McMaster Enginnering Annual Report 2004

McMaster Faculty of Engineering

A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 4

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Table of ContentsPresident’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Dean’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

McMaster Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Facing the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Awards and Accolades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Research-intensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Student-centred . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Excellence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Discovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Engineering Students, Alumni and Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Engineering Co-op . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Honours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Success of Fundraising Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Chairs and Appointments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Dean’s Advisory Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Achieving Creativity, Innovation and Excellence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Departments

Chemical Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Civil Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Computing and Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Electrical and Computer Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Engineering Physics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Materials Science and Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Mechanical Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Named after the first dean of engineering atMcMaster University, the John Hodgins EngineeringBuilding is still the teaching, research and adminis-trative hub on campus for many of the Faculty’sseven departments.

Our mission

The Faculty of Engineering is a scholarly community committed to the pursuit of excellence in education, research and service,and to fostering the quality of academic life.This pursuit is sensitive to changing tech-nologies and social development.

Our vision

The Faculty of Engineering is committed to achieving and maintaining internationalexcellence and distinction in education, scholarship and community service. We willstrive to be Canada’s leading student-centred, research-intensive Engineering Faculty.We will ensure that our educational and research programs satisfy the broader rolefor engineers in the new millennium, and emphasize a culture of mutual respectbetween faculty members, staff and students.

McMaster University is widelyrecognized for its focus oninnovation and in 2004 was

named “Canadian Research Universityof the Year”. That Research InfosourceInc. designation is the result of a num-ber of important research initiativesdeveloped at this institution, combinedwith the dedication and hard work ofour faculty, graduate and undergraduatestudents, and support staff.

At McMaster, we are committed topromoting excellence in teaching,research and scholarship. Our rep-utation is based on the combinedstrengths of the research and educa-tional programs offered in our sixFaculties: Science, Engineering, SocialSciences, Humanities, Health Sciencesand Business. As one of Canada’s leading research-intensive universities,McMaster attracts world-renowned faculty members, and we continue tobuild and expand our state-of-the-artresearch facilities to meet the needs of both research and education.

McMaster’s teaching philosophy iscommitted to the principles of learningthrough discovery. The discovery-basedlearning model has proven to equipour graduates to excel in the workplace,

and to foster the new ideas needed toenhance our research initiatives.

Our Faculty of Engineering exemplifiesthese goals and objectives through itsinterdisciplinary programs and creativecross-disciplinary courses. The Facultycontinues to grow and expand its pro-grams and research initiatives whileretaining a strong student-centredfocus, offering its students the educa-tional experience, work study exposurethrough co-op and internships, andresearch challenges that permit themto graduate into their chosenprofession with distinction.

This year saw the completionof new research facilities andlaboratories and the appoint-ment of new research Chairs.These strengths will enhancethe Faculty’s programs so thatit will continue to be a leaderin such important fields astelecommunications, manufac-turing and materials science.

McMaster continues to be therecipient of generous financialgifts and endowments fromalumni, students, staff, faculty,and friends of the University,foundations, organizations

and corporations. These gifts are aninvestment in McMaster and a strong,visible support of everything we do.We thank you for your support.

Canada’s “Research University of the Year 2004” invites you to exploreMcMaster’s Faculty of Engineeringthrough this Annual Report.

Peter GeorgePresident and Vice-Chancellor

President’s Message

Performance Indicators

2

Some selected performance indicators aregiven in this section. These indicators havebeen compared on three levels: Comparingon a provincial level of all 20 Ontario uni-versities (including the 12 universities that

have engineering schools), comparing the10 most research-intensive universities inCanada having engineering schools, andcomparing the 33 universities on a nationallevel having engineering schools in Canada.

University Performance Indicators Ontario G10 Canadian

University Research Intensity1 1st 1st 1st

Quality of Education2 3rd

Career Preparation2 4th

1 Research Infosource Inc. 2004 2 Globe and Mail, 2003 University Report Card 3 FT Accredited programs 03/04

Peter George

1

T he Faculty of Engineering isproud of the student-centred,research-intensive programs that

prepare our graduates for careers in avariety of fields within the academic,industrial, and government sectors, oras entrepreneurs. We are also proud tonote that McMaster Engineering is oneof the top engineering schools inNorth America.

In order to retain this high standing,it is important that we attract brightstudents to our Undergraduate andGraduate programs. The Faculty hasdeveloped a number of initiatives forundergraduate students that will helpkeep McMaster at the forefront interms of recruitment:

• Enrich the undergraduate curriculumby offering hands-on, project-basedlearning opportunities and byexpanding our offerings of dualdegree programs (combinedB.Eng./M.Eng.)

• Support and promote the popularEngineering & Management andEngineering & Society programs

• Offer a broad range of experientialprograms through co-op work placement

As part of our plan of action, we havecreated new and innovative under-graduate programs such as chemicaland bioengineering, electrical and

biomedical engineering, and environ-mental engineering. We have creatednew scholarships for highly qualifiedhigh school students, as well as starteda new undergraduate research oppor-tunity program. We continually lookfor opportunities whereby our studentscan participate in international intern-ships and projects. And we are devel-oping an integrated learning centrewhich will promote interdisciplinaryproject-based learning specifically for undergraduate students.

Two new M.Eng. degree programswere launched this year: EngineeringEntrepreneurship and Innovation, and Engineering and Public Policy. We expect these will quickly becomebenchmarks for the establishment of programs that help engineers meetthe challenges of the future.

Graduate education and research projects received a much-deservedboost with the announcement of thecreation of a School for BioEngineering.The School will provide exciting edu-cational and research opportunities for students in this emerging field.

The studies and projects conducted at the Faculty’s research centres andinstitutes contribute to McMaster’s well-deserved reputation as Canada’s mostinnovative university. We continue toattract a high level of research fundingfrom a number of sources including

industry and government. This supportdemonstrates a confidence in what weare doing and is an important invest-ment in our future engineers.

Welcome to the Faculty of Engineeringwhere you will find a commitment toinnovation, excellence and quality inboth teaching and research activities. I invite you to discover more about usby reading this report.

Mo ElbestawiDean, Faculty of Engineering

3

Engineering StatisticsUndergraduate students* 3,085

Graduate students 609

Faculty members 137

Staff 99

Faculty research revenue $22.4 M

Year one program – Level 1Undergraduate students: 804

* Includes Computer Science students

Engineering Performance Indicators Ontario G10 Canadian

Research Intensity 1st

Percentage of Growth in UG population over 5 years3 5th 2nd 10th

Size of Undergraduate Engineering student population3 3rd 6th 8th

Size of Graduate Engineering student population3 3rd 7th 9th

Ph.D.s Degrees Awarded3 3rd 8th 9th

Percentage of Female Engineering Students3 7th 8th 15th

Number of Awards per Ranked Faculty 28 in 2004

3 FT Accredited programs 03/04

Dean’s Message

Mo Elbestawi

Established in 1958, the Facultyof Engineering was modeled onsome of the leading institutions

in the world and it has become one of the leading engineering schools inNorth America. It takes great pride inthe high quality of its innovative andcomprehensive programs, and in theFaculty’s strength in education andresearch.

Departments

• Chemical Engineering• Civil Engineering• Computing and Software• Electrical and Computer Engineering• Engineering Physics• Materials Engineering• Mechanical Engineering

Buildings and Facilities

• John Hodgins Engineering Building– named after the first dean of engineering

• Chemical & BioEngineering Wing – refurbishment of John HodginsEngineering Building

• McMaster Information TechnologyBuilding – home to the Departmentof Computing and Software andElectrical and Computer Engineeringprograms

• Communications ResearchLaboratory

• Nano and Micro Systems Institute• Applied Dynamics Laboratory –

research lab for Department of Civil Engineering

• Thode Library of Science andEngineering

• Nuclear Research Building• McMaster Manufacturing Research

Institute – 10,000-square-foot addi-tion to the Engineering Building

• Annex to the McMaster InformationTechnology Building – opened 2004

• Tandem Accelerator LaboratoryAnnex – two-storey addition

Programs

Through its seven departments,McMaster University offers degree programs in the following areas:• Chemical Engineering• Chemical Engineering

and BioEngineering• Civil Engineering• Computer Engineering• Computer Science• Electrical Engineering• Electrical and Biomedical

Engineering • Engineering and Management

(combined with most programs)• Engineering and Society

(combined with most programs)• Engineering Physics• Environmental Engineering• Materials Science and Engineering• Mechanical Engineering• Software Engineering• Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.)

Most of these programs are availablein the combined five-year Engineering& Management or Engineering &Society programs. The Faculty ofEngineering has also introduced a new five-year program in ChemicalEngineering and BioEngineering.Graduate degrees toward a M.A.Sc,M.Eng. and Ph.D. are provided across all disciplines within the Faculty ofEngineering. A new Electrical andBiomedical Engineering program leading to a five-year combined Master’s (M.Eng.) and Bachelor(B.Eng.) degree in Electrical andBiomedical Engineering was offeredSeptember 2003.

In November 2004, the B.Eng./M.Eng. Program in Manufacturing was proposed.

McMaster Engineering

Growth

4

Research Funding

1999- 2000

2000-2001

2001-2002

2002-2003

2003-2004

0

5

10

15

20

25

30$22.4

M$23.3

M $20.8 M

$25.2 M

$27.2 M

1999- 2000

2000-2001

2001-2002

2002-2003

2003-2004

2004-2005

$9.9 M

$17.5 M

$18.7 M

$20.3 M

$22.5 M

$24.7 M

$26.2 M

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Operating Budget

49.7% growth of operating budget over the last six years

$118.9 M in external research funding over the last five years

The McMaster Information Technology Building, the research and administrative centre for theDepartment of Computing and Software.

1

Centres of Excellence

McMaster researchers participate in many Networks of Centres ofExcellence.

• AUTO21 – Automobile of the 21st Century

• Canadian Institute for PhotonicInnovation (CIPI)

• Canadian Institute forTelecommunications Research

• Canadian Water Network • Communications and Information

Technology Ontario (CITO)• Institute for Robotics and Intelligent

Systems (IRIS) • Intelligent Sensing for Innovative

Structures Network of Canada (ISIS) • Materials and Manufacturing

Ontario (MMO)• Mechanical Wood Pulps Network • Micronet – Microelectronic Devices,

Circuits and Systems • McMaster Institute for Energy

Studies• Photonics Research Ontario (PRO)

Canadian ResearchUniversity of the Year

In November 2004, ResearchInfosource Inc. announced thatMcMaster ranked as the country’s topresearch university of the year in themedical/doctoral category. The annualranking, conducted by the Canadian

R&D information provider, comparesuniversities on ability to attract andcapitalize on research income.

In addition, McMaster placed seventhin the country for the second year inoverall research income. The Universitybrought in more than $218 million in 2004. In the last 10 years, theUniversity has tripled its researchincome. McMaster also placed third in research intensity, which is based on research income per full-time facultyposition. The Faculty of Engineering isproud that the world-class researchbeing conducted at its centres andinstitutes has contributed substantiallyto the University’s national ranking.

The rankings are documented in thereport, Top 50 Research Universities(www.researchinfocource.com ). Factorsincluded are: total sponsored researchincome, faculty and graduate studentresearch intensity, and the number of publications in leading journals.The rankings are based on StatisticsCanada data.

Mamdouh Shoukri, vice-president of research and international affairs,believes that the rankings, which arebased on both inputs and outputs,confirm what the University has long believed – its problem-solving,solutions-oriented approach toresearch is working.

“We are definitely producing qualityresearch results,” says Shoukri. “Themomentum our research enterprisehas gained is astounding. More impor-tantly, we’ve recruited and retainedsome of the world’s best researchers.”

McMaster president Peter Georgeagrees, adding that everyone connectedwith research at the University deservescredit for this distinction. “McMasterstrives continually to link research andeducation. This means our studentshave more opportunities not only tolearn from the very best, but to learnhow to apply research skills and prob-lem solving techniques to their studiesand in their future careers.”

5

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Ente

ring

Gra

des

80

82

84

86

88

9089

84.1583.13

83.784.9

87.98

83.33

87

85

83

81

Double Cohort

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

1999- 2000

2000-2001

2001-2002

2002-2003

2004-2005

2003-2004

19632187

2440 2543 2671 2787

Entering Averages

Average grades at admissionover the last six years.

Engineering Full-time Enrolment

Student enrolment growth over the last six years(excluding Computer Science)

New School a First for Canada

A unique interdisciplinary initiative,the School for Engineering Practice(SEP), received final Senate approvalduring 2004. McMaster’s School forEngineering Practice is the first of itskind in Canada.

The School will offer high-profileresearch and interdisciplinary education initiatives in three areas of engineering practice: public policy,entrepreneurship and innovation, and design.

The School and associated centres will work in cooperation with otherMcMaster faculties and partner insti-tutions to advance multidisciplinaryresearch and education in engineeringpractice. The initiative is vital for thefuture of engineering innovation.Creative engineering design needs tobe complemented by business knowl-edge to facilitate the transfer of newproducts and processes to the market-place. At the same time, considerationmust be given to the impact of newtechnologies on the environment andto society.

The School is offering a new Master’sdegree program in engineering: aMaster of Engineering Entrepreneurship

and Innovation. This program will pro-vide technology professionals with thenecessary skills to recognize and developnew technologies, and to take resultinginnovations to market in a safe, efficientand environmentally sound manner.We will be offering in 2005/2006 twoadditional Master’s degree programs in Engineering and Public Policy andEngineering Design.

Following on the successes of the five-year Engineering & Management andEngineering & Society bachelor pro-grams, the SEP is the next importantstep forward for McMaster in provid-ing quality professional engineeringeducation. The SEP programs, withlinks to major international institu-tions combined with professionaldevelopment seminars and customtraining programs, will provide a newlevel of graduate professional programsin Engineering not currently offeredin Canada.

A Company CelebrationBenefits Faculty

The Faculty of Engineering is therecipient of a $1-million gift givenjointly by Xerox Canada and TheXerox Foundation. The donation wasmade in August 2004 to recognize andcelebrate three decades of innovation

in this country by the Xerox ResearchCentre of Canada (XRCC). The dona-tion will go towards the new engineer-ing building and the Centre named inrecognition of the gift – Xerox Centrefor Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation – a first of its kind inNorth America. Construction will becompleted in 2008.

Facing the Future

Growth

6

Engineering Faculty

Faculty growth over the last six years

Student-Faculty Ratio

Average student-faculty ratio over the last six years

0

30

60

90

120

150

1999- 2000

2000-2001

2001-2002

2002-2003

2003-2004

2004-2005

9999114

133 133 137

0

5

10

15

20

25

1999- 2000

2000-2001

2001-2002

2002-2003

2003-2004

2004-2005

20.818.7

20.318.3 19.2 19.6

Rafik Loutfy

17

The Centre, which will be housed in theSchool for Engineering Practice, will:

• Assist students and organizations indeveloping ideas into successful newproducts or services within existingcompanies

• Provide students with the opportu-nity to learn new ways to commer-cialize engineering ideas

• Provide the skills and knowledgenecessary to transform technicalexpertise into commercial success

• Promote the commercialization oftechnology-based innovation inCanada

An international partnership hasalready been established between theCentre and the Manchester ScienceEnterprise Centre, to facilitate theexchange of students, faculty andknowledge.

Managing TechnologyInnovation

Business executive and entrepreneurRafik Loutfy is the inaugural holder of the new Walter G. Booth Chair forEngineering Entrepreneurship andInnovation. The Chair is located in the Faculty’s School for EngineeringPractice.

Dr. Loutfy, who has over 30 years ofexpertise in managing technology inno-vation, comes to McMaster from XeroxCanada where he was corporate vice-president for the Xerox Corporation. He also served as Director of the XeroxResearch Centre of Canada (XRCC)where breakthrough imaging materials,research, and technology are developed.

The Chair was established by WalterBooth (Mech. Eng. 1962, 1965), chair-man and president of TimberlandGroup, a group of companies that specialize in various types of machinerymanufacturing. In his position as theBooth Chair holder, Dr. Loutfy isresponsible for overseeing the newMaster of Engineering Entrepreneurshipand Innovation degree program. He isalso Director of the new Xerox Centrefor Engineering Entrepreneurship andInnovation within the School ofEngineering Practice.

New School forComputational Engineeringand Science Proposed

New proposed School for Computa-tional Engineering & Science fills animportant niche by offering a uniqueapproach to the study of computation.

The rapidly growing fields of computa-tional engineering and computational

science are closely related and sharethe same objective: the creation of newpowerful problem-solving tools thatcan be applied to a wide range of prac-tical problems in the engineering andscience disciplines. The School willoffer M.A.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. programsthat build upon and strengthen the syn-ergy between engineering and science,and that combine the enabling technol-ogy of computational methodologywith the cyber-infrastructure that is rev-olutionizing science and engineering.

McMaster is in a strong position to offer these CE&S programs. TheDepartment of Computing andSoftware, which is located within theFaculty of Engineering, has consider-able expertise in the area of computa-tional science. Active cooperationalready exists between the Depart-ment and the other traditional engi-neering fields. Currently, one or morefaculty members from every engineer-ing discipline at the University engagein research and study on various areasof computational engineering. Inaddition, various interaction andcooperative initiatives exist betweenthe Department and those sciencedepartments that have developedstrength in computational science.

Graduate Students

Graduate student growth over the last six years

International Students (Undergraduates)

International student growth over the last six years

0100200300400500600700800

1999- 2000

2000-2001

2001-2002

2002-2003

2003-2004

2004-2005

390381463

561603 609

221245

136 169173

196 267 305

290365 336 304

Ph.DMasters

050

100150200250300350400

1999- 2000

2000-2001

2001-2002

2002-2003

2003-2004

2004-2005

172125

213

309 319

395

Elbestawi Induction

In 2004, the Canadian Academy ofEngineering (CAE) welcomed MohamedElbestawi as one of its newest members.The dean of the Faculty of Engineeringwas being recognized for his contribu-tions to manufacturing engineeringresearch, as well as for being a strongchampion for university/industry part-nerships. Dr. Elbestawi has workedextensively in industrial research anddevelopment in the private sector and,since coming to the University, hasbeen an active advocate for research initiatives and industry-based collab-orations. He was the driving force inthe establishment of the newly created $19-million McMaster ManufacturingResearch Institute (MMRI) and served as its first director. The inaugural holderof the Braley-Orlick Chair in AdvancedManufacturing Engineering, Dr. Elbestawiheld the NSERC Industrial ResearchChair in Precision Machining from1994 to 2004.

The Academy is an independent, self-governing organization, established toserve the nation in matters of engineer-ing concern. Fellows of the Academyare engineers from all disciplines, elect-ed by their peers on the basis of theirdistinguished achievements and theircontributions to the profession, to thecountry and to society.

Veronika Czerneda Award

The Faculty takes pride in recognizing the efforts and dedication of its staffmembers through initiatives such as the Veronika Czerneda Staff Award forOutstanding Service. This year’s recipientof the Veronika Czerneda Award is TerryGreenlay, the facilities manager for theDepartment of Electrical & ComputerEngineering. Greenlay is responsible forthe Department’s research computer sys-tems and the operation of its extensivelist of research equipment. In 2004, hefacilitated the Department’s move intothe new Information TechnologyBuilding, an enormous undertakinggiven the amount of equipment andmachinery to be moved.

The Faculty’s Staff Award forOutstanding Service was created inmemory of Veronika Czerneda, anadministrative coordinator in theDepartment of Materials Science andEngineering. Recipients receive a smallcash award and have their namesengraved on a commemorative plaque.

Teacher and ResearcherHonoured

A pioneer in the science and technologyof biomaterials, John Brash was inductedinto the Royal Society of Canada inrecognition of his outstanding career as a teacher and researcher. Dr. Brash isan internationally recognized researcherwho has devoted four decades to bio-materials studies. His findings have contributed directly to the developmentof advanced medical devices such asartificial arterial grafts, blood pumps andheart valves. In addition to his ground-breaking research, he has served on anumber of policy and granting agencycommittees in Canada and abroad, andhas collaborated with colleagues onnumerous research projects.

An engaging and innovative lecturer,he has been designated UniversityProfessor, an honourary title bestowedby McMaster. Dr. Brash is a facultymember in the Department ofChemical Engineering and director

Awards and Accolades

Our faculty, staff and students continually distinguish themselves

professionally and academically, and alsoin areas outside of their chosen fields.Whether it is recognition for high standingin marks, for excellence and innovation inresearch, for contributions made to a pro-fessional organization or for going aboveand beyond as a lecturer, staff member or student, these individuals bring honourto themselves, the Faculty of Engineeringand to McMaster. We are proud of theirachievements and congratulate them all.

Student Awards

• Lulu Bursztyn, Chemical Engineering,Professional Engineers Ontario GoldMedal

Staff Awards

• Anne Markey, Volunteer RecognitionAward, Canadian Association of CareerEducators and Employers (CACEE)

• Terry Greenlay, Facilities Manager,Electrical and Computer Engineering,Veronika Czerneda Staff Award forOutstanding Service

Teaching Awards

• David Jones, MSU Faculty Award for Teaching 2003 to 2004

• Simon Haykin, 2004 IEEE Leon K.Kirchmayer Graduate Teaching Award

Professional Associations and Societies Awards

• John Bandler, 2004 Microwave Applica-tion Award of the IEEE MicrowaveTheory and Technique Society (MTT-S)

• Doug Barber, Ontario Society ofProfessional Engineers Gold MedalAward, 2003

Award-Winning Faculty

8

Veronika Czerneda Award presented by PhilipCzerneda to Terry Greenlay with Gary Purdy inbackground

1

of the Department’s new under-graduate program in Chemical andBio-Engineering. He is also director ofthe School of Biomedical Engineering.

Bioengineering, which bridges engi-neering and health sciences, is thenewest innovation in medicine andbiotechnology. Researchers like Dr.

Brash are working to link current andemerging areas of molecular, medicaland engineering research to developcutting-edge innovations. It is believedthat advances in bioengineering tech-nologies will revolutionize health carein the future.

Local PartnershipRecognized

Partnerships between the Universityand industry, and particularly thelong-standing partnership betweenMcMaster and Dofasco, provided anopportunity for celebration during2004. The Applause and AccoladesGala, held at the Liuna Station inMay, publicly acknowledged the manysuccesses of the University’s corporatepartnerships.

At the event, local businessman John Mayberry received the inauguralFaculty of Engineering LeadershipAward. The former chairman and CEOof Dofasco was selected in recognitionof his efforts as a corporate partnerand of the tremendous impact theseinitiatives have had on McMaster’sresearch and educational programs.Always an active supporter of the

University, Mayberry has providedleadership and vision to the

Faculty’s mission, was a key volunteerwith the Changing Tomorrow Todayfundraising campaign, and establishedtwo scholarships to assist engineeringstudents.

Teaching Excellence

David Jones, assistant professor inElectrical and Computer Engineering,is this year’s recipient of the MSUTeaching Award for faculty in recog-nition of his efforts to inspire andinstill passion in his students.

Career Manager Great Role Model

Anne Markey, Manager, Engineering Co-op & Careers Services, was recog-nized for her participation in theCanadian Association of CareerEducators & Employers (CACEE) withthe Volunteer Recognition Award, 2004.

• John Brash, Fellow of the Royal Societyof Canada

• Jen-Shih Chang, Honourary Professor atthe Wuhan Tiancheng EnvironmentalProtection General Agency of thePeople’s Republic of China, 2003

• Jamal Deen, Fellow of the EngineeringInstitute of Canada (EIC)

• Jamal Deen, Chair of the DielecricScience and Technology Division of the Electrochemical Society (ECS)

• Mo Elbestawi, Fellow, CanadianAcademy of Engineering

• Terrence W. Hoffman, Fellow of theEngineering Institute of Canada (EIC)

• Phillip Koshy, SCME I.W. Smith Award• John Vlachopoulos, President of the

Polymer Processing Society (PPS) 2003to 2004

• John Vlachopoulos, DistinguishedAchievement Award of the ExtrusionDivision of the Society of PlasticsEngineers (S.P.E.)

• David Wilkinson, Materials PhysicsAward, Canadian Material ScienceConference, 2004

• David Wilkinson, Dofasco Award for 2004

• David Wilkinson, CIM DistinguishedLectureship

David Jones

David Wilkinson Doug Barber

Anne Markey

9

• John Wilson, named 2003 OutstandingJournal Paper by the American Societyof Civil Engineers Technical Council onForensic Engineering (TCFE)

• Xiaolin Wu, Nokia Visiting Fellowship –Finland 2004

John Mayberry

In order to expand upon its growingreputation as one of the mostresearch-intensive engineering

schools in Canada, the Faculty ofEngineering created a new associatedean’s position responsible for researchand external relations. Peter Mascher, a professor in the Department of Engineering Physics and holder of theWilliam Sinclair Chair in Optoelectron-ics, was appointed to the new positionin January 2004.

The research activities taking placewithin the various departments of theFaculty of Engineering played a keyrole in the designation of McMasterUniversity as Research University ofthe Year for 2004. Our research enter-prise has grown substantially in thepast few years both in terms ofincreased graduate student enrolmentand external funding. Clearly, wewant to build upon this momentum.New research opportunities will beforthcoming through three significantinitiatives: the School for BiomedicalEngineering, the McMaster Micro & Nanosystems Institute and theMcMaster Centre for SustainableEnergy Systems. There will be a good

deal of overlap and synergy amongthese areas that will lead to new andexciting research and will create theenvironment for the training of highlyqualified people for them to becometomorrow’s innovators. In addition, thenewly established School for EngineeringPractice will provide opportunities forpractitioners in industry to upgradetheir skills in the areas of EngineeringDesign, Entrepreneurship andInnovation, and Public Policy.

Part of my new position is to act as a spokesperson and advocate for theFaculty of Engineering outside theUniversity. In addition to promot-ing our successes, we will workactively to identify and develop collaborations on large, multi-disciplinary research projects. It is these types of initiatives that will be crucial to the developmentof new technologies and innova-tions, and that will continue toenhance McMaster’s researchcapabilities and reputation.

We plan to build on our existing partnerships with both academia and industry and develop newcollaborations, especially in theareas of biomedical engineering,micro- and nanosystems, energy

systems, and environmental engineer-ing. These are important fields ofknowledge for the future.

Peter Mascher Associate Dean, Research and External Relations

Research-intensive

Chemical engineers use basic principlesof chemistry, mathematics, physics,

biology and economics to design, operateand troubleshoot processes to make thematerials we use every day. McMasterresearch strengths include polymer production technology, control of chemicalprocesses, pulp and paper technology, membranes and biomedical engineering.Half of McMaster’s chemical engineeringundergraduates are women. Graduates ofthe Department work in a variety of posi-tions in business and industry, includingutilities engineer, marketing manager, pro-curement engineer, quality engineer, processautomation engineer and plant manager.

Chairs and Awards

• Andrew Hrymak, Department Chair• John Brash, Fellow of the Royal Society

of Canada• Terrence W. Hoffman, Fellow of the

Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC)• John Vlachopoulos, President of the

Polymer Processing Society (PPS) 2003 to 2004

• John Vlachopoulos, DistinguishedAchievement Award of the ExtrusionDivision of the Society of PlasticsEngineers (S.P.E.)

• Rafik Loutfy, Walter G. Booth Chair in Engineering Entrepreneurship andInnovation

Research Facilities

• McMaster Advanced ControlConsortium

• Centre for Advanced PolymerProcessing Analysis and Design

• McMaster Centre for Pulp and Paper Research

• McMaster Institute for PolymerProduction Technology

Chemical Engineering

10

Peter Mascher

1

Engineering ResearchAttracts Funding Support

The Canada Foundation forInnovation (CFI) funding enablesresearchers to acquire state-of-the-artinfrastructure to further their researchprojects. CFI projects are selected onthe recommendation of experts whoassess each project against the threeCFI criteria: quality of research andthe need for infrastructure; contribu-tion to strengthening the capacity forinnovation; potential benefits of theresearch to Canada.

Materials science and engineering associate professor Gianluigi Botton,Canada Research Chair in Microscopyof Nanoscale Materials, received a$7.08 million CFI award. The fundswill help establish a $17.8 millionnational ultrahigh-resolution electronmicroscopy facility for nanoscale mate-rials research. Because the interactionsof molecules in the nanometer sizeproduces unique properties notobserved in individual atoms or forbulk materials, researchers are interestedin exploiting these novel propertiesand in developing new applications for them. The microscope, the mostadvanced electron microscope in theworld, will allow scientists to probe the

structure, chemical bonding and elec-tronic structure of materials with atom-ic resolution. The facility is the sharedvision of almost 90 researchers acrossCanada and is a key component inCanada’s national nanoscience strategy.

Xiaolin Wu, a professor in electrical & computer engineering, received aCFI award of $353,651 which will beapplied to a $1-million project toinvestigate digital cinema. The fundswill assist in the building of a state-of-the-art digital movie camera in cooper-ation with DALSA Corporation ofWaterloo, Ontario, and in outfitting an experimental theatre with a digitalmovie projection system. The theatre is housed within the ECE department.Dr. Wu is the NSERC-DALSA IndustrialResearch Chair in Digital Cinema and a leader in establishing numerous algo-rithms for computer graphics and imageprocessing.

CFI’s New Opportunities Fund (NOF)assists the University in providingresearch infrastructure for newly-recruited faculty members. This fund-ing source recognizes that new facultyrequire special assistance during theirfirst full-time academic appointments,to enable them to undertake leading-edge research.

Chih-Hung (James) Chen, assistantprofessor in electrical and computerengineering, was awarded a NOFaward of $100,000 for his projectinvestigating high-frequency devicecharacterization and modeling forradio frequency integrated circuitdesign.

Electrical and computer engineeringassistant professor Shahin Sirouspourreceived a $80,000 NOF award toestablish a robotics innovation labora-tory. The lab will permit Dr. Sirouspourto expand his research in areas of tele-operation control, application of sen-sor fusion and management to roboticsystems, medical robotics, and advancedcontrol for robot manipulators.

Yaser Haddara, assistant professor inelectrical and computer engineering, isthe recipient of a $100,000 NOF awardfor a silicon and silicon germaniumfront end processing and process modeling initiative.

Rafik Loutfy

Andrew Hrymak John Brash

John Vlachopoulos

11

StatisticsUndergraduate students 251


Degrees awarded undergraduate 34

Degrees awarded graduate 12

Faculty members 16

Staff 11

The Faculty ofEngineeringat McMaster

offers its studentsan exceptionalarray of educationalchoices in ten engi-neering disciplines.Many of our pro-

grams have been highly ranked and rateamong the best in North America. Hereat McMaster, students can select fromamong 27 degree options, and most of these can be combined with ourinnovative Engineering & Society orEngineering & Management programs.

We have introduced a number of initia-tives to assist first-year students withmaking program and career choices,and to provide an opportunity for themto explore all facets of the profession.Our new common Engineering I curriculum is helping to introduce students to the engineering profession,including the legal and ethic challenges,before they select a program of study.We have developed a program in coop-eration with Engineers Without Bordersto create first-year design projects thatare meaningful and which are appropri-ate to their level of technical expertise.And we have integrated the co-op andinternship work experience to providemore flexibility. Now, students can electto take a co-op version of any of ourdegree programs. By doing so, the

student commits to obtaining at least12 months of relevant work experienceprior to graduation through summeremployment and/or internship.

The diversity of our student body istruly remarkable and results in somewonderful initiatives. I would like tomention two: the Solar Car, which iscontinually being improved throughthe efforts of a 90-member cross-disciplinary team; and the SAE Formulacar, an open-wheel single-seat racer,which receives timely upgrades by ateam of over 20 engineering students.You can follow the progress of thesestudent projects at www.sae.mcmaster.caand www.solarcar.mcmaster.ca

We are proud of our student-centred,problem-solving approach to teachingand learning – an approach that has

given McMaster Engineering a well-deserved reputation for graduatinghighly skilled engineers.

Dr. Peter SmithAssociate Dean of Engineering

Powered By the Sun

The Yves Landry Foundation has rec-ognized a unique McMaster student-based initiative. The McMaster SolarCar Project (MSCP) received a $5,000Foundation award for its recent suc-cesses in technological innovation and excellence. The “Progress TowardsSustainable Development” award issponsored by Shell Canada and pre-sented annually at the Yves LandryFoundation’s STARS TechnologicalEducation Awards Gala.

Student-centred

Civil Engineering deals with infrastruc-ture development and sustainability –

safe buildings, clean water, efficient wastedisposal and effective transportation mod-els. It’s the technology of planning andsafely designing construction, maintainingand rehabilitating the infrastructure thatwill allow global societies to function inthe 21st century. McMaster’s Departmentof Civil Engineering conducts fundamentaland applied research in environmental and water resources engineering, com-putational mechanics, geotechnical andconstruction materials, and structural and earthquake engineering.

Chairs and Awards

• Dieter Stolle, Department Chair• John Wilson, named 2003 Outstanding

Journal Paper by the American Societyof Civil Engineers Technical Council on Forensic Engineering (TCFE)

• Art Heidebrecht, Acting Director of The McMaster Centre for ContinuingEducation

• Brian Baetz, Director, Engineering andSociety

Research Facilities

• Technology Skills Enhancement Facility• Environmental Laboratory • Geotechnical Laboratory• Applied Dynamics Laboratory• Centre for the Effective Design

of Structures• McMaster Earthquake Engineering

Research Group • McMaster University Sustainable

Community Research Group• Water Resources Research/

Environmental Information SystemsLaboratory

12

Civil Engineering

1

More than 180 McMaster students com-prise the MSCP cross-disciplinary teamwhich designs, builds and races solarcars in international competitions.Founded in 1997 as a non-profit organi-zation, the MSCP has successfully builttwo solar cars, Fireball and Fireball II.Fireball II won top Canadian rank andplaced fifth overall during the FormulaSun Grand Prix in 2004. The team iscurrently designing and building a thirdcar, Phoenix, and plans to race Phoenixin the bi-annual North American SolarChallenge in 2005.

The surface of Phoenix will have over400 Sunpower A-300 cells that will pro-duce a power output of 1000 Watts infull sunlight. A high-efficiency motorgives the car highway speeds whileusing the equivalent electrical power of a toaster. The car’s telemetry systemsends important information aboutspeed, battery temperature and powerdrain to the support team to help themimprove strategies during races.

The MSCP has an active education program, and team members attendcommunity and on-campus events topromote renewable energy and encour-age the public to think about environ-mental issues and energy efficiency.

Student Teams Competefor Fun and Awards

McMaster is committed to recruitingthe best high school students for its

engineering programs. The Faculty hasa number of proactive recruitment ini-tiatives designed to ensure that Ontariosecondary students are knowledgeableabout our departments, centres andresearch institutes, and the advantagesof obtaining their engineering educa-tion here at McMaster.

The McMaster Engineering and ScienceOlympics and Open House is an annualevent that brings 1,000 high schoolstudents from across Southern Ontarioto campus to enjoy some friendlycompetition and great learning oppor-tunities. Students participate in a vari-ety of engineering and science-relatedcompetitions and activities, and havean opportunity to earn tuition entranceawards. The awards are presented tothe top student teams in each event,with over $20,000 in McMaster entranceawards available for disbursement. A separate teachers’ challenge providesup to $7,000 in tuition awards for students selected by their teachers.

The Engineering Olympics day is anopportunity for McMaster to showcaseits expertise in the Science andEngineering Faculties, and its researchand educational programs. The highschool students have the opportunityto meet engineering and science facultymembers, students and staff, to exploreprograms through department displaysand tours, and to discuss future careersin engineering and science.

Female High School StudentsDiscover Engineering

The Faculty of Engineering held a very successful Women’s EngineeringExperience once again this year. Thepurpose of the one-day event is toinform female high school studentsabout the incredible diversity in areasof study that comprise the field ofengineering. The young women areintroduced to a variety of speakers –all women currently working as lec-turers and researchers at McMaster oractive in their professional careers.

Over 250 high school students attended,coming from as far away as Belleville,Ontario. They heard about a variety of engineering-related activities fromMcMaster engineering researchers andgraduate students on topics as variedas design and risk management issues.They then had the opportunity tomeet students and alumni to discussengineering at McMaster and explorepossible career options for women inengineering.

John Wilson

Dieter Stolle Brian Baetz

Art Heidebrecht

13





Faculty members 15

Staff 9

The Faculty of Engineering has thereputation as one of Canada’smost research-intensive. We

strive continually to enhance theopportunities for faculty and graduatestudents to grow in their fields anddevelop innovative solutions to engineering-based problems and chal-lenges. Opportunities such as scholar-ships, modern facilities, state-of-the-artlaboratories, research centres and insti-tutes, collaborations and partnerships,all demonstrate our commitment toeducation, research and innovation.

Biomedical Engineering

Innovations are occurring within all fields of engineering and nowhereis this more apparent than in areaswhere engineering and medicine over-lap. Biomedical Engineering (BME) isthe application of engineering scienceand technology to solve problems inbiomedicine and biology. It is thebridge between engineering and healthsciences. The field is growing rapidlyas medicine becomes increasinglymore technology-based. McMaster’snew School of Biomedical Engineering,under the leadership of its director Dr. John Brash, has a dual mandate: to conduct research of internationalcalibre and to meet the demand forgraduates highly qualified personnel inthis field. It will feature a collaborative

environment that combines existingstrengths in medical sciences and engi-neering with biomolecular, biomedicaland bioengineering research.

The School will be an equal partner-ship between the Faculties ofEngineering and Health Sciences, and will closed the gap betweenresearchers trained in life sciences andthose trained in engineering. It willoffer Masters and Ph.D. programs inBiomedical Engineering and will admit its first students this comingSeptember. These programs willhave four research themes: bio-materials and tissue engineer-ing (with applications inimplantable devices, regener-ative medicine); biomedicalimaging (MRI, PET, optical,

cellular, molecular); biomedical tech-nology (medical robotics, medicaldevices, biophotonics); and bioprocess-ing (engineering aspects of drug andother bioproduct development). Five-year combined Bachelor’s and Master’sdegree programs including Electrical &Biomedical Engineering and upcomingMechanical & Biomedical Engineeringoffer studies in biomedical engineeringalong with a full pre-med qualification.

Innovation

The Department of Computing andSoftware focuses on design and

development of computer systems andsoftware. The Department offers under-graduate programs in both ComputerScience (through the Faculty of Science)and Software Engineering.

Computer Science is the science of solving problems with the aid of thecomputer. A guiding principle ofMcMaster’s Software EngineeringProgram is the integration of theory and practice.

Chairs and Awards

• Paul Taylor, Department Chair• Antoine Deza, Canada Research Chair

in Combinatorial Optimization• Tom Maibaum, Canada Research Chair

in the Foundations of SoftwareEngineering

• Alan Wassyng, Acting Director,Software Quality Research Laboratory(SQRL)

Research Facilities • Software Quality Research Laboratory

(SQRL)• Advanced Optimization Group• Applied Computer Systems Group• Algorithms Research Group• Software Engineering Research Group

Computing and Software

14

Chemical Engineering and BioEngineering Lab withassociate professor Heather Sheardown and univer-sity professor John Brash

ShahinSirouspour

1

In support of these research areas, a number of specialized laboratories will be housed in the School: the BellUniversity Laboratory in IntegratedSystems, the MDA Space GroupLaboratory in Medical Robotics, amedical devices laboratory, and labo-ratories dedicated to biophotonics,biomaterials, and biomechanics, aswell as a medical imaging facility.

Research conducted at the School will focus on finding solutions that will improve health care deliveryfor Canadians. Researchers like JohnBrash of the Department of ChemicalEngineering work to link current andemerging areas of molecular, medicaland bioengineering research.Advances in biomedical engineeringtechnologies have the potential to revolutionize health care and theFaculty is a proud leader in incubatingthese cutting-edge innovations.

Robotics Lab Comes to McMaster

Medical robotics is the technology thatallows medical specialists to providehealth care to remote geographic areasusing telerobotic surgery. MDA, thecompany that developed the famousCanadarm, is partnering with theFaculty of Engineering to conductresearch into medical robotics. MDA

has made a $450,000 gift toward thecreation of a medical robotics laboratorywhich will be located in the Faculty’snew School of Biomedical Engineering.

The MDA Space Group Laboratory inMedical Robotics will form an impor-tant component in the School, andwill link current and emerging areas of molecular, medical and engineeringresearch. The laboratory will focus onmedical and micro-robotics, and willexplore ways to produce and commer-cialize robotics for use in medicine.

Specialized Laboratory for Telemedicine

An exciting new partnership betweenMcMaster University and Bell Canadawill assist researchers working in telerobotic surgery. Bell UniversityLaboratories, which funds collabora-

tive projects between communicationsindustry professionals and universityresearchers, is contributing $450,000over three years to create an inte-grated systems laboratory. The BellUniversity Laboratory in IntegratedSystems will be housed in the newMcMaster School of BiomedicalEngineering.

The laboratory will support multi-disciplinary work in engineeringphysics, electrical and computer engineering, and in the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Research will focus on advancements in digital video, fibre optics, voice com-pression, optical switching, Internet pro-tocol and imaging, and network systemsfor telemedicine and telerobotic surgery.Research in biomedical engineering willalso benefit from Bell Canada’s network-ing expertise and on-going investmentin emerging technologies such as tele-informatics, communications networksand telepathology.

Tom Maibaum

Paul Taylor Alan Wassyng

Antoine Deza

15





Faculty members 28.5

Staff 9

MDA Space Partnership announcement. Pat Greene,Mo Elbestawi, Mag Iskander, Peter George and MikeParfitt

Through a variety of partnershipsbetween other universities, indus-try and government, researchers

in the Faculty of Engineering haveopportunities to develop and commer-cialize new technologies and processes.In this way, the Faculty plays a key rolein furthering Ontario’s strong economy.

McMaster AttractingWorld-class Researchers

Four new Canada Research Chairs(CRCs) were awarded to the Facultyduring 2004. The federally-funded CRCprogram is designed to help Canadianuniversities attract and retain topresearchers from around the world.

Tim Davidson, Canada Research Chairin Communications, is using modernoptimization theory to develop innova-tive design techniques for wirelesscommunications. A professor in theDepartment of Electrical and ComputerEngineering, Davidson is working toimprove high data rate wireless access.“Today, people want to access theInternet and other networks throughmobile handsets and ‘WiFi’ ethernetsystems. However, these can only trans-mit content at relatively low data rates.”To overcome this, Davidson focuses onsystems in which the mobile devicesand/or the base stations are equippedwith more than one antenna. His

designs are helping to develop futurewireless communication systems thatwill provide a higher data rate with aricher content base.

Originally from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan, Antoine Deza is the Canada Research Chair in Combinatorial Optimization in the Department of Computing andSoftware. Dr. Deza is challenged by thepower of symmetry, specifically thatresulting from geometric structuresknown as fullerenes. Scientists believethat the symmetry inherent in thesethree-dimensional polyhedra offersgreater stability and optimizes the efficiency of the materials. Previousresearch in this area produced a linearprogramming paradigm which led tothe design of efficient computationalmethods. Dr. Deza has developedunique optimization techniques forusing symmetry to solve large-scalecombinatory problems, particularlythose related to freight transportation.He plans to generate efficient algo-rithms through exploration of combi-natory and geometric characteristics of the problems under study.

Thia Kirubarajan is the CanadaResearch Chair in Information Fusionwith the Department of Electrical andComputer Engineering. He is develop-ing advanced multi-source informa-

tion fusion algorithms for large-scalesystems. His research has importantapplications in the development ofsystems that will be able to controland organize the overwhelmingamount of available information anddata. Information fusion is the com-bining of data from different sourcesin such as way as to deliver betterinformation than that derived fromany single source. Through the devel-opment of efficient algorithms thattrack the evolving state of a system (a plane or a cell), computers will be able to process immense amountsof data. Dr. Kirubarajan’s research

Excellence

The Department of Electrical andComputer Engineering is the largest

department in the Faculty of Engineering.It consistently ranks nationally and inter-nationally among the best of its kind forits vigorous research program, particularlyin telecommunications, signal processing,microelectronics, photonics, computerengineering and power engineering.

Computer Engineering involves the use ofscientific discoveries and practical knowl-edge in digital circuit technology to createdevices and systems that can be used tobenefit people. The Electrical Engineeringprogram involves the use of devices andsystems that employ the flow of electronsto achieve useful purposes.

Chairs and Awards• Max Wong, Department Chair• Tim Davidson, Canada Research

Chair in Communications• Thia Kirubarajan, Canada Research

Chair in Information Fusion• Terry Greenlay, Facilities Manager,

Electrical and Computer Engineering,Veronika Czerneda Staff Award forOutstanding Service

• David Jones, MSU Faculty Award for Teaching 2003 to 2004

• Simon Haykin, 2004 IEEE Leon K.Kirchmayer Graduate Teaching Award

• John Bandler, 2004 MicrowaveApplication Award of the IEEEMicrowave Theory and TechniqueSociety (MTT-S)

• Jamal Deen, Fellow of the EngineeringInstitute of Canada (EIC)

• Jamal Deen, Chair of the DielecricScience and Technology Division of theElectrochemical Society (ECS)

• Xiaolin Wu, Nokia Visiting Fellowship –Finland 2004

Electrical and Computer Engineering

16

Medical Robotics, Mo Elbestawi and ShahinSirouspour

1

provides innovative approaches tocurrent information challenges in a variety of areas, from defence andcommunications to biomedical engineering and aerospace.

Tom Maibaum, who came to McMasterfrom King’s College in London (U.K.),is the Canada Research Chair in theFoundations of Software Engineering.His research explores engineeringmethods of software and system speci-fication and design in order to ensurethat software development is conduct-ed in a more disciplined and depend-able manner. Results of this work willhave an important economic impact as it will enable software producers to develop more reliable software.Software systems are complex, involv-ing millions of lines of code and pagesof design descriptions. To help withthe descriptions, analysis and manip-ulation of all this data, architecturedescription languages (ADLs) weredeveloped. However existing ADLs areweak in certain important areas, suchas dynamic reconfiguration and hier-archical construction, for example. Dr.Maibaum, who is with the Departmentof Computing and Software, is devel-oping a new ADL to address these soft-ware design challenges, and which willincorporate helpful tools for analysisand testing/verification.

Four Industrial ResearchChairs Awarded

McMaster University is the recipient of four new Industrial Research Chairs(IRCs) awarded to the Faculty by theNatural Sciences and EngineeringResearch Council of Canada (NSERC).The Council’s $2.8-million contribu-tion receives matching funding fromindustry partners and the University toprovide a total of $5.6 million towardthe following research initiatives:

• The NSERC/UNENE IndustrialResearch Chair in Nuclear SafetyAnalysis, led by chairholder JohnLuxat, will further fundamentalunderstanding in technical areas of nuclear safety and will developadvanced applied technology innuclear safety analysis ($1 millionover five years)

• The NSERC/RIM/CITO/McMasterIndustrial Research Chair in Pico-Cellular Wireless Internet AccessNetworks, led by chairholder TerryTodd, will study and develop tech-niques for wireless Internet accesssystems using very small or pico-cellular networks ($1.2 million over five years)

• The NSERC/Dalsa/McMaster IndustrialResearch Chair in Digital Cinema, ledby chairholder Xiaolin Wu, will explorethe challenges of digital imaging sothat it can be regularly used by motionpicture studios as a replacement medi-um for traditional film technology ($1 million over five years)

• The NSERC Industrial Research Chairin Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Systems, ledby chairholder Tony Petric, will con-duct research on fuel cells to respondto the global demand for cleaner andmore efficient uses of energy ($1.5million over five years)

Investment in the form of researchchairs by government and privateindustry is invaluable to McMaster. Ithelps the University recruit and retainthe most talented researchers, and pro-vide them with an edge in competingat the global level. The NSERC awardsannouncement was made during theFaculty of Engineering Applause andAccolades gala in May, held to celebratethe Faculty’s many successes over thepast year.

Research Facilities

• Electronics, Control and ComputerEngineering Laboratory

• Communications Research Laboratory• Power Research Laboratory • Microwave Acoustics Laboratory• Computational Electromagnetics

Laboratory• Communication Technology Research

Centre• Optoelectronics Research Laboratory

Jamal Deen

Max Wong Xiaolin Wu

David Jones

17





Faculty members 28

Staff 15

McMaster engineering studentsgraduate as highly trained,highly qualified professional

engineers, able to take their place asleaders, teachers, entrepreneurs andresearchers in a variety of fields. Theirknowledge and expertise assist theircommunities, and contribute to thegrowth and development of the econ-omy in Ontario – and beyond.

MOPTA 2004

Just as nature minimizes the potentialenergy of systems, man strives to findways to accomplish tasks faster andmore efficiently. As a discipline, thescience of optimization has been apart of mathematics and engineeringfor centuries, but the introduction offast, powerful computers has enabledthe application of sophisticated optimization algorithms to real-worldproblems in many branches of appliedscience. Today, optimization holds significant promise to solve problemsranging from VLSI design throughprocess control optimization to crewscheduling for airlines.

The Advanced Optimization Lab took a lead role in planning and organizingan important and highly successfulconference series for leadingresearchers in this field. The 4thAnnual McMaster Optimization

Conference, held in July, made gooduse of the facilities in the InformationTechnology Building which houses theDepartment of Computing andSoftware.

During the three-day event, attendeeshad an opportunity to exchangeresearch ideas on optimization algorithms, review recent develop-ments, and discuss problems andfuture challenges. Co-sponsored by the Fields Institute and MITACS,MOPTA attracts researchers in boththe theoretical and applied fields ofoptimization, and provides them with a venue for interaction.

Ontario PhotonicsConsortium

The strongest testament to a tech-nology’s power and utility lies in itsability to transform present-day per-ceptions of luxury into conveniencesand necessities within a relativelyshort timeframe. Such is the trans-formational power and potential ofphotonics, a field of study dedicatedto understanding, manipulating, andutilizing light and its intrinsic value.Photonics has already profoundlychanged the way we communicateand interact with each other. Thinkof any convenience related to per-sonal communication which you

now take for granted – online shop-ping, on-demand downloads of books,music and video, unlimited long distance phone calls on evenings and weekends, instant voice/videomessaging across continents, the compactness of personal devices suchas cameras – and you will find thatphotonics has been front and centrein enabling that convenience. Now,project forward to envision the con-veniences that await us in a decade

Quality

Faculty and students in engineeringphysics study a variety of technologies

used in electronics, optical and wirelesscommunications, sensors, lasers andnuclear power systems. McMaster facultymembers and graduate students work withcolleagues across Canada on innovations in photonics (the science of using light intelecommunications), information technol-ogy, environmental monitoring and bio-medical sciences. Engineering Physics isabout understanding and designing withmicroscopic objects, whose behaviour isbased on advanced concepts such as quan-tum mechanics, electromagnetism, nucleartransitions and electronic band gaps.

Chairs and Awards

• Paul Jessop, Department Chair• Peter Mascher, Associate Dean,

Research and External Affairs• Jen-Shih Chang, Honourary Professor

at the Wuhan Tiancheng EnvironmentalProtection General Agency of thePeople’s Republic of China, 2003

• John Preston, Director, BrockhouseInstitute for Materials Research

Research Facilities

• McMaster Nuclear Reactor• Clean rooms for microelectronic

and photonic device fabrication• Ultrafast Laser Laboratory• Diode laser and integrated optics

research laboratories• Thin-film deposition systems• Tandem Accelerator

Engineering Physics

18

Photonics

1

or so – non-invasive diagnosis andtreatment of terminal illnesses, harnessing of solar energy to powerroutine every-day personal energyneeds, fully-automated self-regulatingroadways and vehicles without anyneed for drivers or accidents. Photonicsis certain to play a pivotal role inmaking it happen. The OntarioPhotonics Consortium was createdand funded jointly by academia(McMaster, Western, and Waterloo),industry and the Ontario governmentto continue the pace of innovation inphotonics. The initiatives underwaywithin OPC range from practical near-term applications to speculativelong-term research.

Construction News

Renovations are completed on the wing in the John Hodgins EngineeringBuilding which houses the Departmentof Chemical Engineering. The currentupdates involved gutting an entirewing of the building to replace allelectrical, air circulation and lightingsystems. A new floor was created outof the open space on the second floorto accommodate new special Level IIcell culture labs for the bioengineeringfaculty. The multi-million dollar renovations, which include a newundergraduate lab, two new graduatestudents offices, a telecommunications

room and a contained mechanicalroom on the roof, were funded entirelythrough internal McMaster sources. Inaddition to substantial support fromthe Faculty of Engineering, funds wereobtained from the offices of the Dean,the VP of Research, the VP Administra-tion and from Physical Plant.

Automotive ProcessDeveloped by McMasterResearchers

A Department of Mechanical Engineer-ing research team has developed aninnovative, environmentally-friendlyprocess that can machine automotiveengine blocks faster and cheaper thanconventional methods. In fact, it dou-bles the speed at which engine blocks

and parts can be machined. The processalso reduces by more than 99 percentthe amount of coolants normally used during the cutting process, usinginstead a high-pressure mixture ofcompressed air and synthetic oil. It is an important development for theCanadian car industry at a time ofincreased globalization of trade.

The engine block project is coordinatedby Dr. Mo Elbestawi, dean of engineering.He interprets the work of researchersbased at the University of Windsor, the University of Waterloo, Ecole Poly-technique and the University of NewBrunswick. Much of the work on theengine block machining project wasdone at the McMaster ManufacturingResearch Institute (MMRI).

The McMaster research team is fundedby the AUTO21 Network, a federally-sponsored initiative linking the auto-motive research groups of variousCanadian universities. The Network iscurrently the largest research networkin Canada.

Peter Mascher

Paul Jessop John Preston

Jen-Shih Chang

19





Faculty members 15

Staff 17

McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute

The ultimate goal for any engineeris to meld scientific discoverywith knowledge gained through

study and experience to create a new orimproved device, process, or materialthat will benefit society.

Speaker Soars

Organizers for the Women’s EngineeringExperience reached for the stars to get their keynote speaker this year.Canadian astronaut Julie Payette wasthe honoured guest speaker for theannual on-campus weekend event in February. Payette, who accepted an invitation from the Women inEngineering Committee, gave a first-hand account of her experiences onthe Space Shuttle Discovery missionand her work with the CanadianSpace Agency. Payette became the first Canadian to participate in anInternational Space Station (ISS)assembly mission and to board thespace station.

Her slide talk not only explained herrole and duties while in space butshowed riveting pictures of earth andvarious familiar geographical features,taken from the shuttle. Payette was an unqualified hit with the youngwomen gathered at McMaster for theExperience day. The annual Women’s

Engineering Experience attempts toinform female high school studentsabout the diversity of careers availablein the field of engineering.

Symposium HonoursProfessor

The Department of Materials Scienceand Engineering held a three-dayevent to honour their esteemed col-league David Embury, celebrating anactive 45-year career in the field of

materials science.The David EmburySymposium featuredinvited lecturesfrom some of theworld’s top materi-als scientists, manyof whom have beencolleagues of

Embury’s over the years. It also pro-vided an opportunity for scientists toengage in discussion of current issuesand challenges in materials sciencesuch as plasticity and damage.Symposium co-sponsors includedMaterials and Manufacturing Ontario,McMaster University, Dofasco andAlcan. As a follow-up to the sympo-sium, inventors and developers of theCambridge Engineering Selectoroffered a two-day course on SelectingMaterials and Processes.

Symposium EncouragesDiscussion

In recognition of the body of researchamassed by one of North America’s topelectron microscopists, the Departmentof Materials Science and Engineeringestablished the George C. WeatherlySymposium on New Frontiers inMaterials. The first annual symposiumwas held at McMaster in 2004. Futuresymposia will alternate between theUniversity of Toronto and McMaster, in recognition of Dr. Weatherly’s careerat both institutions.

Because the study of materials scienceinvolves a cross-disciplinary approachinvolving the natural sciences as wellas most of the engineering disciplines,collaboration is key to expanding

Discovery

New technologies developed throughmaterials science and engineering

will continue to make startling changes inour lives in the 21st century. Researchersin Materials Science and Engineeringstudy the science and technology of producing materials with properties andshapes suitable for practical use, such asmetals, ceramics, polymers and semicon-ductors. McMaster is the only universityin Canada with specialized streams inMaterial Engineering, Nanomaterials andComputational Materials Engineering.Recently the Department was rankedamong the top 10 materials departmentsin North America.

Chairs and Awards

• Gord Irons, Department Chair andDofasco Chair in Ferrous Metallurgy

• David Wilkinson, Materials PhysicsAward, Canadian Materials ScienceConference, 2004

• David Wilkinson, Dofasco Award for 2004

• David Wilkinson, CIM DistinguishedLectureship

• Gary Purdy, McMaster DistinguishedAlumni Award

• Ken Coley, Acting Director, Engineeringand Management

Research Facilities

• Brockhouse Institute for MaterialsResearch

• Steel Research Centre• Centre for Automotive Materials

and Manufacturing

Materials Science and Engineering

20

David Embury

Mo Elbestawi, Julie Payette and Mike Pley,President, ComDev Space

1

knowledge in this field. The paperspresented at the Interfaces Symposiumoffered a wide range of topics by dis-tinguished visitors, and included pre-sentations by McMaster and Universityof Toronto Ph.D. students. Activitiesalso included a poster presentation bygraduate students, showcasing theirwork. The Symposium offered Ph.D.students, faculty and graduate studentsan important opportunity to meet anddiscuss the wide-ranging issues andchallenges in which current materialsscientists are engaged.

Manufacturing Innovation

In August 2004, Dr. Sumanth Shankaraccepted the position as Braley-OrlickChair in Advanced ManufacturingEngineering. The position is based at the University’s ManufacturingResearch Institute. Dr. Shankar willestablish a research centre on metalsolidification processing, with the primary objective of designing newlight-weight high-strength alloys. A member of the Department ofMechanical Engineering, Dr. Shankarsays research in machining, metalforming and polymer processing isvital for strengthening two key eco-nomic sectors in Ontario – metals and manufacturing. Research conductedat the centre will have a significantimpact on the future of the automo-tive, tool/die and mold industries,power generation and aerospaceindustries. It’s an exciting opportunityat an opportune time, and builds onHamilton’s growing reputation as aleader in manufacturing innovation.

Conference Connects with Industry and Alumni

The Faculty’s Ken Coley of the Depart-ment of Material Science & Engineeringwas instrumental in planning the suc-

cessful 2004 annual conference of theMetallurgical Society of Canada. Heldin downtown Hamilton in August, the four-day event attracted over 500researchers, scientists and universityprofessors from around the world.

The Conference featured a symposiumto celebrate the 50th anniversary ofthe oxygen steel making process inNorth America. Hamilton’s DofascoInc. was the first North American steelproducer to implement this manufac-turing process which, at the time, wasa fairly new innovation. In addition, a reception specially organized by theEngineering Alumni Office providedalumni from the Department anopportunity to greet and reconnectwith current Materials Science andEngineering faculty and staff.

At the conclusion of the Conference,Dr. Coley was elected president of theMetallurgical Society of the CanadianInstitute of Mining, Metallurgy andPetroleum (CIM).

David Wilkinson

Gord Irons Ken Coley

Gary Purdy

21





Faculty members 13

Staff 18

Sumanth Shankar

Partnerships

Mechanical Engineering uses princi-ples of physics and mathematics

to design and manufacture all types ofmechanical systems used in a wide varietyof industries. Occupying three floors ofthe John Hodgins Engineering Building on campus, the Department includes laboratories containing major instrumen-tation and data acquisition systems needed for leading-edge research in thermo-fluid sciences, mechanics anddesign, and manufacturing engineering.

Chairs and Awards

• Samir Ziada, Department Chair• Sumanth Shankar, Braley-Orlick

Chair in Advanced Manufacturing• Phillip Koshy, SCME I.W. Smith Award• Mo Elbestawi, Fellow, Canadian

Academy of Engineering • Joseph McDermid, Associate Professor

Stelco/NSERC Industrial Chair in SteelProduct Application

Research Facilities

• Thermo-fluids labs• Thermal processing lab• Manufacturing labs for metal forming• Machine tools and metal cutting• CAD/CAM• Robotics• Acoustics• Wind tunnels • Micro-machining Lab

Mechanical Engineering

22

The Faculty of Engineering activelyfosters a wide range of industrialpartnerships with companies

here in Canada, throughout NorthAmerica and around the world.Through such partnerships, industryhas access to state-of-the-art researchfacilities and knowledgeable specialists.Faculty and students are given anopportunity to discover and work onissues that are of importance to theindustrial sector. These collaborationstake many forms: industrial researchchairs, equipment and facility sharing,transfer of knowledge, product devel-opment and consulting.

Forum Focuses on Future Technology

A November 2004 student-organizedforum brought Ontario scientists andresearchers to McMaster to discusschallenging issues in nanotechnology– the branch of engineering that dealswith the manipulation of matter atthe level of individual atoms or mole-cules. Research and innovation innanomaterials are especially importantfor the future of biomedicine, but willfind applications in many other areasof modern technology. Based on itsability to attract research funding

and prestigious Chairs in this field,McMaster has become the leader in nanotechnology in Ontario. Theone-day forum was sponsored by theNatural Sciences and EngineeringResearch Council (NSERC), and washeld at the Brockhouse Institute forMaterials Research.

The event attracted 250attendees including leadingresearchers from academiaand industry along withexperts in the innovationprocess from the private and government sectors.Discussions explored howbest to convert researchefforts into innovations that can be taken to the

market in a timely fashion. It is widelyrecognized that Ontario’s future econ-omy will be greatly impacted byadvances in this field.

Nanotechnology graduate and post-doctoral students from across theprovince participated in a specialworkshop that included invited talksand a poster session, sponsored byNSERC’s Nano Innovation Platform.Poster sessions build and strengthenthe research community through theexchange of ideas, and foster new col-laborations between departments andother institutions.

Dr. John Luxat

Bell University's Lab Partnership Announcement,Vino Vinodrai, Peter George, Jean Taillon, BrianO'Shaughnessay, Mo Elbestawi and Vanessa Vogwill

1

John Preston, director of theBrockhouse Institute for MaterialsResearch, called the event a remarkablesuccess. In addition to the opportunitiesfor discussion and sharing of informa-tion, the forum resulted in the creationof NanoOntario, an alliance of researcherswithin the academic, industry andgovernment sectors.

Nuclear Engineering

The field of nuclear engineering atMcMaster has been enhanced with theappointment of Dr. John C. Luxat asthe NSERC/UNENE Industrial ResearchChair (IRC) in Nuclear Safety Analysis.A professor in the Department ofEngineering Physics, Dr. Luxat’s areaof specialty is nuclear safety analysisand modeling methodology. He isdeveloping new ways to analyse theconsequences of possible accidents inthe nuclear industry, using computersimulations and mathematical model-ing. His research will give peopleworking in the industry appropriatetools for checking and analyzing thesafety systems of nuclear reactors. Healso conducts research into the physi-cal phenomena associated with thepotential failure of components in a nuclear system in order to developmathematical models to characterize

these processes. These models will giveresearchers a better understanding ofthese processes, which can subsequentlybe employed more effectively infuture computer simulations.

The IRC in Nuclear Safety Analysis is an industrial partnership with the University Network of Excellencein Nuclear Engineering (UNENE).Established in 2002, UNENE is a consortium of Canadian nuclearorganizations: Ontario PowerGeneration (OPG), Bruce Power,Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL),the CANDU Owners Group (COG),and the Canadian Nuclear SafetyCommission (CNSC).

Lectures thatChallengeand Inform

Every year, througha variety of guestspeaker initiatives,the Faculty ofEngineering invitesleading engineering

professionals, researchers and businessentrepreneurs to speak to its students,faculty and staff. These guest lecturesprovide an opportunity for exploringnew theories and expanding knowledge

in emerging fields of engineering. Oneexample is the annual J.W. HodginsMemorial Lecture, sponsored by theFaculty of Engineering to commemo-rate McMaster’s first engineering dean.The lecture series celebrated its 20thanniversary in 2004.

The Faculty was honoured to welcomeMaurice F. Strong as the 2004 J.W.Hodgins Memorial Lecturer. An influ-ential champion of the environment,diplomat and peace advocate, Strongchose to address the role of engineer-ing in the future. His lecture focusedon issues involving sustainable globaldevelopment, and was both entertain-ing and enlightening. Prior to the lecture, Strong met with students fromthe Engineering and Society program,Peace Studies and the Engineering andSocial Responsibility course to presenta condensed version of his lecture andengage in discussion.

Sumanth Shankar

Samir Ziada Joseph McDermid

Phillip Koshy

23





Faculty members 18

Staff 15

Maurice Strong

Future Engineers in Action

Partnerships between universities andnon-academic sectors aren’t necessarilyall hard work. They can be fun, too!The annual Canadian EngineeringCompetition (CEC) conference is onesuch event, offering engineering stu-dents an opportunity to showcase theirskills and ingenuity to the wider com-munity. CEC brings together represen-tatives from industry, government andacademia to review and judge studentcompetitors who tackle a variety ofchallenges, from arguing the impor-tance of a social concept to solving acomplex engineering problem within a limited time.

A division of the Canadian Federationof Engineering Students (CFES), the CECheld its 20th Competition event for thefirst time at McMaster University inMarch 2004. Approximately 150 engi-neering students attended and tackledchallenges offered in seven categories:corporate design, entrepreneurial design,extemporaneous debate, explanatorycommunication of a technical issue orprocess, editorial communication of thesocial impact of a technical issue, teamdesign (no prior knowledge of the chal-lenge) and senior team design (priorresearch, 10-hour limit). In addition,

a high school team design event offerssecondary students an opportunity tomeet engineering professionals, and testtheir educational knowledge and skills.Team design projects are judged ondesign originality, creativity, teamworkand presentation.

The four-day event, which is open tothe public, attracts sponsorship from a wide range of industry and govern-ment agencies representing the tech-nology, computer, oil and gas, soft-ware and digital industries.

Engineers withoutBorders

Founded in 2000, the Canada-wide student-based initiative EngineersWithout Borders (EWB) promoteshuman development through access to technology. The EWB McMasterChapter was formed two years ago. In addition to organizing a campus lecture series, members have developeda High School Outreach program.Aimed at Grades 9 to 12, the programoffers workshops on lack of access to

Engineering Students, Alumni and

Anne Markey, Manager EngineeringCo-op and Career Services recognizes

that school isn’t just about books. TheFaculty of Engineering is committed toproviding a complete learning experienceto its students. It should also be theplace to learn first-hand what engineer-ing is all about. Co-op programs are anexcellent way to achieve this goal. Theyenhance the academic side of educationby offering the student a chance to workin a real situation using the skills andknowledge gained in the classroom.

As of September 2004, the Faculty ofEngineering offers students an optionalco-op program designed to providehands-on experience working on real-lifeengineering projects in an off-campusenvironment. Undergraduate studentswho register for this program arerequired to complete a minimum of 12-months work experience prior tobeginning their final year of study.Student can enter the program at anytime during their studies up to the yearprior to their graduating year.

McMaster Engineering also offers a campus-based summer work experience known asthe Undergraduate Research OpportunitiesProgram (UROP). When established in2003, UROP was the only one of its kind inCanada. Summer research programs helpundergraduate students gain valuable workexperience in a research environment, andprovide them with an opportunity to deter-mine if they might be interested in pro-gressing to graduate school. They are alsoinvaluable for developing mentorships withfaculty and graduate students.

Engineering Co-op

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Anne Markey (right),Manager, Engineering

Co-op and CareerServices with student,

Zahara Al-Ali(Electrical Engineering

and Co-op III)

1

safe drinking water and lack of accessto food processing technologies inrural areas of developing nations. The Chapter also actively promotedthe inclusion of EWB Developmentprojects in the first year design coursein a move to provide a more holisticapproach to this area of the curriculum.The initiative received strong supportfrom the Faculty and was enthusiasti-cally embraced by first-year engineer-ing students.

EWB works with partner organizationsoverseas to support technological devel-opment in areas such as water and sani-tation, food processing, access to energyand information technologies. To thisend, the Chapter raised funds andtrained two volunteers, StephanieLiddle (Electrical and Biochemistry) and Tyler Woychyshyn (EngineeringPhysics and Management), who willtravel overseas to work on engineering-related projects during 2005. EWB volunteers have worked in Africa andSoutheast Asia.

“I am confident that the extracurric-ular activities of the caliber of thosebeing addressed by Engineers WithoutBorders are helping to make tomorrow’sleaders,” says EWB McMaster Chapterpresident Boris Martin. “There is nodoubt about that.”

$1,000,000 Reached in Equipment Endowment Fund

McMaster’s Engineering reached the $1 M mark for the McMasterLaboratory Advancement Benefaction,MACLAB Endowment Fund in 2004.The MACLAB project was initiated bythe McMaster Engineering Society in1997 in response to an increasing needto renew and update the undergraduateengineering laboratory facilities. Adedicated group of students, staff and

faculty set out to establish an ambitiousand comprehensive program for col-lecting voluntary contributions fromengineering students which would beinvested in a trust fund to generatefunds each year, and be distributed to departments and programs for labsand facilities.

Alumni Share the Spirit of Giving

With over 10,749 alumni makingannual contributions to McMasterduring the past year, the participationrate has increased from 14% in 2002to 17% in 2004. Popular designatedareas of giving include the MACLABFund, Undergraduate ResearchOpportunities Program (UROP), Facultyof Engineering Fund, Scholarships/Bursaries and the Building Fund.

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Development

Boris Martin, graduate student Ph.D. MaterialsScience and Engineering

Precision Manufacturing

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

Num

ber o

f Cla

sses

Class Size 1 to 25 studentsClass Size 26 to 50 studentsClass Size 51 to 100 studentsClass Size 101 to 500 students

0

10

20

30

40

5045

17

59

22

129

21 2126 24

34

16

35

42

31

9

35

25

15

5

Undergraduate Class Size

Distribution of Class Size by Level

Ken HillHonouraryDegree

Kenneth O. Hill,a three-timeMcMaster graduate,received anHonourary doctor-ate at the Faculty’s

spring Convocation in June 2004 inrecognition of his leadership andresearch achievements.

For over three decades, Hill conductedgroundbreaking research at theCommunications Research Centre ofCanada (CRC), an agency of IndustryCanada. His work in photosensitivity,Bragg gratings, the study of the non-linear effects in fibre and fused fibrecompiling, laid the foundation forbroadband communication networks.In 2000, he entered the private sectoras a consultant. He has receivednumerous awards including thePresident’s Award (CRC), the CanadianAssociation of Physicists and theNational Optics Institute Medal forOutstanding Achievement in AppliedPhotonics, and the Rank Prize fromthe Royal Academy of Medicine.

Julie PayetteHonourary Degree

At 10 years of age, Julie Payette knewshe wanted to be an astronaut. In May1999, at age 28, she finally got to realizethat dream, becoming the first Canadianto participate in an International SpaceStation (ISS) assembly mission and toboard the space station. This year,Payette received an honourary doctoratefrom McMaster University at theUniversity’s spring Convocation ceremonies in June.

In the early 1990s, Payette was selectedto join the Canadian Space Agency totrain as an astronaut. She completedbasic training in Canada and thenworked as technical advisor for MobileServicing System, an advanced roboticssystem and Canada’s contribution tothe ISS. From May 27 to June 6, 1999,Payette flew on Space Shuttle Discovery,as part of the crew of STS-96, to deliverlogistics and supplies. During the mis-sion, the crew performed the first man-ual docking of the shuttle to the ISS.While on the Discovery, Payette servedas a mission specialist, held responsibil-ity for the station systems, and operatedthe Canadarm robotic arm.

Alumni Advancement Arch Award

In 2004, the Arch Award was launchedto celebrate the success of youngalumni. The first engineering alumnusto receive this recognition is Al-RaizAdatia, B.Eng. ’93 for his accomplish-ments as an entrepreneur and engi-neer. He built his professional careerin California’s Silicon Valley workingfor companies such as Octel, STMicroelectronics and Microsoft, beforeco-founding IMDI, developers of theMP3 player on the Internet. In 1999,Al-Raiz led IMDI through its acquisi-tion by Lycos, worth more than US$70 M. While in California, Al-Raizalso taught at UC Berkeley and UC

Honours

Creation of the EngineeringPractice, BioMedicalEngineering and ComputationalBuilding Campaign

By the end of 2004, the campaign had reached 50% of its $6 M goal withsignificant contributions from leadingcompanies. In looking to the educationaland research needs of the future, theFaculty of Engineering is creating newschools: the McMaster School ofBioMedical Engineering; the McMaster

School of Engineering Practice; and proposing a School for ComputationalEngineering and Science. A capital campaign was launched to raise themuch-needed funds for a new 50,000-square-foot engineering building tohouse the new schools. We are confidentthat with the support of industry, alumniand friends, the Faculty will reach itsgoal by March 2005.

In August 2004, with $1 M from Xerox,the School for Engineering Practice

established the Xerox Centre forEngineering Entrepreneurship andInnovation. Later in the year two addi-tional gifts enabled the BioMedicalEngineering School to create two newlabs in Medical Robotics through a partnership with MDA Space, and a lab in Integrated Systems with a Bell Canadacontribution. Additional contributionshave been received from TRW,Macromedia alumni Rob Burgess andStephen Elop, and Selkirk Canada.

Success of Fundraising Project

26

Kenneth Hill

Al-Raiz Adatia

1

Santa Cruz and founded Ustad, ateaching consulting practice thatdeveloped and presented privatecourses to corporations.

Alumni Giving Profiles

Stephen and Nancy Elop and Robert Burgess

For Stephen Elop, a graduate ofMcMaster’s five year Engineering &Management program and chief oper-ating officer (COO) of MacromediaInc., the School for EngineeringPractice (SEP) will teach graduates theskills they need to take complex tech-nical problems from the planningstage to the world-at-large. Stephenand his wife, Nancy, also a McMastergraduate, have made a gift of $100,000to the Faculty of Engineering’s newSchool. Robert Burgess, a graduate ofMcMaster’s Commerce program andpresident of Macromedia Inc. matchedStephen and Nancy’s gift with a per-sonal donation of $100,000.

Vladimir and Chedo Sobot

A generous gift to McMasterUniversity’s Centre for EffectiveDesign of Structures from two civilengineering graduates will aid in

preparing structural engineers for thechallenges of building in the 21st cen-tury. Brothers, Vladimir and ChedoSobot, who founded Sobotec Ltd. in1988, made a $100,000 contributionto the Centre.

Construction News

Important construction and renova-tion initiatives on campus ensure thatFaculty of Engineering facilities meetthe needs of our undergraduate andgraduate students, and researchers.

The newly renovated InformationTechnology Building (ITB) now housesthe Department of Electrical and

Computer Engineering. The projectadded a three-storey section with base-ment to accommodate 13 electricaland computer laboratories, a 200-seatlecture hall and much-needed officespace. The $8.6-million initiativereceived funding from SuperBuild($3.7 million) and the CanadaFoundation for Innovation ($750,000),as well as from the University.

The Tandem Accelerator is a two-storey addition to the rear of theGeneral Sciences Building. The $1.9-million project provided for anew lab and additional office space.External funding for this initiative was received from the CanadaFoundation for Innovation/OntarioInnovation Trust ($394,231), theOntario Research DevelopmentChallenge Fund ($100,000), and theCanada Foundation for InnovationNew Opportunity Fund ($250,000).

27

New Canada Research Chairs

• Tim Davidson, Canada Research Chair in Communications

• Antoine Deza, Canada Research Chair in Combinatorial Optimization

• Thia Kirubarajan, Canada ResearchChair in Information Fusion

• Tom Maibaum, Canada Research Chair in the Foundations of SoftwareEngineering

University Awards andAppointments

• Gary Purdy, Distinguished AlumniAward, McMaster, 2004

• Art Heidebrecht, Acting Director of The McMaster Centre for ContinuingEducation

• Peter Mascher, Associate Dean,Research and External Relations

New Endowed Chairs

• Rafik Loutfy, Walter G. Booth Chair in Engineering Entrepreneurship andInnovation

• Sumanth Shankar, Braley-Orlick Chairin Advanced Manufacturing

Chairs and Appointments

Thia Kirubarajan

Gary Purdy Tim Davidson

Peter Mascher

27

Nancy and Stephen Elop with Peter George

Dean’s Advisory Board

As the result of a planning process initiated in 1995, the direction of

McMaster’s future development is outlinedin three Directions planning documents.Development is centered on three goals: To provide an innovative and stimulatinglearning environment where students can prepare themselves to excel in life; To achieve the next level in research resultsand reputation by building on existing andemerging areas of excellence; To build aninclusive community with a shared purpose.

In 2002, the University undertook areview to evaluate how well McMasterhad met these goals and to construct a

framework for guiding the University overthe next five to ten years. The resultingdocument, Refining Directions, provides a guide for meeting future challengesand seizing future opportunities.

During November and December 2004, theMcMaster community has been readingand commenting on an implementationprocess for the refined plan. It proposesthat implementation should link the plan-ning undertaken by Faculties and otherareas of campus with the goals, targetsand critical success factors mentioned inthe Refining Directions document. It alsomakes three recommendations:

• Priority being given to support graduateprograms that are capable of immediategrowth in student numbers

• Proposals that will lead to growth inundergraduate or graduate student numbers should automatically trigger areview to identify resource requirementsfor non-academic areas such as physicalplant, library resources, etc.

• A common planning reporting formatto be used by the University PlanningCommittee to support an effectiveinterchange of information and moni-toring of plans

28

Mr. Walter Booth, Chairman and CEO,Timberland EquipmentLimited

Dr. John Reid, Strategy and BusinessDevelopment, JDS Uniphase

The McMaster University Facultyof Engineering Dean’s AdvisoryBoard was created to provide for

the exchange of informed opinions.The sixteen alumni and friends whocomprise the Board include forward-thinking, experienced professionals.The purpose of the meetings is toexplore means of ensuring today’sengineering students are well-preparedfor future possibilities and opportunities.Meeting twice a year, in the spring andfall, members share their experienceand wisdom with the dean.

The Chairman of the Dean’s AdvisoryBoard, Doug Barber, notes that themembers are deeply committed tohelping the Faculty achieve excellencein new initiatives, or explore changesin engineering teaching or in researchprograms. The goal is to ensure thatstudents in engineering programsexperience a superior learning environment.

Dr. Doug H. Barber (Chair), GennumCorporation (retired)

Mr. Don Black, Deputy Minister, Ministry of EconomicDevelopment and Trade

Ms. Maryann Combs,General Director ofEngineering and Product Planning

Mr. Bob Crow, VicePresident, University andGovernment Relations,Research in Motion Limited

Mr. Norm Lockington, Vice President, Technology, DofascoInc.

Mr. Mike Fielding, Chief Executive OfficerStrataFlex

Dr. David J. Litster, Professor Department ofPhysics, MassachusettsInstitute of Technology

Mr. Bob Magee, President and CEO, The Woodbridge Group

Dr. Les McLean, Hatch Associates (retired)

Mr. Michael Pley, President, COM DEV Space

Dr. Amit Monga, Vice-President, Technology Investing, MDS Capital Corp.

Mr. Joe Ng, President, JNE Consulting Limited

Mr. Dietmar Reiner, Chief InformationOfficer, Ontario PowerGeneration

Dr. Joe Wright, President and CEO, Pulp and Paper ResearchInstitute of Canada

Dr. Carl Turkstra,President, TurkstraIndustries

Mr. Tim Valters, President, Selkirk Canada Corporation

Achieving Creativity, Innovation and Excellence

1

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Faculty of Engineering McMaster University1280 Main Street WestHamilton, Ontario, CanadaL8S 4L7

Phone: (905) 525-9140 ext. 24288Fax: (905) 528-4952E-mail: [email protected]: www.eng.mcmaster.ca

Produced by the Office of the Dean of theFaculty of Engineering, McMaster University

Coordinator/Writing: Terry MilsonWriting/Editing: Trudi DownDesign: Wordsmith Design and AdvertisingPhotography: Glenn Lowson and Ron ShefflerPrinting: Advance Printing

McMaster University, 2005

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McMaster Enginnering Annual Report 2004

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