evans Travel Scholarship: Jesse DiCecca: Level III Humanities E. T. Salmon Travel Scholarship: Joelle Lardi, Level III Humanities T. Russell Wilkins Memorial Scholarship: Phedias Diamandis, Level III Health Sciences; Linda Taggart, Level IV Science The scholarships assist students in travelling and studying abroad.

Posted on April 22: Carpooling program gears up at McMaster

Two heads really are better than one, especially when it comes to transportation at McMaster. May 2003 marks the launch of the University's new carpooling program for faculty, staff and graduate students. The pilot program, which will be evaluated and refined at the end of June, will become part of the regular slate of parking options offered at McMaster and will be extended to undergraduates for September. "We're hoping the Mac community will take advantage of some significant incentives we're offering," enthused Jennifer Dawson, ACT (Alternative Commuting & Transportation) Office co-ordinator. "Those who register their carpool during May will not only save on their monthly permit costs, but will be able to park in priority parking spaces chosen with their input." Employee and graduate student carpoolers will also be eligible for a limited number of Zone 2 and 3 carpool permits, to be released May 1. "Carpooling becomes even more attractive when you consider the long waiting lists for these prime parking zones," Dawson explained. "We're working hard to make carpooling an enticing commute option."

Posted on April 22: Studio art student exhibition opens

"....and then THE WORLD", the annual SUMMA exhibition featuring work by students graduating from the studio art program at McMaster's School of the Arts has opened at the McMaster Museum of Art. The exhibition, which runs until May 16, celebrates the academic accomplishments of 24 distinctive, emerging artists. This year's exhibition includes artwork in a wide range of media including painting, ceramics, sculpture and installation. The ideas and inspiration for this work spring from a wide variety of sources including personal experience, art history, literature and each other. The participating students will give a lunchtime talk about their work on Wednesday, April 23 at 12:30 p.m. and a public reception for the exhibition will be held the evening of Thursday, April 24 from 7-9 p.m. These events are free and everyone is welcome. SUMMA students have produced a digital exhibition catalogue.

Posted on April 21: Determining the quality of life for children with cerebral palsy

Researchers at CanChild and McGill University Health Centre are hoping to identify what determines the quality of life and participation for children with cerebral palsy (CP). By evaluating the relationship between intrinsic biomedical characteristics and extrinsic environmental attributes, researchers hope to assist health professionals in promoting supportive environments and interventions, to enable these children to participate more fully. The United Cerebral Palsy Research and Educational Foundation has awarded $99,166 (U.S. funds) for the two-year "Determinants of Life Quality in Children with Cerebral Palsy" study. CanChild's co-directors, Mary Law and Peter Rosenbaum are investigators on the study headed by Annette Majnemer, associate professor at the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research is located in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University.