Daily News

posted on Dec. 17: McMaster engineering fireball show prepares to be festive

Get ready. It's the holiday version of the engineering fireball show. The annual McMaster engineering holdiay fireball show is ready to entertain you on Thursday, Dec. 20 at 10 a.m. in the John Hodgins Engineering Building Room 264. Presented by the Engineering 1 program, the educational show features hands-on activities that focus on science and engineering as an education and a career. The fireball show is presented throughout the year to high school students, teachers and guidance counsellors across Ontario. It is designed to introduce prospective students to science and engineering programs available through McMaster's Faculty of Engineering. (End of story)

posted on Dec. 14: McMaster President to take leave of absence

McMaster President Peter George will take a leave of absence early next year. Board of Governors Chair Ed Minich calls it a well-deserved break. "The Changing Tomorrow Today campaign was a tremendous success but it meant the President was on duty close to seven days a week for the past few years. Peter went above and beyond what was expected during the campaign and that, combined with his dedication to his other tasks, means he deserves some time to recharge his batteries." President George will be away from campus from Feb. 1 to April 15, 2002. In his absence, Peter Sutherland, currently acting provost on leave from his post as dean of the Faculty of Science, will be acting President. John Drake will continue to serve as acting dean of Science. President George says that the agreed-to leave of absence, originally scheduled to take place between his first and second terms as President was postponed because, "The campaign was in full gear and there was no way I could be absent until it was complete. As we headed towards the end of the campaign we began the search for the new provost and it would have been impossible to be away until he and I had at least a short period of time to work together." Ken Norrie assumes the role of provost on Jan. 1. The President, who also decided to shorten his leave from three to two-and-a-half months, says, "It will seem very strange to be away from campus but Allison and I are both looking forward to some time for reflection and rejuvenation." The appointments of the acting President and acting dean of science were approved at this week's meetings of the Senate and Board of Governors. (End of story)

posted on Dec. 13: Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine becomes McMaster’s largest endowed chair

When you step inside the History of Health Sciences Library, you find yourself surrounded by books and journals detailing the observations and discoveries made throughout history that have informed modern health care practice. The collection is but one component of the Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine, a unique chair that integrates the role of history in understanding health, disease and medical institutions. The library, usually populated with students from health sciences, humanities and social sciences, became the setting yesterday (Dec.12) for a celebration of another infusion of support from Associated Medical Services (AMS). AMS first endowed the Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine in 1999, with a generous gift of $1-million. The University matched the AMS gift and an endowed chair was established to develop an academic program in the history of medicine. The first holder of the Hannah Chair, David Wright, holds a joint appointment with the Department of History and the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences. At the celebration, Abbyann Lynch, president of AMS, presented the University with an additional $1-million for the Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine. This gift, coupled with the initial endowment and matching funds from the University means that this chair will have an endowment fund of $4-million, which to date is the largest endowment for any single chair at the university.

posted on Dec. 11: Universities’ national association praises budget plans

The national association representing a majority of Canada's universities applauds federal budget spending on indirect research costs. Robert Giroux of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada lauded the approach as a "winning strategy." Giroux said: "This has been an urgent need for Canada's universities for some time and we're delighted that the federal government has committed to making ongoing funding for the indirect costs of research a priority." The government pledged to provide $200-million in one-time funding to help support "world class facilities and respond to the needs of Canada's smaller universities in their efforts to become more research oriented." See the Daily News story Federal government announces funding for indirect costs of research for McMaster's response to budget measures that pertain to post-secondary education.