Mac EngineerTHE

McMaster University Faculty of Engineering Spring 2009

Engineers & Engineering

Celebrate!

The First Five Months This is my first contribution to the MacEngineer as Associate Dean and I should really take the opportunity to answer the questions that everyone was too polite to ask: Who is the new guy? What is his background? Perhaps even, Can he

really replace Peter Smith? After nearly six months in the job, I am also in a position to answer the questions that people did ask: What does the Associate Dean do? Are you going to enjoy it? Well, let’s start with me because that’s at least safe. Ken Coley, born Glasgow, Scotland, educated at University of Strath-clyde and Imperial College, worked in the UK for ten years prior to joining McMaster in 1996. Many of you will know me as your McMaster 1M03 Professor; others will know me as a Professor and sometime Chair of Materials Science and Engineering; still others may be more familiar with me as Director of Engineering and Manage-ment; and some may even know of my research interests in high temperature pro-cessing. What most of you will not know

is that I am married with three children, that I have been an active participant in community organizations mostly involving youth sports, and that I am a passionate supporter of Glasgow Celtic FC. Rather than go into great detail about the role of the Associate Dean (Academic), I would prefer to reflect on some of the things I have done in the first five months in the job. August started fairly gently. I moved into my new office, introduced myself to the staff and generally learned the ropes. That lasted for about one week. Then reality hit. “By the way, we need an instructor to teach 1000 students starting in September and it’s your job to find one.” I thought this job was just about signing forms! The pace continued to pick up from there and has not slowed since. There have

Dean of Engineering

Message from the Associate Dean (Academic)

Ken Coley

Now nine months into my term as Dean of Engineering (I started on April Fool’s Day – how appropriate is that?), I welcome the opportunity to reflect a bit on what it’s been like and to share a few thoughts with the far-flung cohort of Faculty friends. The Faculty of Engineering had a remarkable year in 2008 as we celebrated our 50th anniversary. In the last MacEngineer we highlighted some of the activities around that (it was certainly a year of parties) and invited you all to take part in the last major event of the year, the 50th An-niversary Fireball Gala. To our great delight over 500 turned out, including alumni from every decade back to members of the first graduating class in 1961. It was a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the vision and accomplishments of those who helped build Mac Engineering into the highly acclaimed, research-intensive, student-focused institu-tion we are all proud of. There was lots of nostalgia and a light-hearted ceremony to establish a time capsule (in the form of a beer keg of course) that will be placed outside the new Engineering Technology Building once it is complete this Spring. The capsule will be opened in 2058, hopefully by some of the class of 2008/09 who helped to seal it. I was delighted to play a part in these fun activities as I complete my 30th year as a member of the McMaster family. So what is new and exciting in my world? Well, the new building for one. The shell is now up and work is well underway to com-

pleting the interior for the scheduled open-ing this summer. This will be one of the first LEED Gold buildings on campus and we have worked with the architect to ensure that the environmentally friendly aspects of the build-ing will be on display and serve as a teaching tool. The lower three levels will be dedicated to undergraduate education, primarily for Level I and for the Bachelor of Technology (BTech) partnership with Mohawk College. The upper three levels will house research space, primarily for biomedical engineering and engineering practice. What a wonderful opportunity this is for the Faculty to enable us to expand and improve the quality of all our programs. I have also taken a great deal of pleasure from meeting alumni and other friends of Mac Engineering, both locally and across North America. I will be visiting alumni in Calgary and Seattle this Spring. I hope in the near future to visit alumni further afield as well. It is certainly encouraging to hear stories about how the McMaster years helped so many of our alumni to find their way in the world. The level of appreciation and gratitude is indeed inspiring, as is the high level of accom-plishment achieved by many of our graduates. Let me take a moment to mention just one. Steve Elop graduated from the Computer Engineering and Management program in 1986. I had an opportunity to work with Steve back then when he was a summer student developing course materials and I was a junior

Dr. David Wilkinson

2 The MacEngineer

continued on p. 5

been committees – many committees. There has been preparation for accreditation. I have just recently had to deal with my first mob of angry students (they probably saw themselves as an orderly delegation). I believe I was able to offer them a solution they could live with. Yes, there have also been more than a few forms to sign. The highlight so far has been the celebra-tions for the 50th anniversary; the low point has certainly been the Brandon Hall Fire, although I should also add that I am proud of the way the University and the Faculty of Engineering handled this situation. The advisors in my office did an outstanding job providing academic accommodations and

other support for those affected by the fire. Our students were magnificent in the face of considerable difficulty. So, what does the Associate Dean do? I’ve only been in the job for five months and I can only speak for this Associate Dean, but I think he rides roller coasters. Do I enjoy it? Well. I don’t really like roller coasters but I have enjoyed every minute of the job so far. Whether I can replace Peter Smith will be for others to judge, but I am proud to follow in his footsteps and will do my part in maintaining McMaster as a leader in educating engineers.

Ken ColeyAssociate Dean Academic

The second half of 2008 saw many faculty members in Engineering involved in the development of proposals to the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and to the Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence (ORF-RE) program. The CFI funds research infrastructure including equipment and the construction and renovation of laboratory space. The following proposals were submitted by the October deadline: Laboratory for Advanced Photovoltaic Research (R.N. Kleiman, Eng Phys), McMaster Intense Positron Beam Facility (P. Mascher, Eng Phys), and Centre for Advanced Nuclear Systems (J. Luxat, Eng Phys). The latter gained designation as a Regional Platform and thus, falls outside the institutional envelope. Several engineering faculty are involved in the McMaster propos-als Biointerfaces Institute, led by J. Brennan (Chemistry), McMaster Robotics Miniaturiza-tion Centre, led by M. Anvari (Surgery), and Listening, learning and interacting in com-plex environments: Neural, developmental and applied aspects, led by L. Trainor (Psychol-ogy). A proposal, Centre for Automotive Mate-rials and Corrosion (J. McDermid, Mech Eng) was combined with a related proposal led by the University of Waterloo. Also led by UW but with designation as a Regional Platform is the proposal Water Quality Research Plat-form in Urban and Urbanizing Watersheds.

R. Selvaganapathy (Mech Eng) and M.J. Deen (ECE) lead a Biosensors node of this proposal. In total, 393 proposals were submitted from 81 institutions, requesting $1.49B from CFI. The available CFI budget is $400M, yielding an average success rate of 27%. Final decisions are expected by June 2009. The Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence (ORF-RE) program supports the cost of research personnel and direct cost of research. The following proposal was submit-ted by the July 30, 2008 deadline: Certification of Safety Critical Software Intensive Systems (T. Maibaum, A. Wassyng, M. Lawford, CAS). In addition, several engineering faculty are involved in the McMaster proposals The Centre for Advanced Studies and Games Simulations in Virtual Environments at McMaster, led by J. Connolly (Linguistics and Languages), and “Development of modular transportable telerobotic surgical suite (MoTTs) to deliver emergency surgical care in remote locations and for use on moving vehicles, led by M. Anvari (Surgery). Engineer-ing faculty members are also involved in three non-McMaster-led proposals: Green Hydrogen and Hybrid Transit Vehicles (Queens Univer-sity; J. Cotton [Mech Eng]), Nanomaterial-En-abled Products for the Ontario Manufactur-ing Sector (U of T; M. Niewczas [Materials Sci and Eng]), and Therapeutic Biomaterials for Regenerative Medicine (U of T; H. Sheardown [Chem Eng]). I will report on the outcome in a future edition of the MacEngineer. Among the highlights of the activities with-in the External Relations part of my portfolio were meetings with two delegations. First, from the National Institute of Engineering (NIE) in Mysore, India, whose main interests lie in possible academic collaborations in the areas of Industrial and Production Engineering, Sustainable Energy and Technology, Entrepre-

Alumni Profiles 4

Engineering News 9

50th Anniversary 12

News Briefs 16

Departmental News 18

Alumni Grapevine 22

EVENTS 22

Do you have something to say or news to share? We would like to hear from you. Contact Carm VespiTel: (905) 525-9140 ext. 24906Fax: (905) 546-5492e-mail: vespi@mcmaster.cawebsite: www.eng.mcmaster.ca

The MacEngineer is published by the Faculty of Engineering for its alumni. Distribution assistance is provided by the Alumni Office.

Editor: Carm Vespi Art Direction and Design: Jay PrimeauWriters: Trudi Down, Eugene Nakonechny and Carm Vespi Contributors: Administrative Coordinators and Terry MilsonPUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40063416 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 1280 MAIN STREET WEST HAMILTON ON L8S 4L7email: vespi@mcmaster.ca

Peter Mascher

The MacEngineer 3

Message from the Associate Dean (External Relations)

continued on p. 21

ALUMNI PROFILES

Walter Butler – McMaster Ph.D. Enjoys Outstanding CareerIt was a long journey but, as a result of a chance meeting in Dublin, Ireland with Dr. Simon Haykin, and a strong determination on his own behalf, Walter Butler real-ized his dream of obtain-ing a Ph.D. at McMaster.

Mr. Butler was born in Cavan, Ireland in 1936 and, after finishing high school, worked in a bank for a year, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. In 1954, while still in his late teens, he was sponsored by a distant relative and emigrated to the United States. After working in a bank for two years, he joined the U.S. Navy – hoping to satisfy an itch for travel. While in the navy, he received training as an electronics technician. This experience helped him to decide on a career as an electrical engineer and, after receiving an honourable discharge from the

navy, he enrolled at Trinity College (Dublin University) in Dublin, Ireland. He completed his undergraduate electrical engineering degree with honours in 1966. Because of his top marks, he had many job offers, as well as seven offers for graduate studies in both Canada and the United States. It happened that Dr. Simon Haykin, a visiting professor at Leeds University, was about to relocate to McMaster to set up a graduate program in electrical engineering. While in Ireland, Dr. Haykin had met Mr. Butler and encouraged him to come to McMaster for his Ph.D. Mr. Butler was married by this time and finances were limited. Fortunately, through the urging of McMaster’s Dr. Colin Campbell, the Chair of the Department at the time, his initial fellowship was increased. Based on the offer of a $7,500 fellowship, Mr. Butler came to McMaster to study for his Ph.D. degree. While at McMaster, he was elected President of the Graduate Students Union in 1968.

After receiving his Ph.D. in 1970, Dr. Butler accepted a research position with General Electric in its Corporate Research and Development Laboratories in Schenectady, New York. During a long and distinguished career, he published over 30 technical papers and also became co-author of 25 U.S. patents. Dr. Butler played a key role in the successful mergers of the electronics laboratories General Electric, RCA, Martin Marietta, and Lockheed Corporation. He retired in 1997 from the position of Vice President and General Manag-er of Lockheed Martin’s Microwave Electronics Department, based in Nashua, New Hampshire. He and his wife Marie live in a home overlooking picturesque Crows Pond in Chatham, Massachusetts. The couple has four grown children and seven grandchildren. Dr. Butler has always attributed much of his success in life to the degrees he received from Trinity College and McMaster University.

Glenn Gray – Lots of Math + Hard Work Adds Up To SuccessThat itch to be his own self and do his own thing has, over the years, provided Glenn Gray with many interesting opportunities. For ex-ample, there was the instance in Grade 13 when his math teacher

encouraged him to take an additional subject, Bolean algebra, in addition to the six math courses he was already studying. Then there was the time when, after 14 years of working for firms including Bell Canada, Rockwell and IBM, Glenn decided he needed a new challenge and, as a result, founded his own consulting company. But more of that later. The extra course in the math of logic design was a brilliant choice. Glenn had already de-cided he was interested in electrical engineer-ing which requires the knowledge of a great deal of math. The studious young adult was ac-cepted into the electrical engineering programs at four universities. “I decided on McMaster for a couple of rea-sons. The University is in my home town and I had a feeling that living in residence would not prove helpful to my studies. Also, the School of Engineering was small at the time and I felt I wouldn’t get lost in the masses.”

A number of Gray family members are Mac grads. Cousins Robert and Roderick received BAs. Older brother Donald holds a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering and younger brother Kerry, a B.Comm. and an MBA. Glenn’s daughter Jennifer graduated with a BA in History in 2000. In 1973, Glenn graduated from McMaster with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, and received a Master of Business Administration from York University in 1979. He says he was prompted to go on to do the Masters in part because of the positive learning environment he experienced at Mac. “There was an emphasis on working in teams to problem-solve. It’s a great experience and one that can be applied in the work-a-day world,” he notes. In fact, he says that engineer-ing is a great discipline to prepare one not just for a career in engineering but also for working in business. “It provides a good introduction of the basics of technology. And you learn to think, how to learn, how to solve problems.” Glenn founded Graycom Analysis in 1986. Graycom specializes in consulting services for planning, acquisition and management of telecommunications information systems and networks. Graycom assists clients with their selection of technology enablers and applica-tions, including telecommunications, networks

and systems and Contact Centres. Graycom also conducts operations reviews of technol-ogy, process and management issues associated with technology. Graycom also develops tech-nology strategies for its clients, primarily in the public sector. Clients include over 50 hospitals, 10 school boards, 6 universities/colleges, 12 municipalities, and the Provincial and Federal Governments in addition to other public and private sector clients. As President, Glenn’s main focus today is business development. Glenn has been married to Mohawk College graduate Susan for over 36 years. She retired from her position as a medical secretary at Princess Margaret Hospital in 1977 to raise their family of two children. The couple enjoys travelling, especially to their Florida vacation home. As is typical with a man who makes his work his hobby, Glenn has faced some health issues, surviving multiple bypass surgery in 2001. These days, he golfs, gardens, and attends both professional and amateur sports events. In 1995, Glenn and his brothers established the Gray Family Bursary at McMaster in mem-ory of their father. It is given to a combined engineering/business undergraduate from the Hamilton-Wentworth area. In 2008, Glenn and Susan set up the Albert Lovas Memorial Bursary in honour of Susan’s brother, for a student in the McMaster-Mohawk Bachelor of Technology (BTech) program.

4 The MacEngineer

Petryschuk Family – Forty Years … and CountingIf you have attended Mac Engineering any time over the past forty years, you have likely met or shared classes with a member of the Petryschuk family. The University’s chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering courses have all been “home” to one or more Petry-schuk student since the 1960s. Walter was the first to arrive on the Hamilton campus. He received an M.Eng. in chemical engineering in 1965, and his Ph.D. in 1967. Over the years, Walter has worked in the petrochemical industry, in management educa-tion and eventually held the position of Direc-tor General at the National Research Council. Upon retirement from his professional career, he lectured at Sarnia, Ontario’s Lambton Col-lege, teaching courses in project, quality, and procurement management for its Information Technology Program. As a hobby, Walter farmed a commercial apple orchard in the Sarnia area from 1980 to 2003. He currently serves as an advisor to the Board of the Lawrence House Centre for the Arts in Sarnia. He has been recognized for his many professional activi-ties, including being named a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada. Walter is married to Mary and they raised four sons. The couple now reside in Sarnia, Ontario. Oldest son Michael received his B.Eng., also in chemical engineering, in 1983. He currently is Branch Manager for Newalta Industrial Services Inc. in Brantford, Ontario. The firm is a national waste management company that processes and recycles hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. Specifically, Michael manages the profit and loss of an oily water

processing facility, recovering the oil for recy-cling and treating the water prior to sending it to the sewers. He has also worked for water treatment or chemical companies/laboratories in various cities in Ontario and in East St. Louis, Illinois. Michael, who holds an MBA from York University (2002), is a member of the Profes-sional Engineers of Ontario and the Canadian Society of Chemical Engineers. He is a found-ing member of the Concept to Creation Coop-erative, a cooperative for inventors established in 2003. He is married to Nancy and they have two children. For relaxation, he enjoys hockey and bicycling, car restoration and woodworking. Walter’s son Geoffrey graduated with a B.Eng. in mechanical engineering in 1985. Currently, Geoffrey is living in Vancouver, working in the construction industry build-ing custom homes and doing renovations. He especially enjoys stripping down older homes to the bare walls and then rebuilding them into residences of beauty. For recreation, Geoffrey enjoys cycling and sea kayaking. He’s recently been bicycling in Canada’s most easterly province, Newfoundland, and paddling in the Queen Charlotte Islands off the British Columbia coast. Now Geoffrey has started tak-ing flying lessons. In addition to a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineer-ing and Management (1990), the third son of Walter and Mary, Allan received his MBA from the University of Windsor in 1995. He is active in sports and his interests pretty much cover all seasons: hockey, baseball, volleyball, skiing, and golf. Allan also engages in automotive

repair and restoration, and home improve-ments and landscaping. His career has taken him from Union Gas Ltd. in Chatham to Sulzer Canada Inc. in Rexdale. Then, in 2001, to the research division of Quebec-based DiMethaid Manufacturing located in Markham. Among its products, DiMethaid manufactures Pennsaid®, an anti-inflammatory drug used for the treat-ment of osteoarthritis. More recently, Allan has left DiMethaid and returned to Sulzer where he has responsibility for the North American sales of their crystallizer technology. Allan is married to Carol and the couple lives with their two daughters in the historic hamlet of Ballinafad, near Erin, Ontario. Representing the third generation to attend McMaster’s Engineering Faculty, Michael’s son Stephen is currently studying electrical engi-neering and will graduate in 2010 with a combined degree in Engineering and Man-agement. In addition to his studies, Stephen keeps busy as a computer programming TA, and volunteers with the Engineering and Management Club, where he is currently President. He has been on the Deans Honour List for both 2007 and 2008.

The MacEngineer 5

Walter MichaelStephen

professor working on the Faculty’s first course in computation, Engineering 1D03. After graduation, Steve moved quickly up in the corporate IT world and he is now President of Microsoft Business Division. I am pleased to be able to tell you that Steve will be awarded an honorary degree at the Engineering Convocation this June. Also receiving an honorary degree will be Prof. Gilles Patry, until recently the President of the University of Ottawa, who served as a professor of Civil Engineering at McMaster for about 10 years in the 1980s. As you peruse this copy of the MacEngi-neer you will see evidence of many recent accomplishments at McMaster. These include the development of student entrepreneurs and their inventions – Kelly Curry’s Swing-nature golf training device and Tim Pryor’s Digital Dash technology – both now emerg-ing from our Xerox Centre for Engineering

Entrepreneurship and Innovation. There’s the recent opening of the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy at McMaster, headed by Prof. Gianluigi Botton. This Centre now houses the most powerful electron micro-scope in the world. You will note some new accomplishments of our faculty, including the President’s Award for Excellence in In-struction to Prof. Brian Baetz, a special jour-nal issue dedicated to Prof. John MacGregor, and many others. You will also see evidence of the Faculty’s continuing development of new research opportunities, for example in biomedical device engineering and in nuclear energy systems. These are challenging times for all of us and universities are certainly not immune. McMaster faces numerous financial chal-lenges related to the effect of the markets on endowment income and pension funds. The future of government funding and industrial

investments in research partnerships are both uncertain. But within these challenges lie opportunities. We are actively looking for ways that our Faculty of Engineering can help the Ontario economy emerge from the current chaos more strongly than before, by providing the best quality in education, research and innovation. We are looking at new kinds of partnerships that address the long-term needs of industry for talented personnel. We are partnering with OSPE and PEO to engage in discussions and analysis of the role of engineering in public policy. In short, we are prepared, now more than ever, to play a leadership role based on the highly talented students, faculty and staff in the Faculty. We welcome your comments on, or participation in, any of these new initiatives. In closing let me extend to all of you my best wishes for a healthy and successful year.

Dean of Engineering (continued from page 2)

Ken was the first, graduat-ing in 1961 with a B.Eng. (Honours) in chemical engineering and earn-ing a Ph.D., also in chem. eng., in 1967. Ken’s long and busy career might be summed up in one word – climate. It seems he was

determined to experience as many different climes as possible while moving through a succession of challenging positions. In St. Louis, Missouri, he was a research engineer with Monsanto; then in the heat of the desert in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, he served as Chairman of the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Petroleum & Minerals; next, in the cold of Fairbanks, Alaska, he guided the de-velopment of a state-wide telecommunications system for the University of Alaska. Back south in Idaho Falls, Idaho, he managed a computer facility for EG&G that tested nuclear reactors; then came moves to Arizona and Ohio were he was an Associate Vice President of Informa-tion Technology at Arizona State University, and a Vice President at Wright State University in Dayton, respectively. Finally, in 1996 Ken returned to sunny and warm Phoenix to begin a career as an independent consultant for the management of information technology. He recently retired, and spends much of his time volunteering with several organizations and non-profit boards in the Phoenix area, most notably with the Phoenix Police Department. Obviously not one to stand still for long, Ken has just accepted a CEO position with a start-up company in the environmental sector.

After graduating with a PhD. in chemical engi-neering in 1967, Gary

joined the Chevron Research Corporation in San Francisco, California, where he worked on the development of process control and optimiza-

tion strategies for refinery processes. Over the years, he worked in eight divisions of the company, including strategic planning and analysis, operations and business planning, and mergers and acquisitions. Toward the end of his career with Chevron, Gary was responsible for the company’s worldwide marketing and refining strategy. In 1986, he co-founded Bay Isle Financial where, as President, he managed

the operations and investment processes for individual clients. Gary, who is also a Certified Financial Planner, built assets under manage-ment from zero in 1986 to over $1 billion in 2000. The partners sold the business to the Denver-based Berger fund company in 2001 and Bay Isle became a stand-alone subsidiary located in Oakland. Ensuing sales and mergers resulted in Bay Isle’s individual client busi-ness being purchased by First Republic Bank’s investment management subsidiary, and Gary moved back to San Francisco where he became a Senior Managing Director with responsibility for the company’s West Coast portfolio manage-ment process for individual clients. Gary is a founding board member of the Presidio School of Management and a past president of the San Rafael School Board; as well, he has served on the boards of several local arts groups. Gary enjoys playing handball, reading about chaos theory and math, wine tasting, and art. Unlike older brother Ken, Gary is very happy to point out that he has never experienced anything but sunny California weather.

Cousin Ted also complet-ed his PhD in chemical engineering and, consis-tent with the family tradi-tion established by Ken and Gary, moved to the United States to launch his career. He was on the faculty of the Environ-

mental Systems and Engineering Department at Clemson University, South Carolina, prior to shifting his focus to consulting engineering. He has more than 25 years of experience as a consultant specializing in Industrial Wastewa-ter Treatment and in the characterization and remediation of environmentally impacted sites. Like Ken, Ted has moved about during his ca-reer, holding senior management positions with several international consulting firms including Vice President with MWH Global in Pasadena, California, Vice President with CH2M Hill in Waterloo, Ontario, Vice President with Geoma-trix Consultants in San Francisco, California and Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Director of Envi-ronmental Services with Golder Associates in Mississauga, Ontario. Ted is currently President and Managing Principal of ENVIRON Canada, a subsidiary of ENVIRON International – a global environmental and health sciences consulting firm with over 1300 staff in offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. All that moving can take a toll on family, and Ted says he has appreciated the strong support of

his wife and daughter through all those many moves over the years. When not packing/unpacking, he enjoys hacking around the golf course and playing tennis.

Mark graduated in 1976 as the top engineer of his class with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in chemical engineering, and completed his PhD in the same discipline in 1984. Mark began his career with Union Carbide in

Charleston, West Virginia, in the Research & Development (R&D) group of its latex business. Less than a year later, he moved to the Water Soluble Polymers R&D group in Bound Brook, New Jersey, working in a Process Research position supporting hydroxyl ethyl cellulose and polyethylene oxide product lines. In 1988 Mark joined The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) in Midland, Michigan, in its Paper Latex Technical Service and Development (TS&D) group. There he provided technical support, was involved in development of new products and technologies, and eventually became a Development Associate. When Dow initiated a Six Sigma program, Mark was trained in Six Sigma methodology and earned Green Belt certification. He remains in the TS&D group and has added responsibility for environment, health and safety issues, serving as the North American Product Steward for paper, carpet and performance latexes. As Product Steward, he deals with regulatory compliance and safety issues for these products. During his career, Mark has always tried to maintain a “work-life balance”. He remains involved in Christian service through helping in church events, is involved with family activities, and assists aging parents and neighbours. He has served on the executive boards of Parent Teacher organiza-tions and has the unusual distinction of being a registered Girl Scout! For several years, he has served as Cookie Manager for more than 50 troops, and has helped the local organization improve their paperwork through the develop-ment of a database system for cookie order entry and tracking.

In 2006, the Pollocks decided to “give back to Mac”. They established the Pollock Engineer-ing Academic Grant to be awarded to students who have completed Level I, attained a high sessional average, and who demonstrate finan-cial need.

The Pollocks – Three Brothers and a Cousin: a ChemEng LegacyIt’s an outstanding record: there’s been a Pollock in the McMaster Engineering program for 25 consecutive years.

6 The MacEngineer

Ian Shaw – Core Skills Help Build CareerYou never know where a summer job will lead you. After working for two summers at the Hamilton plant for Procter and Gamble, Ian Shaw was certain he wanted to pursue a career in chemical engineering. Even as a child, he’d been

fascinated in how things work and his father Campbell, a Mac grad (’50 or ‘51) who was employed in the chemical industry, fostered in Ian a love of science and chemistry. Ian chose McMaster for a number of reasons. “Mac’s engineering program has a good reputa-tion among employers as a strong engineering school. Its location in close proximity to a number of manufacturing companies provided good op-portunity for summer employment and for fulltime work after graduation.” In addition, he appreciated the fact that class sizes were small enough to allow the students to get to know their fellow classmates, and the professors could learn the names of their students. Ian graduated with a B.Eng. in 1989. Over a 20-year career, he has held a diverse number of corporate roles in the manufacturing sector, including positions in operations, capital projects engineering, environmental affairs, product development, energy management, and corporate strategy. Hired by Hamilton-based Dofasco right after graduation, Ian currently holds the position of ArcelorMittal Corporate Energy Manager, Office of the Chief Technology Officer, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, with responsibility for energy efficiency and conservation activities associated with the company’s North and South American operations. (Dofasco Inc. was purchased by ArcelorMittal in 2006.)

Those smaller classes have provided an unexpect-ed bonus. The network of contacts developed during university days has, he says, has been very helpful. “There have been numerous occasions where I have called upon my fellow Mac grads for assistance and have even retained a few on assignments.” Ian, who is a graduate of executive manage-ment programs from both Queens University School of Business and Western University Ivey School of Business, has been active outside the corporate office on a number of fronts. He has been extensively involved in environmental policy development and implementation at the national and international levels. He has worked with the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, the Conference Board of Canada, and the Canadian delegation during TC 207 - ISO 14040 standards creation. Within the steel sector, he has chaired committees in the areas of environmentally focused product marketing, product certification, and sector level pollution reduction strategies. He has also been an active member and rep-resentative for the Canadian Steel Producers As-sociation, American Iron and Steel Association, and International Iron and Steel Institute regarding environment and energy issues. In addition, he takes time to be involved with the University as a guest lecturer on the topic of green engineering, for the McMaster Engineering and Public Policy Masters of Engineering program. Ian is married to Paula, also a Mac engineering grad (mechanical, ’88), and they have two children. The whole family enjoys spending time together camping, canoeing and hiking. “The core skills that I developed during my time at Mac provide the foundation and approach to my work. Even though I now work in a manage-ment capacity, I still consider myself a practising engineer at heart.”

In Remembrance

Colin Campbell Professor Emeritus of Electrical

and Computer Engineering

died on September 9, 2008,

in his 82nd year.

Dr. Campbell was at McMaster

University from 1960 to 1989,

during which time he received two

teaching awards from the McMaster

Student Union and a Teaching

Citation from the Ontario Council

of University Faculty Associations.

In 1983, he received the Eadie

Medal from the Royal Society of

Canada for major contributions to

engineering and applied science

in Canada. He was a Life Fellow

of the Institute of Electrical and

Electronic Engineers (U.S.A.), and

a Fellow of the Royal Society of

Canada, the Engineering Institute

of Canada, and the Royal Society

of Arts (London), and a Member

of the Electromagnetics Academy

(U.S.A.).

A memorial service for Dr.

Campbell was held in the Great

Hall of St. John’s Anglican

Church in Ancaster on Thursday

September 18, 2008.

Five long-serving members of the Faculty of Engineering who recently retired were recognized by David Wilkinson, Dean of Engineering, for their contributions at a special reception in University Hall on October 1, 2008. At the same time, four new faculty members were officially welcomed aboard.

New Faculty AppointmentsJan Modersitzki Associate Professor of Computing and Soft-ware. Prior to coming to McMaster, Prof. Mod-ersitzki worked at the Institut fur Mathematik, Lubeck Germany. His research interests are in image processing, particularly image registration and its applications to medical image processing, numerical analysis and optimization. Prof. Modersitzki is a leader in the field of image registration.

Joey Kish Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. Prof. Kish is a former graduate student at McMaster, who studied under the supervision of Dr. Brian Ives. His research specialties include lightweight automotive material corrosion and aqueous and high temperature combustion environments. As well as research, Prof. Kish will be teaching undergraduate course 4D03, Materials and the Environment.

Todd Hoare Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering. Prof. Hoare received his Ph.D. at McMaster and did his postdoctoral fellowship at MIT. He has now returned to the Department of Chemi-cal Engineering where he will be working in the area of interfacial engineering and nanotechnology.

Benoit Chachaut Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering. Prof. Chachaut com-pleted his Ph.D. studies at the Lorraine National Institute of Technol-

ogy (France), and did his postdoctoral fellowship in France and at MIT. Prior to joining McMaster, he worked as a Research Associate at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland. Prof. Chachaut’s interests lie in the optimization of dynamic systems, with applications in fuel cells, batch control and bioprocessing.

Faculty RetirementsJohn Vlachopoulos, Distinguished Univer-sity Professor Emeritus, Chemical Engineering. Prof. Vlachopoulos joined the Department of Chemical Engineer-ing as assistant profes-sor in 1968. He has since served as Depart-ment Chair (1985-88) and Director of the Centre for Advanced Polymer Processing and Design (CAPPA-D).

Prof. Vlachopoulos is a frequent lecturer throughout the world (having made over 300 presentations) in five languages (Eng-lish, Greek, French, German and Spanish), and is a consultant to the polymer produc-tion and plastics processing industry. In 2001, he received the Society of Plastics Engineering Education Award and was pro-moted to the rank of Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers for his contributions to the science and technology of polymer processing. In 2007, he was awarded the Stanley G. Mason award, which is pre-sented every three years to a Canadian rheologist, or a rheologist who has worked in Canada for several years, for exceptional contributions to the science of rheology. He has also served as the president of the Polymer Processing Society, and continues to serve on numerous society boards.

Thomas Marlin, Professor Emeritus, Chemical Engineer-ing. Prof. Marlin joined McMaster University in 1988 as professor and as an NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Com-puter Process Control. On the strength of this research chair, the University also estab-lished the McMaster Advanced Control Consortium (MACC). This group promotes and advances process control by bring-ing together researchers and practitioners for the investigation and application of leading-edge control technology. Under

the leadership of Prof. Marlin for the past 20 years, MACC now boasts more than 20 industrial members from around the world. He was named the 2001 recipient of the President’s Award for Excellence in Course or Resources Design for his process control textbook, software laboratory and web site. His textbook and software are now used world-wide. This year he will receive the D.G. Fisher Award from the Canadian Society of Chemical Engineering.

John MacGregor, Distinguished Univer-sity Professor Emeritus, Chemical Engineering. Prof. MacGregor joined McMaster University in 1972 as assistant profes-sor. He developed an outstanding scholarly reputation in the appli-cation of statistics to process and product quality monitoring, advanced process control and the development of the field of polymer reaction engineering. His research has had a profound impact not only on the Canadian process systems engineering and chemical engineering communities, but also internationally in the general area of product and process quality improvement. His achievements have been recognized through prestigious awards, participation on the editorial boards of major academic journals, and the phenom-enal success and acceptance of his work in industry. Among Prof. MacGregor’s most influential achievements for McMaster has been his critical involvement in the creation of three major research centres: the McMaster Institute for Polymer Produc-tion Technology (MIPPT), the McMaster Advanced Control Consortium (MACC), and the Steel Research Centre. Each quickly de-veloped an enviable reputation in industry and academia. Prof. MacGregor has served as Department Chair (1988-91), the Dofasco Chair in Process Automation (1999-2008), and was awarded the title of Distinguished University Professor in 2003.

Ahmed Ghobarah, Professor Emeritus, Civil Engineering. Prof. Ahmed Ghobarah ob-tained both his Masters and Ph.D. degrees at McMaster University. He joined the Depart-ment of Civil Engineer-ing in 1970 as an as-

NEW FACULTY AND RETIREES RECOGNIZED

8 The MacEngineercontinued on p.21

The MacEngineer 9

The most advanced and powerful electron microscope on the planet – capable of unprecedented resolution – has been installed in the new Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy at McMaster. Both were officially unveiled October 16, 2008. “We are the first university in the world with a microscope of such a high calibre,” says Gianluigi Botton, director of the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy, professor of Materials Science and Engi-neering, and the project’s leader. Several of the world’s top microscopists were on hand for the launch and to participate in a related conference on October 17 attended by some 100 partici-pants who discussed the latest advances in the field. Speakers included Christian Colliex, Université Paris-Sud; Gustaaf Van Tendeloo, University of Antwerp; Wah Chiu, Baylor College of Medicine; David Muller, Cornell University; and Frederic Danoix, Université de Rouen. The resolution of the Titan 80-300 Cubed microscope is the equivalent of the Hubble Telescope but looking at the atomic

level instead of at stars and galaxies. The microscope can identify atoms, measure their chemical state and probe the electrons that bind them together. The new microscope is housed in a stable, specially designed facility able to withstand ultralow vibrations, low noise, and minute temperature fluctuations. Operation of the instrument will also be done from a separate room to ensure results of the highest quality. Built in the Netherlands by the FEI Company at a cost of $15-million, the Titan cluster will examine at the nano level hundreds of everyday products in order to understand, manipulate and improve their efficiency, says John Preston, director of McMaster’s Brockhouse Insti-tute for Materials Research. The microscope will be used to help produce more efficient lighting and better solar cells, study proteins and drug-delivery materials to target cancers. It will assess atmospheric particulates, and help create lighter and stronger automotive materials, more effective cosmetics, and higher den-

sity memory storage for faster electronic and telecommunication devices. “The Titan electron microscope boosts Ontario’s and Canada’s lead in nanotech-nology,” says Mo Elbestawi, McMaster’s vice-president, Research and International Affairs. “Housing it at McMaster reinforces our place among the world’s most ad-vanced materials research institutions.” Funding for the microscope instru-mentation was provided by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Ontario Innovation Trust, the Ministry of Research and Innovation of Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, through a partnership with FEI and McMaster University.

To learn more, visit: http://ccem.mcmaster.ca

World’s Most Advanced Microscope Unveiled at McMaster

ENGINEERING NEWS

A new high-tech golf training aid developed by XCEEi master’s student Kelly Curry has been added to the product list of one of the Canada’s largest golf retailers. Swingnature, a specially designed golf club shaft that helps develop proper swing technique and club head speed for distance and accuracy, is now being sold by Golf Town. Swingnature is made up of a two-toned shaft, a removable weight, and an interchangeable grip system. The system is designed to build power,

which requires both heavy (strength) and light (speed) training. To work on strength, weight is put into the shaft. To work on speed, the weight is removed. Training only with heavy swing aids can actually slow a golfer’s swing. A two-toned shaft indicates whether or not a technically sound swing is being made. The colour of the shaft should ideally change from solid red on the backswing, to solid white on the follow-through. If the golfer sees too much red, then they are opening the clubface. If they see too much white, then they are closing the clubface. Two types of grips come with Swing-nature. A molded training grip is used to ensure proper hand positioning on the club and a normal grip is for regular use. A next generation SMART-grip version is in the works. The grip will have a small computer built into it that tracks a golfer’s swing in real-time and notifies them when they have done something wrong. It will also plug-in to a training portal being developed. Curry is also working on closing an investment deal, arranging an endorsement with a PGA Tour star, and expanding the number of retailers selling Swingnature.Read more at: www.swingnature.com

For any driver frustrated with the layout of their car’s dashboard or who just wants to stylize it to match the look of their vehicle, help is on the way. XCEEi master’s student Tim Pryor has established Digital Dash, a company developing customizable dashboard technology for new model vehicles. Digital Dash combines state-of-the-art multi-touch screen technology with conventional console knobs, buttons and sliders so that vehicle owners con-trol when, how and where they view displays for stereo settings, heating and ventilation controls, time and weather, and video displays of GPS maps and blind-spot camera images. The technol-ogy can also be applied to instrumenta-tion such as a vehicle’s speedometer, odometer, and fuel gauge. “Drivers should be able to customize the functions on their dashboard as easily as they program their cell phones,” says Pryor, president of Digital Dash. “It allows for greater personal style and comfort but also improved driving safety.” Pryor has already caught the interest of a number of automotive and highway truck manufacturers. A large appeal

is that Digital Dash technology can be curved and shaped to fit all types of irregular surface areas unlike today’s rigid dashboards. Another is that no wiring or interconnects are needed, reducing the number of parts required. “One of the big challenges for manu-facturers is finding space to fit all the new electronic accessories, sensors and indicators being added to vehicles,” explains Pryor. “Our technology allows for displays to be layered in terms of priority and preference. If new applica-tions become available, the software can be easily downloaded.” Central to the Digital Dash is the reconfigurable tactile display (RTD) control interface. The RTD uses a projec-tor which displays graphics on clear plastic-like surfaces. A camera sensor with machine vision is used to sense commands. A small computer runs the software that manages the system. Pryor is also looking at other applications for the technology including sound mixers in the music industry and various types of medical equipment. Read more at: www.digital-dash.com

Canadian Start-up Lets Drivers Customize Their Dashboards

Golf Town Picks Up Student Golf Invention

Other Recent XCEEi Start-Ups: ThinkFlex Solar www.flexiblesolartech.com • Liquid Fiber Displays www.liquidfiberdisplays.com • Blujino Media http://blujino.com

10 The MacEngineer

New Companies Spin Out of Entrepreneurship CentreSeveral new companies have emerged from the Xerox Centre for Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation over the past year. Following are two such companies that have benefited from the business-creation methodology developed by the Centre, as well as technical and business advice provided by faculty, mentors and fellow students. For more information about XCEEi, visit: www.businessinnovation.com.

Six ambitious students have taken on a timely task for their final-year capstone project. They are engineering a uniquely styled synchronous clock that is to hang in the main hallway of the new Engineering Technology Building now under construction. Dubbed the Chronos Clock Project, the clock has a unique design featuring three metal rings. A large stationary ring forms the perimeter of the clock. A second ring, about a third the size, turns within the larger ring. The point where these two rings are tangent tells the hour. A third ring, smaller still, rotates within the second ring. The point at which these two rings are tangent tells the minutes. A synchronous motor delivers a constant rotary motion to both time-telling rings. Daniel Borrelli, Michael Kish, Rajiv Sujan and Richard Yoon from Mechanical Engineering and Management are working with Patrick Leroux and Jennifer Torosian from the School of the Arts to create a mechanical timepiece that combines both engineering concepts and industrial design

with an artistic influence. Mechanical Engineering professor Tim Nye is their thesis advisor. The students are now looking for resources and materials needed to build the clock. Anyone willing to make a contribution of equipment, materials or funding is welcome to contact the group. For more information, visit: http://chronosclock.mcmaster.ca

KEEP THE WHEELS OF TIME TURNING

Senior Class Gift TraditionEvery year, graduating seniors and the Office of Alumni Ad-vancement work together to create a student-centred Senior Class Gift based on the new opportunities and challenges that are continually emerging at McMaster University. This initia-tive is a student-led project that encourages graduating students to make a financial contribution to McMaster in their final year of study. The 2008 Engineer-ing Senior Class gift Campaign was led by 2008 grads Maria Topalovic, Steve Remilli and the Engineering Alumni Office. The Class of 2008 Gift will be recognized outside of the new Engineering building with a park bench and a tree. The Engineering Alumni Office believes that other engineering classes would be interested in making a class gift. Such a gift might recognize the students’ shared journey through a challenging year, emphasise an important event in the engineering field, ac-knowledge appreciation for an individual professor, or honour an outstanding achievement by a classmate. If your class is interested in planning a class gift, please contact: Carm Vespi, vespi@mcmaster.ca

Entrance ScholarshipEstablished in 2008 by Hatch Ltd., the Hatch Entrance Scholarships are provided exclu-sively for students qualifying for admission to an Engineering 1 program in the Fall/Winter session of 2009/2010 as full-time students. Four (4) scholarships valued at $48,000 each ($12,000 per year) will be awarded annually to undergraduate students entering McMaster’s Faculty of Engineering. These awards are renewable for three years at the same value, provided the student remains

full-time and achieves a Sessional Average of 9.5 with no failures. All students (includ-ing international/visa, CEGEP and IB) who have graduated from, or who are currently attending, the final year of secondary school in Canada are eligible to apply. For complete information including selection criteria and to download the application form, visit: www.eng.mcmaster.ca/hatch.pdf. The deadline is March 2, 2009.

The MacEngineer 11

On Saturday, October 18, more than 500 alumni, faculty and staff – some from as far away as Aus-tralia and Peru – attended the 50th Anniversary Fireball Gala to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Faculty of Engineering. The festivities took place in the David Braley Athletic Centre and included sealing of an Anniversary Time Capsule, a special McMaster Engineering Society Sword Presentation, and the introduction of the Living Legacy Project. Keynote speakers Dr. Peter George, President and Vice-Chancellor at McMaster, Dr. David Wilkinson, Dean of Engineering, and Dr. Les Shemilt, professor emeritus and the second Dean of Engineering, provided anec-dotes and historical perspectives on the strong legacy of engineering at McMaster University. Many past Deans of Engineering, seven students from the first graduating class (Class of ’61), current and past MES Presidents, and current and past Super Plumbers and Wonder Plumbers were all in attendance. Jay Ingram, host of Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet was the master of ceremonies for the evening. Following the speeches, ceremonies, and a scrumptious dinner, music was provided by The Groove Corporation with special guest Tiffany Thompson. The wonderful sounds got everyone up and dancing.

More than100 items were donated by alumni, faculty and staff for the Time Capsule and Liv-ing Legacy Project. Among the items donated: a train engineer’s cap (‘64), an engineering student’s red suit, an engineering leather jacket, a 1970s Commodore Calculator, a slide rule, textbooks, class notes, and Fireball and Welcome Week memorabilia. Donations are still being accepted for the Living Legacy Project.

Here are some of the comments we have received about the 50th Anniversary Fireball Gala:

“Just wanted to say thanks for a most entertain-ing evening. I know you put a ton of work into it and it showed.” – Stephen Lane“Great party, Carm! We had a wonderful time.” – Marc Lafreniere“Donna and I would like to say thanks for orga-nizing a wonderful evening on Saturday. Table 19 had a blast. Winning a door prize was a bonus!” – Paul Sedran“As always, you’ve outdone yourself again. The event was fantastic …” – Joe Podrebarac

12 The MacEngineer

Celebrate! Engineers & Engineering

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“Great job, Ladies! Everything that was in your control was perfect. Like Jay said, it really was a “fire ball”. Glad it was a false alarm.” – Janet Delsey“Great job, Carm!!!” – Deborah Smaluck“I can only imagine all the work you and your office did to make this happen. All the planning must have been horrendous but you got it perfect, down to the last detail – like the fire alarm. That sure brought back memories.” – Erik Quist“Congratulations – very well attended and Jay Ingram was a terrific MC.” – Rod Morrison“I had an absolute blast, so I wanted to say thank you for all the hard work you did. I’m so glad I could make it. I also wanted to mention how fantastic Mac campus looks and how I always have a great time going back there.” – Lulu Bursztyn“What a great job you did on organizing the gala. We had a really good time and enjoyed meeting new people as well as old friends. The “fire alarm stretch” was a nice touch.” – Dave Dean“Hi Carm. It was great to see you on Saturday night. Peter and I had a great time! And it was lots of fun. I met up with some people that I lived in residence with (which was a long time ago …).” – Christine Macdonald“That was a very successful and well organized event. You did yourself and the Faculty proud.” – Grant and Mary Huber

“I would like to congratulate you and everyone else that works in the Alumni Office. Saturday’s event ran very smoothly. Your hard work was greatly appreciated. The Mini Baja Team was glad to be given the chance to meet with the Alumni and demonstrate some of the new things that are happening at McMaster.” – Matt Green, McMaster Mini Baja

“Thanks for organizing this past weekend’s event. I had a blast!!” – Mark Huttram“Thanks, it was great to be part of it! I think you and your staff were amazing as well!!” – Pete Topalovic“I think that the gala will definitely go down in the memory books as one of the best organized events in the history of the Faculty of Engineering.” – Julie Dixon“We enjoyed the evening very much – the setting was lovely, the food delicious, the hotel very nice, the presentations and displays well done. It was nice to be on campus on a beautiful fall day and reconnect with friends. Thank you for all the work you did in planning this event.” – Peggy and Mark Sheridan“Marianne, Erin, Joyanne, Dave and his wife Linda and I all had a wonder-ful time. Ralph and Suzanne also enjoyed themselves. Ralph com-mented that he found it the most enjoyable of the 50th anniversary events. It was a won-derful opportunity to dress up (which I hardly ever do) …” – Alison Orr

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The MacEngineer 15

Can you believe it? You are celebrating your

40th, 35th, 30th, 25th, 20th, 15th or 10th Anniversary this year!

I will be posting names of those who will be attending on the website, so add

your name to the list now!

I have also listed lost alumni. If you know where they are, please let me know

and I will contact them.

If anyone is interested in helping me by contacting their classmates please let me know. We have had successful

alumni reunions and I trust that this will be another one.

I have already had a number of alumni contact me to say they are planning to attend.

Mark the date in your calendar:

Saturday May 23rd, 2009!I look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely, Carm

NEWS BRIEFS

Appointments Ken Coley, chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has been appointed the new Associate Dean, Academic for the Faculty of Engineer-ing. David Potter of the Department of Chemical Engineering, where he has held a management role in the Xerox Centre for Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innova-tion since January 2006, has been appoint-ed the Director of the Engineering and Management Program. Both appointments were effective August 1, 2008.

Loutfy Appointed Synchrotron Chair

Rafik Loutfy, Director of McMaster University’s Xerox Centre for Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation, has been elected chair of the board of directors of Canadian Light Source

Inc. (CLSI), Canada’s national synchrotron research facility. He assumed his duties on June 24, 2008. Dr. Loutfy has more than 30 years of experience as a research, development, business and strategic leader with the Xerox Corporation. He is the inaugural holder of the Walter G. Booth Chair for En-gineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation at McMaster. The Canadian Light Source is Canada’s national centre for synchrotron research, located at the University of Sas-katchewan in Saskatoon.

Aboriginal Students During one week in July, 20 young ab-original students in the Hamilton area got a hands-on introduction to engineering, science and mathematics. The students, ranging in age from 7 to 12 and enrolled in the youth program run by the Hamilton Regional Indian Centre, participated in the popular Venture Engineering and Science Camp. Arrangements were made through the McMaster Indigenous Studies Program, which applied for funding from the Aboriginal Education Training Strategy program.

RFID Lab Grows in India The McMaster Radio Frequency Identifica-tion Applications Lab (MRAL) has taken on two initiatives in India.

The first is a research collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT- New Delhi), IPICO Inc. and Strategic Consultants (New Delhi). The $2.5 mil-lion initiative is receiving $1.2 million in matching funding by International Sci-ence and Technology Partnerships Canada (ISTPCanada) and the Global Innovation & Technology Alliance (GITA). The remaining funding is provided by industry partners. The funding will be used to continue the development of a technology solution to power an intelligent transportation system framework. The goal of the project is to create an economically-viable RFID solution to capture and analyse data related to traffic use and capacity, without a corresponding increase in investment in road infrastruc-ture. In turn, this technology could be used to help manage traffic, reducing road delays and transit time, therefore reducing both emissions and dependency on fossil fuels. The second initiative is an arrangement with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) India to pursue RFID-related consulting and solutions services in India. The technology is already being used in India for such purposes as bus scheduling, mail delivery, medical diagnosis and banking. MRAL will provide leadership in RFID technology

assessment, hardware vendor assessments, service level agreements, and privacy and policy issues. PwC will provide leadership from a systems perspective.

Faculty Adds 14th Canada Research Chair

Natalia Nikolova, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been appointed Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in High-Frequency Electromagnetics.

She receives $500,000 in funding for her research. Prof. Nikolova brings the number of Canada Research Chair (CRC) appoint-ments in the Faculty of Engineering to 14. Prof. Nikolova’s research involves inves-tigation of microwave-imaging techniques and tools to better, and non-invasively, detect tumours, such as breast cancer. Her work involves applying microwave imaging to biomedical diagnostics and non-destructive testing, via computer algorithms for high-frequency electromag-netic system analysis and simulation, as well as computer-aided design methods

16 The MacEngineer

OSPE and DCEPP Form Partnership A new partnership between the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) and McMaster’s Dofasco Centre for Engineering and Public Policy (DCEPP) aims to increase the voice of engineering professionals in public policy discussions. OSPE and DCEPP will be undertaking several initiatives to support engineering professionals in expanding their abilities to engage in public policy discussions. The two groups will also provide leadership in identifying public policy priorities and developing discussion points through the OSPE’s Centre of Engineering Excellence. Left to right: Andrew Hrymak, Angela Shama, Gail Krantzberg, David Wilkinson, Michael Monette, Edwina McGroddy.

16 The MacEngineer

for antennas, and microwave devices and systems. She is also exploring the theory of the interaction of the electromagnetic field with plasma and its application in wireless communications.

$50,000 Gift

On December 9, 2008, Burlington-based Philips Engineering announced a gift of $50,000 to the Faculty of Engineering’s new Engineering Technology Building Fund. Four of the company’s five principal officers – Gary Tansley (’66), Ken DePodesta (’73), Ron Scheckenberger (’81), Hank Huitema (’86), and four of the firm’s five Associates - Paul Smeltzer (’79), Brian Bishop (’89), David Sinke (’90), Angelo Cutaia (’86) – are Mac grads. Rounding out the Mac connec-tion are designers Aaron Farrell (’96), Aaron Brouwers (’03) and Tim Winterton (’04).

Alumni Giving to Teaching Studio The Teaching Studio will be a room de-signed to allow students and professors to interact with each other. There will be computers stationed throughout, an elec-tronic voting system, and large projection screen. Funding for the Teaching Studio is being received from alumni and class con-tributions; a donor recognition wall located in the room will recognize the generosity of those who made this space possible. Gifts have ranged in size from $1,000 and

upwards. We hope you will consider a con-tribution to this special project. Our goal is to have a list of 200-plus names on the recognition wall! “My Engineering Education from McMaster University created the foundation of a very satisfying and rewarding career in the Ontario Engineering Consulting Business. It is for this reason that I have decided to contribute my original invest-ment in my Mac Eng Education as a gift to the Faculty of Engineering for the unding of the Teaching Studio of the New Engineering Building.” — Jim McEwen, (Civil ’78) AECOM.

New Energy Policy Graduate Course in Toronto Environment and economic factors have made energy a critical public policy issue. To support the engagement of scientists and engineers in the practice of energy policy development and policy implemen-tation processes, the Dofasco Centre for Engineering and Public Policy launched a 13-week energy policy analysis course at MaRS in downtown Toronto, which started January 22. Members of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers receive a 10 per cent discount.

Students PickUp the PACE The Faculty hosted its first PACE Course Competition as part of the spring 2008 curriculum. PACE (Partners for the Ad-vancement of Collaborative Engineering Education) is an initiative of General Motors and supplier companies. More than 400 first-year Engineering Design and Graphics (Course #1C03) stu-dents were challenged as new employees of XYZ Tools to evaluate and conceptual-ize a competitor’s product. Teams were required to use SolidEdge CAE software for

model design to benchmark the device and create a technical report with a complete set of engineering drawings. Judging was based on a team’s acquired skills, using SolidEdge for the modeling, assembly, and engineering drawings of the product. Congratulations to the first place team of Matthew Balyk, Morgan Cunningham, and Jaclyn Obemeyer for their great spray gun product design. The team went on to the 2008 UGS Connection Americas Confer-ence in Orlando, Florida and took third place for their design.

Students Go Nuclear

The American Nuclear Society and the Faculty of Engineering have formed the first-ever ANS student chapter in Ontario, and the first in Canada in almost 10 years. The formation of the chapter was marked with a charter presentation and remarks by Thomas Sanders, vice-president and president-elect of the American Nuclear Society, and a senior executive at Sandia National Laboratories. Twenty students have already signed on as members. Chapter activities include: public outreach, organization of seminars, arranging of guest speakers, participation in ANS events, and networking with other student chapters across North America.

Ken Coley Associate Dean,

Academic

Dr. David Capson Chair, Electrical and Computer Engineering

David Potter Director of the

Engineering and Management

Program

Dr. Brian Baetz re-appointed

Director of the Engineering and Society Program

Dr. John Brash re-appointed

Director of the School of

Biomedical Engineering

Dr. Jun Chen Barber-Gennum Endowed Chair in Information

Technology

Dr. Christopher Swartz Dofasco Endowed Chair in Process Automation and

Information Technology

APPOINTMENTS

continued on p.20

Chemical EngineeringThe Department congratulates Doug Keller who is this year’s recipient of the Veronika Czerneda Staff Award. Doug will have his name added to the permanent Roll of Honour plaque, and will receive a Certificate of Award as well as a monetary award valued at $500.

The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering dedicated its October 2008 issue to John MacGregor, the Depart-ment’s Distinguished University Pro-fessor Emeritus, in celebration of his 65th birthday. Prof. MacGregor joined McMaster University in 1972 as assistant professor. He developed an outstanding scholarly reputation in the application of statistics to process and product quality monitoring, advanced process control and the development of the field of polymer reaction engineering. He has served as Department Chair (1988-91), the Dofasco Chair in Process Automation (1999-2008), and was awarded the title of Distinguished University Professor in 2003. He retired from McMaster University earlier this year and is dedicating much of his time to Prosensus, a data analysis company that he established in 2004.

Professor emeritus Thomas Marlin has been awarded the D.G. Fisher Award by the Canadian Society for Chemical Engi-neering. He received his award at a CSChE meeting in Ottawa in October. Prof. Marlin’s research interests have focused on improved performance of dynamic systems through real-time operations optimization and process control design. The D.G. Fisher Award is presented to an individual who has made substantial contributions in the field of Systems and Control Engineering. It is sponsored by the Suncor Energy Foundation, Shell Canada Limited, and the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Alberta.

Robert Pelton, professor and Canada Research Chair in Interfacial Technolo-gies (Tier 1), has been awarded the Macro-molecular Science and Engineering Award by the Chemical Institute of Canada for 2009. Prof. Pelton invented PNIPAM (N-isopropylacrylamide) temperature

sensitive microgels in 1978. Since then the McMaster interfacial technologies group, which he established, has become one of the world’s most prolific academic groups involved in designing new polymers that improve the strength and function of paper-based materials. Prof. Pelton is also involved with the SENTINEL Bioac-tive Paper Network. Established in 2005, this partnership of 10 universities, nine major industrial partners, and govern-ment agencies was formed to pursue the development of bioactive paper, a Cana-dian innovation. The Chemical Institute award is presented annually to an indi-vidual who, while resident in Canada, has made a distinguished contribution to macromolecular science or engineering. It was established in 1989 and is sponsored by NOVA Chemicals Ltd. Prof. Pelton will be presented with his award at the 92nd Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition (CSC2009), which will be held in Hamilton, Ontario from May 30 to June 3, 2009.

Civil EngineeringCongratulations to Dr. A. Ghani Razaqpur on being awarded the Fellow-ship of the Canadian Academy of Engi-neering in June. Dr. Razaqpur holds the Chair for Effective Design of Structures and is Chair of the Department. He is an authority on concrete materials and structures, advanced finite element model-ing, and design of structures using fibre reinforced polymers (FRP). He has over 130 publications in journals and confer-ence proceedings, and has supervised 40 Master’s and doctoral students. He is a Fellow of the CSCE (President 2006/07) and of the EIC, and is Associate Editor for the International Journal of Cement and Concrete Composites.

Dr. Brian Baetz was selected as the 2008 recipient of the Presi-dent’s Award for Excel-lence in Instruction. The award, established in 1993, provides the opportunity for McMaster to recognize outstanding contribu-tions to education through innovation, achievement or continuing excellence in either classroom or personal instruction.

Over the last year, our graduate alumni have been notching up some major accomplishments: Dr. Gordon Huang

(Ph.D. ’94) left his Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) post at the University of Regina to become a professor of Civil Engineer-ing at the University of Waterloo; Dr. Lisa Aultman-Hall (Ph.D. ’96) left the University of Connecticut to take up the post of Director of the University of Ver-mont’s National Transportation Research Centre in Burlington, VT.; Cam Churchill (M.A.Sc. ’97) was recently appointed as a tenure-track teaching professor in McMas-ter’s Faculty of Engineering (in addition to being the Program Chair for Mac’s Civil BTech initiative and an integral member of the Engineering and Society teaching team); Dr. Bruce Wilson (Ph.D. ’01) recently took up the reins as Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of New Brunswick in Frederic-ton, NB; and Dr. Todd Randall (Ph.D. ’01) was recently granted tenure and promoted to associate professor in the Department of Geography at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, ON. Congratulations to all of these high achievers!

Computing & SoftwareProfessor emeritus David L. Parnas has been named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for contributions to software engineering. Prof. Parnas is considered one of the early pioneers of software engineering in Canada. He is known for developing the concept of information hiding module design which is the founda-tion of today’s object oriented program-ming. He also is known for his promotion of precise documentation.

He also has received an honorary Doc-torate from the Universita della Svizzera italiana in Lugano, Switzerland. He has also been named a Fellow of the Gesell-schaft für Informatik in Germany. In addition, Dr. Parnas is the recipient of the 2009 ACM SIGSOFT Impact Paper Award for the paper, “The Modular Structure of Complex Systems.” The paper, published in 1984, was co-authored with Paul C. Clements and David M. Weiss. The Impact Paper Award is presented annually to the author(s) of a paper presented at a SIGSOFT-sponsored (or co-sponsored) conference held at least 10 years prior to the award year. Papers are judged by their influence since publication. The award includes an invitation to present a keynote talk at the current year’s annual SIGSOFT Foundations of Software conference, and inclusion of a retrospective paper in the

DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

18 The MacEngineer

conference proceedings.

A small research meeting, initiated by the Department in 2007, now appears likely to become a permanent annual confer-ence. StringMasters was first held in July 2007 as a means of bringing together world class researchers together with their graduate students to study some of the many current research problems in string algorithms. In the age of the Internet, these problems have numerous applications in data mining, bioinformat-ics, data compression, software engi-neering, and web search. Sponsored by CAS’ Algorithms Reseach Group (ARG), StringMasters was initially conceived as a one-off event. But the interest generated led to a second workshop in May 2008. So much new work was done during the event that a special issue of a prestigious computer science journal, Fundamenta Informaticae, will appear in 2009, consist-ing only of work resulting from discus-sions held at StringMasters 2008. In both 2007 and 2008, StringMasters attracted about 17 participants from half a dozen countries, some from as far away as Chile and Finland. StringMasters 2009 will be held in South Africa, sponsored by a string algorithms group at the University of Pretoria.

News Flash! McMaster Team Ranks 9th out of 124 Teams in Regional ACM Pro-gramming Contest. McMaster was one of four host sites for the East Central North American region, welcoming 25 teams from 13 different schools. The McMaster team of William Hua, Sanjay Patel and Martin Munoz managed to solve 4 of the 8 problems in the five-hour time limit; solving 4 or more problems was a feat achieved by only 11 teams. The local contest was organized by CAS Associate Professor Jacques Carette and his team of volunteers. It ran very smoothly and the contestants and their coaches were very pleased with the local arrangements – in-cluding the substantial breakfast designed to sustain contestants for those 5 hours of intense concentration!

Electrical & Computer EngineeringJamal Deen, Canada Research Chair in Information Technology, has been awarded the prestigious Thomas W. Eadie Medal by the Royal Society of Canada. Professor Deen is a major contributor in microelectronics/nanoelectronics and optoelectronics, and has made significant contributions to communication systems

hardware. He is an authority in the mod-eling and noise of electronic and opto-electronic devices, particularly silicon transistors and high-speed photodetectors for application in wireless communication circuits and optical communication re-ceivers. The medal is awarded in recogni-tion of major contributions to engineering or applied science, with preference given to those having an impact on communica-tions, especially the Internet. Professor Deen is also the recipient of an academic excellence award presented at the Eighth Annual Guyana Awards (Canada) gala in May in Toronto. The awards acknowledge outstanding achievements of Guyanese individuals and organizations, and their contributions toward the promotion and development of the country, its heritage and its culture.

Associate professor Natalia Nikolova and assistant professor Alexandru Patricui have received Ontario Research Foun-dation (ORF) funding to advance their health-related research. Professor Nikolo-va has received $111,391 to advance her research in non-invasive imaging for applications such as early-stage breast cancer detection. Professor Patricui re-ceived $69,317 to advance developments of ‘smart’ robots for difficult surgical procedures.

Assistant professor Jun Chen has been appointed the Barber-Gennum Endowed Chair in Information Technology. He received his B.Sc. degree in Electronic Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Cornell University.

Timothy Davidson has been appointed acting director of the McMaster School of Computational Engineering and Science

David Capson succeeds Max Wong as chair of the Department. Most recently, Dr. Capson served as Acting Dean of Graduate Studies for the University. He received his Ph.D. from McMaster Univer-sity and B.Sc.Eng. from the University of New Brunswick.

Professor emeritus Barna Szabados has been named a member of the Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) Order of Honour for his outstanding record of contribution in the area of admission to the profession.

Ahmed A. Farid won a Best Paper award in the “Young Researcher” Category at the 2008 International Symposium on

Communication Systems, Networks and Digital Signal Processing. Co-authored with S. Hranilovic, the paper is entitled, “BER-Link Availability Design For Fading Free-Space Optical Channels”.

Engineering PhysicsAndrew Knight received Early Research-er Awards funding from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation in July. These awards assist recently-appoint-ed Ontario researchers to build their research teams. Professor Knight and his team are attempting to integrate light and electricity on a single silicon chip in order to create a faster and more efficient method of processing information. He shares $1.2 million of funding with eight other McMaster faculty members.

John Luxat, NSERC/UNENE Industrial Research Chair in Nuclear Safety Analy-sis, was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). He also was appointed to a four-member panel chaired by former Calgary MP and federal cabinet minister Harvie Andre to help Alberta develop a nuclear policy.

David Jackson, adjunct professor and current Acting Director of the McMas-ter Institute for Energy Studies (MIES), will chair the Engineering Institute of Canada’s 2nd Climate Change Technology Conference CCTC2009 at McMaster from May 12 to 15, 2009.

Professor Adrian Kitai received an NSERC I2I award of $112,000 for a McMaster University Xerox Centre for Engineering Entrepreneurship and Inno-vation (XCEEi) project on silicon solar cell technology to enable flexible solar cells for new applications such as curved roofs or lightweight portable solar-powered electronic products. He also received a $98,000 award from the Ontario Centres of Excellence for work (also with XCEEi) on liquid crystal-based optical fibre dis-play technology that is capable of large-size, high-brightness displays for public video applications. His innovations have earned a Canada’s Top Ten technology award at the 2008/2009 Canada’s Top 10T Cleantech Competition, as well as a first-place award at TieQuest 2008.

Associate professor David Novog re-ceived $106,313 in funding from the Ontario Research Fund to advance his

continued on p.20

The MacEngineer 19

research in nuclear power safety. The award supports alternative energy re-search in Ontario. The focus of Professor Novog’s research is to improve current prediction methods in safety analysis. Current safety analysis uses analytical models and computer codes to predict a plant’s response to hypothetical accident scenarios. Prof. Novog will be construct-ing new models based on a unique measurement system, the phase-doppler anemometer.

Mechanical EngineeringAssociate professor Philip Koshy is the recipient of the Humboldt Research Fellowship for Experienced Research-ers for his scientific work on machining processes. The fellowship is awarded to top foreign scientists who are invited to work with German colleagues. The grant will fund his research and development of new manufacturing technologies. For his ten-month sabbatical, which began in October, Professor Koshy has been at the

Laboratory for Machine Tools and Produc-tion Engineering at Aachen, Germany.

Congratulations to the following under-graduate students who have achieved outstanding academic averages for the 2007-2008 academic year: Patricia San-nuto, Mark Mihaljevic, Trevor Van Eerde, Adam Trischler, and Matthew Cernick.

McMaster-Mohawk BTech ProgramThe 4-year Bachelor of Technology pro-gram saw its first cohort of 95 students enter Level I of the program in September 2008. These students will be moving on to their chosen area of specialization in the coming academic year - Automotive and Vehicle Technology, Biotechnology, or Process Automation Technology.

Classes have been held at Mohawk Col-lege this academic year, but with the completion of the Engineering Technol-ogy Building this summer, students will be at the McMaster campus beginning September 2009.

The McMaster-Mohawk Bachelor of Technology Partnership is pleased to have two Assistant Professors join the 4-year program effective January 2009. We welcome Dr. Dan Centea and Dr. Monica Sauer.

Prof. Centea completed his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at McMaster and has been teaching in B.Tech.’s Degree Completion Program for many years. Prof. Centea will be teaching in the Auto-motive and Vehicle Technology program.

Prof. Sauer completed her Ph.D. in Biology at the University of California at San Diego. She has also completed two postdoctoral fellowships. Dr. Sauer was most recently at the University of Windsor teaching in the Department of Biological Sciences. She has also held teaching positions in genetics, genomics and biotechnology at the University of Toronto. Dr. Sauer will be teaching in the Biotechnology program.

Enrollment in the undergraduate nuclear engineering stream at McMaster has increased significantly over the past four years. Graduate enrollment has experi-enced a ten-fold increase. McMaster has the longest-standing nuclear engineering program in Canada.

Self-Moisturizing Contact Lenses, Naturally Heather Sheardown and her graduate students have shown that a common fluid

found in our bodies can be used as a natural moisturizing agent in contact lenses. This is a step up from the current wave of self-moisturizing contact lenses that use synthetic materials as a

wetting agent to prevent eye dryness and increase wearer comfort. The research, published in the journal Biomaterials, showed that hyaluronic acid can be entrapped in existing contact

lens material without affecting optical properties. It was also found that using hyaluronic acid considerably reduces the build up of proteins which can cloudy contact lens material, the cause of up to 30 per cent of all after-care visits by contact lens wearers to optometrists. The body uses hyaluronic acid to repair skin, provide resiliency in cartilage, and contribute to the growth and movement of cells, among other things. It is also used by the medical profession to treat patients with dry eyes, in cataract surgery, and for other eye-related procedures. It is estimated that more than 50 per cent of people who stop wearing contact lenses do so because of discomfort caused by dry-ness, which is particularly high at the end of the day.

Optical Chip Start-Up Receives Accelerator Funding A start-up company formed by engineering physics professor Chang-Qing Xu that could transform the quality and power needs of TV and computer monitors is receiv-ing $500,000 in funding from the Ontario

Investment Accelerator Fund. C2C Link Corporation, developers of optical chips that efficiently convert laser light from one colour to another, is one of eight Ontario new technology companies selected to receive funding. The announce-ment was made on January 5 by Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario and John Wilkinson, Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation. C2C Link’s technology is the only known method for producing commercially viable green and blue optical chips. Industry experts believe these chips will be the driving force behind a new generation of laser-based displays that might even replace LCD-based TVs and monitors, due to better quality, greater energy efficiency and capa-bility of displaying 3D image Funding provided by the Investment Accelerator Fund supports research, field testing, and patent and promotion costs as companies expand. The $29-million fund is delivered by the Ontario Centres of Excel-lence and MaRS, with the support of the National Angel Organization – Ontario.

DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

NEWS BRIEFS (continued from page 17)

20 The MacEngineer

The MacEngineer 21

sistant professor. Over the years he taught many courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, supervised more than 60 Masters and Ph.D. students, and post-doctoral fellows. Many of these students are now holding important academic posi-tions both nationally and internationally or are playing leading roles in government and industry. Students speak highly about Prof. Ghobarah’s quality of teaching and research, and his ability to tie research to engineering practice. From 1989 to 1995, Prof. Ghobarah was Chair of the Department of Civil Engineer-ing. In 2001, in recognition of his high quality of research, he was appointed the first Joe Ng/JNE Consulting Chair in Design, Construction and Management of Infrastructure Renewal. His research has focused on earthquake engineering and structural dynamics, behaviour and reha-bilitation of existing reinforced concrete structures, seismic design of equipment/structural systems, and seismic rehabilita-tion of reinforced concrete structures. He is a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Engineering Structures and Journal of Earthquake Engineering. He has served as a member of the official Canadian delegation to a number of earth-quake stricken sites to survey the dam-age and report its relevance to Canadian seismic design practice.

William Garland, Professor Emeritus, Engineering Phys-ics. Prof. Garland’s association with the Faculty of Engineering dates back 38 years. He did his Bachelor’s and Master’s in engi-neering physics, and completed a Ph.D. in chemical engineer-ing. He then went on to a very successful career in Canada’s nuclear industry. From 1975-1979, he was a design engineer at Ontario Hydro, working on heat transport design for nuclear power stations. He then moved to Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd, where he became a section head with responsibility for design of heat transport systems in CANDU reactors. Prof. Garland was lured back to Mc-Master in 1983 as a faculty member in the Department of Engineering Physics, and has been at the heart of the nuclear engineering program ever since. He has combined enthusiasm for his discipline with a passionate commitment to excel-lence in teaching. His research was in nuclear reactor physics, thermal hydraulics and reactor system analysis. He worked on CANDU reactor systems and also based much of his work on the McMaster Nuclear Reactor. He served the University in many capacities, including serving as Chair of Engineering Physics from 1988 to 1994 and

as Director of the McMaster Nuclear Reac-tor from 1994 to 1995. He has also been very active in professional bodies, most notably the Canadian Nuclear Society. For several years, Prof. Garland has been the Academic Director of the CANTEACH program, which is an educational net-work sponsored by the Canadian nuclear industry and the CANDU Owners Group. To address the industry’s need for special-ized graduate level education in nuclear engineering, Prof. Garland took the lead on two major McMaster initiatives, the graduate diploma in Nuclear Engineering and the industry-focused M.Eng. program operated through the University Network of Excellence in Nuclear Engineering (UN-ENE). He was instrumental in the creation of UNENE and served as its executive director up until his retirement.

Staff RetirementsBetty-Ann Bedell-Ryc, Department Administrator, Mechanical Engineering. Betty-Ann served the Department of Me-chanical Engineering with skill and com-mitment through the chairmanships of Professors Siddal, Wade, Weaver, Shoukri, Elbestawi, and Ziada. Always the con-summate professional, she managed the Department’s affairs with competence and a pleasant demeanour, which always made the Chair’s job easier.

NEW FACULTY AND RETIREES RECOGNIZED (continued from page 8)

neurship, and Management. Then I met with a delegation from the Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN), which is comprised of RMIT (Melbourne), University of Technology (Sydney), Queen-sland University of Technology (Brisbane), and University of South Australia (Ad-elaide). Discussions covered a broad range of topics from the value of formal research networks to industry-academia partner-ships and the role of university networks as advisors of governments on science and technology issues. It was proposed to establish a Research Fellowship Scheme to help build stronger ties between ATN and select Canadian universities, McMaster included. Dr. Mo Elbestawi (former Dean of Engineering and now VP Research and International Affairs) and I visited the

Centro Ricerche Fiat (CRF) Trento and the University of Trento, Italy. At CRF, we had an excellent meeting with the director of the facility and members of his research team. The purpose of the meeting was to explore opportunities for research col-laborations in areas that reflect our core expertise including telematics, light weight materials, and manufacturing technologies. The main focus is the development of low-cost technologies for low-volume automo-tive production. At the university, we found significant interest in a strong, formal part-nership including: (i) exchange of doctoral and postgraduate students to study at the partner institution; (ii) engagement in col-laborative teaching projects; (iii) fostering of joint dissertation projects; (iv) encour-agement of the development of funded compatible research projects involving

faculty and, where possible, graduate students; (v) the institutional development of bi-nationally supervised doctoral theses (“co-tutelle de thèse”), starting with ar-rangements to facilitate the joint scientific and administrative supervision of doctoral theses; and (vi) the development of a 2+2 relationship at the undergraduate level. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by McMaster and will be reviewed by the appropriate academic bodies at the University of Trento.

Message from the Associate Dean (continued from page 3)

Etiquette Night Monday, March 9, 2009

Kipling Ceremony Friday, March 27, 2009

May @ Mac Spring Open House Saturday, May 9, 2009

7th Annual Engineering Alumni Golf TournamentThursday, May 21, 2009Copetown Woods Golf Club1430 Concession 2 W., Copetown, OntarioCost: $175 – Price includes: • BBQ Lunch • Access to driving range, lockers and showers • Use of shared power cart • 18 Hole Tournament (Scramble) • Complimentary Golf Shirt and other great giveaways • Seafood Bar • Plated dinner reception • Tons of PRIZES to be won • Various contests including longest drive (male & female), putting, lowest-score winning team, and Closest-to-the-Pin!

Alumni Weekend, Class of 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994 & 1999 Saturday, May 23, 2009

Thursday, March 19th at 7:00 p.m.McMaster University Information Technology Building (ITB-137)

Lecture is free

For further information, please contact Terry Milson (905) 525.9140 ext. 27391 or milsont@mcmaster.ca

Featuring Dr. Vicky J. SharpePresident and CEO, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC)

“Sustainable Development, Cleantech and the Canadian Landscape”

The J.W. Hodgins Memorial Lectureship was established by the Faculty of Engineering in 1983 as a memorial to Dr. J.W. Hodgins, McMaster’s first Dean of Engineering. The focus of the Lectureship is on the engineer in society, in recognition of the breadth of interest and contributions of Dr. Hodgins. Each year a distinguished individual is invited to deliver a public lecture of interest to both the McMaster and external communities.

www.eng.mcmaster.ca

25th Annual

J.W. Hodgins Memorial Lecture

MacCivilEngMcFarlane, Debbie (nee Palmer) (‘97): Christopher and I are proud parents of Jonathan Woolfrys McFarlane, born April 8, 2008, weighing in at 7 lb 7 oz.

Siaw, Jane (‘82): I am now a Training Engineer in the Public Works Department in Brunei on Borneo Island. Wallace and I have three children, all of whom are musical. Maria and Michael play piano, and Timothy plays the clarinet. Life is hectic! Between work, school, and after-school activities, I help organize concerts for the Brunei Music Society and plan and run swimming meets for the Amateur Swimming Association here. Maria was approved to swim for Brunei at the Beijing Olympics, but Brunei was excluded from

the games for failure to register two ath-letes by the deadline. She hopes to swim at the London Olympics in 2012.

MacChemEngGrabham, Norm (’74): My two sons are engineers! David is a chemical engineer and Plant Manager for Union Carbide of Canada; Kevin is currently teaching at Lambton College in Sarnia and Houston, Texas. On February 19, 2008, Kevin and his wife became proud parents of twin girls. The girls were welcomed home by big sister Isabella, who was born in 2007.

Radisic, Milica (nee Rodic) (’99): In August, 2009, Milica was selected as one of the top 35 innovators under 35 for 2008 by Technology Review. She has been recognized for her research on improv-

ing the heart’s ability to mend after injury through the use of embryonic stem cells. The cells create a small patch that mimics human heart tissue. Milica is currently As-sistant Professor of chemical engineering at the University of Toronto.

MacElecEngLambshead, Alan (’72): On Saturday August 23, 2008, Alan accepted the 2008 Philo R. Farnsworth Corporate Achieve-ment Award on behalf of Burlington (Ontario)-based Evertz Technologies Limit-ed. The award, presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, was given for contributions made by the company that have significantly affected the state of television technology and engineering. Alan is currently President of Evertz, a

ALUMNI GRAPEVINE

EVENTS

22 The MacEngineer

We are coming to Calgary…The Faculty of Engineering and Newalta Corporation, invites you for Cocktails and Hors d’Oeurves to meet Dr. David Wilkinson, P.Eng., FCIM, FACerS, newly appointed Dean of Engineering

Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 Location: Newalta Corporation, 211–11 Ave. SW, Calgary, AB Time: 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Dress Code: Business Attire

For more information please contact Carm Vespi, vespi@mcmaster.ca

Spring ConvocationFriday, June 12, 2009

4th Annual Beer Tasting EventJuly, 2009 (TBA)

2nd Annual Boat CruiseFriday, August 14, 2009

Homecoming Weekend October 23 - 25, 2009

6th Annual Scotch Tasting EventThursday, November 5, 2009

company that designs, manufactures and markets video and audio infrastructure equipment for the television production, post-production, broadcast and Internet sectors.

Nieuwenhuis, Fred (’98): My wife Evelyn and I welcomed into the world our first daughter, Sofia Joanna, on June 25, 2008. Her brothers Sam and Jamie are very ex-cited to have a baby sister.

MacEngPhysicsYandt, Mark (‘08) is preparing for a cross-Canada cycling odyssey beginning in the summer of 2009 to help raise funds for Friends of Camp Connections. Mark, who lives in Petawawa, plans to leave from Victoria, BC on June 15, 2009 and wind his way across the country to St. John’s, New-

foundland with cycling partner Marzella Martin. To read more about this fundrais-ing adventure, make a pledge or become a sponsor, visit: www.CrossCanada2009.ca

MacMechEngClark, Rick (‘78): I travel world-wide for CIA Inspection, a service-based subsidiary of engineering company Custom Industrial Automation (CIA), which offers proprietary inspection equipment technology to the refining industry. During 2008, I traveled to Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Beijung.

MacManfacturingEngCreasy, Tim (‘91) has been appointed Vice President of Sales and Marketing for UltraFit Manufacturing. The Mississauga, Ontario-based company provides tube

bending and welded assembly services to the automotive, medical, furniture and recreational products industries.

Kooiman, Stephen (’06, MA ’08) has been appointed to Cleanfield Energy Corp., a subsidiary of Cleanfield Alternative Energy Inc., as its wind energy specialist. Stephen specialized in thermofluids during his Bachelor studies, and focused his Master’s thesis on evaluating the urban environ-mental wind effects on the performance of vertical axis wind turbines. Stephen is a successful recipient of the “First Job Award” program established by the On-tario Centres of Excellence (OCE), which facilitates its industry partners by assist-ing in hiring students who have helped develop the technology in its push to com-mercialization.

The MacEngineer 23

Thursday, May 7th, 2009 from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. at LIUNA Station, Hamilton

Mr. Bob Magee, President, Woodbridge Group, will be presented with the Faculty of Engineering Leadership Award at our annual Applause and Accolades Awards celebration.

Mr. Vladimir Sobot (B.Eng ’80 Civil Engineering) and Mr. Chedo Sobot (B.Eng.Mgmt ’85 Civil Engineering), Co-owners, Sobotec, will be presented with the L.W. Shemilt Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award at our annual Applause and Accolades event.

To inquire about purchasing tickets please call or email Terry Milson at 905.525.9140 ext. 37291 or milsont@mcmaster.ca

Faculty of Engineering’s L.W. Shemilt Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award Past recipients: Mr. Mike Pley Mr. Stephen Elop Mr. Kurt Strobele

Faculty of Engineering Leadership Award Past recipients have been: Mr. John Mayberry (former President of Dofasco), Mr. Doug Barber (former President Gennum), Mr. Joe Ng (President JNE Consulting), Mr. Joe Liburdi (President Liburdi Engineering) Mr. Carl Fuerst (Chief Scientist GMC)

Faculty of Engineering’s Applause and Accolades Dinner Gala Event

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Contact: venture.mcmaster.ca (905) 525-9140 Ext. 24906

What is Venture?Venture is a non-profit program that combines the excitement of Engineering with hands-on activities to experience creative opportunities. The Venture summer program consists of 2 streams:

Engineering & Science Campis for students entering grades 3 to 8 in September

Computer & Technology Campis for students entering grades 4 to 9 in September