fall 2011 mcmaster times
DESCRIPTION
McMaster Times is the newsmagazine of McMaster University Alumni.TRANSCRIPT
THE NEWSMA G A Z IN E FO R M cMASTER UNIVERS ITY ALUMNI FALL 2 0 1 1
C L I M B I N G T O N E W H E I G H T S
A F O R U M F O R H E A LT H Y D E B AT E
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dailynews.mcmaster.ca 3
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
MEET MCMASTER
ALUMNI DIRECTIONS
ALUMNI ALBUM
IN MEMORIAM
McMASTER WRITES
LAST WORD
DEPARTMENTS
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Meet McMasterPsychology professor Joe Kim ‘95, ‘00 talks about his roles as a teaching professor, director of the Pedagogy and Applied Cogni-tion Lab and as a member of the campus community dedicated to working on teaching and learning issues.
Climbing to new heightsAn innovative roster of new programs at McMaster is encouraging fi rst-generation students to attend university.
Changing hatsThese McMaster alumni have gone on to experience dynamic careers in multiple fi elds and the variation in their career paths might surprise you.
VOL. 26, NO. 2 - FALL 2011
THE NEW
SMAGAZIN
E FOR MCM
ASTER UNIVERSITY ALUM
NI
What is your favourite memory of McMaster? To celebrate McMaster’s upcoming 125th anniversary we are asking alumni to share their favourite people, places and things. See page 20.
Immunologist Mark Larche and his research team
have developed a vaccine to treat cat allergies.
See page 9.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited McMaster to announce the winners of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships for 2011. See page 7.20
16
FEATURES
contents
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7ht tp : / /b i t . l y /VanierCanadaC H E C K I T O U T O N L I N E AT :
Wilson Building an investment in students
TEDx McMaster U
Downtown Health Campus
Innovator Awards
Investment in Indigenous Studies
6......................
dailynews.mcmaster.ca4
Contributors
Gord Arbeau, Patrick Deane ‘11 (honorary), Michelle Donovan, Wade
Hemsworth ‘87, John Lavis, Bill McLean ‘90, Karen McQuigge ‘90, Pat
Morden, Erin O’Neil ‘08, Matt Terry ‘09
Advertising Sales
Sandra Rodwell
Offi ce of Public Relations
905-525-9140 ext. 24073
Offi cers, Alumni Association
Bill McLean ‘90, president; David Adames ‘92, past-president;
Mark Stewart ‘06, fi rst vice-president; Don Bridgman ‘78, fi nancial
advisor; Jennifer Kleven ’90, executive councillor; Candy Hui ‘04,
executive councillor; Sean Baker ‘09, executive councillor
Representatives to the University Senate
Ian Cowan ‘71,‘76; Peter Tice ‘72; Suzanne Craven ’73;
Dennis Souder ’70
Representatives to the University Board of Governors
Brian Bidulka ’87; Quentin Broad ’86; Lauren Cuddy ’80, ‘84;
David Lazzarato ’79; Howard Shearer ’77
McMaster Times is published two times a year (spring and fall) by the
Offi ce of Public Relations in co-operation with the McMaster Alumni
Association. It is sent free of charge to University alumni and friends.
Non-alumni subscriptions are available at $15 (Canada and U.S.A.) and
$20 (foreign). Please make cheques payable to McMaster University.
Ideas and opinions published in the McMaster Times do not necessarily
refl ect those of the editor, the McMaster Alumni Association or the
University. Letters and editorial contributions are welcomed. National
and local advertisers are invited.
Editorial communications:
McMaster Times, DTC 125
McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L9
Tel: 905-525-9140, ext. 23662
Fax: 905-521-1504
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: bit.ly/McMasterTimes
Canada Post Publications Mail 1473638
Postmaster: Send all returns to
McMaster University
c/o Advancement Services, T-27
Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8
Publisher
Andrea Farquhar
Art Director
JD Howell ’04
Editor
Shelly Easton
On the CoverMcMaster grads wear many hats. Go to page 12 to learn how
the McMaster experience has helped alumni to make dramatic
changes in their careers and their lives.
THE NEWSMAGAZ INE FOR McMASTER UNIVERS ITY ALUMNI FALL 2011
C L I M B I N G T O N E W H E I G H T SA F O R U M F O R H E A LT H Y D E B AT E
LETT
ERS
TO T
HE E
DITO
R
Letters to the EditorThe tribute to Roger Trull ‘79 [A Legacy of Leadership, Spring
2011] was very well done, but I note a small correction. In the
sidebar list of his awards, the 2011 entry was cited as the MSU
Lifetime Achievement Award. In fact, it was the MSU Alumni
Association Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership. Th e
award is presented by the MSUAA, which is an affi nity branch
of the McMaster Alumni Association, composed of former MSU
student leaders. Th e award is given to a graduate who exhibited
superior leadership, fi rst as a McMaster student and again in
their career, or in the community, following graduation.
Geoff Ritchie ‘95
MSUAA Executive Member
MSU President ‘96/’97
What a delightfully easy way to go through the magazine,
knowing that you are also saving paper! You have the best of
both possible worlds here, a fl ip book to skim through and read
what you want right away, and a PDF version for more leisurely
reading later. Th anks.
William Sturgess ’51, ’86 (honorary)
Editor’s Note: Th is letter is in reference to the new online fl ip
book format of the Times. You can access the current and past
issues in fl ip book format at bit.ly/McMasterTimes.
Corrections
Due to an editing error in the last issue, there was a reference to
Second World War trench maps. Th e reference should have been
to First World War trench maps.
Th e Spring 2011 McMaster Times was incorrectly identifi ed as
Vol. 23, No.2. It was Vol. 26, No. 1.
This paper has been certifi ed to meet the environmental and social standards of the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®)and comes from fi bres from responsible sources, and verifi ed recycled sources.
dailynews.mcmaster.ca 5
How do you create leaders? There isn’t just one answer
to that question, but if we want to strengthen our society,
it is important that we find as many ways as we can to help
young people develop leadership potential.
McMaster alumni Sam McNutt ‘91, ‘92 & ‘05
(honorary), Lisa Mattam ‘97, ‘01, Tony Valeri ‘79 and
David Williamson ‘83 are just a few of the leaders you’ll
find highlighted in this edition of the Alumni Album.
They are representative of the thousands of McMaster
alumni who continue to have tremendous impact in their
fields of expertise and in their communities.
Current students are anxious to follow in their footsteps,
and I’m anxious to make sure that as many as possible
have the opportunity to be leaders on campus and in the
broader community.
We already have a stellar example of how to make such a
program work. The Bachelor of Health Sciences program
includes a fourth-year course called Peer Tutoring and
Collaboration. The work for the course doesn’t begin in
an undergraduate’s final year. It begins in year one when
students develop their own goals and objectives enabling
them to grow as leaders and members of a team.
Students then gather leadership experience on campus
by mentoring other students, for example, or in the
broader community, where they often volunteer in food
banks, shelters and schools. Each year they continue this
work and when they reach fourth year they register for the
course and compare their leadership objectives with what
they’ve experienced. It’s self-directed learning, inquiry and
community engagement at its best.
There are other examples on campus where programs
have found their own way of providing this sort of
experience for students. But imagine the potential that
would be unleashed if all undergraduate students had such
an opportunity to experience the rush of knowing that
they are making a difference in their community.
It’s an ambitious goal. But McMaster has always been
willing to be a leader. It’s one of the reasons why we have
again been ranked among the top 100 universities in
the world. We continue to be one of only four Canadian
universities to earn this distinction in the annual Shanghai
Jiao Tong University rankings.
This fall, people across the University will be spending
considerable time discovering how to develop further
our tradition of innovative learning and community
involvement. We hope our alumni are a part of that
discussion and the evolution of McMaster as one of
Canada’s leading teaching and research universities.
Patrick Deane ‘11 (honorary)
President, McMaster University
LEADING POTENTIAL
PRESIDENT’S M
ESSAGE
McMaster President Patrick Deane, pictured here at Gore Park in downtown Hamilton, is a fervid proponent of enhancing the University’s focus on innovative learning and com-munity involvement.
JD H
owell
dailynews.mcmaster.ca6
A $45.5-million investment by the Ontario government will allow
McMaster to build a major new liberal arts building that will be used by
more than half the entire student body and improve access to education for
under-represented groups such as Aboriginal people, Crown wards and fi rst-
generation students. Th e Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities,
John Milloy, made the announcement with Minister Sophia Aggelonitis and
MPP Ted McMeekin.
“I know that I speak for everyone when I say how grateful we are to the
province for making this exciting announcement,” said President Patrick
Deane. “It is a signifi cant investment in Hamilton and our region.”
Th e Wilson Building for Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences will
feature a wide range of fl exible spaces for teaching, learning, research and
performance, all equipped with cutting-edge technology. At least 13,000
students will use the building, including students from all of McMaster’s six
faculties. Th e building will create space for 1,275 more students on campus,
in keeping with the province’s post-secondary attainment goals.
bit.ly/McMasterPresident
As part of ongoing efforts to keep the McMaster community informed and engaged, Patrick Deane launched an online video series, “This month with the President.”
NEWSLINE What has happened since the last issue...
UNIV
ERSI
TY N
EWS
MARCH 2011FEB 2011
McMaster’s dream of a downtown health campus gath-
ered momentum this summer.
Th e McMaster Health Campus will be a hub for students,
teaching, patient care and research. It will allow up to
15,000 Hamiltonians from across the city now without a
doctor to have a family physician. Th e City will also relo-
cate some of its public health services and clinics at the site.
Th e Campus will see up to 54,000 patient visits every year
and bring 4,000 McMaster students downtown to partici-
pate in classes, training and events. It will be home to 450
McMaster employees and create 650 jobs during design and
construction. At the time of publication the University was
continuing negotiations with the Hamilton-Wentworth
School Board for its property at Main and Bay Streets for
the health campus.
A class of fi rst-year women’s studies students hosted a
stop on the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers to
Grandmothers speaking tour in the spring. A grandmother
and granddaughter from South Africa (above) came to Mc-
Master to speak about how HIV/AIDS aff ects their com-
munity. Th is coming February, Canadian journalist, writer
and activist Michelle Landsberg will be on campus to speak
about feminism, being a grandmother and the Grandmoth-
ers to Grandmothers campaign.
Grandmas at Mac
bi t . l y /L ibera lAr ts
C H E C K I T O U T O N L I N E AT :
Wilson Building an investment in students
JD H
owell
SLF/Alexis M
acDonald
A McMaster student group launched the University’s
annual TEDx program with a weekend conference. Stu-
dents, professors and University administrators gave
unique Ted talks on a wide range of topics. Learn more
and watch the TEDx McMaster U talks at:
bit.ly/TEDxMcMasterU
Downtown Health Campus
dailynews.mcmaster.ca 7
Experiential Ed turns 10Over the last 10 years, the
Faculty of Social Sciences
has enriched its undergradu-
ate programs with unique ap-
proaches to classroom learn-
ing in several popular expe-
riential education courses.
UNIVERSITY N
EWS
Innovator AwardsThe McMaster Innovator Awards were presented as part of the McMaster In-novation Showcase. Winners included Jack Gauldie ’64, ’11 (honorary) and Mick
Bhatia ’92.
APRIL 2011 MAY 2011 JUNE 2011
bit.ly/MacVoteMob bit.ly/MacInnovator
bi t . l y /VanierCanada
C H E C K I T O U T O N L I N E AT :
McMaster alumnus Adam Felesky ’99 has given $750,000 to
directly benefi t MBA students in the DeGroote School of Business
and prepare them for a career in fi nancial services. Th e Horizons
Exchange Traded Funds CEO made the gift to create a scholarship,
a lecture series and a Burlington campus trading fl oor.
Local philanthropist Murray Hogarth and his company Pioneer Pe-
troleums are supporting business and entrepreneurial students. Th e
$312,500 gift will be used to endow a new Pioneer Petroleums On-
tario Graduate Scholarship and to support the development of the
state-of-the-art Pioneer Petroleums Lecture Th eatre in the DeGroote
School of Business’ Ron Joyce Centre in Burlington.
Canadian orchestra conductor Boris Brott has donated his per-
sonal archives to McMaster. Th e collection includes recordings,
correspondence, fi les, photographs and materials that date back
to his childhood. Brott served as music director of the Hamilton
Philharmonic Orchestra from 1969 to 1990. He has conducted all
over the world and is currently the conductor and music director of
the National Academy Orchestra of Canada.
Global health care company Abbott has donated funds to cre-
ate an endowed education chair in rheumatology, which will be
equally funded by the Department of Medicine in the Michael G.
DeGroote School of Medicine. Th e inaugural chair is McMaster
rheumatologist and clinical professor Dr. Alfred Cividino.
Felesky gift boosts business
Pioneering support for students
Conductor’s archives music to library
Rheumatology education chair established
INVESTING IN MCMASTER
McMaster students participated in a national wave of student vote mobs in the lead-up to the federal election on May 2. See the CBC report here:
JD H
owell
Prime Minister Stephen Harper made his fi rst visit to McMaster campus on Aug. 3 to announce the winners of the prestigious Vanier
Canada Graduate Scholarships for 2011. Th e federal government established the awards in 2009 to attract and retain world class doctoral
students. Each of the 167 recipients of this year’s scholarships, including six from McMaster, will receive $50,000 a year for up to three
years. Above: Prime Minister Harper and President Patrick Deane speak with scholarship winner Carolina Alba.
PM visits Mac
dailynews.mcmaster.ca8
Development director honoured Lorna Somers ’81,
’85 is the 2011 and
first Canadian re-
cipient of the Frank
L. Ashmore Award
for Service to CASE
and the Advancement
Profession. Somers
is McMaster’s director of development and
Engineer grad wins goldCivil engineering
graduate Erica Barnes
’11 won the 2011 Gold
Medal Student Award
from Engineers Can-
ada in recognition of
her focus on sustain-
ability and dedication
to creating change
during her undergraduate years.
Rookie makes national swim team
Konrad Bald, McMaster’s Rookie of the Year,
was selected to the Canadian national swim
team for the North American Challenge Cup
in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in August. The
18-year-old swimmer is 6-foot-6 and special-
izes in breaststroke. He hopes to eventually
make it to the Olympics.
Bringing Brockhouse back to Mac
The Canadian Association of Physicists award-
ed its Brockhouse Medal to Bruce Gaulin ’86.
The medal is named for eminent professor
Bertram Brockhouse, who was awarded the
1994 Nobel Prize for physics. Brockhouse
died in 2003. Gaulin is no stranger to Brock-
house’s name – he is director of McMaster’s
Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research
and is the Brockhouse Chair in the Physics
of Materials in the Department of Physics &
Astronomy.
Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
University professor
and Brain-Body
Institute Director
Dr. John Bienenstock
is one of six 2010
inductees to the
Canadian Medical
Hall of Fame.
Bienenstock’s
landmark studies in pathology and molecular
medicine have fostered an improved
understanding of how the nervous and
immune systems communicate with one
another.
Mac grads make top 40 under 40 Three alumni were included in the Globe and
Mail’s list of the top 40 Canadians under the
age of 40. Karen Bakker ’95, of the Arts &
Science Program, is director of the Program
on Water Governance and a UBC associate
professor. Commerce graduate Naman Budhdeo
’96 is the founder and CEO of Flightnetwork.
com, Canada’s second most visited online travel
agency. Brian Coombes ’97, ’02 is an assistant
professor in the Department of Biochemistry
& Biomedical Sciences and a member of the
Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious
Disease Research.
UNIV
ERSI
TY N
EWS
AWARDS & HONOURS
For many McMaster administrators, a visit from Donald M. Shepherd was like a visit
from Santa Claus. A generous donor to the University, Shepherd would insist on personal-
ly delivering his cheques into the hands of his thankful beneficiaries. The professor emeri-
tus in classics, who died in August 2010, extended his generosity with a planned gift to
the University of $2 million. The gift will support Mills Memorial Library, the McMaster
Museum of Art, the Faculty of Humanities and the Department of Classics.
Researchers in the School of Geography & Earth Sciences and the Department of
Chemistry have received nearly $2.2-million to examine important environmental pro-
cesses in Alberta’s oil sands. Syncrude Canada Ltd. recruited the team, led by Lesley War-
ren, to investigate bacterial sulfur reactions occurring in byproducts of the oil sand ex-
traction process. Syncrude will invest more than $1.14-million in the three-year research
project, with an additional $1.05-million from a Collaborative Research & Development
grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). The re-
search could help speed up the land reclamation process for Syncrude, one of Canada’s
largest oil companies.
Philanthropist Paul MacPherson ‘57, ‘10 (honorary), a passionate supporter of students,
education and the arts at McMaster, gave $2 million to establish the Paul R. MacPher-
son Chair in Indigenous Studies and the Paul MacPherson Teaching Fellowships in the
Centre for Leadership in Learning. He has also given an expansive collection of nearly
50 important works by artists of the Woodland School to the McMaster Museum of Art.
MacPherson also presented a rare ancient white pine wood bowl created by artisan Don
Thur. The wood dates back more than 8,000 years to the end of the last ice age. The pre-
cious artifact will be displayed at Thode Library.
Thirteen regional construction organizations have pledged
more than $1.25 million to establish a chair in heavy con-
struction at McMaster. Saiedeh Razavi will be the inaugural
chair holder. She comes to McMaster from Concordia
University and will hold an academic appointment in the
Department of Civil Engineering as well as with the
McMaster-Mohawk Bachelor of Technology civil engineer-
ing technology program.
Bequest supports Library, Museum and Humanities
Syncrude supports oil sands research
Heavy construction chair created
Indigenous studies, teaching fellowships supported
Investing in McMaster continued
has been an active member of the Council for
the Advancement and Support of Education
(CASE) for more than 15 years. Throughout
her career, she has shared her expertise at more
than 40 conferences across four continents. She
has also played a key role in building a culture
of philanthropy in Africa through her work
as mentor and teacher as part of a partnership
between CASE and the Carnegie Corporation
of New York.
dailynews.mcmaster.ca 9
Under Rice LakeLisa Sonnenburg, a
School of Geography
& Earth Sciences
instructor, has turned
up evidence of hu-
man activity that has
been submerged since
Rice Lake covered it
thousands of years ago.
Using extracted core samples, Sonnenburg
and her team discovered microdebitage, or
the accumulation of tiny flakes of stone chips,
indicating that tool-making took place on the
land now at the bottom of the lake.
Tiny worms,
big jobMcMaster researchers
are using a $450,000
grant from the Col-
laborative Health
Research Projects
program to test drugs
for the treatment of
Parkinson’s disease on
thousands of tiny worms. They are using new
technology created at the University to assess
the effects of more than 500 drug compounds
on nematodes – tiny worms that are almost
invisible to the naked eye, but which share
more than 50 per cent of their DNA with
humans.
Stem cell specificsA new discovery by McMaster researchers
shows how human stem cells turn into more
specialized cell types, such as neural or blood
cells. The research team, led by Mick Bhatia
‘92, discovered that stem cells have a preferred
specialization, such as becoming blood cells,
and are stronger if put to this purpose. The re-
search, nearly five years in the making, shows
that the preference of human stem cells is
encoded by how their DNA is arranged, and
this can be detected by specific proteins on the
surface of the stem cells. Common scientific
belief has been that all stem cells have equal
potential to become all types of cells.
New radiation standards Interim results of a
new study show that
additional radiation
treatment improves
survival rates and de-
creased recurrence of
breast cancer in some
women. The study was
led by Dr. Timothy J.
Whelan and looked
at more than 1,800
women who had been treated with breast-
conserving surgery followed by chemotherapy
or endocrine therapy. A five-year follow-up
showed 30 per cent improvement in disease-
free survival.
UNIVERSITY N
EWS
RESEARCH NEWS Mapping McMaster’s reach McMaster faculty and students are all around
the world, studying abroad, competing in-
ternationally, performing groundbreaking
research and working toward solutions to
some of the world’s most pressing issues. Read
about the work they’re doing in our own
backyard and across the globe on McMaster’s
interactive map: bit.ly/MacMap
Feline vaccineA team of McMaster
researchers has devel-
oped a vaccine to treat
cat allergies. Led by
immunologist Mark
Larche, the research
team created the vac-
cine by isolating a
protein in cat fur that
causes most allergic reactions. The team is
now using the same process to create vaccines
for house dust mites, ragweed, grass, birch
trees and mould.
It’s all in the voiceA study from the Department of Psychology,
Neuroscience & Behaviour links voice pitch
to perceived infidelity. Researchers found that
women believe that the lower a man’s voice,
the more likely it is he will cheat. Conversely,
they found that men believe women with
higher voices are more likely to be unfaithful.
Knowing in your gutMcMaster researchers have discovered that
the bacteria in our guts can influence the
development of psychiatric illness and meta-
bolic disorders like obesity and diabetes. The
research was conducted by Jane Foster at the
Brain-Body Institute. She hopes that the dis-
covery could lead to therapies that target the
body, free of complications related to current
psychiatric treatments. McMaster research-
ers Stephen Collins and Premysl Bercik have
also conducted research that suggests bacteria
residing in the gut influence brain chemistry
and behaviour.
Mating mammothsA DNA-based study out of McMaster’s an-
thropology and biology departments suggests
that the woolly mammoth mated with a com-
pletely different and much larger species. The
research team sequenced the complete genome
of two mammoths discovered in Utah and
Wyoming and compared the sequences to the
genome of a previously discovered mammoth.
The comparison showed two different species,
suggesting that mammoths interbred.
Scoping Stoney Creek soldiersAnthropologist Megan Brickley is using high-tech equipment to analyze the events of the
Battle of Stoney Creek during the War of 1812. The remains of soldiers killed in the battle
were unearthed in 1998 and Brickley is studying the skeletons with a $15-million state-of-
the-art electron microscope and other sophisticated imaging technology. Her research will
reveal information about the health, nationality, age and gender of the soldiers.
dailynews.mcmaster.ca10
What is your role at McMaster?
I am a teaching professor. I teach Introduction
to Psychology. It’s a gigantic course – about
5,000 students enrol in an academic year. I
also direct the Pedagogy and Applied Cogni-
tion Lab, and this research is directly linked
to my teaching. I’m investigating what condi-
tions lead to effective teaching and learning
and how to use learning technology to help
that process. And I can give you a hint: it’s
not “death by bullet points!”The third part of
my job is working with various groups across
campus on teaching and learning issues.
You recently redesigned the Introduction
to Psychology course. Tell us about your
approach.
I think that in designing a course, you have to
honour the face-to-face time. You also have to
consider the role of the instructor. They have
all this knowledge and experience. It’s a waste
of time to have them just say “Okay, now
memorize this, this, this.” The actual context
and stories and experiences that they can
share are much more valuable.
Introduction to Psychology is different
from every other course on campus. We use
what we call a blended learning model. We
moved all the facts, theories and terms into
interactive web lectures. Then we have tuto-
rial groups with only 25 students each, led by
teaching assistants who take a course with me
called Educational Psychology. The final com-
ponent is one weekly lecture that I deliver. My
goal is to give a colloquium – an interesting,
engaging talk that builds on the foundational
information established in the web lectures
and tutorials. I even have some students who
bring their parents to my lectures.
Why did you choose McMaster as a
student and what made you come back
to McMaster?
I really loved the campus. I loved the people
who I met, and that really drew me. What
also drew me back was this specific position. I
was one of the first teaching professors hired.
It’s so forward-thinking, having a faculty
member whose focus is on teaching. I think
it’s a great thing. McMaster is really ahead of
the curve. Parents love hearing that most of
my career merit is determined by my teaching
and how well I’m doing at it. That’s who they
want taking care of their students.
Who are your mentors?
One is Shep Siegel ‘08 (honorary), who was
my grad supervisor. He gave amazing feed-
back and really cared about my career progress
and development. I learned a lot from him.
He’s my role model for how I am as a grad su-
pervisor myself, now that I supervise two grad
students. The other is Dick Day ‘77. He ran
Introduction to Psychology for many years,
and I took over from him in 2007. I talk to
him all the time. There’s always something
new I learn from him. He has great insight,
and he’s the most patient person I’ve ever met.
He actually hired me as a TA for Introduction
to Psychology when I was in my undergrad.
The field of teaching and learning seems
to be constantly evolving. Why?
I think there’s a lot of interest growing in
pedagogy research because, for the most part,
we’re stuck in the same old ways. But it’s im-
portant to rigorously test out new ideas. It’s
easy to have theory, but actually implement-
ing it properly and thoughtfully takes a lot
of research time. Whether or not a new idea
is effective depends on how it’s implemented.
New pedagogical ideas are often related to
learning technology, but we need to consider
how it can be used to really engage students. I
think the key with learning technology is not
just using technology for the sake of technol-
ogy, but using it thoughtfully.
Why is lifelong learning important, and
what role does the University play in life-
long learning?
It’s important for continued intellectual stim-
ulation, for things such as memory and atten-
tion. Being engaged makes you a more active
person – physically and intellectually.
We run a Discover Psychology lecture series
that was created specifically for a general
public audience. The lectures are designed
to be really interesting and engaging. They
run on Friday afternoons during the school
year. They’re free and we film them so they’re
downloadable on iTunes.
We really get a wide selection of people that
come out to these talks, and people have so
many interesting questions. The professors
like giving the talks because they’re looking
back at an audience of people who are really
interested. I think this sort of public outreach
program is really important and a key part of
a university community.
What are you most looking forward
to this year?
We’ve just revamped our Level II honours
psychology program, which is a huge deal. It’s
been years in the planning and we’re debuting
it this year. We have a course called Integrated
Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour that
covers topics from across all three major areas
in our department, so we have three different
faculty members. Every two weeks there’s a
different module looked at from these three
perspectives. Part of what I think will be the
magic of this course is seeing these three fac-
ulty members interact and maybe even debate.
I think that’s really good behaviour to model
for students. Things aren’t cut and dry in sci-
ence; things are debatable and there are differ-
ent perspectives.
TEACHING TO LEARN
Joe Kim ’95, ’00 doesn’t get much rest
throughout his work day. The Mac alumnus-
turned-teaching professor keeps himself busy
reinventing teaching and learning at the Uni-
versity. But even during down time in his of-
fice, Kim doesn’t actually sit – he stands. “I
do my best thinking this way,” he says, flick-
ing a switch to demonstrate that his tall desk
is motorized to lower to sitting level, a con-
venient option for the rare occasion when he
needs to rest his feet. Kim recently stood and
shared his experiences about working, teaching
and learning at McMaster.
MEE
T M
cMAS
TER
Sample web lecture for Introduction to Psychology: http://intropsych.net Discover Psychology public lecture series: http://www.discoverpsychology.ca
dailynews.mcmaster.ca 11
FAVOURITE McMaster Things
Mentor(s):
Shep Siegel, Dick Day.
Transportation to work:
Bike. I like having built-in exercise. Sometimes I’ll
walk.
Building on campus:
The student centre. There’s always activity there
and it’s a great meeting space.
Place to eat on campus:
Coffee at MoMac. Bridges for food.
Place to eat off-campus:
La Luna. They have the best tabbouli.
Time of year on campus:
Fall. It’s an exciting time. It’s energized.
Place to do your best thinking:
Here. I like my office.
Student resource on campus:
Student Success Centre. There are all these re-
sources out there to help students that they might
not know about or don’t think they need.
JD H
owell
dailynews.mcmaster.ca12
JD H
owell
dailynews.mcmaster.ca 13
CHANGIN
G HATS
Janet Lewis ’96 graduated in kinesiology, taught English in Korea,
trained as a teacher, worked in an e-learning start-up, and launched her
own online retail business. “At some point in time,” she says, “if you
want to be fulfi lled, you have to be willing to take risks and try new
things.”
Lewis is one of many Mac grads whose career paths have surprising
twists and turns. It’s a growing trend. More and more people are mov-
ing through multiple and diverse jobs in the course of their working
lives. Th e numbers are
not precise – estimates
range from two to 19
diff erent jobs per person–
but it’s clear that the days
of graduating from uni-
versity and spending the
next 40 years with the
same company are over.
According to a recent U.S. study, only 10 per cent of employees have
spent 20 years or more with the same employer, and 23 per cent have
spent less than 12 months.
Th e reasons are many. Some careers evolve or simply disappear as
technology moves forward, and markets ebb and fl ow. New careers
are being created: one study estimates that 65 per cent of children in
preschool today will be employed in jobs that don’t yet exist. Catherine
Maybrey, McMaster’s alumni career coach, notes that more companies
are hiring contract workers and fewer are off ering pensions, making the
decision to move on easier. “It’s a global economy,” she adds. “Jobs are
shifting to diff erent locations. It’s harder than ever to have one single
career.”
As often as not, a change in career refl ects a change in family situa-
tion or a lifestyle choice. It can be a way to realize a childhood dream
or live a personal passion.
For many, it’s about seiz-
ing opportunities when
they present themselves
and taking risks when the
rewards are great.
What can Mac gradu-
ates do to thrive in the
new world of multiple ca-
reers? “You have to keep learning,” says Maybrey. “It could be through
formal education, or informally through mentoring. If your skills are
outdated, you won’t be able to move forward.”
Th e McMaster Times spoke to six alumni who seized opportunities,
took risks, and donned several diff erent hats in pursuit of their dreams.
Here are their stories:
Changing HatsWinding career paths are the new norm.
What advice do McMaster alumni have for today’s graduates?
Seize the opportunities!
David Robinson ’91, ’02
Family medicine > Sports medicine
Carla Sorowka ’06, ’08
Business manager > Academic
administrator
“… if you want to be fulfi lled,
you have to be willing to take
risks and try new things.”
by Pat Mordenphotography by JD Howell ‘04
dailynews.mcmaster.ca14
CHAN
GIN
G HA
TS
Janet Lewis ‘96
A kinesiology student and stand-out varsity volleyball player, Janet
Lewis dreamed of becoming a university coach. When she tore her
ACL in her fi nal year, everything changed. She spent two and a
half years teaching English as a second language in Korea, and then
enrolled in education at the University of Toronto. A placement in
corporate training at the Bank of Montreal led to a job with a start-up
e-learning company.
Lewis had found her passion. She loved what technology could do
and embraced its challenges. At the same time, she was exploring her
artistic side by making jewellery in partnership with her sister. Th ey
sold their work at trade shows, a process that seemed to Lewis anti-
quated in the digital age. “Trade shows are so much work. Some of
them are more than worth it, others are terrible.” She decided there
must be a better way.
Th at thought led to the creation of orangefi sh.ca, a company that
retails unique handcrafted gift and fashion items online. Lewis started
in 2006 by selling a selection of products at trade shows, gathering
information about consumer preferences and pricing. Th e website
debuted in 2007 and underwent a major re-design in 2010. Today the
membership base is nearly 4,000 and growing steadily.
Lewis says her time at Mac, and especially her experience as a var-
sity athlete, has been useful throughout her diverse careers. “I learned
about the communication and discipline required to be part of a
team,” she says. “I also learned the value of being frank and open.”
Lewis urges today’s graduates to, “Never do something because
somebody else thinks you should.” She adds: “Whatever path you’re
on, when other opportunities arise, consider taking them.”
Shean Stacey ‘91
As a rough-and-tumble kid growing up in North Vancouver, Shean
Stacey was patched up many times at the local hospital emergency de-
partment. He dreamed of becoming a doctor, but it was only a dream
– his family was of modest means and university seemed out of reach.
Instead he became a long-distance truck driver, then a lab technician
in a high-tech explosives plant, and then a member of the RCMP.
Still drawn to his childhood dream, he explored the McMaster med-
ical program. During a visit to campus, he met with a counsellor who
told him that while medical school might be a stretch, he should con-
sider nursing. He took the advice.
It wasn’t easy for Stacey and his wife. “When we fi rst moved to
Hamilton there was a store that made 22-inch pizzas,” he recalls. “We
would live off one of those pizzas for a week!” He worked in the hospi-
tal to pay for his studies, racking up nearly 10,000 hours of seniority
by the time he graduated.
After Mac he worked as a nurse for a year and then at the age of 35
was accepted into medicine at the University of Calgary. Today he is
an anesthesiologist at Foothills Medical Centre. “I love what I do,” he
says. “I have an unseemly amount of fun at work.”
Stacey says his unusual career path was motivated by a burning desire
to realize his potential. “I was trying to climb out of a rut that I didn’t
want to get stuck in for the rest of my life,” he says. “I felt there was
more I could do.”
He knows there are many young people eager to follow in his foot-
steps into medicine. “You have to develop a strong vision of yourself
doing what you want to do,” he says. “At the same time it makes sense
to have a good back-up plan.”
Tom Wolfe ‘94
As a teenager growing up in the “wilds of Mississauga,” Tom Wolfe was
fascinated by a photograph of a man climbing a B.C. mountain that
appeared on the cover of a Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) cata-
logue. Wolfe was inspired. While in Mac’s Arts & Science Program, he
spent every summer planting trees and climbing mountains in western
Canada. Th e day he fi nished his last exam, he moved to Canmore,
planning to become a certifi ed mountain guide.
Life intervened. His wife Deb suff ered a miscarriage, and he decided
that guiding didn’t fi t with family life. He completed a bachelor of
education at the University of Calgary and began working with the
Stoney Education Authority, a group of First Nations schools west of
Calgary. Although his teaching subject was English, the schools needed
help with their computer systems. He had a talent and interest in tech-
nology and by 2006 found himself working solely in IT, for the school
board and as an independent consultant.
Two years ago, Wolfe decided it was the right time to pursue his
original dream. He took a year off work and completed the rigorous
international certifi cation for mountain guiding. Th e man who handed
Wolfe his certifi cate was the same one who appeared on the MEC
cover many years earlier.
Wolfe loves the variety in his job, which involves everything from
mountain climbing with a group of young people in the warm summer
sun, to guiding a single climber across the Columbia ice fi elds in snow.
“As a guide I work with some very well-educated and successful people
who spend a lot of money for a brief experience of the sort I have all the
time,” he says. “I’m not suggesting they’d prefer to have my life, but
there is huge value in doing something you love.”
Hedie Epp ‘81
Hedie Epp was working as a registered nurse at a community health
centre in Winnipeg in the late 1970s. Th e centre needed more nurse
practitioners, but in those early days they were hard to fi nd. Epp sug-
gested that she be sent to McMaster to do the training. To her surprise,
her boss agreed.
When the program was complete, she returned to Manitoba, work-
ing at the centre and on northern reserves. Th en in the course of three
years, she experienced three devastating bereavements – a murder, an
accidental death and a suicide, all aff ecting people close to her. While
she was working her way through the grieving process, she noticed
a job listing for an investigator with the medical examiner’s offi ce in
Winnipeg.
Th e medical examiner’s offi ce investigates all deaths that occur out-
side a hospital – car crashes, homicides, suicides, deaths at home and at
work – and all children’s deaths. Investigators decide when an autopsy
is required and work closely with families during the fi rst days and
weeks of bereavement.
dailynews.mcmaster.ca 15
Epp began to realize that grieving families often don’t have the sup-
port they need. “Non-grieving people have no idea about the length
of grief or intensity of devastation caused by a sudden death,” she says.
She started a consulting business to educate people working in support
systems about the realities of death and grief. Now retired, she con-
tinues to work in the fi eld.
Epp says her diverse career is linked by a focus on crisis and caring,
and a willingness to take opportunities as they present themselves. “Be
open to challenges,” she advises fellow graduates. “Don’t be afraid to
change what you’re doing. I’ve taken some risks, and the experience has
been phenomenal.”
Farhan Lalji ‘00
When Farhan Lalji started
his degree in kinesiology, he was
planning to become a doctor. One day
the professor in his sports psychology class
asked if anyone could help him put his notes up
on the internet. Lalji volunteered. Th e following year
he did an internship with the Ontario Physical Health and
Education Association, helping build websites and electronic
communications.
He liked the work but it was hard to fi nd a job in Canada, in an
industry still dominated by engineers. During a vacation in London,
England, he began to see more opportunities. When he accidentally
missed his fl ight home, he decided to stay.
Lalji did contract work for international media company Saatchi &
Saatchi, and then joined start-up company pixelpark as a designer and
developer. From there it was on to Casenove and Co., an investment
bank, and fi nally to Precedent Communications as a consultant and
director of business development. Along the way, he completed an
MBA part-time at the London Business School.
After a stint with Yahoo that took him to the new European head-
quarters in Switzerland, Lalji felt he was ready to launch his own online
business. Ad Avengers is an application that helps agencies compare
diff erent advertising channels and make informed decisions about
where to spend their budget. Th e application launched in July 2011.
Lalji says his time at McMaster helped him develop resilience, in-
dependence and a basic understanding of many subjects. Perhaps most
important, it gave him a chance to discover his passion for technology.
“Th e world is a diff erent place than it was 20 years ago,” Lalji says.
“Because of technology, there are lots of opportunities that didn’t exist
then. You have to be open to change and opportunity. And you have to
be passionate about what you’re doing.”
Paul Beckwith ’84, ‘86
When Paul Beckwith was a child, his hero was oceanographer Jacques
Cousteau. But growing up in Oakville, Ontario, there wasn’t much
opportunity to explore the sea and he turned to other scientifi c inter-
ests. Today as a PhD student in climatology, Beckwith is taking core
samples of the ocean fl oor to help understand the impact of carbon in
the Earth’s atmosphere.
After degrees in engineering physics and laser physics at Mac, Beck-
with spent two years working at an aerospace research centre in Cali-
fornia, and then returned to Canada and a job at an Ottawa-based laser
company. His career path took its fi rst turn when he was laid off and
his father died of lung cancer. He settled in Oakville for a time and
pursued his interest in chess. Soon he was working as an administrator
at Toronto’s Chess ‘n Math Association, teaching children, and com-
peting nationally and internationally.
Ready to get back into science but disillusioned with poor funding
for research in Canada, Beckwith became a software tester and then a
product manager with companies growing rapidly in the tech boom.
When the bust came, he once again found himself considering his op-
tions.
Along the way, Beckwith had developed a passionate interest in the
issue of climate change, both from the scientifi c and political perspec-
tives. “Our climate is undergoing huge change,” he says. “Every time
there’s a projection based on computer modeling or simulations, what
actually happens exceeds it.” He started a PhD in physics and then
decided to pursue the subject that mattered most to him, joining the
climatology program at the University of Ottawa. He plans to teach
and do research in the academic world, while continuing to advocate
for better public policy. “I fi nd it all fascinating,” he says. “I told my
wife that I think I may have fi nally found what I want to do with my
life!”
CHANGIN
G HATS
Tom Venner ’81, ’91Biochemistry > Financial planning
Millie Zhou ’05Teacher > Author
Robert Remedios ’74Auditor > Online entrepreneur
Duncan Sanderson ’77
Physical education > Sociology
Rami Reda ’07Retail manager > Award-winning entrepreneur
Tony Di Emanuele ’00
Business development > Health sector CEO
Julie Vinnai ’04
Philosophy > International
business
dailynews.mcmaster.ca 17
In May 2011 a group of 50 Grade 7 students
from Cathy Wever Elementary School in
Hamilton descended on McMaster’s campus
for three raucous and joyous days. Led by
enthusiastic McMaster students, they played
games, did rock climbing, visited the plane-
tarium, the radio station and the green screen,
went on a scavenger hunt, visited with the
“bat man,” and attended the first ever Hamil-
ton Nationals lacrosse team game. Staying in
residence was a special part of the experience,
especially for one student who is used to shar-
ing her bedroom at home with seven other
children. “It was a fantastic experience,” says
Laura Laverty ’03, the public health nurse
who helped organize the visit. “The kids had
a blast!”
The visit was more than just good fun. It
was part of a strategy to introduce children
from one of Hamilton’s neighbourhoods to
the possibility of going to university. “We
intentionally arranged for them to travel to
campus on a city bus,” Laverty says. “It was
very important to let them know that Mc-
Master is right in their backyard.”
The Cathy Wever visit is just one of many
activities happening at McMaster to encour-
age and support students from under-repre-
sented groups who might not otherwise attend
university.
Research has shown that several groups –
those with lower family income, Aboriginal
and disabled youth, Crown wards, children
whose parents didn’t attend university, and
others – are significantly less likely to attend
university than students who grow up with
the expectation of post-secondary education.
That’s a concern, says Charlotte Yates, dean
of Social Sciences. “We pride ourselves on
having a public education system,” she says.
“It follows that we want to make sure that all
citizens have equal access and opportunity to
grow.” Danielle Stayzer ’92, ’97, manager of
transition and academic success in the Stu-
dent Success Centre, adds that removing bar-
riers for under-represented groups helps ensure
the University can draw the best students
from the widest pool of candidates.
But the issue goes deeper. There is clear
evidence that the income and employment
gap between those with post-secondary educa-
tion and those without is growing. We know
that people with more education are generally
healthier and live longer. Says Yates, “If we
want to have an impact on poverty, create a
sustainable health system, and improve the
quality of life for Canadians, one way is to
ensure that those who want to go to university
are able to do so.” Supporting students from
these groups is nothing new for McMaster.
The Indigenous Studies Program has been
supporting Aboriginal students since the early
1990s and the Aboriginal students health
sciences office has been in operation since
the late 1990s. The University now has an
Aboriginal recruitment and retention officer,
Jennie Anderson, based in the registrar’s of-
fice. Although there is always more to be
done, there are now more than 100 Aboriginal
students at McMaster. In recent years, two of
these students became class presidents in the
MD program.
Students whose parents didn’t attend uni-
versity also face barriers. A study published
last winter found that having no family his-
tory of college or university is “the most sig-
nificant obstacle to post-secondary education”
in Canada.
For the past three years, the University
has addressed the problem through its First
Generation Students Program. The program
offers networking events, peer mentoring,
academic preparedness courses, and referrals
to other support services. During the last
academic year the Faculty of Social Sciences
participated, also providing peer mentoring,
developing a training module for staff and
faculty, and offering a first year Inquiry class
that allowed students to develop and hone
their academic skills in a small group setting.
CLIMBIN
G TO NEW
HEIGHTS
CLIMBING TO NEW HEIGHTS
McMaster reaches out to attract and support students who
might not otherwise consider a university education.
Left: Grade 7 students from Cathy Wever Elementary School tackle the outdoor climbing tower at McMaster’s ALTITUDE facilities.
by Pat Mordenphotography by JD Howell ‘04
dailynews.mcmaster.ca18
There’s a website with targeted information
and a brochure that tells parents how they can
support their university students. Stayzer says
that the goal is to reach out to the students to
help them feel that they are part of something
that has meaning for them, and to know that
they are supported.
In another initiative, the Faculty of Social
Sciences is planning to offer a free university-
level credit course for first generation students.
The course will begin at a local high school,
and move to McMaster. “This is a chance for
students who think they can’t do university to
experience success and begin to make the dif-
ficult transition to campus,” says Yates.
Yates and Stayzer work with a group that
faces even more daunting barriers to univer-
sity -- Crown wards. Among other activities,
two groups of Crown wards – Grade 7 and 8
students, and Grade 11 and 12 students – are
invited to visit campus. The older students
learn about financial aid and academic re-
quirements, as well as getting a sense of what
the University looks and feels like. They are
invited to pick a book of their choice at the
book store, and receive McMaster sweatshirts.
“It’s amazing to see it happen,” says Stayzer.
“They put on their sweatshirts and they in-
stantly identify with Mac.” For the younger
students, it’s a fun day similar to the Cathy
Wever program. Both groups get tips and
perspectives from a Crown ward who has been
successful at university. There is also an ongo-
ing peer mentorship program.
Yates makes a point of participating in many
of the activities and connects one-on-one with
many Crown wards. “The number of caring
adults in their lives is minimal,” she says. “I
want to be one of them. They know who I am
and they know they can call on me.”
For some non-traditional students, college
may seem more affordable and manageable
than university. McMaster is working to open
up new pathways from college to university
for students who ultimately aspire to a univer-
sity degree. The University already has a num-
ber of collaborative programs with Mohawk
College, and is developing more. Among the
most innovative is the Health and Commu-
nity Studies program, designed to help college
diploma students and graduates in the health
and social services fields complete a degree
with two or three years of additional study.
The program, says Susan Denburg, associate
dean (academic), Faculty of Health Sciences,
is designed to address community needs. It
will help diploma graduates upgrade their
knowledge and skills in the social determi-
nants of health, health systems, health policy,
management and leadership. “We all under-
stand the link between poverty and health,”
she says. “This program will give students
what they need to take on positions of leader-
ship and to mobilize the various agencies that
must work together.” It will be developed in
consultation with community stakeholders
and may involve part-time and online studies.
For those who have moved beyond high
school and college, the possibility of university
can seem even more distant. Jean Wilson,
director of McMaster’s Arts & Science pro-
gram, is spearheading the McMaster Discov-
ery Program, designed to reach out to any
Hamilton residents who may face barriers to
post-secondary education.
Wilson heard about similar programs at
an educational conference last October and
brought the idea back to McMaster. It took
root quickly, with strong support from Presi-
dent Deane. The pilot course, “Voicing Ham-
ilton,” taught by English professor Daniel
Coleman, will get under way in September.
It focuses on works of art that tell the story
of Hamilton, and will engage students in ex-
pressing their own experiences of the city. One
of the texts for the course is a graphic novel
created and self-published by Tings Chak ’09,
an Arts & Science graduate.
The McMaster Discovery coordinator,
Jeanette Eby ’09, is working through com-
munity agencies to identify potential students.
They will complete an application and un-
dergo an interview. “The process is designed
to ensure that students know what they’re
getting into and can experience success,” says
Wilson. “When they take this course, we want
them to discover things about themselves and
McMaster. We want them to discover that
university can be part of their reality.”
And that, ultimately, is what this initiative
and many others are about – making univer-
sity part of the reality for students who face
real and perceived barriers to post-secondary
education. Is it working? It’s probably too
early to tell, but Laura Laverty has seen one
positive sign.
At the last day of the visit, she asked the
Grade 7 students how many of them had
considered university before coming to cam-
pus. Three or four students shyly raised their
hands. Then she asked them how many were
considering university since participating in
the program. A forest of arms waved back at
her. “We’ve still got lots of work to do with
these kids,” she says, “but at least they know
now that university is accessible.”
CLIM
BIN
G TO
NEW
HEI
GHTS
Students from Cathy Wever Elementary School learn about academic life at the Lyons New Media Centre in Mills Memorial Library.
“This is a chance for
students who think they
can’t do university to
experience success ...”
dailynews.mcmaster.ca 19
JOIN McMASTER UNIVERSITY ALUMNAE for the second annual Professional Development day in downtown Toronto. Spend the day in thought-provoking sessions while networking with other professional women looking to broaden their horizons and acquire new skills.
FEATURING | Jill Birch, Leadership & Strategic Performance Expert
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012 | 8:15am - 4:00 pmLOCATION | Toronto Board of Trade, 7 Adelaide St. West, TorontoCOST | $100 per person
For more information visit www.alumni.mcmaster.ca or email: [email protected]
Leadership, Networking, & MoreMAC WOMEN’S SUMMIT:
(almost)
Happy anniversary to us!
alumni.mcmaster.ca
dailynews.mcmaster.ca 21
It’s true – McMaster is getting set to celebrate its 125th anniversary in
2012. In preparation for the big event, we are looking for 125 McMaster
“favourite things” from our alumni.
As alumni, you have experienced some of your life’s most important moments at McMaster. You have forged friendships, found inspiration,
competed, collaborated, struggled, succeeded and revelled in life on campus. Whatever it is, we want to know: What is your favourite thing about
McMaster? It may not be raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, but it could be a professor, a class, a building, a sport, a moment in time or
anything at all! Send us a word, a sentence, a paragraph, even a photo or sketch. It’s all up to you.
We’ve already asked some alumni who have stayed connected to the University community as employees or volunteers. You can see some of
their favourite things displayed on pages 22 and 23.
We’ve also set up a website for this project. Go to www.mcmaster125.ca to see what your fellow alumni have submitted as their McMaster fa-
vourite things. Th en, submit yours to the website or send us an email at [email protected].
Alumni who submit their McMaster favourite things will be entered into a contest to win an iPad! We’ll reveal a sampling of 125 of your favou-
rite things about McMaster in our next issue, so stay tuned.
McM
ASTER UNIVERSITY TURN
S 125 (almost)
“The front of University Hall, the building
dailynews.mcmaster.ca22
member I have always loved the
McM
ASTE
R UN
IVER
SITY
TUR
NS
125
(alm
ost)
“Live music at the Rat.”
Laila Bastedo ’92, ’95, ’08
“Partying at the Board of
(honorary)
dailynews.mcmaster.ca 23
from north of Orillia to Hamilton
by students from the University of
McM
ASTER UNIVERSITY TURN
S 125 (almost)
Jim Greenlee ‘68, ‘69 & ‘75 has been given three years to sum up a 30-year
period at McMaster.
His research has taken him from the basement archives in Mills Memo-
rial Library to dusty broom closets in the engineering building, and he has
gathered more than 10,000 pages of handwritten notes in the two years
since he began the project. His goal is to turn these pages into a complete
volume of history before the end of McMaster’s 125th anniversary year.
Greenlee is tasked with chronicling the years from 1957 to 1987 at Mc-
Master. Th e period includes milestones such as the transition from Baptist
to non-secular, the opening of the nuclear reactor, the adoption of the
interdisciplinary model that continues to defi ne McMaster and the Univer-
sity’s largest sit-in protest that involved 4,000 students.
Th e book will be the third volume of the University’s history; professor
emeritus Charles Johnston ‘49 previously published McMaster University,
Volume 1: Th e Toronto Years and McMaster University, Volume 2: Th e
Early Years in Hamilton.
Now retired, Greenlee taught history at Memorial University for 30
years. A Hamilton native, he has returned to campus for four months every
summer and hasn’t missed a season of the Graduate Students’ Association
softball league since 1968.
Writing McMaster’s
history
dailynews.mcmaster.ca24
THERE IS NOTHING TO BE FEAREDYour entrance into student
life at Mac in September will
be marked by a period of “fun-
filled” initiation. The Year ’61
Initiation Rules (August 1957)
reads: “There is nothing to be
feared if the initiations are en-
tered into in the right frame of
mind.”
Everyone who reads the
McMaster Times likely has an
emotional connection to the
University. If you’re invested in McMaster, it’s likely focused on a con-
cept of McMaster at a particular time – your time. You think of certain
spaces and buildings on campus, certain fashions, routines and people.
When it gets down to it, your individual idea of McMaster is probably
based on a handful of moments and memories that defined you at a
particular age more than they defined the University as a whole.
The bench where you proposed, the cafeteria where you met your best
friend, the residence hallway where you decided on grad school instead
of taking that job offer – these are your places more than the Universi-
ty’s. There are no plaques or monuments to these moments in your life
and so sometimes they may feel a little insubstantial – especially when
things change on campus.
I see that a lot. At events and meetings, through e-mail or phone
calls, Mac grads ask me if the Downstairs John is still there (it’s a day-
care now), if first-year students (once known as “frosh”) still do the
Pyjama Parade (yes, but the shenanigans have been toned down) or if
kids still tray-boggan in Faculty Hollow (not so frequently now with
global warming). If the locations, events and traditions of a person’s
memories have disappeared, there is always disappointment.
I feel the same. I miss the Rat. When I graduated, the ceremony
was in a sweaty Ivor Wynne Centre, not an air-conditioned Hamilton
Place. I loved the stinky and sticky old Togo Salmon Hall cafeteria.
But here’s the good part. I have the same conversations with grads of
the ’40s and grads of the ’90s. The more things change, the more they
stay the same. McMaster evolves. It’s how we’ve become one of the top
100 universities in the world. With something like 9,000 universities
worldwide, that’s the top 1.1 per cent globally. You don’t get there by
sitting still.
So as the Class of 2015 begins its time at McMaster, we can be con-
fident in two things. First, those students will create exactly the kinds
of memories and moments in the next four years as the Class of 1961 or
any other class in Mac’s 124-year history. And not long after the Class
of 2015 graduates, its members will wonder what happened to their
personal places and routines.
In fact, that may be one of the greatest McMaster traditions of all. It’s
certainly better than the mandatory mismatched shoes and half-inch
brush cuts faced by the Class of 1961 and far more timeless than the
“Marauders” chant those frosh were forced to learn: “Marauders go.
Marauders win. Smear the foe, then we’re in. O-kee-fen-o-kee, o-kee-
fen-oo. McMaster, McMaster, McMaster U!!!”
AS TIME MOVES FORWARD
This upcoming year represents
a significant milestone in the
history of Mac – 2012 will
mark the 125th anniversary of
McMaster University. We are all
a part of a shared history that
has been marked by significant
changes over this time period.
As each year passes, the number
of Mac alumni grows. As of the
2011 Spring Convocation at
Mac, there are now more than
152,000 Mac grads located in 129 countries around the world. The
influence of a Mac education is truly having an effect at a global level.
As time moves forward, the McMaster Alumni Association also con-
tinues to change as a reflection of the diversity of its growing alumni
membership. While our rich history will always be a source of pride
for our alumni, continuing to embrace the change that lies ahead of us
will be equally important. This will ensure that the Alumni Association
will be as relevant as possible to the ever growing number of McMaster
grads.
As a Mac grad, you may possibly go through various changes in your
personal “connection” to the University and the part you play in its
overall history. In the early years following graduation, you may stay
closely connected to many of the friends you’ve made during your time
at Mac. Or, you may seek out the support of McMaster career services
as you contemplate the development of your career plans. At another
point in time, you may find you have a greater interest in the overall
developments underway at McMaster or you may want to stay abreast
of the countless accomplishments your fellow grads are achieving
around the world. At yet another time, you may decide that you’d like
to re-connect with your Mac roots and become more actively involved
in a volunteer role of some kind. The Alumni Association is here to
support all of these connection points and more! I encourage you to
pursue the ones that work best for you in the present and at any point
in the future.
I’m delighted to represent our Mac grads in the role of McMaster
Alumni Association president for the upcoming year. A warm welcome
to Peter Tice ’72 who is now one of the representatives on the Univer-
sity Senate. I look forward to working with all of the dedicated mem-
bers of the Alumni Association board and the University as a whole. I
extend a very special thank you to past president David Adames ’92 for
his outstanding dedication to the McMaster Alumni Association.
I invite you to visit the McMaster alumni website at alumni.mcmas-
ter.ca to stay connected to the University, or by contacting the Alumni
Office at [email protected].
ALUMNI DIRECTIONSK
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ALUM
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dailynews.mcmaster.ca 25
PRIDE ON YOUR SLEEVEWear your pride with our great McMaster alumni athletic apparel, AVAILABLE ONLINE!
Featuring performance sport shirts in CoolPlus fabric, nylon running suits, quality athletic suits for both men and women and roomy McMaster alumni crested duffl e bags. For product details, shipping costs, and to order, please visit us on the web at:www.mcmaster.ca/ua/servicesandbenefi ts/alumniclothing or, by phone: 905.525.9140 ext. 23900, toll-free: 1.888.217.6003.
Thank you for your participation!
The McMaster University Alumni Directory will be ready soon.
Thank you to the thousands of alumni who shared updates, stories
and photos to create this unique compilation. We appreciate your par-
ticipation and hope you will enjoy perusing your copy when it arrives
later this fall. If you would like to order a copy, please contact Harris
Connect directly at 1-888-869-0786 to place an order.
Alumni Association Awards Nominations We are accepting nominations for awards granted to outstanding Mc-
Master alumni. Nominations for the Distinguished Service Award,
the Arch Award and Honorary Alumni Association Membership are
requested prior to Feb. 1, 2012. Nominations for the 2012 Distin-
guished Alumni Award are due March 31. Last call for Alumni Gal-
lery nominations – please submit by Sept. 30, 2011. For forms, visit
www.mcmaster.ca/ua/alumni/programs_recognition.html.
Hong Kong Branch AGM Plans are underway for the annual general meeting of the MAA
(Hong Kong Branch) Ltd.. Go to alumni.mcmaster.ca – events.
Alumni Weekend 2012 Pull out your McMaster cap or jacket and tour the campus on June 1
to 3, 2012. Meet with friends from your class, hear from the President
as he welcomes alumni back to campus and join in the festivities as
McMaster celebrates 125 years at Alumni Weekend 2012.
Graduates from the classes of 1962, 1957, 1952, 1947, 1942, 1937 and
1932, celebrate the milestone anniversary of your graduation from
McMaster at a class reunion. Further details about your reunion will
arrive in the mail from your class committee. For more information,
please visit alumni.mcmaster.ca and click on Alumni Weekend, e-
mail [email protected] or call 905-525-9140 ext. 23900.
ALUMN
I EVENTS
dailynews.mcmaster.ca26
1950sMichael Stadnyk ’51 was re-
united with his high school
sweetheart, Phyllis Mitton, in
their hometown of Fredericton in
March, more than 65 years after
the last time they saw each other.
They are both widowed.
1960sPaul House ’69 was appointed
temporary CEO of Tim Hortons
in May 2011. He has worked at
the company since 1985 in several
key executive roles.
Mark Innis ’69 recently retired
after a long career as a probation
and parole officer in Kitchener-
Waterloo. He is enjoying retire-
ment by volunteering in the
community and taking time to
travel and enjoy his many hob-
bies and interests. Innis would
welcome contact with any of his
fellow Mac grads via e-mail at
1970s
Simon Johnston ’72 won the
Cultural Leadership Award at the
Richmond Arts Awards in April.
He announced in May that he
will be retiring from his post as
artistic and executive director of
Gateway Theatre, Richmond’s
only professional theatre com-
pany.
Heather Monroe-Blum ’74, ’07
(honorary) was appointed to the
board of directors of the Royal
Bank of Canada. She is the prin-
cipal and vice-chancellor of Mc-
Gill University.
Steve Poad ’74 was appointed
chief financial officer of Excellon
Resources Inc.
Frank Westcott ’74 earned Best
Story by an Emerging Writer at
the Exile Short Fiction Competi-
tion in Toronto on May 28. The
awards gala was hosted by Gloria
Vanderbilt.
Gordon Milne ’75 was commis-
sioned by the Canadian Sport
Centre to produce a series of
large-scale portraits of Canadian
Olympians for the 2010 Vancou-
ver Olympics. These large-scale
portraits are now on display at
Canada’s Sport Hall of Fame in
Calgary.
Astronaut and scientist Roberta
Bondar ’77, ’92 (honorary) was
appointed to the board of direc-
tors for COM DEV International
Ltd., a leading manufacturer of
space hardware subsystems.
Rob Corso ’77 has completed
35 years of service as the mu-
sic director and organist at the
Cathedral of Christ the King in
Hamilton. Corso taught music
at Bishop Ryan High School in
Hamilton and at Notre Dame
Secondary in Burlington, Ont.
Phil Johnson ’78 is president of
Master of Business Leadership
Inc., a system and coaching plat-
form that helps business execu-
tives achieve results through the
development of emotional intel-
ligence and authentic leadership
skills.
Hans Schols ‘78 is global presi-
dent and CEO of Data Insurance
Licensing Systems Ltd. He and
his partners launched the new
insurance entity with a patented
process that provides clients with
coverage against the loss of elec-
tronic data.
Anne Leavitt ’79, ’96 became
president and vice-chancellor of
the University of King’s College
in Halifax on Aug. 1, 2011. She
left her position as dean of the
Faculty of Social Sciences at Van-
couver Island University in Na-
naimo, B.C., where she worked in
various academic and leadership
roles since 1983.
Tony Valeri ’79 was appointed
vice-president, corporate com-
munications and public affairs
for ArcelorMittal Dofasco. Valeri
served as a member of Parliament
from 1993 to 2006, including
terms as Minister of Transport
and Leader of the Government in
the House of Commons.
1980sMargaret Burden ’81, ’83 lives
with her husband in Truro, N.S.,
where she has worked at Crossley
Carpets as chief technical design-
er for the past 20 years. They are
currently renovating their second
rental property. Her 80-year-
old mother lives in a house they
bought for her next door.
Elizabeth (Hanson) McCullough
’81 was inducted into the Cana-
dian Association of Exposition
Management’s (CAEM’s) Hall of
Fame. The award is presented to
leaders who have achieved promi-
nence in the expo industry and in
the CAEM. McCullough is gen-
eral manager of trade shows at the
Canadian Institute of Plumbing
& Heating in Toronto.
John Warner ’81 retired from
AECL on March 31, 2011.
Jay Turvey ’82 has co-written a
musical that is being produced by
the Shaw Festival as part of their
50th anniversary season. The mu-
sical, Maria Severa, is about the
life of the first Portuguese fado
singer. It previewed in July and
opened in August at the Court
House Theatre. Turvey is in his
11th season at the Shaw Festival.
Neil McCartney ’83 was named
dean of applied health sciences
at Brock University. McCartney
leaves his position as professor
and former chair of McMaster’s
kinesiology department. He was
the director of McMaster’s Centre
for Health Promotion and Reha-
bilitation and is a founding mem-
ber of the Canadian Association
of Cardiac Rehabilitation.
Steven Parfeniuk ’83 has accept-
ed the position of vice-president,
finance and administration with
Sheridan College. Parfeniuk
continues to teach as part-time
faculty in the continuing educa-
tion program at the University
of Guelph. He has two children,
Anne-Marie and Sarah, with his
wife Jacqueline.
ALUMNI ALBUM
ALUM
NI A
LBUM
dailynews.mcmaster.ca 27
Ingrid M. Kanics ’86 is an oc-
cupational therapist who has
worked for more than 10 yeas
helping communities create
spaces where all children can play
together. She owns her own con-
sulting business, Kanics Inclusive
Design Services.
Francois Perron ’86 was ap-
pointed director and chairman of
the board of directors of Copper
One Inc. Perron leaves his role
as president and CEO of Alexis
Minerals Corporation.
Mitchell Levine ’88 received an
appointment from Health Minis-
ter Leona Aglukkaq as vice-chair
of the Patented Medicine Prices
Review Board. Dr. Levine is a
professor in the departments of
medicine and clinical epidemiolo-
gy and biostatistics in McMaster’s
Faculty of Health Sciences.
Neil Skelding ’88 has been elect-
ed as chair of the Credit Valley
Hospital Board of Directors. He
has been a board member since
2009 and most recently served
as treasurer and chair of the re-
sources committee. Skelding is
the president and CEO of RBC
Insurance.
1990sDr. Bob Bilkovski ’91 joined Wal-
greens as a medical director for
health and wellness in May 2011.
He is based in the Chicago area
and looks forward to helping to
shape the company’s position in
the realm of healthcare reform.
J. David Williamson ’83 has tak-
en on the role of senior executive
vice-president at CIBC and will
be responsible for CIBC‘s per-
sonal and business banking op-
erations in Canada. Williamson
has been chief fi nancial offi cer of
CIBC since January 2008.
Amrik Ahluwalia ’85 was ap-
pointed to the Peel Region Police
Board.
Peter Biro ’85 was appointed
president and CEO of Newcon
Optik. Th e Canadian company
has achieved international recog-
nition as a leader in the research
and development, design and
manufacture of state-of-the-art
laser rangefi nders and night vi-
sion systems.
Dean Clevett ’85 was promoted
to manager of technical engineer-
ing services at BASF Canada,
after more than 25 years with the
company. Clevett and his wife,
Michele, will celebrate 20 years of
marriage with a cruise in the fall.
He would love to connect with
any old Mac friends on LinkedIn
or Twitter (@DinoDinosaur1).
ALUMN
I ALBUM
Michael Briks ’72 knows the value of a postage stamp – and it’s not
just 59 cents at Canada Post.
As a collector, he knows what people will pay for an old stamp. But
it’s the intrinsic value that truly inspires him: the moments in history
that have been facilitated by a postage stamp, the achievements of
humankind celebrated on stamps around the world and the simple
fact that stamps have connected people to one another for centuries.
“Th e history of stamps plays into human circumstance,” he says.
“For instance, some people who immigrated to Canada at certain
times in history couldn’t bring silver or gold with them, so they
brought stamps or mailed stamps to relatives in advance of their
arrival.”
An avid stamp collector since the age of eight, Briks says that
stamp collecting is an exciting way to make connections between
individuals and within the community. “You meet incredibly inter-
esting people through this hobby because it attracts people from all
walks of life … all cultures in the world have stamp collectors.”
Briks has been a member of the Hamilton Stamp Club since the
1980s. Th e club currently boasts 145 members representing more
than 15 nationalities. Many club members hail from the McMaster
community: “We have profs, former profs, alumni and students
from McMaster in the club,” says Briks, a graduate of the Faculty of
Social Sciences.
Since becoming club president last year, Briks has dedicated
himself to expanding the club and forging stronger community
connections. He created the Newcomer to Hamilton project, which
welcomes people who have just moved to Hamilton – mostly new
immigrants to Canada – with packages of Canadian stamps.
“Hamilton really is a mecca for newcomers to Canada, so it all
came together that this would be an ideal project,” he says.
Hamilton Stamp Club members donated the stamps – some quite
valuable. Th rough a club connection, Briks enlisted the help of a lo-
cal Grade 5 class to assemble the welcome packages. “We gave them
thousands of stamps to dole out,” he says. “Not only were the kids
eager to help, but many of them became instant stamp collectors
themselves by the conclusion of the project.”
Th e club then distributed the welcome packages to Hamilton new-
comers through several community organizations. As a social worker
who has previously worked for the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship
and Immigration, Briks knows that initiatives like the Newcomer to
Hamilton project have a lasting positive impact. He hopes to con-
tinue the project for years to come.
Briks runs a private practice in Burlington specializing in employ-
ee assistance programs, confl ict resolution and post-traumatic stress
management.
Local philatelic club has Mac stamp all over it
JD H
owell
by
dailynews.mcmaster.ca28
Samantha Nutt ’91, ’92 & ’05
(honorary) was appointed to the
Order of Canada for her contri-
butions to improving the plight
of young people in the world’s
worst conflict zones. Nutt is the
co-founder and executive director
of War Child Canada.
David Robinson ’91, ’02 started as
a full-time sports medicine physi-
cian at Mac’s David Braley Ath-
letic Centre in August. He sold
his family medicine practice of
18 years to make the career move,
but will continue to serve as the
team physician of the Hamilton
Bulldogs.
David Adames ’92 was appointed
CEO of the Hamilton Cham-
ber of Commerce. He leaves his
position as founding executive
director of Tourism Hamilton.
Adames is past-president of the
McMaster Alumni Association.
Shirley Forsyth ’92, ’01 was ac-
cepted into a PhD program in
global leadership at Indiana Tech
University.
Matthew Varay ’92 created and
led a new initiative that increased
scholarship offers to his Grade
12 students at Etobicoke School
of the Arts, where he teaches vi-
sual arts. The initiative featured
a showcase event in the fall and
brought in about $1.6 million
in offers for 20 students and was
covered by the Toronto Star, the
Globe and Mail, and City TV.
Robert Hilson ’93 was appointed
director of athletics at Brock
University. He leaves a position as
communications manager for the
University of Western Ontario’s
Department of Sport and Recre-
ation Services. Previously, Hilson
worked for 12 years in athletics
and recreation at McMaster.
Sen-Foong Lim ’94, ’99 has pub-
lished a board game, Train of
Thought, with business partner
Jay Cormier. The game is a prod-
uct of hard work by many Mc-
Master grads. Lim’s wife Carrie
Stevenson-Lim ’95 co-designed
the game and the tech support
team includes Leroy Wissing ’94
and Errol Elumir ’96.
Mark Findlay ’95 was appointed
vice-president access and external
relations at AstraZeneca Canada
Inc, a global biopharmaceutical
business focused on the discovery,
development and commercializa-
tion of prescription medicines.
Leon Tom ‘95 and Kerri Lynn Tom
‘96 welcomed their first child, Za-
den Michael, born June 6, 2011.
Colin Ferguson ’96 co-owns
Snakehead Games Inc. with his
brother Greg Ferguson and their
business partner, Chris Burr. The
Hamilton-based company cre-
ates online video games at www.
starpirates.net. Their products
have attracted more than 100,000
gamers worldwide.
ALUM
NI A
LBUM
Jim Georgiades ’96 is living in
Cyprus, where he runs a language
school. He is completing his MA
in English through online study
at the University of Sheffield and
recently got engaged to Maria
Georgiadou.
Lisa Mattam ’97, ’01 was named
Female Entrepreneur of the Year
by the Indo-Canada Chamber of
Commerce at its annual awards
and gala night in Toronto in
June. She is the founder of The
Mattam Group, a management
consulting firm specializing in
leadership, organizational devel-
opment and strategic process.
Jasmine Albagli ’99 started her
own company, Jasmine Photogra-
phy (www.jasminephotography.
ca), doing family and wedding
photography. She has two kids
and previously worked for Car-
leton University and the Govern-
ment of Canada in Ottawa.
Deirdre Henne ’99 joined Mc-
Master as chief financial officer in
July. Henne previously worked at
Hamilton Health Sciences Corp.
as director of research and as
chief operating officer of the Pop-
ulation Health Research Institute.
2000sRay Mariuz ’03 retired from
the Canadian Football League
after eight seasons. The former
Marauder played for the Toronto
Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-
Cats as a linebacker, winning a
Grey Cup with Toronto in 2004.
He will now turn his focus to his
family and real estate career.
Amanda Rayburn ’03 was ap-
pointed chair of the Board of
Health for Wellington-Dufferin-
Guelph Public Health in January
2011. She continues to manage
her family’s heavy equipment
contracting business, Rayburn
Construction Ltd., in Oran-
geville. She will marry her fiancé,
Andrew Fines, on Oct. 7.
Ken Seville ’03 founded Guaran-
teedInterview.com. The website
works with employers to ensure
that veterans are considered
for advertised positions. The
company was selected for the
Startup Chile program (www.
startupchile.org). Seville travelled
to Chile in July to begin imple-
mentation.
Melody Adhami ’04, ’07 is the
co-founder and COO of Plastic
Mobile, a mobile marketing
agency in Toronto. She led proj-
ects at the company to deliver the
first-ever video streaming iPad
apps and local news radio apps
in Canada and has worked on
mobile marketing apps for major
Canadian brands.
Jeremy Greenspan ’04 released
a fourth album, It’s All True, as
part of the duo Junior Boys.
Vanessa Ricci-Thode ’04 and her
husband, Mike Thode, would like
to announce the birth of their
daughther, Sofia. She was born on
April 27, 2011.
Pamela Kwok ’06 and Kent Law
’08 led a team of fellow McMaster
graduates in the annual Dragon
Boat Festival in Hong Kong on
June 6. The McMaster team com-
peted in two races and did very
well considering that many mem-
bers of the team had never raced
dragon boats before.
dailynews.mcmaster.ca 29
ALUMN
I ALBUM
Melissa Sky ’06 won the Local
Focus Film Festival 24-Hour
Film Challenge Award for her six-
minute production, Longing. It
was also screened at the Waterloo
Region Film Festival and can be
viewed on YouTube. Sky is now
completing a mentorship in Van-
couver at OUTtv, Canada’s pre-
miere gay/lesbian TV network.
Jessica Gilbert ’07 and Steve
Mendel ’08 welcomed baby girl
Nava Leah, born Jan. 23, 2011.
Sheldon Francis ’08 was named
head of the Canadian National
Under-17 Wrestling Team. A
former junior national champion
and McMaster Marauder, Francis
has served as assistant coach of
the McMaster Wrestling Team
for three years.
Rev. Owen Juhlke ’08 was or-
dained into the work of Christian
ministry within the Canadian
Baptists of Ontario and Quebec
by Durham Baptist Church on
Nov. 14, 2010. He has been pas-
toring at this church since May
2010.
Jesse Lumsden ’08 retired as a
CFL player in order to concen-
trate full-time on being a member
of the Canadian bobsled team.
Nanda Lwin ’09 is the new chair
of the Willowdale/Thornhill
Chapter of Professional Engineers
of Ontario.
2010s
Chelsey Gotell ’10 has accepted
a position as a communications
and public relations associate for
the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan
American Games. Gotell was a
member of the McMaster swim
team and is a 12-time Paralympic
medalist.
Michael Williams ’10 recently
found a full-time position at AZX
Sport as an account executive in
promotional products.
Joanna Simon ’10 has worked
as a lieutenant in the Canadian
Army Reserves since 2005 and
is currently second-in-command
of a 60-person unit in the area of
combat service support.
Donna Gosling ’11 was cheered
on by her son, actor Ryan Gos-
ling, as she walked across the
stage at spring Convocation.
Mary Koziol ’11 has been ap-
pointed assistant to the president
for special community initiatives
at McMaster. Koziol recently
completed a term as president of
the McMaster Students Union.
Kim Morris ’11 won third place in
the 2011 Arthur W. Page Society
and Institute for Public Relations
case study competition in April.
Morris is senior advisor of com-
munications and public affairs at
the North East Community Care
Access Centre in Sudbury.
Mac alumnus travels to Mars in the Utah desert
Yuval Brodsky ’09 can now say he has traveled to Mars and back
- sort of.
The graduate of McMaster’s environmental science program
spent two weeks at a research station in the Utah desert where
he worked with the Mars Society, a non-profit organization
dedicated to the exploration of Mars. Brodsky says that while he
enjoyed the opportunity to perform research in a simulated space
environment, at least part of the experience left a bad taste in his
mouth - literally.
“Part of our task was to test the types of food that would be
taken along should humans try to explore Mars,” he said. “Let’s
just say I was happy to get a steak dinner in me once we were fin-
ished that part of the research.”
Brodsky received his degree from McMaster in 2009, and then
earned his master’s degree at the International Space University
(ISU) in France. From there the Vaughan, Ont. native, along
with a group of other ISU graduates, headed to the desert where
they helped to simulate an actual mission to Mars. The research-
ers practiced collecting soil samples, conducting experiments and
deploying and repairing equipment while wearing space suits.
They also studied the psychological effects of remaining isolated
for long periods of time.
The experience was a unique one for Brodsky, though he hopes
it won’t be his last.
“I want to learn more about how humans adapt to extreme en-
vironments, whether it’s in space or on Earth,” he said. “There is a
wide range of applications for this type of knowledge.”
Those applications include areas like telemedicine, which can
be used to treat sick or injured patients in remote environments
such as space. Brodsky hopes to continue to work in the space
industry and, perhaps one day, combine his passions and study
space medicine.
“So much of what we learn from working in space can be ap-
plied here on Earth, in everything from space engineering to
navigation. I’m really excited to be getting into the industry right
now.”
by Matt Terry ‘09
Cruise to the Lesser Antilles Voyage of Discovery: Wonders of the Galapagos Islands European Coastal Civilizations Village Life: Dordogne Treasures of The Mekong Cruising the Black Sea River Life Along the Rhine, Main and Mosel Canary Islands Waterways and Canals of Holland & Belgium Treasures of Costa Rica Apulia, Italy Normandy and Paris China & the Yangtze River Grand Danube Passage Treasures of East Africa Cuenca, Ecuador Treasures of India & Nepal Haida Gwaii The 2012 Masters Discover your adventure.
Join us as we set off on an exciting set of adventures!
Tel: 905.525.9140 ext. 24882 Toll-free: 1-888-217-6003 Email: [email protected]
discoveryourmacadventure.ca
yourmacadventure.cadiscover
McMaster Alumni Travel program 2012
dailynews.mcmaster.ca 31
ALUMN
I EVENTS
This September, the number of Arts & Science (or Artsci) stu-
dents on campus will increase exponentially, but just for a few days.
A boisterous weekend of anniversary celebrations is planned for
Sept. 23 to 25 to mark the 30th year of the small interdisciplinary
program that boasts about 1,000 graduates. The weekend itinerary
will feature a number of beloved Artsci traditions, including a milk
n’ cookies night and a student-prof debate, expanded for this special
occasion to include alumni.
Both the outgoing and incoming directors of the Arts & Sci-
ence Program have been integral in the planning of the anniversary
celebration. “It’s like magic watching them work together,” says
alumna Angela Nardozi ’07, who is on the planning committee for
the anniversary weekend. Gary Warner, was director from 2000
to 2005 and served in the position again for the 2010-11 school
year. Jean Wilson ‘77, who has taught literature in the program for
many years, assumed the role this past summer.
“As I begin my term as director of the Arts & Science Program,
I look to the 30th anniversary weekend as an occasion to celebrate
this very special community of learning and to seek the wisdom
and support of its alumni in the process of program renewal that we
have just begun,” says Wilson.
As part of the weekend itinerary, she will facilitate an afternoon
forum on interdisciplinary education in order to hear the opinions
of the program’s alumni. Nardozi says that the new director sees the
forum as “an opportunity to envision the future of the program.”
The weekend will also feature an open house at the Arts & Sci-
ence Program office in the Commons building, as well as time for
networking, socializing and exploring on and off campus.
Celebrating 30 years of the Arts & Science Program - Sept. 23-25, 2011
Master’s of Technology Entrepreneurship & InnovationA new Master’s of Technology Entrepreneurship & Innovation (MTEI) degree brings together teams of individuals with different academic backgrounds and expertise, who are driven to start-up technology-based businesses.
Learn and use an industry-proven, business start-up methodology
Apply tools and concepts to the creation of your new business as you learn
Develop a support network of technical and business mentors
Build investor ready proposals to support your new technology-based business
www.businessinnovation.ca/MTEI
dailynews.mcmaster.ca32
John Baldwin ’33 died March
19, 2011, survived by his wife
Dorothy, three sons and eight
grandchildren. During the Sec-
ond World War, he served in the
Department of External Affairs
and then in the Privy Council
Office for the War Committee
of the Cabinet. After the war, he
was chairman of the Air Trans-
port Board and then Deputy
Minister of Transport. He be-
came president of Air Canada in
1968, retiring in 1974. Baldwin
was inducted into the McMaster
Alumni Gallery in 2005.
John Boich ’63 died March 15,
2011.
Gregory Boudreau ‘93 died at
his home in Hamilton on Aug.
6, 2011 at the age of 41.
Ken Bradley ’71 died March 20,
2011 in Elmira, Ont. He is sur-
vived by his wife Muriel.
Margaret (Hansen) Buzzard ’40
died in April 2011. She was a
Faculty of Humanities graduate.
Bruce Cornwall ’62 died May
27, 2010.
Darlene Connors Elliott ‘83, ‘88
died at the age of 50 on March
11, 2011 in Peterborough, Ont.
A graduate from McMaster’s
sociology and gerontology
programs, she is survived by
husband, Craig Elliott ‘84, and
children, Ethan and Katlyn.
George L. Fawcett ’65 died
April 2, 2011 in Hamilton.
Dave Anthony Harris ’84, ’02
died in Hamilton on July 10,
2011.
Edward Henry Krukowski ’62
died March 2, 2011. He worked
as a dentist for 35 years in Ham-
ilton and is survived by his wife
Sally, daughters Susan and Patri-
cia and granddaughter Laurel.
Leslie Laking ’71 (honorary) died April 16, 2011. A member
of the Order of Canada, he was
director of the Royal Botanical
Gardens from 1954 to 1981.
Laking remained involved in the
RBC in his retirement, serving
as the honorary president of the
RBG Auxiliary.
Joseph A. Macaluso ’52 died
March 22, 2011. He attended
McMaster before obtaining his
law degree from Osgoode Hall
and was the Liberal MP for
Hamilton-West from 1963 to
1968.
John T. Macfarlane ’44 died
Aug. 14, 2010. He was a phys-
ics professor with distinguished
service in Canada and Africa.
David McMaster ’71 died in
Riverview, N. B. in December
2010.
Hanna Newcombe ’45, ’82 died
April 10, 2011. She emigrated
from Prague with her family
in 1939 and met her husband,
Alan, while studying chemistry
at McMaster. With Alan, she
founded the Peace Research
Institute in Dundas in the late
1970s. She was a McMaster
Alumni Gallery member, was
the recipient of the 1997 Pearson
Medal of Peace and was appoint-
ed a member of the Order
of Canada for her work in peace
research and international
relations. She is survived
by her three children and seven
grandchildren.
IN MEMORIAM
IN M
EMOR
IAM
Marion O’Connor ‘67 died April
16, 2011.
Mavis Pieczonka (nee Levine)
’54 died at home on July 3, 2011
at the age of 80. While attending
McMaster, she focused on English
and drama, starring in many stu-
dent productions. Later in life, she
became involved in a wide variety
of causes, and was an ardent sup-
porter of Opera Hamilton and
the University. Pieczonka became
interested in mental health while
taking a master’s in adult educa-
tion and counselling and was
a founding member of Mental
Health Burlington. She died of
breast cancer. She is survived by
her husband of 54 years, Wally
Pieczonka ‘57, ‘60 & ‘98 (honor-
ary), and their children Rosalind,
Adrianne ‘10 (honorary), Gregory
and Michael.
Mary Evelyn Rattray ’35 died in
2010. She was a Faculty of Social
Sciences graduate.
John Riddell ’51 died Feb. 6, 2011
in Pennsylvania at the age of 83.
He is survived by his wife, Ruth.
Harry Shore ’45 died May 10,
2011 in Oakville. He is survived
by his wife, Laura Joyce, and chil-
dren John, Marnie and Ted.
Larry Sykes ’50 died Jan. 30,
2011 in Waterloo. He is survived
by his wife, Jeanne, daughters
Barbara and Mary and seven
grandchildren.
Ken Valley ’78 died May 6, 2011
in Trinidad. He was a former
industry and commerce minister
in Trinidad and Tobago and a
long-standing MP there. He was
part of the Jamaican negotiating
team at the World Trade Organi-
zation and the European Union
and was executive chairman of the
Caribbean Latin America Business
Office.
Gerry Wagar ’46 died July 6,
2011. Wagar played hockey, ten-
nis and football and was inducted
into McMaster’s Sports Hall of
Fame in 2000. He continued to
stay active throughout his life,
coaching several sports part-time
in Kingston where he lived with
his wife, Geraldine.
Edmund Welland ’59, ’60 died in
April 2011.
CORRECTION: Audrey Gleave
’66 died on Dec. 30, 2010. An
incorrect date appeared in the
previous edition of the Times.
Dr. Ian Brockhouse and staff take great plea-
sure in announcing that Dr. Andrew Christian
Adams has joined our Dundas dental practice .
After graduating with a B.A. in Health Sci-
ence from McMaster University, Dr. Adams
obtained his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree
from the University of Western Ontario.
N E W PAT I E N T S W E L C O M E
dailynews.mcmaster.ca 33
McM
ASTER WRITES
William H. Jones ’54, ’57 & ’01 wrote two
books in 2011: Th e Quest for Soul Liberty and
7 Churches and Th eir Report Cards.
Elmer Thiessen ’68 published his latest book,
On the Ethics of Evangelism: a Philosophical
Defence of Proselytizing and Persuasion (Pater-
noster, UK; IV Academic, USA).
Bob Ryerson ’69, ’70 published Why ‘Where’
Matters: Understanding and Profi ting from
GPS, GIS and Remote Sensing. Th e book has
been sold in more than 25 countries. For more
information, go to www.geoeconomy.com.
Marie Nagloren Minaker ’74 published Sup-
porting a Tradition: a History of the Auxiliary
of Royal Botanical Gardens from 1961-2010.
Minaker wrote the book to celebrate the 50th
anniversary of the Royal Botanical Gardens in
Burlington, where she is a volunteer archivist.
Van Newell ’80 self-published his second
book, Th e Road to Terra Nova. It is a collec-
tion of humorous short stories documenting
his experiences in country living. Newell and
his wife Rosemarie live off the grid in Mus-
koka, where they raise their own animals and
live simply. To purchase a copy of the book,
write to [email protected].
Susan Evans Shaw ’80 published a heritage
travel book, Canadians at War: A Guide to
the Battlefi elds of World War I (Goose Lane,
2011). Th e book features an historical over-
view of each battlefi eld as well as maps, pho-
tographs, and information on the memorials
and cemeteries.
David Royce Phillips ’83, ’86 published his
fi rst book of poetry, Donne Righting Poetry
(Lulu.com, 2010), a collection of 24 poems
spanning 24 years.
Lana Wylie ’91 recently published three
books: Perceptions of Cuba: Canadian and
American Polices in Comparative Perspective
(University of Toronto Press, 2010); Canadian
Foreign Policy in Critical Perspective (with
J. Marshall Beier, Oxford University Press,
2010); and Our Place in the Sun: Canada and
Cuba in the Castro Era (with Robert Wright,
University of Toronto Press, 2009). Wylie is
an associate professor in political science at
McMaster.
dailynews.mcmaster.ca34
A FORUM
FOR HEALTHY DEBATEby John Lavis
JD H
owell
John Lavis is director of the McMaster Health Forum and a professor in the Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics.
“... we aim to
make a diff erence.”
JD H
owell
A core tenet of any university is to inspire students, faculty and staff
to aim high in their academic, professional and personal pursuits. At
McMaster, dedication to this tenet has resulted in renown for the Uni-
versity on several fronts, particularly in the health fi eld.
Th e McMaster Health Forum, established in 2009, is leveraging the
University’s strengths as it brings together the right people, informed
by the right information, to spark insights and generate action to ad-
dress some of today’s most pressing health challenges.
At the Forum, we’ve built on two areas for which McMaster is re-
nowned: problem-based learning, which the Forum takes to the next
level by focusing on collective problem-solving; and evidence-based
medicine, which the Forum extends to health systems as a whole
(whether in Ontario, Saskatchewan or Uganda).
We are harnessing the best available research evidence, along with
the views and experiences of key stakeholders, to address current and
emerging challenges.
Th e topics addressed at the Forum include many that touch the lives
of almost every Canadian – diabetes, cancer, aging, chronic pain, nurs-
ing care and primary health care, to name just a few.
We have successfully built partnerships with others at McMaster
whose work supports proven evidence that can be acted upon, as well as
with organizations in Canada and beyond.
We were pleased to be named as the World Health Organization Col-
laborating Centre for Evidence-Informed Policy, which recognizes the
Forum and McMaster University as leaders internationally in helping
to strengthen health systems so that patients get the care they need
when they need it.
Th e 14 stakeholder dialogues we have convened in the past two years,
in partnership with more than 40 government departments and health
organizations, have provided the University and the Forum’s faculty,
students and staff an unparalleled opportunity to interact with and in-
fl uence key players from all levels of health systems – those who shape
their directions, those who work within them, and those who need and
use them.
In all of these interactions, we aim to make a diff erence.
Our innovative methods of enabling debate and dialogue and sharing
evidence, perspectives and plans for future progress with the public at
large, are already having an impact.
Th is success inspires the McMaster Health Forum to aim even
higher. We are expanding our resources and training opportunities
to ensure that the best research evidence is available to and used by
decision-makers. We are in the midst of planning a new slate of dia-
logues on pressing health challenges and are developing opportunities
for greater public outreach and engagement. We hope you can share in
the pride that comes with being part of a University community that
aims high.
Please visit our website – www.mcmasterhealthforum.org – to gain a
fuller understanding of our work.
LAST
WOR
D
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Welcome homeVisit http://www.mcmaster.ca/ua/alumni/homecoming.html for full weekend eventsSept 30 - Oct 2 ’11
Homecoming - Saturday, October 1
Welcome Home! Gather your classmates and join in a fun day of activity and spirit on campus!
Homecoming Free Chilli Lunch & pre-game fun12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m., Marauder Plaza Bring the kids for face-painting, enjoy music, get your noisy sticks & tattoos and some great chilli to get you pumped for the game.
Homecoming Game - McMaster Marauders vs. Waterloo Warriors1:00 p.m., Ron Joyce Stadium, McMaster University. Game tickets can be purchased at www.marauders.ca
Homecoming Reunions:
Wrestling ReunionThis year’s event will honour the distinguished 1984/85 team that counts two Olympians and four McMaster Hall of Famers amongst its members. Event details and registration are available at alumni.mcmaster.ca
MD ReunionsMD classes of ’76, ’81,’91, ’96 & ’01 will celebrate their reunions with tours of the McMaster Museum of Art and the DeGroote School of Medicine followed by a dinner. For details and to register, visit alumni.mcmaster.ca/events
Other Special Events:
Arts & Science 30th Anniversary Celebration!Fri., Sept. 23 - Sun., Sept. 25All Arts & Science graduates are invited to participate in a full program of activities to celebrate this milestone. Register for the Alumni/Prof/Student Debate, networking, dinner, open houseand other great events online at alumni.mcmaster.ca
Join us for the fi rst annual McMaster Alumni Hamilton Community Impact Award LuncheonThurs., Sept. 29, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. For details and to register visit alumni.mcmaster.ca
HOMECOMING 2011