Daily News

Posted on July 18: New Web friendly e-mail service introduced

Faculty, staff and graduate students will now to be able to read their McMaster e-mail anywhere they have access to the internet and a Web browser with the introduction of a new e-mail service. Computing & Information Services (CIS) has introduced UnivMail, a new e-mail service based on software by CommuniGate Pro. The service was introduced to undergraduate students nearly two years ago. Heather Grigg, CIS senior manager, client support, expects UnivMail will replace PINE in the future, the central Unix-based electronic mail system that has been available to the McMaster community since 1992. "UnivMail is being offered on a self-subscription basis, so users can choose when to migrate their e-mail to the new service," she says. It is expected that the McMail/PINE service will be decommissioned when it isn't viable to continue the service for a small number of e-mail accounts, she says.

Posted on July 17: CPEC open house showcases new facilities

The Career Planning & Employment Centre (CPEC) is showcasing its new facilities today. "We love our new space," says Heather Hines, CPEC events & marketing co-ordinator. "We're right in the hub of it all." CPEC relocated in May to Gilmour Hall Room 110 from Hamilton Hall. "We were growing and we needed more space," she says. "And traffic is going to increase, especially with the double cohort." The open house, which will take place today, July 17, from 9 to 11:30 a.m., will provide an informal opportunity for people to come and see what CPEC offers, ask questions and tour the facility. "We want to invite people to our new space to see where we are and what we have to offer," says Hines. Some of its services include job postings for students, career counseling, and career planning, career tests, special events, workshops on job interview and job search techniques, resume critiques by peer advisers, job shadowing and linking students with graduates and alumni in the field. Most important, the centre is there to answer students' questions. "One of the most common questions is 'what can I do with my degree?'," Hines says. Unfortunately, many students wait too long to start asking questions, she says. "Students should come to us in first year so they can start planning early," says Hines. "They should take advantage of the resources while they're here."

Posted on July 16: Business addition nears completion

Already considered one of the Top 100 business schools in the world by Financial Times, the Michael G. DeGroote School of Business will strengthen its position when it opens its new addition this fall. Constructed on the southwest corner of the Michael G. DeGroote building, the AIC wing adds three floors, 19 new offices, 17,000 square feet, and a plethora of state-of-the-art equipment to the University. The addition includes space for the school, the University, and outside organizations. With demand for classroom space on the rise, the new wing offers high-tech classroom space that can be used by both the School of Business and other departments throughout the University. Other rooms offer a facility for testing new software, research centres, and focus group areas. As well, an expanded academic programs office, along with external relations, and faculty will be located in the new space. Specialized facilities include the AIC Institute for Strategic Business Studies, which is a location for a chaired professor, two industry professors, and support staff, a 25-seat "Decision Centre" with display monitors below desk level, which can be used as a classroom or for focus group research, a PhD area, which offers office spaces for 35 candidates and dedicated computer facilities for PhD activities.

Posted on July 16: Panel recommends $5 million for biotech incubator

A biotechnology incubator for McMaster University could be one step closer to reality with a $5-million boost recommended by the mayor's Community Trustee Panel. The recommendation is part of a spending plan devised by the panel and going to city council for approval. The $15-million biotechnology incubator will assist with the commercialization of biomedical research and capitalize on the know-how and research facilities at the University. It is a key goal of Hamilton's economic development strategy to create an active biotechnology business sector in the city. The city funding is crucial if the University hopes to attract money from the province. "We see tremendous potential for this area in terms of commercialization of research results," said Mamdouh Shoukri, vice-president research & international affairs at McMaster. For the original story in today's Hamilton Spectator, click here.