Daily News

Brockhouse Institute on frontier of materials research

Artificial implants, filters for water systems, advanced chips for computers and semi-conductor lasers for telephone transmission. All are familiar, everyday applications of advanced materials research. McMaster's Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research (BIMR) is at the forefront of the scientific advancements that make these technologies possible. The institute recently attracted leading experts from Canada, the US and Europe for an interactive workshop that focused on the convergence of two ongoing scientific revolutions in materials research. John Preston, professor of engingeering physics, explains, "One scientific revolution currently under way is our emerging ability to manipulate, fabricate and utilize structures on the length scale of a few nanometers." These advances in nanotechnology research impact industry's ability to build smaller, smarter devices just nanometres (0.000000001 of a metre) in size. "The second revolution involves our capacity to characterize and understand biological and other 'soft' material systems with the same rigor as conventional materials," continues Preston, who describes encapsulation for improved drug delivery and implants that mimic the response of real bone as examples of biomaterials. Soft materials bend without breaking and in order for this to happen, they are typically made up of long molecules. The intent of the workshop, titled Frontiers in Characterization of Soft and Nanoscale Materials, was to share cutting-edge technologies and the latest research with participants from industry, other academic institutions and McMaster students. Participants came to the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research to explore recent advances in electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and applications of synchotron radiation, motivated by the opportunity to access leading experts in the field, including McMaster's highly regarded experts George Weatherly and Gianluigi Botton, both professors of materials science & engineering (experts in atomic and electron microscopy), as well as chemistry professor Adam Hitchcock and physicist Bruce Gaulin (experts in synchotron-based studies). One of the more unique components of the workshop involved the sessions in which 60 students and researchers benefited from hands-on demonstrations from the experts using the research facilities in the institute. A workshop participant noted that, "by seeing and doing we are learning techniques that have never been written down in the literature." The speakers represented the combined expertise of research and industry, and included respected scientists Mick Brown (Cambridge), Richard Spontak (North Carolina State), Peter Grutter (McGill), and from industry, Sergei Magonov (Digital Instruments) and DeTong Jian (Canadian Light Source). The Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research is an interdisciplinary research organization, the largest facility of its kind in Canada, recognized as a leader in materials characterization. The institute is one of two such research facilities in North America - -the other is the Cornell Centre for Materials Research located at Cornell University. The facilities of the institute and its pool of expertise are also available to industry and organizations that require assistance with materials research and development or material analysis. Its membership of 60 faculty members is drawn from eight departments in the Faculties of Science, Engineering and Health Sciences. Photo:Lisa Croll, a McMaster chemistry student, discusses the finer points of atomic force microscopy with Tom Malis of National Resources Canada. End of story

Health sciences librarian wins award for outstanding achievment

Tom Flemming, head of public services in the McMaster Health Sciences Library, won the Canadian Health Libraries Association's (CHLA) Award of Outstanding Achievement. Announced at CHLA's recent annual conference, the award recognizes significant contributions to the field of health sciences librarianship in Canada. The contribution must be more than passing importance, interest or local advancement. The award was presented on Flemming's recent contributions to the health care community. During the past year, he has been recognized for his Web site "Health Care Information Resources ... for patients, their families, friends, and health care workers". The recognition has included at least two citations on the Medical Webmasters Listserv; one for his excellent disclaimer, considered one of the best ever written, and the second for his excellent listing of complementary and alternative medicine information resources.

Acting dean of humanities aims to build on Faculty’s strengths

A faculty of golden retrievers would be a dream come true for Howard Jones. They are intelligent, loyal, agreeable creatures. And they don't smell, laughs the newly appointed acting dean of humanities. Jones, who has a strong affection for golden retrievers, has been appointed to his new position for a six-month renewable term beginning July 1. I consider it a distinct honour to assume the office, even for a short time, says the Department of Classics chair, who has served under five deans of the Faculty of Humanities since its founding in 1968. Humanities has a record of excellence in teaching and scholarship of which it is justly proud, says Jones. As custodian of the faculty, he sees one of his roles as assisting in consolidating new initiatives, which have been established over the past three years. He also hopes to help attract top students and faculty to its programs. I see the faculty building upon its proven strengths in traditional areas and, as part of a university with a reputation for innovative approaches to learning, becoming a leader in emerging new disciplines, he says. Howard is an experienced administrator, having served as chair of classics for five years, says provost and vice-president (academic) Ken Norrie. There has been wide consultation on this matter and there is unanimous agreement that this is a most appropriate appointment. Jones received a BA from the University of London, and an MA and PhD from the University of Indiana. He has published on the classical tradition, examining the influence of the classical period on the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and is a past winner of the McMaster Students' Union teaching award. Currently, he is training his golden retriever Dickens as a therapy dog and hopes to take him to hospitals to assist with the emotional health of patients. Jones, who says he will fill the position until a new dean is appointed, replaces Daniel Woolf. Woolf, who has served as dean since July 1, 1999, is taking on a new post at the University of Alberta as dean of arts. He leaves McMaster at the end of June.

Smog advisory issued: McMaster spares the air

McMaster is doing its part to fight the war on smog. During smog days, Physical Plant puts away lawnmowers and tree trimmers, in an effort to cut down on pollution. The Ministry of the Environment and Energy has issued a smog advisory for the Hamilton region today. Machines with two-stroke motors, generally found in lawn and garden equipment, are avoided on smog days, says physical plant service coordinator Len Van Hoffen. Two-stroke engines produce a lot of pollution, he says. In two-stroke engines, oil mixes with gasoline, resulting in the combustion of oil. This can lead to machines emitting clouds of oily smoke, according to Marshall Brain's How Stuff Works. Conversely, four-stroke motors, commonly found in cars and trucks, do not mix these fuels. On smog days, physical plant staff are assigned to other tasks, such as garbage pick-up and campus clean-up, Van Hoffen says. During a smog alert, there are a number of actions one can take to help spare the air. Air Quality Ontario advises: leave the car at home - walk, cycle, carpool or take public transit tele-conference instead of driving to meetings limit car trips by doing all errands at once, and do not let the engine idle keep car well tuned, check tire pressure and drive at moderate speeds A smog advisory means that there is a strong likelihood that there may be poor air quality within the next 24 hours due to ground-level ozone and particulate matter.