Daily News

Posted on Oct. 7: Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation contributes $1 million to create neonatology research chair

A pioneer in the care and treatment of critically ill newborns is being honoured today with the creation of an endowed research chair in neonatology at McMaster University. The Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation has contributed $1 million to create the Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation - Jack Sinclair Chair in Neonatology. The University will match the endowment. "We are proud to make this contribution," says Liz Newman, chair of the Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation Board. "It represents an investment in people and in the knowledge they bring to our hospital. "By creating this position, Hamilton Health Sciences will be better able to continue to recruit the best and the brightest in neonatology. We know it will help to ensure that babies and families in this region benefit from leading-edge care." The research chair is named in honour of Jack Sinclair, who is renowned for establishing neonatal intensive care in Hamilton and recognized internationally as an expert in evidence-based neonatology.

Posted on Oct. 4: Globalization and autonomy experts convene at McMaster

Globalization and autonomy scholars from Canada, China, Taiwan, Europe and the United States will converge at McMaster this weekend to help set the agenda for a major collaborative research project. Under the auspices of McMaster's Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition, team members will explore the terms "globalization" and "autonomy" during the institute's first full-team meeting, Oct. 4 to 6. "One of our objectives is to create a virtual research centre on globalization and autonomy issues to which all team members will belong and which will become a leading research centre on globalization issues in North America," says professor William Coleman, director of the Institute. The meeting includes plenary sessions, sub-groups, discussions and presentations. Sub-groups will finalize the research for the project and agree upon the organization and content of the academic publications from the project. "Although independent of McMaster's Globalization Institute, this virtual centre will be managed and maintained at the University," Coleman says. "McMaster University's support for our efforts has been crucial to our receiving a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant and to our being able to embark on this initiative." Project team members will also be introduced to the 'Globalization Compendium', which will make findings available in accessible, multimedia formats to a wide public audience. There will be discussions based on papers prepared and submitted for the meeting from both Globalization and Autonomy literature. Presentations will be made by all of the project partners: Shishir Priyadarshi, The South Centre, Mark Hecht, executive director of Human Rights Internet, Roy Culpeper, president of North-South Institute and Lauren Posner, Rights & Democracy. More information about the project, including the individual research proposals, can be found at http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~global/gaa.htm

Posted Oct. 4: Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada honoured

The Royal Society of Canada is a national academy whose object is the promotion of learning and research in the arts and sciences. Election to a Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada is the highest academic accolade available to scientists and scholars in Canada. McMaster University currently boasts 56 Fellows and on October 1 the university celebrated the contributions of this elite group with a recognition dinner held at Hamilton's LIUNA Station. Peter George, President and Vice-Chancellor, thanked all of the 33 Fellows able to attend the event and praised their individual accomplishments. "It is clear that we could not have made such significant strides if it were not for your outstanding contributions. You are the backbone of this university. You have helped to shape McMaster and, as a direct result of your scholarship, we have grown into one of the country's most research-intensive universities. You are the reason we enjoy such a stellar reputation and are now able to recruit some of the most outstanding faculty, staff and students. You have truly made a difference. For this, we applaud you." McMaster University's Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) This list indicates the year in which the individual was elected as a Fellow and includes the number of the Academy to which he or she belongs. Academy I Academie des lettres des sciences humaines Academy II Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences Academy III Academy of Science, which includes the following Divisions: Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS) Life Sciences (LS) Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) 1980 Richard Bader (Chemistry)III-MPS 1962 Bernhard Banaschewski (Math) III-MPS 1986 John Bandler (Electrical Engineering)III-ASE 1992 John Bienenstock (Medicine & Pathology)III-LS 1964 Arthur Bourns (Chemistry) III-MPS 1962 Bertram Brockhouse (Physics)III-MPS 1984 Colin C.K.Campbell (Electrical Engineering)III-ASE 1983 E.J.Moran Campbell (Medicine)III-LS 1974 Jules P. Carbotte (Physics)III-MPS 1969 Pierre Conlon (French) II 1998 Martin Daly (Psychology) II 1993 Edwin E. Daniel(Medicine)III-LS 1979 W. Ross Datars(Physics)III-MPS 1971 John A. Davies (Physics) III-MPS 1984 Frank Denton (Economics)II 1991 J. David Embury Materials Sciece & Engineering III-ASE 2001 John Eyles (Geography)II 2001 Harvey Feit (Anthropology)II 1988 Derek Ford (Geography & Geology)III-EOAS 1997 Jack Gauldie (Pathology)III-LS 1965 Ronald J. Gillespie (Chemistry)III-MPS 1999 Frank Graham (Biology)III-LS 1987 Archie Hamielec (Chemical Engineering)III-ASE 1993 Rhoda Howard-Hassmann Sociology II 1980 Simon Haykin (Electrical& Computer Engineering) III-ASE 1999 Jack Hirsh (Medicine)III-LS 1993 Gyan P. Johari (Materials Science & Engineering)III-ASE 1958 Martin Johns (Physics & Astronomy)III-MPS 2002 John Kelton (Medicine) III-LS 1980 Ken Kershaw (Biology)III-LS 1972 Gerald W. King (Chemistry)III-MPS 1993 James King (English)II 1988 Les King (Geography)II 1975 Jack Kirkaldy (Materials Science & Engineering) III-ASE 1977 John Kuehner (Physics & Astronomy) III-MPS 1982 David B. MacLean (Chemistry) III-MPS 1965 Alexander McKay(Classics) II 1970 Gerry Middleton (Geology)III-LS 1975 Warwick J.B. Owen (English) II 1992 David Parnas (Computing & Software) III-ASE 1961 Melvin Preston(Physics & Astronomy)III-MPS 1991 Gary Purdy (Materials Science & Engineering)III-ASE 1992 David Sackett (Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics III-LS 2001 Shelley Saunders (Anthropology)II 1999 Gary Schrobilgen (Chemistry)III-MPS 1984 Henry Schwarcz (Geograpy & Geololgy) III-EOAS 1961 Denis Shaw (Geograpy & Geololgy) III-EOAS 1985 Leslie Shemilt (Chemical Engineering)III-ASE 1991 Shepard Siegel (Psychology) II 1986 Victor Snaith (Mathematics)III-MPS 1980 Ian Spenser (Chemistry) III-MPS 1980 Donald Sprung (Physics & Astronomy)III-MPS 1995 Thomas Timusk (Physics & Astronomy)III-MPS 1984 Alan Walker (Music)II 1998 Margo Wilson (Psychology)II 1996 Sandra Witelson(Psychiatry)III-LS Photo Caption: McMaster's Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) gather with President George at their Oct. 1 recognition dinner. Front Row (Seated L to R): Ron Gillespie; Melvin Preston; Rhoda Howard-Hassmann; Sandra Witelson; Martin Johns; Alexander McKay; Bertram Brockhouse; John Kelton; Tom Timusk ; Jack Kirkaldy; Second Row (L to R): Peter George; Denis Shaw; David MacLean; Ian Spenser; Ross Datars; Archie Hamielec; Les King; Les Shemilt; Jules Carbotte; Donald Sprung; Gerry Middleton; John Kuehner; David Parnas Third Row (L to R): Gary Schrobilgen; John Eyles; Harvey Feit; Gerry King; Richard Bader; John Bienenstock; Alan Walker; Jack Gauldie; David Embury; Shelley Saunders.Photo by Ron Scheffler

Posted on Oct. 4: Daniel Manrique’s new mural sends a message to all

Mexican muralist Daniel Manrique's message to the world is now on view in the new McMaster University Student Centre. The painting will be officially unveiled today (Oct. 4) at a reception. "There is something idealistic, utopian and romantic about this image," Manrique explains (assisted by translator and McMaster professor emeritus of modern languages John Browning). His message? The natural world is the responsibility of human beings. Just as a mother protects her child, so must we protect the Earth. The artist has been at McMaster for the last three weeks working on a newly commissioned diptych, painted in acrylic, that replaces a painting he created for the University 20 years ago. His new work, titled El Mundo (La Naturaleza) Es Responsabilidad de los Humanos (The Natural World is the Responsibility of Humankind), is displayed on a wall outside the Bookstore where the University Centre and the Bookstore meet.

Posted on Oct. 3: Scholarship offers year-long study in Japan

McMaster's School of Graduate Studies, in conjunction with the Department of Religious Studies, celebrated the establishment of the Buddha Dharma Kyokai Scholarship Fund at a recent event on campus. Established by the Buddha Dharma Kyokai Foundation of Canada, the fund will support Buddhist Studies in Canada, which will enable advanced graduate students at McMaster and other universities to study Buddhism for one year at a university in Japan. The funds for this scholarship will be set up under the auspices of the School of Graduate Studies at McMaster and administered by a committee of scholars from across Canada. "The study of East Asian Buddhism, and in particular Buddhism in Japan, has been a core component since the Department of Religious Studies was established in the 1960s, and one of the founding departments in the discipline in Canada and indeed in North America," said Eileen Schuller, chair of the Department of Religious Studies at McMaster. "One of the distinctive features of our department has been, and is, the commitment to strength in the study of the religions of the East and West within a context of academic research, respect for all religious traditions, and cross-cultural and interdisciplinary study." Photo caption:Pictured at the announcement, in back row, left to right: Neil McMullin, University of Toronto; Yasuo Honjo, director of BDK Canada; Brian Nagata, president BDK USA; Fred L. Hall, dean of Graduate Studies at McMaster; John Scime, Graduate Registrar and Secretary at McMaster; Koichi Shinohard, professor in McMaster's Department of Religious Studies; Jinhua Chen, University of British Columbia. Front row, left to right: Ken Maruyama, former director of BDK Canada; Victor Hori, McGill University; Eileen Schuller, chair, Department of Religious Studies at McMaster; Leslie Kawamura, University of Calgary and Roy Sato, president BDK Canada.