Daily News

McMaster engineer elected foreign member of NAE

For his contributions to engineering theory and practice and unusual accomplishment in the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, McMaster's David Embury was one of just seven foreign members elected into the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE). "The election to the NAE is a great honour for me because there are only 158 foreign members, six of whom are Canadians," said the professor of materials science & engineering. "However, I want to emphasize that the honour reflects not my own abilities but the wonderful collaborations I have had at McMaster with colleagues in both engineering and science and particularly my good fortune in having many excellent graduate students and post-doctoral researchers in the time I have been at McMaster." Embury was elected by the NAE along with 74 new American members. He was chosen for his "outstanding contributions to fundamental structure/mechanical property relations of materials and their applications". Election to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering is one of the highest professional distinctions that can be accorded an engineer.

Posted on Oct. 17: Green Coalition unites McMaster’s environmental activists

It's not easy being green. Ask Allan Dafoe. According to the founder and chair of McMaster's Green Coalition, taking care of the environment is hard work. But with recent efforts on campus, he's confident green will soon become the University's favorite colour. Celebrating its first anniversary, the McMaster Green Coalition unites clubs and organizations that promote environmental and sustainability issues. It was a hit from the beginning. At its first meeting in September 2001, nearly 40 staff, faculty and students came to support Dafoe's brainchild to build a coalition around the environment. He found these groups knew little about each other, and he was determined to change that. "There are all these groups, but they're all very disparate," he says. "That's what I feel the environmental movement at McMaster is lacking the most. Because it's so disparate you don't feel a sense of community." "I think it's very important that the environmental community becomes more tangible because there are so many people on campus who are passionate and involved with environmental aspects."

Posted on Oct. 16: McMaster receives $1-million for national arthritis treatment program

McMaster University, in conjunction with St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, has announced a major funding commitment of $1 million from Pharmacia Canada Inc. and Pfizer Canada Inc. for an innovative educational initiative called the Arthritis Treatment Program. Funded over five years, the program will be designed to assist primary care physicians and other health professionals in providing optimal care for people with arthritis. "This is an excellent example of innovation in the relationship between the pharmaceutical industry, health care providers and universities, where our interests mesh well," said John Kelton, dean and vice-president, Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University. "Funding of the Arthritis Treatment Program clearly supports a commitment to excellence in health care education. By enhancing current medical training, the program will support better diagnosis and treatment for millions of Canadians with arthritis." More than four million Canadians, or one in every seven individuals, suffer from some form of arthritis. That number is expected to grow at a rate of one million more Canadians per decade, at least until the year 2031. Led by one of Canada's leading clinical rheumatologists, William Bensen, and a team of rheumatologists at McMaster and its partner institution, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, the Arthritis Treatment Program will consist of an overall practical management package including concepts and tools for managing rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. A simple, easy-to-use measurement tool will be developed for use in clinical practice that provides a common language between physician and patient and acts as a benchmark for improving arthritis care.

Posted on Oct. 15: Canadian universities face big challenges in the next decade, says Trends

It's going to be a decade of enormous challenges for Canada's universities, according to a major new report released today by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). Entitled Trends in Higher Education, the 94-page report notes that, by 2011, universities will face a projected 20 to 30 per cent increase in enrolment, or up to 200,000 new students. They also will need to hire as many as 40,000 new faculty members to respond to enrolment growth and to replace retiring professors. At the same time, universities will be expected to perform significantly more research if Canada is to reach the federal government's objective of being one of the top five countries in the world for research and development. But all of this comes at a price: $6.2 billion more annually in operating revenues and $6.4 billion more a year in research funds will be needed by 2011 to meet these challenges, says the report. Universities currently receive about $10.7 billion in total operating support and conduct roughly $3.2 billion in sponsored research annually.