Daily News

Inquiry experience draws academics to McMaster

It is Canada's premier conference for higher education. It draws premier minds in post-secondary education and it is coming to McMaster. The 22nd annual Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) Conference begins tomorrow and runs till Saturday. Co-chairs of the organizing committee, Dick Day and Sylvia Riselay, from the Centre for Leadership and Learning, hope that this year's theme will be particularly memorable and relevant. Explains Day, "All of the conferences have themes, but they haven't related strongly to conference events." McMaster's theme, Fostering the Spirit of Inquiry, shapes many of the presentations being given over the four-day event. Organizers have encouraged participants to submit proposals that address the theme of inquiry. Along with the sessions, this STHLE conference is offering a new experience for certain participants - a chance to participate in the inquiry experience first hand. Applicants had the opportunity to sign up to participate as inquiry students. "Inquiry students will be meeting together in groups based on their primary interest in education, and they will form an important question about an issue in education, and will use conference sessions and lecturers to answer that question," Day explains. "We're showing, not telling. It's hands-on experiential learning at its best."Nearly half of the conference's participants, 177 people, signed up for the inquiry experience. When McMaster University last hosted a STLHE conference in 1988, 234 people participated. This year, more than 400 people are registered to attend, and there are nearly 200 sessions.

Posted on June 11: University Advancement team wins five medals for excellence

Two gold. One silver. Two bronze. Not Canada's medal count from the last Olympics, but McMaster's medal count from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) Prix D'Excellence annual awards program. The Prix D'Excellence is an Olympic event of sorts for the CCAE, honouring "outstanding achievement in alumni affairs, public affairs, development, student recruitment and overall institution Advancement." The Prix D'Excellence awarded medals in 33 categories this year and McMaster's tally of five medals placed the University's Advancement team among the top six universities in the country. "Winning the Prix D'Excellence awards only confirms what I've always known to be true about the group of people who work so hard to advance McMaster University. Our University is known for its innovation and commitment to excellence and the University Advancement team reflects this commitment in the communications we produce, the events we host and our Web innovations," says Roger Trull, vice-president, University Advancement. McMaster garnered medals in the following categories: Gold Best E-Innovation in Public Affairs, Marketing and Communications Daily News Electronic Calendar of Events Best Brochure Alumni Stories Silver Best Alumni Event Alumni Day (2001) Bronze Best Alumni or Volunteer Recognition Profiles Best Special Event Changing Tomorrow Today Campaign Celebration

Posted on June 10: Skilled health services researchers will be trained at new centre

McMaster and five other universities (Lakehead, Laurentian, Ottawa, Toronto and York), will receive $2.1 million over the next six years from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) to develop and evaluate an Ontario training centre for health services and health policy researchers. The funding is part of a $88-million investment in this area which was announced today by CIHR. Health services research develops knowledge that assists in policy development and decision-making concerning the organization, funding, delivery of health services, and the allocation of resources dedicated to improving the health of Canadians. Using a consortium approach, the training centre will draw on faculty and research expertise at the six universities to build a critical mass of skilled health services researchers. Students will be trained to conduct research that meets the needs of health services policy makers, planners and managers, including those in rural, remote and northern communities. Students enrolled in the centre (faculty, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and health care managers) will have access to highly experienced researchers and health services decision makers through collaborative research, distance education, summer institutes, and field placements. Lead McMaster faculty include Alba DiCenso, professor of nursing and clinical epidemiology & biostatistics, Christel Woodward, professor of clinical epidemiology & biostatistics and a member of the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis, and Brian Hutchison, professor of family medicine and director of the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis.

Posted June 7: Class of 2002 engineering and science students graduate today

McMaster's 2002 engineering and science graduands will receive their degrees today at two ceremonies in the Great Hall, Hamilton Place. Engineering will award bachelor degrees in technology, engineering, engineering & society, engineering & management; master's degrees in science (materials science), applied science, engineering; and doctorates in philosophy. At the afternoon ceremony, science graduands will receive doctor of philosophy, master of arts (geography), master of science and bachelor of science degrees. Receiving honorary degrees at these ceremonies are Art Heidebrecht, George Stephanopoulos, Stephen Jarislowsky and Leslie King. Science student Leila Salehi will receive the President's Award of Excellence in Student Leadership at the afternoon convocation. Valedictorians Monique Bergeron (engineering) and Gregory Restivo (science) will address their fellow graduands and guests. To view honorary degree recipient bios,