Daily News

posted on Oct. 4: McMaster Library offers 24/7 access to academic electronic books

McMaster and other member libraries of the Ontario Council of University Libraries have purchased a shared collection of about 2,000 scholarly electronic books, known as eBooks, from netLibrary. eBooks are full-text electronic versions of published books that current McMaster students and employees can search, browse, borrow and return over the internet. eBooks are accessible from a library, lab, office or home at any time of the day or night and are available for online browsing or checkout. To check out an eBook, authorized McMaster users must first create an account in netLibrary and obtain a proxy ID. eBooks are automatically checked back into the library collection when the checkout period (24 hours) expires. For information or assistance, ask reference staff at any campus library, or visit netLibrary and netLibrary FAQ. The university libraries' electronic book collection ranges in scope from core academic areas of science, social sciences and the humanities to collections of specialized study in areas such as business, computer science and engineering. Individual electronic book titles are listed and available to authorized McMaster users through MORRIS, the online library catalogue, or through the netLibrary site. More than 4,000 public domain electronic books are also available at the netLibrary site, including political texts and literary and historical classics. As an added feature, the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is embedded into netLibrary eBooks and has been enhanced technologically to include graphics and audio pronunciation. (End of story)

posted on Oct.3: McMaster’s most ambitious campaign exceeds expectations

The most ambitious fundraising campaign in the history of McMaster University has exceeded all expectations. The Changing Tomorrow Today campaign raised almost $30 million more than the original target of $100 million, set two years ago. The total amount raised is $128,628,073 in private sector gifts. President Peter George and campaign chair Lynton 'Red' Wilson announced the milestone at a reception held Wednesday night. More than 500 people were on hand to celebrate the campaign's success and to thank the hundreds of volunteers, students, faculty, staff and alumni who ensured the campaign surpassed its target. "I am absolutely thrilled to announce that the Changing Tomorrow Today campaign has raised $128.6 million," said George. "The total reflects not only the prestige in which McMaster is held in this community, this province and this country, but also the anticipation of great things to come from our faculty, students and alumni. It is a tribute not only to the University's reputation and standing as an academic institution, but also to the tremendous work of everyone involved." The wildly successful campaign broke new ground for McMaster. Some highlights include: almost 30,000 donors contributed to the campaign. $25 million in scholarship and bursary funds. In addition to the $13.97 million in matching funds from the government, McMaster was able to increase its scholarship and bursary endowments from $19 million to $69 million. 39 new endowed chairs. Prior to the campaign, the University had no endowed chairs - this will assist in faculty recruitment and retention. significant contributions from alumni and friends accounted for 52 per cent of the total campaign donations and 94 per cent of the total number of donors. the community campaign - Board of Governors, faculty, staff, retirees - contributed more than $8 million. Campaign chair Red Wilson said that the University will enjoy more success. "I am a proud graduate of McMaster and am proud to have worked with so many volunteers and members of the University to help make the campaign such a tremendous success," Wilson said. "I am confident that this is just the beginning of a future that will bring even greater success to this outstanding institution. Wilson said he got involved because the campaign had a vision. "This campaign wasn't just about replacing lost government money. It was about students, about faculty, about wanting to ensure that the dollars for research, equipment and facilities are there." One of the many legacies of the campaign is the Centre for Leadership in Learning. Director Dick Day said the centre would not have been possible without the fundraising campaign. "These gifts will allow us to continue to look at new ways of teaching and to expand our understanding of technology."

posted on Oct. 2: 2001 Whidden Lectures promise to be out of this world

Steven Beckwith, director of the Space Telescope Science Institute and professor of physics and astronomy at Johns Hopkins University will deliver this year's Whidden Lectures, exploring the theme of Rocket Science and Little Green Men: The Universe from Orbit. The Space Telescope Science Institute is the astronomical research centre responsible for operating the Hubble space telescope as an international observatory for the world-wide astronomical community. The Hubble space telescope was launched in 1990 and has been returning a steady stream of scientific data and images--images that Beckwith will share with the public at each lecture. The lectures (free admission) take place at 8 p.m., Oct. 3 and 4, at the Health Sciences Centre, room 1A1. The first lecture, on Wednesday, Oct. 3 explores Where did we come from? Where are we going? using new images from the Hubble space telescope to show how we detect the presence of unseen matter and energy. While we can look to the night sky to see planets, stars, galaxies and nebulae, space telescopes detect many other fascinating objects such as neutron stars, black holes or planets orbiting other stars. Beckwith notes that "all these objects constitute only a small fraction of the matter and energy in the universe--they are like spots on the side of a leopard." The second lecture, on Thursday, Oct. 4, discusses the sophisticated space technologies that have been developed to answer the age-old question, "Are we alone?" Beckwith will discuss Looking for Life in the Galaxy and examine how the search for extraterrestrial life is entering the realm of observational astronomy. The Whidden Lectures were established in 1954 by E.Carey Fox, a philanthropic alumnus of McMaster University, to honour a beloved chancellor, Rev. Howard P. Whidden, churchman, statesman and teacher, who had been the architect of the Universiy's transfer from Toronto to Hamilton in 1930. The first lecture in the annual series was delivered in 1956. Photo: Towers of sculpted gas in the Eagle nebula(M16) captured by the Hubble space telescope.

posted on Oct.1: Study shows if you see it, you might eat it

Imagine you're standing in line at the Commons Marketplace. You're hungry. You're short on cash, time and energy. What can you eat that tastes good and is good for you? Kinesiology professor Kathleen Martin and fellow researchers Lori Buscher and Shannon Crocker have the B*E*S*T snack solution. During the fall of 1999 and spring of 2000, more than 2,200 McMaster students encountered large, colourful posters placed in the entrance to the Commons Marketplace cafeteria. The posters emphasized BEST snack food choices -- budget-friendly, energizing, sensory satisfaction/taste and time/convenient -- such as yogurt, pretzels, fruit or vegetable baskets. The posters were used as point-of-purchase (POP) interventions to promote healthful eating to students, emphasizing the benefits of choosing yogurt over french fries as a snack choice. Research has shown that university students tend to snack frequently, skip meals and have diets high in fat but lacking in fruits and vegetables. The POP intervention, conducted at McMaster's largest cafeteria, was part of a study recently published by Buscher, Martin and Crocker in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. POP interventions have often been used at university cafeterias, but have had little success in promoting healthier eating. "Many POP interventions tend to emphasize nutritional labelling, such as fat content. That type of message just can't compete with all the eye-catching food promotions going on in most cafeterias," says Martin. "Even if students read the nutrition labels, they often fail to use that information because it's too difficult to understand and apply."