Daily News

Posted on Jan. 21: Faculty of Engineering appoints new associate dean

The Faculty of Engineering has announced the appointment of Peter Smith to the Office of Associate Dean as of Dec. 1, 2002. McMaster has been home to Peter Smith for the past 25 years, since arriving from Brazil in 1978. He was in the first class to receive the B.Eng.Mgt. degree in computer engineering and management, in 1983. He continued on at McMaster to complete his M.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering, in 1985 and 1988, respectively. He joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McMaster in 1987. Smith brings to the office a broad perspective and interest on issues that affect undergraduate students in engineering. He was director of Engineering 1 at McMaster between 1996 and 1999, during a period of rapid expansion to the undergraduate engineering program. He was the student activities chair for the Canadian Region of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) between 1995 and 1997, and has participated in numerous other student-focus programs and activities. He is one of the leading experts worldwide on surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices, a subject on which he has co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and for which he was awarded the R. A. Ross Medal by the Engineering Institute of Canada. He has provided leadership as head of the Microwave Acoustics Laboratory at McMaster since 1989. Smith is a senior member of the IEEE and a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario. Smith replaces Philip Wood who on July 1, 2002 accepted the position of associate vice-president, Student Affairs. Smith has been acting-associate dean in the Faculty since Wood's departure. "Dr. Smith is truly an exceptional educator and scholar who has gained the respect of the engineering student body. He is extremely qualified to provide the necessary leadership for our undergraduate engineering program," remarked Mo Elbestawi, dean of Engineering.

Posted on Jan. 21: Water main break impacts campus

A major water main break in West Hamilton this morning left the University without any water for a short time. Although the water is now back on, director of Physical Plant, Tony Cupido says the temporary shut down has left some offices colder than usual. Water pressure is also a problem in some areas particularly on upper floors of some buildings. If possible it's best to use washroom facilities in the lower floors. "The air in the lines has left us with some problematic areas. We're checking all of the systems and we hope everything will be operating normally by early afternoon," says Cupido. If anyone is concerned about the temperature or water pressure in their area or if there are any other concerns staff, faculty and students are encouraged to call the Physical Plant service desk at ext. 24740.

Posted on Jan. 21: Peer helper program recruiting volunteers

McMaster's Centre for Student Development (CSD) and the Career Planning and Employment Centre (CPEC) Peer Helper Program is hosting an open house today and Wednesday in the McMaster University Student Centre marketplace from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The program is currently recruiting full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate student volunteers from all faculties and levels of study. Peers are trained and supervised by professional staff and assist students with academic, disability, personal and career needs. There are 45 peer helpers currently in the program who are responsible for a wide range of services offered by CPEC and CSD. The deadline to apply is Jan. 29 at 4:30 p.m., and Feb. 3 for CPEC peers. For job descriptions and further information about the program visit http://csd.mcmaster.ca/peerhelper/

Posted on Jan. 17: MBA students present winning case

When it comes to cracking problems faced by e-businesses, McMaster's MBA students have a strong case. Two groups of McMaster business students placed first and third in the second annual eCase Competition held this week. Presented by the Michael DeGroote School of Business and the McMaster eBusiness Research Centre, the competition was held in conjunction with the McMaster World Congress Conference. Six graduate teams from across the country were given 24 hours to present a detailed analyses, recommendation and implementation plan on an actual case faced by Canadian Tire Online. The situation was about the company's online service and challenges it faced with multi-channel retailing. "The eCase competition gives students a chance to showcase their talent and apply the knowledge they've gained through the MBA program," says Khaled Hassanein, associate professor of Information Systems. "Each case allows students to assume the role of a consultant to management of a company." After the first round of presentations on Tuesday, two teams from McMaster, a team from Calgary and a team from New Brunswick advanced to the final round on Wednesday. The top three teams were announced at the World Congress banquet Wednesday evening. Nearly half of the approximately 800 international delegates from industry and academia who attended the World Congress were at the banquet. The University of New Brunswick team placed second. Prizes of $10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second place and $2,500 for third place were announced by co-directors Hassanein and Milena Head, director of the McMaster eBusiness Research Centre and assistant professor of Information Systems. "It was a fantastic night," said Hassanein who, with Head, coached the McMaster teams. "Our case competition teams have once again proven the quality of our students and our MBA program." Five members of the McMaster teams recently completed a second-year MBA course entitled 'eBusiness Case Studies', designed by Hassanein and Head, who co-taught the course the first time it was offered in the fall of 2001. Now taught by Hassanein, the course allows student teams to analyze and present cases related to eBusiness on a bi-weekly basis. The eBusiness case studies course and eCase competition help prepare students for life beyond school, says Hassanein. "This allows them to take the knwledge they gained through the MBA program and apply that knowledge to actual real-life situations," he says. "Especially if students are young, like they typically are when they join the MBA program at McMaster, they usually don't have a lot of experience, so the case method is a great way to give them experience in a short time." Photo caption: The McMaster University I team pose for a photo after being presented a $10,000 cheque for winning first prize in the eCase competition. Coaches Milena Head, left and Khaled Hassanein, right, flank students Constantinos Coursaris, Caroline Dwyer, Umar Ruhi, Ramez Salti and Carlos Santos.

Posted on Jan 17: One-third of Ontario students apply to McMaster

As of Friday, 101,668 Ontario high school students have applied for entrance into an Ontario university, announced the Council of Ontario Universities. Of these students, approximately one-third have applied to McMaster, indicates preliminary data from the University. "We're pleased to see so many students are interested in applying to the University," said Fred Hall, associate vice-president academic. "These numbers speak to the strong demand in all of the programs that McMaster has to offer." Historically, 65 to 70 per cent of students who apply to university in Ontario go on to register. In a news release, minister Dianne Cunningham said, "Our government has always promised that there would be a place for every willing and qualified student in college or university. I am pleased to report that the preliminary numbers are within our plans, and I remain confident that with the measures we have taken, and continue to take, we will meet that commitment."