Nic Armstrong *
Manager, Undergraduate Recruitment & Education
Faculty of Science
Nic Armstrong has been the manager of undergraduate recruitment & education for the
Faculty of Science for five years, leadings the faculty’s undergraduate recruitment and
helping students navigate into their senior years of study. During his tenure,
applications to the faculty have risen by almost 8% and undergraduate enrolment is up
approximately 10%, due in part to Nic’s irrepressible personality and his use of digital
media to connect with students and prospective students.
Nic developed the popular Spotlight on Science video series to raise the faculty’s profile
and he is the face of the faculty at most recruitment events. He created the START
video, an online tool to help new students with registration that was so successful it
made the process more efficient and inspired similar efforts in other faculties. Nic also
produced an equally successful video guide to introduce faculty to the new online grade
submission system.
To increase student retention, Nic initiated a process that engaged all Level 1 Science
instructors and helped inspire the highest student retention rates in recent faculty
history. The program is now a permanent practice. Nic has also taken a lead role in
implementing student Journey Planners in collaboration with the McMaster Institute
for Innovation and Excellence in Teaching & Learning, the Science Media Lab, an
external supplier and a number of faculty and students.
A prolific networker, Nic actively supports the McMaster Science Society and has built
strong connections with the Science Teachers of Ontario and the Bay Area Science and
Engineering Fair.
*Denotes 2013 Award Recipient
Jennifer Caruk
Coordinator, Academic Appointments and Records
Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic)
Jennifer Caruk joined the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) in 2012,
becoming a full-time member of the team a year later. As the first point of contact for
official academic employment offers from the University, she is not only the face of
McMaster for new faculty recruits, but she also manages a complex and sensitive
process according to the highest standards of professionalism and customer service.
As the person responsible for the preparation and dissemination of high-level position
offers and for tenure- and promotion-related correspondence for everything from
visiting professors to academic appointments and senior administrative positions
(including department chairs and institute directors), Jennifer must be remarkably
aware of timing and accuracy. She developed an online version of a system that used to
run on registered mail and that new approach has greatly reduced the timeline for
onboarding new faculty and has been particularly beneficial in recruiting international
candidates.
Jennifer is not only highly efficient, but the quality of her communication with
candidates is outstanding as evidenced in everything from the composition of offer
letters to her direct interaction with prospective new members of the McMaster family.
She has taken responsibility for the complex hiring processes and built procedures that
ensure the accurate tracking of each stage of the process and a swift responsiveness to
the urgent and time-sensitive situations that inevitably arise.
Alison Cowie*
Instructional Assistant
Department of Biology
Alison Cowie has been a member of the McMaster community since 1989 and she joined
the Department of Biology as an instructional assistant in 2007. Her impact on the
student experience and the development of high-quality research opportunities in
undergraduate courses since that time has been extraordinary. She helped lead the
development of blended-learning courses and is the key person guaranteeing the quality
of the student experience in courses like Biology 1A03 and 2B03.
As the instructional assistant with the largest course load in the department, Alison is
responsible for more than 900 students, yet she maintains her direct personal
involvement in ensuring that all learning systems are functional and effective. Alison is
also one of the most innovative course designers in the Department of Biology and
played key roles in the redesign of Biology 1A03 and the successful Forward With
Integrity proposal to redesign the first-year labs into a research-focused approach.
Alison co-chairs the Health and Safety Committees for both the Faculty of Science and
the Department of Biology. She has a strong influence on the program curriculum
through the Biology Undergraduate Committee and plays a key role in the Biology
Undergraduate Symposium (BUS), an exciting student research venue. Alison has
served as a judge for Ontario Biology Day (2007 and 2013) and Biology Graduate Day.
A regular volunteer for Faculty of Science events like May@Mac and Fall Preview, Alison
also helps advise students at the What to Do in Level 2 event.
*Denotes 2013 Award Recipient
Justyna Derkach*
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Department of Chemical Engineering
Justyna Derkach has been part of the Department of Chemical Engineering for more
than 25 years, currently running the senior-level undergraduate teaching labs. She is a
constant innovator whose work adds quality, enhances safety and provides variety in
lab-based experiments. In addition to maintaining the hardware and designing new
teaching labs, Justyna also trains graduate student teaching assistants and works
directly with undergraduate students for many experiments. She works constantly to
enhance the quality of the labs by adding new experiments and modifying existing ones
to increase the experiment flexibility and provide students with a more self-directed
learning experience.
As part of the department’s outreach program to high schools, Justyna developed a
hands-on experiment that involves students in measuring liquid flow rates. Thousands
of students have participated in this program with many eventually returning to
McMaster as undergraduate students inspired by their experience with Justyna.
Justyna is an extremely active volunteer on campus who was the Volunteer of the Month
in March 2012. She is part of the organizing committee for Inspiring from Within, the
employee professional development conference; a member of the Healthy Workplace
Group; the worker certified member of the Joint Health and Safety Committee for the
Faculty of Engineering; and the co-chair of the Chemical Engineering Departmental
Safety Committee. She also has a strong interest in supporting students from diverse
communities, most notably by leading lab tours for students from Cayuga and Mohawk
immersion schools and the Globe Youth Centre for refugee and immigrant youth.
*Denotes 2013 Award Recipient
Cam Fisher
Industry Liaison & Manager, Green Auto Power Train
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Cam Fisher is the industry liaison for the Centre for Mechatronics and Hybrid
Technologies (CMHT) and the manager of Green Auto Power Train. He was the link
between McMaster researchers and the contractors during the planning and
construction of the McMaster Automotive Resource Centre (MARC) and he has
successfully engaged several automotive industry partners in MARC’s work. McMaster is
now the only university in Canada involved in a large powertrain project with BMW.
When MARC initially opened, Cam dedicated himself to leading visitor tours and
organizing the first MARC Winter Social – an event to bring the occupants of the new
building together to mingle and learn about the centre’s diverse research areas. Cam
has also volunteered to co-chair the Joint Health and Safety Committee for MARC. He
participates in the research managers’ networking group, a forum for managers of
multi-institutional research programs that facilitates the exchange of information and
experiences.
When he is not playing a keystone role in the development of a new $23 million facility,
Cam is an accomplished project manager who has responsibility for the design and
commissioning of automotive test cells. He has developed a strong relationship with
other partners in the Green Auto project, including three other universities and industry
partners such as DV Electronics, Ford and BMW. Cam has also played a key role in
implementing the Gasoline-Electric Hybrid Power Train Theme of the Ontario Research
Fund-Research Excellence (ORF-RE) Green Auto program.
Diane Gauthier
Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Organization of Palliative Care Physician
Services/Enhancements (HOPE) Manager
Department of Family Medicine
Diane Gauthier is the manager of HOPE – a program consisting of the palliative care
physician AFP (Alternate Funding Plan) for the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant
Local Health Integration Network (HNHB LHIN). HOPE is affiliated with the Division of
Palliative Care and is administered through the Department of Family Medicine. It was
Diane’s goal to create a community of practice for HNHB palliative care doctors and the
result is that HOPE has improved information flow and collaboration throughout the
LHIN. By dedicating herself to constant self-evaluation and improvement, Diane has
raised not only her own level of performance, but the impact of HOPE which is now the
face of palliative care physicians and a recognized community resource.
Diane looks for creative ways to use limited physician resources to meet the needs of the
community. For example, she led HOPE through a “diverging / converging”
brainstorming exercise to facilitate innovative models of delivering palliative care. She
also built strong partnerships with key stakeholders including the End of Life Care
Network, Hamilton Health Sciences and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
Diane brings great sensitivity to her work and has established a supportive and
considerate working style for HOPE. She also volunteers a significant amount of time to
HOPE beyond her basic duties while also supporting the Department of Family Medicine
as its representative on the Health and Safety Committee and contributing to the overall
McMaster community as a facilitator with the Certificate in Advanced Leadership &
Management (CALM) course.
Chris Henderson*
AV/IT Specialist
Computer Services Unit
Chris Henderson has worked at McMaster University since 2009 as an AV/IT specialist
located at the Niagara Regional Campus. He played a vital role in moving the home of
the Niagara Regional Campus from the St. Catharines General Hospital to the Cairns
Family Health & Bioscience Research Complex in 2012. He managed the challenging
overlap of administrative structures at the hospital and then played a key role in
establishing McMaster at the new complex. He was responsible for tangible details like
the installation, testing and operation of workstations and smartboards while also
playing a role in establishing strong relationships with Brock University and the Niagara
Health System.
Chris’ attention to detail ensured that contractors provided work that met all key
standards and he took personal responsibility for delivering on the seemingly small but
actually important details that make space transitions successful – things like
establishing an electronic notice board, ensuring lockers were properly designed and
adding an appropriate door system to the computer lab.
The server-based computer network Chris delivered allows Niagara-based staff, students
and faculty to log in to any computer terminal and access their own desktops. This
approach was so successful that plans are underway to replicate the system for Hamilton
and Waterloo. Not content to rely on systems, Chris also works hard to enhance
information flow between the Niagara and Hamilton campuses, thus ensuring a highly
coordinated approach for all locations. Students know that Chris is always available –
often after hours – to assist with their technical needs.
*Denotes 2013 Award Recipient
Tanya Kett
Student Success Advisor
Student Success Centre
Tanya Kett joined the Student Success Centre as a career advisor in 2008 and is now a
student success advisor who, in cooperation with eight student success assistants, is the
first person to connect with students who visit the centre. Her quality of service and
quick access to useful information make her invaluable to both student clients and to
the centre itself.
Tanya displays great attention to detail, timelines and consistency while constantly
working to build her community and University contacts and knowledge. She has
played an active role in connecting faculty advisors to the Student Success Centre in
order to build coordinated and complementary student services. She was instrumental
in establishing a service structure that allows the centre to be nimble and responsive to
student needs. Resulting innovations include the initiation of drop-in clinics for
students and the development and delivery of an annual awareness and usage survey
that quantified and qualified the centre’s service delivery. Tanya was also instrumental
in refining the service delivery model and implementing the triaging of student
inquiries to enhance efficiency.
Tanya is a frequent presenter to large student groups, encouraging them to consider
future career choices and prepare appropriately for making those choices. Her work
includes connecting with students in groups both small and large to enhance interview
skills, decision making, resumé writing, professional school applications and
networking skills, just to name a few. Tanya’s ultimate goal is always to provide
McMaster’s students with the information that will help them make the successful
transition from university to their professional lives.
David McIsaac*
Custodial
Facility Services
David McIsaac is once again the custodian of Divinity College, a position he had held
previously, but left briefly to work in the David Braley Athletic Centre. The faculty, staff
and students at the college are thrilled to have him back. While the Divinity College
building is charming but modest, the facility routinely receives excellent ratings from
event and conference evaluations because of David’s work. Visitors almost always
comment on the clean halls, shining floors and spotless washrooms.
For special events, David ensures that everything is prepared before and after the event
so normal activities are not disrupted. For the annual convocation ceremony, David
buffs and polishes the floors and cleans the building to an even higher standard. In
fact, the high shine on the floors is not just the result of hard work, but also David’s
experimentation as he refines the best techniques for making 54-year-old floors look
brand new.
David’s contributions to Divinity College go beyond the building. He has established a
rapport with most Divinity College students and he displays a professional but warm
manner when, for example, asking people to leave at the close of the building. As a
show of their appreciation, the students invited David to their annual Christmas dinner
as their guest and last year David even went out into a snowstorm to buy food when the
weather delayed the caterer.
Finally, David is a dedicated volunteer, particularly in working with international
students to improve their English language skills.
*Denotes 2013 Award Recipient
Jennifer Meister
Academic Skills Program Coordinator
Student Success Centre
In the time Jennifer Meister has been an academic skills program coordinator with the
Student Success Centre, she has implemented research-based programming and services
that help to enhance students’ communication and presentation skills as well as their
ability to understand and analyze information. The 12 to 15 student mentors she trains
and supervises annually do great work in extending the impact of these programs.
Jennifer developed the online orientation tool SOAR (Summer Orientation for Academic
Readiness) which provides a variety of tools and perspectives that help supply
information, offer reassurance and better prepare incoming students for a successful
and rewarding McMaster experience.
During Welcome Week, Jennifer organizes sessions that introduce students to the
academic expectations and required skills for university-level scholarship. That
approximately a quarter of first-year students elect to participate in these sessions is a
strong indication of the need for such a program. On a day-to-day basis, Jennifer
coordinates workshops and individual appointments for nearly 2,000 students every year
and she is a sought-after partner in supporting students involved across campus,
particularly student-athletes and residence leaders.
Jennifer created popular and important targeted workshop “boot camps” to respond to
the acute student needs at key points in the academic calendar. She also has a strong
track record of providing multi-faceted support to participants in her academic skills
and English-language learner (ELL) programs, even strengthening support networks
and community connections through social activities.
Rachel Nelson
Events Coordinator
Student Success Centre
Rachel Nelson became the events coordinator for the Student Success Centre in 2012
and quickly began delivering exceptional results including the Connect to Careers Fair,
a project that involves Mohawk College, Redeemer University College and Workforce
Hamilton. Her hard work and event management skills consistently deliver outstanding
events and she has a tremendous track record of financial success in ensuring that
events generate net revenue. Rachel also consistently delivers events that exceed
participant expectations. A simple, but perfect example of that was the SSC Winter Open
House where Rachel introduced Santa Claus, hot chocolate, crafts and activities to the
event, attracting more students and making the centre’s Santa Claus a minor internet
celebrity.
Events such as the high-profile and extremely popular “handshake” with the University
president for incoming students have become Rachel’s trademark and her ability to
build positive relationships with student groups has been a particularly valuable asset at
a time when a number of those relationships were strained. Rachel earned the trust of
student leaders, helped create a strong McMaster community and attracted new partners
to the Student Success Centre’s work. Rachel has proven that she is a strong manager of
volunteers who can motivate, train, organize, supervise and even mentor 100 student
volunteers every year.
Beyond her regular duties, Rachel also brings her strong event management
background to her volunteer participation in events including Doors Open Hamilton.
Julia Pemberton*
Clinical Research Coordinator Level III
Department of Surgery
Julia Pemberton started her career at McMaster as a medical secretary but quickly
progressed to an advanced research coordinator position in the Department of Surgery.
After being accepted into the Masters of Science Health Research Methodology program,
Julia then joined the McMaster Pediatric Surgery Research Collaborative (MPSRC) as a
clinical research coordinator. In her five years there, Julia has been an irreplaceable
contributor to MPSRC’s success as a globally recognized research leader.
Julia introduced the MPSRC intern mentorship program and has personally supervised
62 interns. She also played a key role in developing the International Surgery Desk
which coordinates and promotes the department’s international activity. She has
contributed to 24 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 2 textbook chapters, 72 abstracts, 35
conference posters and 40 podium presentations while also writing and securing a
research grant for more than $500,000. She has travelled extensively in South America
on research missions and designed, conducted and facilitated six international
workshops funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Julia is an active member of the CAW Board Senate Research Misconduct Hearings Panel
and of the planning committee for the 2014 Bethune Round Table international surgery
conference. She serves on the McMaster University-Canadian Coalition for Global
Health Research liaison group, and was an integral member of the first-ever McMasterBrock Forum on Global Health Research. She sat on the Gender and Health board for
three years and has recently worked closely with parent groups of children with
Hirschsprung’s disease to create a new and effective vehicle for disseminating relevant
research findings.
*Denotes 2013 Award Recipient
Sally Presutti
Administrative Assistant, Academic
Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour
Sally Presutti joined the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour (PNB) in
1987 as the administrative assistant (academic) and in that role is responsible for
everything from managing final and deferred exams to compiling statistics for student
course evaluations. Sally is probably best known as the thesis class coordinator for
approximately 100 students annually. She organizes the Thesis Poster Session and is
the primary contact with the many external thesis supervisors who work in private
practice. Sally ensures that these supervisors understand the department's expectations
and that students have a high-quality academic experience.
Sally helped student leaders develop the vision for the NeuroXchange Conference, a
platform for Ontario’s brightest neuroscience students to share their research and ideas.
She was instrumental in delivering the conference details and the event has now become
a growing annual fixture. These skills were also on display when Sally organized the
provincial undergraduate thesis conference hosted by McMaster in 2009. Sally is always
ready to help students who need a sympathetic ear or an advocate and she often brokers
sensitive solutions to challenging issues. She has a particular ability to find a course of
action that satisfies all parties.
As an experienced and frequent user of the University’s financial system, Sally has also
become something of a champion for change in key procedures. She has frequently
been asked for input on policies and procedures and was an invited and enthusiastic
participant in the test phase of the Mosaic system launch.
Barb Reuter
Academic Program Assistant (Graduate)
Department of Biology
Barb Reuter has been working at McMaster for three decades, joining the Department of
Biology in 1984 and becoming the academic program assistant (graduate) in 2008, a
position that makes her the face of the department for graduate students and recruits.
Barb makes that connection personal, ensuring that students have information on key
subjects like awards and career opportunities even as she manages the largest graduate
program in the Faculty of Science. She consistently helps students prepare scholarship
applications, plan their careers and make the most of their graduate experiences.
Always with an eye to the big picture, Barb has also contributed significantly to the
department’s recruiting efforts by promoting McMaster during the 2013 undergraduate
Ontario Biology Day, an initiative that contributed to enhanced enrolment numbers that
fall.
On behalf of the department, Barb implemented an online Graduate Application
Database (Red Folders) for collating and reviewing graduate applications. She also
worked with the graduate chair to develop a flexible and comprehensive online database
for managing graduate student records. These contributions supplemented Barb’s work
in developing the first Governance and Administrative Guidelines for the recruitment,
training and supervision of graduate students in the Department of Biology. Barb also
created and maintains the Guide for Biology Graduate Students – an invaluable
resource for all graduate students in the department. She even championed student
excellence through her successful implementation of the new Graduate Achievement
Awards and Graduate Research Day.
Sarah Robinson*
Administrator, Interdisciplinary Programs
Faculty of Science
Sarah Robinson is the administrator, interdisciplinary programs for the Faculty of
Science, a position that has seen her play vital roles in developing and implementing
unique administrative structures, reporting processes and documents for three
innovative programs: Honours Integrated Science (iSci), Honours Life Sciences (Life
Sci) and the Honours Origins Research Specialization. Sarah also co-led the third-year
iSci Wine Science project – engaging wine industry partners and Niagara College in the
process – and became the driving force behind the course’s academic journal.
Sarah made an exceptional contribution to the development of iSci 1A24 by scheduling
24 hours of class time around a maze of administrative hurdles. She worked with crossfaculty colleagues on projects including Experiential Learning modules, Experiential
Placement and Research Practicum courses and the McMaster Outdoor Orientation
Student Experience (MOOSE) where Sarah not only helped organize the program, but
served as an expedition leader as well.
Sarah has been an author, co-author and frequent presenter – including at national
conferences – based on her scholarship on teaching and learning. She facilitated
partnerships with local community organizations to establish a youth mentorship
program, volunteered enthusiastically for McMaster’s TMG Day of Service and sits on the
TMG Leadership Sub-committee (Leadership Needs Analysis Group).
One of Sarah’s greatest contributions to McMaster is her dedication to helping students
who face challenges ranging from poor grades to mental health issues. She has
developed procedures and protocols that help students in these situations access the
scheduling and transfer solutions that can ameliorate or even solve their challenges.
*Denotes 2013 Award Recipient
Pamela Stevens
Clinical Research Nurse
Department of Medicine
Pam Stevens has worked for the Department of Medicine as a clinical research nurse in
the Thromboembolism Division for 25 years. Since 2011, she has divided her time
between the Juravinski and McMaster sites, a transition and inconvenience she has
borne easily and professionally. Pam was among the first research nurses to “crosscover” clinical service and research responsibilities, providing a crucial solution to staff
shortages and holidays. Despite her professional focus on clinical research, Pam’s cross
coverage provided outstanding patient care.
McMaster’s Thrombosis Group has developed a global reputation for producing highimpact research and Pam has been a central figure in that achievement. During trial
protocol development, she is the go-to nurse for identifying and solving potential
execution problems as well as troubleshooting potential problems with case report
forms. Once a study is assigned to Pam, her colleagues know it is in good hands and
that she will be both a strong patient advocate and a creative recruiter of study patients.
Her success in recruitment has been so strong, in fact, that she has delivered teaching
sessions that help facilitate patient recruitment.
Pam invariably ensures that she makes herself accessible to study subjects so that they
have an avenue to address concerns or problems and she provides continuity of care and
communication among different physician groups. She brings a strong proactive
problem-solving approach to her interactions with attending physicians and frequently
stays late to ensure patients are properly prepared for their studies.
Adrienne Tearle
Instructional Assistant
Department of Kinesiology
Adrienne Tearle is an instructional assistant, level IV whose role has expanded to
include providing pedagogical and technical support to her fellow instructors and
teaching assistants in the Department of Kinesiology. She is the department’s liaison
with the McMaster Institute for Innovation and Excellence in Teaching & Learning
(MIIETL) and she has worked tirelessly to promote learning initiatives. She is a
frequent presenter at McMaster-based teaching and learning workshops and presented a
paper on “Using Technology to Implement Best Practices in a Large First Year Class” at
a national conference. Adrienne’s pedagogical innovations include utilizing barcode
scanners in weekly computerized testing to shift TAs’ time from administration to
teaching, developing a virtual bell ringer exam for introductory anatomy courses,
incorporating i-clickers into course delivery and developing experiential laboratory
exercises using cutting-edge software and Learning Portfolios.
Every year Adrienne hires, trains and supervises approximately 35 undergraduate and
graduate TAs. She is a valued member of the Department of Kinesiology Ad Hoc
Committee on Undergraduate Laboratory Experiences and the frequent coordinator of
lunchtime fitness events for staff. She is also a consistent volunteer at recruitment
events and the coordinator for tours of the Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories. She
is a member of the McMaster Healthy Workplace Committee and the Science Outreach
Committee, as well as a former abstract reviewer for the Centre for Leadership in
Learning (now MIIETL) Learning Technologies Symposia and CLL Learning Grants.
She was a member of the Learning Technologies Resource Centre learning
management system transition committee for two years.
Ruth Toth*
Associate Registrar, Scheduling and Exams
Office of the Registrar
Ruth Toth has worked at McMaster for 25 years, the last ten as associate registrar,
scheduling and exams. With Ruth at the helm, McMaster’s scheduling and exam
department has become a recognized Canadian leader with peer institutions like
Ottawa, McGill and York looking to Ruth for advice on best practices. She is also a
frequent advisor to Infosilem, the developer of the most-used scheduling software, and
regularly speaks at Infosilem conferences.
While managing 85,000 exams a semester, Ruth works to accommodate the needs of
faculty and students and uses her position to support a positive student experience. Ruth
also delivers manageable schedules while working with a 90% room utilization rate, far
above the 70% rate that is more common at Canadian universities.
One of Ruth’s trademarks is her ability to adapt and continually improve service
delivery. She helped design and implement an exam administration module that
greatly facilitates student accommodations for exams. The module’s success has
inspired other institutions to investigate implementing this McMaster-grown tool. Once
that module was up and running, Ruth immediately implemented a new Infosilem
room booking module to provide better efficiency and service to the University
community.
Ruth is a member of the Student Advisory Committee for the Mosaic project providing
insight and expertise into developing the new processes in the PeopleSoft environment.
She has been an active volunteer with McMaster’s Certificate in Advanced Leadership &
Management (CALM) and played key roles in hosting conferences at McMaster
including the Ontario University Registrars’ Association (OURA) conference.
*Denotes 2013 Award Recipient
Arts & Science Program Administrator Team
The administrative team of Shelley Anderson and Rebecca Bishop in McMaster’s Arts &
Science Program has worked together since June 2013 when Rebecca arrived and
teamed up with Shelley and her 13 years of experience in the program office. Their
collegial and seamless partnership developed almost instantly and they were able to
provide exceptional service to Arts & Science students and faculty, raising a bar that was
already high.
Together, Shelley and Rebecca are wonderfully engaging in promoting the program to
prospective students just as they build strong links to Arts & Science alumni. Their
widespread and close relationships across the McMaster campus are particularly
valuable given the interdisciplinary mandate of Arts & Science. As program
administrators, Shelley and Rebecca share their work equally, displaying the type of
professionalism and mutual respect that has quickly become a model for the Arts &
Science family. This flat administrative structure necessitated a complete and
ultimately highly successful rethinking of all tasks and procedures.
One of this team’s greatest contributions is their facilitation and administration of the
McMaster Discovery Program, a University standard bearer for its innovative approach
to community engagement. Shelley and Rebecca are also active on the Enrolment
Management Team, the Undergraduate Council Curriculum & Admissions Committee
and the Course Availability Management Group. As required, they also represent the
director of the Arts & Science Program at meetings of the Associate Deans Group.
2013 Local Organizing Committee for the Canadian Association of University
Business Officers (CAUBO) Conference Team
The 2013 Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO) conference
organizing committee brought together a diverse set of McMaster leaders with the
specific skills required to deliver a world-class conference. The committee members
provided their service on top of their regular duties and, by the end of the conference,
more than 100 volunteers had participated including the organizing committee
members, students, staff, family members, retirees and community members. McMaster
shone in its first time hosting the event in the last 50 years and the committee used the
conference as a vehicle to spotlight the accomplishments of McMaster and the City of
Hamilton. One conference attendee provided a simple and glowing review: “McMaster
has raised the bar.”
The conference content spotlighted McMaster’s expertise in a number of areas,
including facilities, risk management, sustainability and financial planning. The
organizing committee also infused the conference with innovative strategies including
a novel use of Twitter, providing high-profile opportunities for student involvement
(including the first student keynote speaker at a CAUBO conference) and exceptional
recognition and support of the diverse needs and preferences of delegates. The
committee’s work reinforced McMaster’s reputation as a national leader in key
institutional issues like energy management planning, enterprise risk management
approaches and sustainability planning in purchasing practices.
The planning process took a full year, allowing the members of the organizing
committee to develop strong relationships that continue into their post-conference daily
work. This has benefitted McMaster in subsequent planning projects and other change
initiatives.
Centre for Simulation-Based Learning Team
The Centre for Simulation-Based Learning (CSBL) staff is a group of ten professionals
who joined the CSBL one-by-one as the centre grew. Their fundamental job is to
support the teaching of clinical skills to McMaster University learners at the
undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels. CSBL pursues that mission by using
standardized patients as well as medium- and high-fidelity simulations to teach future
health care professionals.
The CSBL team regularly expands its workload to ensure that these complex training
situations work perfectly. Staff frequently arrive prior to regular business hours to
ensure that every learning scenario is in a ‘ready state.’ When workshops or national
exams take place on weekends, or Objective Standardized Clinical Exams take place on
weeknights, CSBL staff still ensure the smooth operation of these activities. The CSBL
staff team is also constantly prepared to stand in for standardized patients who miss
their assignments.
Not content simply to deliver the program, the CSBL team attends the International
Meeting for Simulation in Healthcare, the SimGHOSTS (Gathering of Healthcare
Simulation Technology Specialists) conference and the annual meeting of the
Association for Standardized Patient Educators. These commitments have resulted in,
for example, the high-fidelity simulation team utilizing new ‘moulage’ techniques
(make-up application) so manikins appear more realistic. The CSBL staff also develop
their own new approaches and models, including a recent invention that provides
greater reality in heart-and-blood simulation.
The CSBL team also contributes to McMaster’s local community by providing a gift
basket program for a needy family at Christmas.
Engineering Alumni Team
The four members of the Engineering Alumni team have start dates ranging from 1976
to 2012, but Carm Vespi, Iwona Centurami, Linda Coughlin and Sara Dendekker have
established a strong team culture that enriches a number of programs. In particular the
Faculty of Engineering’s community outreach initiatives and summer camps have
earned multiple Hamilton Spectator “People’s Choice” awards. The team works as a
cohesive unit while also incorporating summer student staff seamlessly into the
operation.
With summer camps in science and engineering, travelling workshops, along with a
number of special events focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering and
mathematics) awareness, the Engineering Alumni team works to bring McMaster
Engineering and the University to the community. With special supports for girls,
aboriginal children and children from high-need neighbourhoods, the camps and
activities successfully reach out to populations traditionally under-represented in
science and engineering classrooms. One of the approaches the team takes to
achieving this goal is taking the camps on the road to under-served populations.
In their constant pursuit of excellence, the team reviews camp and workshop curricula
annually and introduces new activities each year. Camp projects are designed to be
ambitious and spark the imagination. One recent project involved building and
programming functioning MP3 players.
The Engineering Alumni team frequently provides advice to other groups interested in
starting camps and last summer they were selected as one of just four Canadian pilot
sites to run the “Big Ideas” innovation camp.
Graduate Student Life & Research Training Team*
The Graduate Student Life & Research Training Team takes a holistic approach to
graduate studies and research training as part of the McMaster graduate student
experience. To deliver this vision, the team members have been busy.
They founded the Action Research Commons Hamilton (ARCH) in East Hamilton,
issued a series of invitations to community leaders to participate in on-campus
discussions with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows (PDF) and founded the
SPICES funding program for activities that engage the community. Each of these
efforts strengthens McMaster’s commitment to community-engaged scholarship.
Focusing back on campus, the now-annual Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) contest earned
the team an invitation to present at the 2013 Ontario University Registrars’ Association
conference. The team sponsors Postdoctoral Fellow Appreciation Week and supports
undergraduate researchers through the Office of Undergraduate Research. This year,
the team also met a great need by creating a Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellows
Reading Room in Mills Library.
The team introduced student/PDF professional development theme weeks that included
sessions on preparing for life after Mac, writing, ESL training, improvisational theatre
training, stress management and a series of lunchtime sessions called Dine with the
Dean. Keeping that latter theme, the GSLRT team also planned and delivered
successful skills- and volunteering-based programs called Skate with the Dean and Dig
with the Dean.
The members of the team have also built strong partnerships on campus, perhaps most
notably with the Graduate Students Association, the team’s partner in delivering
Graduate Student Welcome Week and the Graduate Student Awards.
*Denotes 2013 Team Award Recipient
MacOrtho Research Coordinator Team*
The six research coordinators in MacOrtho work on a diverse range of research activities
including global surgical trials, studies on the global burden of injury, research
education and intimate partner violence prevention and advocacy. Each coordinator
works with every other coordinator in a true team environment as they manage eight
large multicentre surgical trials and numerous smaller research initiatives. These
efforts have been irreplaceable in establishing McMaster University as the global leader
in evidence-based orthopaedics. That reputation has recently helped the team expand
McMaster’s research network into India, China and soon, Latin America and Africa.
The MacOrtho research coordinators are exceptionally well credentialed in research
methodologies and use their complementary skills to generate efficiencies and increase
research output. With every academic term, the team brings aboard five full-time
undergraduate co-op students, folding them seamlessly into the team and providing a
full research experience that often culminates in the students publishing their own
scholarly work.
The team counsels an international community of researchers on how to conduct
McMaster’s trademark large-scale clinical trials and has earned international respect by
co-authoring more than 170 peer-reviewed publications collectively.
With a key part of the team’s research focused on violence against women, MacOrtho is
involved with local women’s shelters and domestic violence initiatives to produce highquality, low-cost research while individual team members have volunteered with
Interval House, the Hamilton Health Sciences Domestic Violence Centre, the Ontario
Medical Association, and the Canadian Orthopaedic Association, all four projects related
to violence against women.
*Denotes 2013 Team Award Recipient
McMaster Industry Liaison Office (MILO) Innovation Showcase Team 2013
The staff in the McMaster Industry Liaison Office (MILO) build connections with
government, industry and the public to foster entrepreneurship, establish relationships
and educate potential partners on the expertise and resources McMaster has to offer.
MILO pursues an ambitious outreach program that showcases the University’s
technologies while fostering potential relationships with companies that may provide
collaborative research opportunities. Last year, this work included staging Innovation
Showcase 2013 and ten other commercialization, networking, information and funding
events which involved more than 500 McMaster faculty, staff and students as well as
more than 300 participants from external stakeholders.
The proof of the MILO team’s impact is measurable. The team supported the creation
of spin-off corporations like BioVersity Inc., KanMac, Overair and MetaCloud that were
founded on McMaster faculty and student innovation. The MILO team helped secure
$10.7 million in research contracts and grants and facilitated the generation of $2.1
million in licensing revenue. Last year, the office also helped secure 593 researchrelated contracts with community and industry partners along with 305 sponsored
research agreements, the most in the organization’s history.
MILO created and runs preINC, an internal business incubator for start up companies
affiliated with McMaster, and also took the innovative step of providing access to
PATSNAP, a patent mega-search database.
MILO staff volunteer as mentors in the McMaster Engineering, Entrepreneurship and
Innovation Program (MEEi), serve as ambassadors on industry associations and
advisory boards and are involved in McMaster’s Career Field Experience 2014.
Office of Experiential Education Team – Faculty of Social Science
Cristina Foley, Keri Long, Cindy Schooley and Ruthanne Talbot are the Office of
Experiential Education (OEE) team for the Faculty of Social Sciences. They have built
a program that is at the vanguard of McMaster’s experiential education movement and
inspires employers and community partners to re-engage year after year to provide
McMaster students with quality placements. Not content with the program’s current
success, the team regularly surveys students to assess needs and modify programming
accordingly.
The team creates new program elements every year and frequently shares those
innovations with the broader McMaster campus. Examples include launching Mac
Serve, then transferring it to the Student Success Centre when they realized that all
students should have this opportunity. The Office of Experiential Education was also
the first to offer academic placements, specialized transition programming and
experiential education courses. The team has played a vital role in furthering the
community engagement goals of Forward With Integrity and has also been a leader in
delivering new learning technologies including the e-portfolio.
The OEE team has set the standard for experiential education and was instrumental in
creating and planning the now-annual Community-Engaged Education: An Idea
Exchange, sponsored by the Office of the President and the Provost and Vice-President
(Academic). The team also consults frequently with other faculties on their
experiential education programming.
The team sees the results of its work in the students of the Faculty of Social Sciences
who are more likely to become involved in student leadership positions after they
participate in experiential education.
Research and High-Performance Computing Support Team
The nine-member Research and High-Performance Computing Support (RHPCS) team
delivers a mandate that demands exceptional technical expertise combined with strong
partnership-building skills. The problems the team tackles usually require novel
solutions and a high degree of technical innovation. The support provided by the
RHPCS team has become a key enabler of a broad spectrum of research activities which
rely on advanced computing – projects including large-scale scientific computations,
data management, visualization and web-based services, for example. The RHPCS
team has a full-campus impact, however, team members frequently create custom
applications to support work in the humanities and social sciences. This includes the
planning, development and implementation of the technological infrastructure of the
Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, one of the largest-ever national studies of its
type. The team is also responsible for leading and guiding the strategic development of
McMaster’s research computing infrastructure.
The model of support delivered by the RHPCS team depends on system analysts building
close working relationships with their research partners, something the members of the
team – somewhat atypically – do by connecting face to face. Compute Canada and
ORION (Ontario’s Research and Education Network) have completed independent
consultations to assess the level of support in research computing accessible to
researchers at different universities and found that McMaster’s RHPCS team ranks
among Canada’s best.
Several members of the team have strong histories of volunteerism including serving as
judges and mentors for the Bay Area Science and Engineering Fair and supporting the
Canadian Undergraduate Physics Conference.