MacEngineer Spring 2003

F A C U L T Y O F E N G I N E E R I N G M C M A S T E R U N I V E R S I T Y A P R I L 2 0 0 3

TheMacEngineerVOLUME 28 NUMBER 1TheMacEngineer

Innovation andEntrepreneurship

See page 5

To meet these needs, the Faculty is creat-ing the School for Engineering Practice, asa focal point for its professional graduateprograms. The new school will be com-prised of three new research centres offer-ing various professional degree programs.A leadership gift was received from alum-nus Walter G. Booth to create the firstendowed chair in the Centre of EngineeringEntrepreneurship and Innovation – TheWalter G. Booth Chair in EngineeringEntrepreneurship and Innovation. The Chairwill focus on a new Master’s program thatwill provide graduate students with theopportunity to study/develop innovativeapproaches for the transfer of engineeringideas into new business enterprises. Theother two centres are the Centre forEngineering and Public Policy and theCentre for Engineering Design.

In addition, the Faculty is also creating anew and innovative Biomedical Engineeringprogram. The initial focus will be inElectrical and Biomedical Engineering. Theproposed program will lead to a 5-yearcombined Master’s (M.Eng.), 4-yearBachelor (B.Eng.) degree in Electrical andBiomedical Engineering, or after the 3-yearqualification for a premed program. Theseprograms and research centres build onMcMaster’s interdisciplinary strengths andwill position McMaster at the forefront of anew era in engineering.

A message from the Dean

2 The MacEngineer M c M A S T E R U N I V E R S I T Y

Creating a new school forEngineering Practice

Alumni Profiles .......................4

Walter Booth ..........................5

Golf Tournament ..................16

Alumni Weekend ..................20

Hey Alumni! Have you got something tosay, or any other news? We would like to hearfrom you. Contact Carm Vespi:

Tel: (905) 525-9140 ext. 24906Fax: (905) 546-5492e-mail: [email protected]: www.eng.mcmaster.ca

The MacEngineer is published by the EngineeringFaculty for its alumni. Distribution assistance isprovided by the Alumni Office.

Publication Number 40063416

inside this issue

As part of McMaster University’sculture of innovation and discov-ery, and building on the Faculty of

Engineering’s interdisciplinary approachesand on its ability to develop collaborativepartnerships with industry, business andgovernment we are about to embark on anumber of new programs. Engineeringresearchers play an important role in theCanadian economy. They are increasinglybeing asked to create new technologies tohelp Canadian industries remain competi-tive in a global marketplace. At the sametime, there is a growing demand for policy-focused research to ensure that new tech-nologies benefit society. To continue toattract the best and brightest students, weneed to continuously upgrade and introducenew and relevant educational and researchprograms that meet societal needs.

Mo Elbestawi,Dean of Engineering

On the cover…Walter Booth poses in front of the John Hodgins Engineering Bulding. Photo by Ron Scheffler

Mo Elbestawi

To create the infrastructure needed forthe new research centres and education pro-grams, the Faculty is embarking on a majorinitiative to fund a new engineering build-ing that will have state-of-the art facilitiesfor students, faculty and researchers. Thedesign of the building will promote inter-disciplinary, across department, educationand research in the areas described earlier.The design of the building will incorporateenvironmental considerations.

There are many opportunities for yourinvolvement in this historic project. Pleasevisit our website at www.eng.mcmaster.ca.

The MacEngineer welcomes your comments...

Send your news and views to the editor at [email protected]

ment was about 400 students. In response tothe ever increasing demand for our pro-grammes, in addition to the need to preparefor the Double Cohort students, we havegradually increased the number of studentsadmitted into Level 1 to 750. As a result,the number of students in the Faculty hasgrown from about 1,300 to over 2,500. Itshould be noted that this increase in enrol-ment has not been at the expense of mini-mum admission standards, which have goneup in each of the past five years.

To accommodate these students, we havehad to increase the number of sectionsoffered in many courses, we have increasedthe class size in others, we have expandedour laboratory facilities, we have renovatedand occupied the old Teacher’s College (nowthe Information Technology Building), andwe have hired a large number of new facultymembers and staff. We are now essentially atfull capacity, and are unable to increaseenrolment further without compromising thequality of our programmes.

This will make admission decisions par-ticularly difficult this year. As you probablyknow, the number of offers of admissionthat we make to applicants in the spring ofevery year is based on the expectation that acertain percentage of the offers will be

accepted. This year’s circumstances, how-ever, put into question the validity of anyprior statistics, and projections on accept-ances rates will be subject to considerableuncertainty.

The next few months will therefore bechallenging times, both for us and for ourfuture students. You can be assured, how-ever, that throughout the admissionsprocess, we will do our utmost to ensurethat every applicant is treated fairly.

A message from the Associate Dean

The MacEngineer 3M c M A S T E R U N I V E R S I T Y

This year, there will be two highschool classes graduating at thesame time because of the abolition

of the former Grade 13. The consequencesof this Double Cohort have been widelyreported in the media lately. Many of ouralumni have children who are part of thisgroup and are justifiably concerned abouttheir chances of being admitted to univer-sity. I would therefore like to take thisopportunity to describe some of the stepsthat we have taken and our plans for thisyear’s admission process.

A record total of 101,668 studentsapplied to the Ontario UniversitiesApplication Centre by the deadline, anincrease of 46.7% over January 2002.McMaster University has seen an increasein applications of over 95% from last year.First choice applicants are up 51%, secondchoices are up by 59%, and third-choicesare up by 52%. These numbers exceed theprojections by the Ontario government, andnegotiations are under way to find ways ofincreasing the capacity of Ontario universi-ties for this year.

Within the Faculty of Engineering, wehave been preparing for the Double Cohortfor some years. Many of you will recall thedays, not so long ago, when Level 1 enrol-

Making way for the double cohort

Dr. Peter Smith,Associate Dean of Engineering

New Associate Dean No Stranger to McMasterThe Faculty of Engineering appointed

Peter Smith to the Office of AssociateDean, effective Dec. 1, 2002. He replacesPhilip Wood who accepted the position ofassociate vice-president, Student Affairsat McMaster. Smith has been acting asso-ciate dean in the Faculty since Wood’sdeparture on July 1.

McMaster has been Smith’s home forthe past 25 years. Originally from Brazil,he was in the first class to receive theB.Eng.Mgt. degree in computer engineer-ing and management, in 1983. He stayedat McMaster to complete his M.Eng. andPh.D. degrees in electrical engineering, in1985 and 1988, respectively. In 1987 hejoined the University’s Department of

Electrical and Computer Engineering.Smith brings to the office a broad per-

spective and interest on issues that affectundergraduate students in engineering. Hewas director of Engineering 1 atMcMaster between 1996 and 1999, dur-ing a period of rapid expansion to theundergraduate engineering program. Hewas the student activities chair for theCanadian Region of the Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers(IEEE) between 1995 and 1997, and hasparticipated in numerous other student-focus programs and activities.

“Dr. Smith is truly an exceptional edu-cator and scholar who has gained therespect of the engineering student body,”

said Mo Elbestawi, Dean of Engineering.“He is extremely qualified to provide thenecessary leadership for our undergradu-ate engineering program.”

Smith is one of the leading expertsworldwide on surface acoustic wave(SAW) devices, a subject on which he hasco-authored more than 50 peer-reviewedpublications and for which he was awardedthe R. A. Ross Medal by the EngineeringInstitute of Canada. He has provided lead-ership as head of the Microwave AcousticsLaboratory at McMaster since 1989. He isa senior member of the IEEE and a mem-ber of the Association of ProfessionalEngineers of Ontario.

Alumni profiles

Since graduating from McMaster with aB.Eng Mgmt (Comp.Eng.& Manage-ment, ’83) and an MBA (Marketing,

’86), Cheryl Giblon has led a busy life. Academically, she went on to obtain a

Ph.D. in marketing at York University (’95),and has taught marketing and MIS coursespart-time at both the University of Torontoand York University.

Cheryl’s professional career has includedwork as systems analyst, but her main focushas been on sales and marketing. She hasheld positions in both Canadian andAmerican firms including Garrett Canada(now Honeywell), Weidmuller Limited,Bell Sygma, Compaq Canada and ATITechnologies Inc. Prior to her current posi-tion, she was Vice President of Marketingfor Canada and the Director of Marketingfor the Americas Region for BorlandSoftware.

Today, she is Executive Vice President,Marketing, Engineering and Operations forStetron International Inc, having been pro-moted in 2002 from her position as VicePresident, Marketing. Stetron is a provider ofelectronic components and solutions special-izing in loudspeakers, thermistors, varistorsand relays for the telecom, multimedia, auto-motive and industrial control sectors. Cherylworks out of the company’s Markham,Ontario office and lives in Thornhill.

But work is not all office time! “OnAugust 30, 2002, I appeared on CTVNational News, in a business segment onStetron’s growth in a down market. The clipis at www.stetron.com.”

Successful Grad Combines Rolesof Mom and Senior Management

Alumnus Al-Riaz Adatia, Computer’93, might be forgiven for thinkingthat his engineering degree was his

ticket to fame and fortune. No matter howyou look at it, he has definitely led aninteresting – and successful – life.

One of Canada’s current young businessleaders, Al-Riaz built his professionalcareer in California’s Silicon Valley work-ing at such prestigious companies as Octel,ST Microelectronics (SGS Thompson) andMicrosoft. His computer engineering back-ground has led him to many cutting edgeand consumer-focused projects includingdevelopment of drivers at STMicroelectronics for use on set top boxes,sound drivers for Microsoft’s Pocket PCreference platform, an AC-3 decodershipped with Windows NT Soft DVD, andUSB drivers for Fingerprint recognition

Al-Riaz’s expertise eventually led himinto teaching. At 24, he was the youngestteacher in the University of California SantaCruz Extension program, and the followingyear he was not only able to have thecourse accredited for certification, but hewas also able to start teaching his courses atUC Berkeley. During this time, he foundedUstad, a teaching and consulting practice.Ustad developed and presented privatecourses for companies such as Microsoft,SGI, Apple and HAL. Most courses

required a prerequi-site of 10 years ofengineering experi-ence, and were con-sidered the mostsought after coursesin the Valley.

The young entre-preneur has alsobeen involved withmultiple startupsincluding Flash Of

Lightening (a Commandsoft and Microsoftjoint venture), Rhetorex and, in 1998,Mediascience. He was one of threefounders of Mediascience, the companywhich developed the much-acclaimed MP3player Sonique. Al-Riaz led the team asCEO, CTO and most notably as “ChiefEvangelist”, speaking at industry confer-ences in both the technical arena (SDMI)and in the music field along side Chuck D(Public Enemy), Prince and other musi-cians. At its peak, Sonique was the secondmost popular MP3 player on the Internet,was in the top 5 of all downloads on CNETin 1999, and was voted the number oneplayer by WebNoize. The product gener-ated three patent applications, of which Al-Riaz is co-inventor of two.

In 1999, he led Mediascience through its


Al-Riaz Adatia – entrepreneur,inventor & humanitarian

On the personal side, she and husbandAndrew celebrated their tenth anniversaryin July 2002. They have three children:Rebecca (5), Melissa (3) and Joel (14months). In addition to the typical familyresponsibilities, Cheryl is taking piano les-sons along with Rebecca and very muchenjoying it. “I remember when I was a kidI used to try to avoid practicing and nowthat I am an adult, I can’t find enough timeto do it!” The girl’s other activities – ballet,sportball and swimming lessons – tend tokeep this family on the run.

As for Joel: “He is already saying a fewwords (and the word “more” seems to be afavorite!), has just started to walk, and hasa great laugh.”

Cheryl Giblon (left) with husband Andrew andtheir son Joel.

Rebecca, on the left, and sister Melissa, shar-ing a hug. continued on page 15

Al-Riaz Adatia

ing thanks to two McMaster professors,former engineering dean Jack Hodgins andJim Siddall. Both, he said, were instrumen-tal in his academic life.

“Both men took a chance on me at cru-cial times in my life, and entrepreneurshipand innovation are about taking chancesand taking risks. I see the need in our ownorganization and in Canada for this type ofengineering person who has an entrepre-neurial bent and strength.”

Although a graduate of Ryerson’s three-year mechanical technology program,


McMaster alumnus and Woodstockbusinessman Walter G. Booth hasmade a donation of $1 million

to support the creation of a new researchchair in the Faculty of Engineering. TheWalter G. Booth Chair in EngineeringEntrepreneurship and Innovation is part ofthe proposed Centre for EngineeringEntrepreneurship and Innovation. TheCentre will focus on methods of commer-cializing new engineering ideas and tech-nical expertise.

Engineering Dean Mo Elbestawi saidBooth’s generosity will help the Faculty tocontinue building on its strengths as a stu-dent-centred and research-intensive institu-tion, as well as its commitment to taking aninnovative approach to engineering.

“The chair will have a managerial focusthat emphasizes the creation of new businessthrough innovative, opportunity-orientedmanagement,” said Elbestawi. “This is gen-erally recognized as a major driving forcefor growth in the Canadian economy.”

Booth is Chairman and CEO of theTimberland Group, a group of three compa-nies that specialize in winching and hoist-ing products that are sold around the world.He graduated from McMaster with a bachelor of engineering in mechanicalengineering in 1962 and obtained hismaster’s in engineering in 1965.

He noted that the gift is his way of say-

New research chair fostersinnovation & entrepreneurship

Walter G. Booth

Fourth-year civil engineering and man-agement student Dan Olsen is not onlyworking towards his degree. He’s

working on helping to change the world forthe better.

It was during his second year at McMasterthat he became interested in internationalwork. “I was looking for more from schoolthan money and a job or career.” His thoughtsfocused on the problems of the world andwhat he might be able to do about them.Olsen joined Engineers Without Borders(EWB), an organization that focuses onimproving the quality of life of people indeveloping nations and communities by help-ing find appropriate technical solutions totheir challenges.

Currently, Olsen is working through EWBwith a rural development agency in India to

Dan Olsen – working for change

Booth did not have his Grade 13. When hedecided to obtain a university education,only McMaster, under the guidance ofDean Hodgins, agreed to accept him.

“(Hodgins) took a chance on me at thetime when it was pretty important to me,”he said.

Booth kept in touch with ProfessorSiddall after he graduated with his bache-lor’s degree and it was Siddall who encour-aged him to apply for a Ford FoundationScholarship and return to McMaster tostudy for his master’s degree in engineering.

“I studied for a year under Jim Siddalland he was a great mentor who guided methrough the master ’s degree program. Heinstilled in me a love of engineering and itsapplication to industry.”

McMaster University President PeterGeorge lauded the establishment of theendowed chair as a generous investment inthe future of outstanding teaching andresearch in the engineering faculty.

“Mr. Booth’s generosity and visionallows the University to pursue an excitingarea in engineering studies,” said PresidentGeorge. “It contributes in a significant wayto McMaster’s ability to deliver exceptionaleducational opportunities and research inthe area of engineering entrepreneurshipand ensures our students continue to be inthe forefront of teaching and scholarship inthis vitally important area.”

design a rainwaterharvesting system inthe Nilgiris district.The project is alsohis fourth-year inde-pendent study work.He explains that thestream that supplieswater to the 22 fam-ilies in the village ofTamal Nadu runsdry several months

of the year. The challenge is to ensure thereis water all year round. One solution mightbe to harvest the rainwater from the strawand adobe rooftops of the villagers’ homes.Another is to build a rock and earth dam. Tohelp find a viable solution to the water short-age, Olsen plans to apply to the Canadian

International Development Agency (CIDA)for a grant to enable a EWB member towork in India on the project.

The president of McMaster’s studentCivil Engineering Society ,Olsen, 23, is nostranger to such problems. He has trav-elled to Bolivia, Nicaragua and Mexico forthe past three summers to help the under-privileged in orphanages and assist in thebuilding of new homes. His first experi-ence was with an organization calledGlobal Youth Network. He spent a summerworking in an orphanage in Bolivia as partof a group of students under the leadershipof Leslie Williams, a McMaster nursingstudent. The experience transformed him.

The following summer, Olsen andWilliams took a group of youths from

Dan Olsen

continued on page 11

McMaster. An aptitude for math and sciencespropelled him towards the engineering pro-gramme in the first place, and Della-Nebbianow says it was the right choice.“Engineering gave me the ability to learn andto learn quickly” – an asset in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing IT industry, he adds.

When he graduated, he was offered twojob opportunities – each with quite differentpossibilities. He could use his engineeringskills at Petro Canada, designing and build-ing stations, or he could join IBM andbecome immersed in the growing informa-tion technology industry. The IBM offerappealed as more exciting and appeared tooffer a good future, so he took the chance.

If he has one regret about McMasterengineering, it’s the fact that he did not takethe engineering and management program.“It would have been a help to me, espe-cially in establishing my IBM career.”

His eight years at IBM reinforcedanother lesson gleaned from university –learning is a life-long venture. “Learning iscontinuous. It doesn’t end with the degreeand graduation.”

Della-Nebbia has many fond memories ofhis time at McMaster, from the events dur-

ing Orientation Week to the writings foundin The Plumbline. The best, however, wasthe football games he helped organize onthe lawn in front of the Engineering build-ing between mechanical and civil engineer-ing students. “I really liked those footballgames … civil engineers usually won!”

Married with three children, Della-Nebbiaand the family enjoy travel and camping –two activities he hopes to do more often, justas soon as he can get into some high-techmobile technology capabilities.


Peter Della-Nebbia (Civil, 1984) isjustly proud of The LearningContinuum Company Ltd., an on-line

enterprise he co-founded in 1997. “We are adot com survivor,” he says, in reference tothe many Internet-based businesses that havenot experienced staying power over the lastfew years.

The Learning Continuum (www.tlcc.com)offers training in computer programming.Courses on Java, JavaScript, LotusScriptand WebSphere are marketed on-line andpurchased by those interested via creditcard over the Internet. The “student” down-loads the course and works through it at hisown pace.

“It’s an interesting business,” companypresident Della-Nebbia muses. Almosteverything – from marketing to providinganswers to student queries – is donethrough the Internet. “Our course develop-ers are from all over: Hawaii, India,England, the United States and Canada.And my partner lives in Florida.” He worksout of his home in Hamilton, Ontario.

Offering computer programming coursesto the world seems a bit removed from thecivil engineering skills he developed while at

Engineering Alumnus Finds Success inDotCom Company

Peter Della-Nebbia (far right) with his family(left to right) Lance age 17, wife Kathy, Kaylaage 5 and Tyler age 8.

Financial analyst Dan Priljeva strikesyou as a person who thinks methodi-cally, plans in detail and acts with

conviction. These are attributes that aremost likely highly regarded by his currentemployer, CIBC’s commercial bankingdivision. However, they also feature in thestory of how and why this mechanical engi-neering grad (’99) has become an emergingentrepreneur.

In early January, 2003, Priljeva, alongwith partners Dragoslav Culum (EE.&Mgmt ’00) and Sasa Bosnjak (CompEng‘99) won a $1,000 start-up award from theMichael G. DeGroote School of Businessfor a business management product devel-oped by their company, Mission84Networks. Designed to be an advancedinventory management tool, called the ItemTracking Network (ITN), the product pro-vides “real time balance and location capa-bilities, offering 100 per cent inventorycontrol,” Priljeva explains. It resolves thecapacity and accuracy issues related to

Dan Priljeva – an emerging entrepreneurtracking technologiescurrently available, mak-ing it particularly usefulin large retail businesses.Most importantly, “itdoesn’t cannibalizeexisting systems, butworks with them to pro-vide high quality data.”In other words, a com-pany would not have todiscard an existing system in order to takeadvantage of the product’s capabilities.

By winning the Business School’sCampus Incubator Business PlanChallenge, the product has been given avote of confidence, Priljeva says. “It’s aconfirmation that the judges (who are busi-ness people and entrepreneurs) believe inthe proposal, and feel that we have a goodidea and a good team working on it.”

The business advantages are huge.“Imagine knowing with 100 per cent accu-racy the true inventory balance and location

of every item in a warehouse, and beingable to plan production and sales based onthis knowledge. The efficiencies at handcreate real economic gains and provide visi-bility across the supply chain.”

Despite his current ease with business-speak, it was probably inevitable thatPriljeva chose engineering after graduatingfrom high school. His marks were strongestin the maths and sciences, and his sisterMichelle (’98) was already enrolled in engi-neering at McMaster – and liking it! Inaddition, it seemed to him that engineeringwas “more practical than the pure sciences”.

After completing his engineering degree,he went straight into the MBA program,also at McMaster, graduating in 2001. Hedoesn’t regret the decision not to take thecombined engineering and managementprogram, and is pleased with the wayeverything has worked out. “At the time Iwanted to concentrate on the pure techcourses. It was a good foundation.” It was

Dan Priljeva



The Threshold School of Building is anew venture that provides practicalhouse building education to the gen-

eral public. With a $29,000 grant from theYoung Fund to do some development workand a $75,000 pilot grant from the HamiltonCommunity Foundation, a group of engi-neers, designers, carpenters and teachersgroup launched the year-long pilot project inAugust 2002. The start-up grants are enablingthe group to open the school, provide courses,and do an affordable housing project.

By having some of the instruction takeplace in the context of affordable and sus-tainable housing in north Hamilton, the ini-

tiative is helping improve Hamilton’s hous-ing situation, says Bob Hudspith, presidentof the group and associate professor ofmechanical engineering.

“As people gain the knowledge, skillsand confidence to participate in the design,construction and maintenance of their ownhomes they are in a better position to con-tribute to a more sustainable community,”he says. “The affordable housing projectsthat form one component of the educationwill address a growing need in Hamilton.”

In addition to meeting with local agen-cies such as Mission Services of Hamilton,The Good Shepherd Centre, Welcome Inn

and Habitat for Humanity, four of themembers of the group visited Minneapolisto study The Project for Pride in Living.Threshold opened its doors to students inJanuary 2003.

McMaster faculty and alumni involved inthe school include political science professorBarbara Carroll, who serves as vice-president;engineering alumni Josh Abush, GrahamLobban and Kurt Frost; arts and science andhumanities alumnus Andrew Copp, and psy-chology alumnus Jack Santa Barbara.

For more information or to register for acourse, visit the Threshold Web site atwww.thresholdschool.ca

Engineering Faculty and Alumni HelpBuild Better Homes

As the school year comes to an end,the McMaster Racing Club gears upfor spring and summer design and

construction. Our chassis division is learn-ing the ropes of finite element analysis sothey can build and test the frame on thecomputer, and the engine division hasdesigned a new throttle valve, and continuesthe search for that elusive perfect engine.

During the summer, the team plans tocomplete much of the design work andalso begin construction of some compo-nents of the car. Also, the team would liketo take part in some driver training pro-grams to be more competitive with driversfrom other schools who have professionalracing experience.

The McMaster Racing Club FormulaSAE Team (MRC) designs and builds anopen-wheel Formula-style race car, whichmust conform to stringent specifications,established by the Society of AutomotiveEngineers. Over 150 schools compete inthree annual competitions that are heldaround the world: Formula SAE in Pontiac,Michigan USA, Formula Student inLeicester, England, and Formula Australasiain Carrum Downs, Victoria Australia.

The 2002 car can outperform most pro-duction cars with 0-100km/h times in the4-second range, as well as awesome 1.4 glateral acceleration. Weighing in around500 pounds, and outfitted with an 86hp600cc motorcycle engine this car is a seri-ous performer. For the next car, our aim isto drop the weight, raise the horsepowerusing a turbocharger, and improve on thealready incredible suspension.

If you would like to know more aboutthe McMaster Racing Club and what wedo, please e-mail team captain Julius Bagoat [email protected]. You can also view ourwebpage from its temporary location:

msw.mcmaster.ca/~mrc.The team is currently seeking sponsor-

ship at all levels. To join this great teamcontact sponsorship director Jesse Websterat [email protected].

McMaster Racing Club to compete in Michigan

Team Captain Matt Bigger, Mechanical Engineering and Management ’01 competing in Leicester,England 2002.

Engineering Alumni...Join our Engineering Alumni E-mail Databasehttp://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/engalumni/

just for ENGINEERS!This is a great opportunity to keep in touch with your fellow classmates.

Check out McMaster Alumni Association’s new on-line McMaster @lumni Community

http://www.mcmaster.ca/ua/

Anita Heikkila, Chemical ’80Bill Heikkila, Chemical & Mgt. ’80Nino Balbaa, Mechanical ’93Bret Ida, Mechanical ’93Brian Jay, Electrical ’94Randy Showalter, Electrical & Mgt. ’02Sarah Masih, Mechanical ’01Michael Delsey, Civil ’74Suzanne Beale, Civil Eng. & Mgt. ’88Roy Verstraeta, Chemical ’70Gary Macro, Civil ’73Enno Agur, Chemical M.Eng. ’78, Ph.D. ’82Herve Lacheray, M.Eng. Mechanical ’01Dave Reeds, Civil Eng. & Mgt. ’81Sushee Perumal, Computer Eng. & Mgt. ’02Will McCrae, Civil ’86Jude Ragel, Manufacturing ’01

Dr. Brian Latto, Emeritus, MechanicalEngineering

Steve Karan, Commerce ’02Brian Pho, Chemical Eng. & Society ’02Bill Holly, Chemical ’88John Richmond, Chemical Engineering ’74Mark Ottensmeyer, Mechanical Eng. &

Mgt. ’94Dr. Peter George, President and Vice-

ChancellorDr. Mo Elbestawi, Mechanical M. Eng. ’76,

Ph.D. ’80, Dean of EngineeringTerry Milson, Faculty Advancement

Officer, Humanities ’78Carm Vespi, Engineering Alumni OfficerIwona Centurami, Engineering Alumni

Assistant

“I love football and played the game atthe high school level,” he says. He is veryproud of his team and their successes. “Inthe last 9 years, we have won the city cham-pionship 7 times, including the last 3 years.Last year, we were ranked third in Canada!”

Coaching provides immense satisfaction,he adds. “The kids get to see a differentside of you. They don’t perceive you sim-ply as a teacher. They respect you for help-ing them.” This perception, he adds, spillsover into the classroom – which in the end,benefits both teacher and student.

RichardWesolowski,chemical ’97, pro-vides advice andskills tips to the girlsbasketball team at St.Mary’s High Schoolin Hamilton. InDecember 2002, theSt. Mary’s team, the

As engineering alumni know, theirdegrees can lead to many wonderfulopportunities. For some, however,

the B.Eng has been a catalyst to branch outin other directions.

Larry Timms,chemical ’89, alwaysfigured he be ateacher. First heobtained a B.Sc. fromWaterloo. Then it wason to engineering atMcMaster. Followingthis, he worked for acompany in the R&Ddepartment, telling

himself he would stay ten years, then teach.Long before his self-imposed deadline, thefirm axed the department and he enrolled inthe teacher’s college at the University ofWestern Ontario. Today, he’s assistant headof the math department at Waterdown HighSchool, just north of Hamilton, Ontario. And,he also coaches the school’s football team.

Successful alumni night


Who would have thought …

Larry Timms

Richard Wesolowski

On February 27th, the EngineerringAdvisory Committee hosted a get-together in Toronto entitled

“Inspiring Innovation & Discovery”. Thefollowing Committee members were inattendance to meet and greet attendees:

Pat Stevens, Chemical ’80 (Chair)Carlos Escalante, Civil ’98Len King, Civil ’72Susan Laughton, Chemical ’95Romeo Palombella, Civil ’73David Ryan, Social Sciences ’99Stephen Veldhuis, Mechanical & Mgt. ’90

Appropriately, the event was held at theOntario Science Centre in north Toronto.Following a buffet supper, over 40 areaalumni were welcomed by Pat Stevens,chair, Engineering Advisory Committee.University President Dr. Peter George wasalso present and brought warm greetings tothe gathered alumni. Keynote Speaker MoElbestawi, Dean, Faculty of Engineering,gave an inspiring and informative talk on“Innovation in Engineering Education atMcMaster University”. The evening con-cluded with ample time for meeting andmingling with colleagues and old friends.

Many thanks to the following for helpingto “show the Mac spirit in TO”:

Elena Shusterman, Manufacturing ’02Carlo Odoardi, Electrical ’86Dave Manning, Computer Eng. &

Management ’00Mark Stevens, Chemical ’80Kristie Schweinbenz, Mechanical Eng. &

Mgt. ’98Robert Wunsche, Metallurgical ’96Sukhpal Dhillon, Computer ’02Munish Prasher, Electrical ’02Vadim Nechadim, Engineering Physics ’01Nizar Amarsi, Mechanical ’01Al Pirbhai, Computer Engineering and

Mgt. ’01Tony Colenbrander, Engineering Physics ’66John Colenbrander, Mechanical Eng. &

Society ’02Jim McEwen, Civil Eng. & Mgt. ’78Mary Byrne, Civil Eng. & Mgt. ’93David Rogers, M.Eng.(Mechanical) ’93Mikhail Ali, Mechanical ’93


From left to right: Len King, Susan Laughton, Peter George, Gary Macro, Romeo Palombella andJohn Richmond.


Research news

Jiming Peng, a member of theAdvanced Optimization Laboratory,Department of Computing and Software,is the recipient of the 2001 Stieltjes Prize.The Thomas Stieltjes Institute forMathematics was formed by the universi-ties in Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Delft,Leiden and Rotterdam. The prize is rec-ognized as a prestigious one for youngresearchers in the broadly defined area ofmathematical sciences. It is given annu-ally to the author of the best Ph.D.Thesis. Peng received the award onWednesday, February 12th at the annualmeeting of the Stieltjes Institute, at whichtime he also delivered his award lecture.

Peng’s thesis, “Self-Regularity: A NewParadigm for Primal-Dual Interior-PointAlgorithms”, by: J. Peng, C. Roos, and T. Terlaky, is published by PrincetonUniversity Press under the “PrincetonSeries of Applied Mathematics”. (Fordetails see the publisher’s WEB page:http://pup.princeton.edu/titles/7323.html).

The Stieltjes Prize Committee calledDr. Peng’s thesis “a mathematicallyelegant and profound piece of work.”The thesis develops a new approach forthe analysis and implementation of pri-mal-dual interior-point methods for lin-ear, conic, quadratic and semi-definiteprogramming. Peng shows that withthis approach, the complexity of largeupdate methods can be improved somuch that their complexity may comearbitrarily close to the complexity ofsmall-update methods. The thesis nar-rows the long-standing gap between thebest theoretical results about the com-plexity of inter-point methods withsmall steps and numerical practicewhere large steps are used and, as such,is recognized as an important contribu-tion in the theory of inter-point meth-ods. The thesis also introduces a newand promising field of research at thearea of convex optimization.

Peng AwardedPrestigiousStieltjes Prize Two up-and-coming engineering

researchers are among the latestMcMaster recipients of the Canada

Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) NewOpportunities Funding program.

Paulin Coulibaly, assistant professorjointly in geography & geology and civilengineering, was awarded $207,490 toresearch high-resolution soil moisture,through measurement, characterization,modeling and hydrologic applications.Yiping Guo, assistant professor of civilengineering, received $94,239 for fieldresearch for the control of non-point sourcewater pollution.

In addition, Geoff Werstuck, assistantprofessor of medicine in the Faculty ofHealth Sciences, was awarded $132,719, tostudy molecular mechanisms by which dia-betes mellitus promotes the developmentand progression of atherogenesis.

The total of $434,448 will provideworld-class labs and facilities for the newlyrecruited faculty members to undertakeleading-edge research in their first full-timeacademic appointment.

These three join five other McMasterresearchers who received more than $2 mil-lion in research support during CFI’s lastround of New Opportunities Funding inOctober 2002. In the Faculty ofEngineering, Chang-Qing Xu, associateprofessor of electrical and electronic engi-neering, was awarded $211,101 forresearch on optical waveguide devicesbased on lithium niobate substrates. Theother four recipients were: Alex Adronov,assistant professor of chemistry, awarded$179,392; Brian King, assistant professorof physics, awarded $399,851; KarenMossman, assistant professor of microbiol-ogy, awarded $205,587; David Shore,assistant professor of psychology, awarded$173,333.

To date, 55 McMaster research projectshave received a cumulative total of$9,975,945 in New Opportunities Funds.The funding is part of more than $17.7million awarded to 97 of the nation’semerging research leaders at 26 Canadianuniversities.

McMaster ResearchersAwarded CFI Funding

It was with great sadness that theDepartment learned of the passing ofProfessor James N. Siddall on

December 26th, 2002. Professor Siddallwas one of the most highly respected mem-bers of the department and is fondlyremembered by colleagues, students andstaff. Professor Siddall joined theDepartment as an Assistant Professor in1959. Following his promotion to full pro-fessor in 1970, he served two terms asDepartment Chairman from 1973 to 1979.Prior to joining McMaster, ProfessorSiddall was employed in industry, first asProject Engineer at the Ford MotorCompany, as a Design Engineer forCockshutt Farm Equipment Ltd. and as a Mechanical Engineer, New ProductDevelopment at National Steel Car in

Hamilton. He continued to serve as aconsultant to industry after joining thefaculty at McMaster.

Professor Siddall was one of the firstfaculty members in the department to rec-ognize the importance of computers inteaching and research and he recognizedthat the use of personal computers wouldfundamentally change the way the collec-tion and analysis of data would be carriedout. He was a innovator in promoting theimportance of design in engineering andwas regarded as a leader in the field of opti-mization. His areas of research includedprobabilistic design which involved thedevelopment of new computer-aided tech-niques, risk analysis in optimization andmicrocomputer applications in mechanical

In Memorium:Professor James N. Siddall


Japan working at Tohoku NationalIndustrial Research Institute (Post DoctoralFellow, Researcher) and at TohokuUniversity (Researcher, Visiting Scientist).After joining McMaster University in 1997,he worked in Professor Gary R. Purdy’sresearch group, firstly as a Post DoctoralFellow, and then as a Research Associate.His research areas are computational ther-modynamics, thermo-mechanical process-ing, phase transformations, and numericalsimulation.

The department has appointed Dr. IgorZhitomirsky as an Associate Professor.

Dr. Zhitomirsky holds aPh.D. in physics fromL.Ya. Karpov ResearchInstitute of PhysicalChemistry (Moscow).He started his work inthe Department ofMaterials Science andEngineering as aResearch Associate in 1998, and was lateremployed as Associate Professor. Hisresearch areas include electrodeposition,nanostructured materials, ferroelectric andmagnetic materials, biomaterials.

Chemical EngineeringDr. Lisa Crossleyjoined the department asAssistant Professor inJanuary, 2003. She willbe a key contributor tothe development of ourbioengineering program.She comes to us fromDyax Corporation, a bio-pharmaceutical com-pany, in Cambridge, MA where she wasProduct Development Manager. Lisa holdsa Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering fromQueen’s University, specializing inBiochemical Engineering, and undergradu-ate degrees in Anatomy and Cell Biology(McGill) and Chemical Engineering(Queen’s). After finishing her Ph.D. sheworked as an NSERC Visiting Scientist atthe NRC’s Biotechnology ResearchInstitute in Montreal.

Engineering PhysicsDr. Andy Knightsjoined the department ofEngineering Physics inJanuary, 2003. Dr.Knights received hisPh.D. from theUniversity East Anglia,UK in 1995 and hasresearch interests in thedevelopment of silicon processing. Prior tohis appointment at McMaster he wasemployed in the R and D division of theUK based silicon photonics company,Bookham Technology.

Materials Science &EngineeringDr. Dmitri V.Malakhov, B.Sc.Moscow StateUniversity (1983),joined the department onJanuary 1, 2003. Aftergraduation, he worked atthe Institute of InorganicChemistry (Novosibirsk,Russia) in the field of thermodynamics ofmaterials for microelectronics. After gettingPh.D. in 1992, he was awarded by postdoc-toral fellowships and spent four years in


New Faculty members

Lisa Crossley

Andy Knights

Dmitri V. Malakhov

Igor Zhitomirsky

Joan Zywina, Academic Assistant to theAssociate Dean of Engineering, is the sec-ond recipient of the Veronika CzernedaStaff Award for Outstanding Service. MoElbestawi, Dean of Engineering made thepresentation in December 2002. Joan hasbeen in her position since 1984. The awardis presented to a staff member who hasmade an outstanding contribution beyondthe normal expectations. As well as aframed citation, Joan receives an award of$500 from an endowment established as aresult of a fundraising campaign.

The Staff Award was officially launchedin 2001 in memory of Veronika Czerneda,Administrative Coordinator of theDepartment of Materials Science andEngineering who passed away July 2000.In her memory, the Faculty of Engineering,spearheaded a fundraising campaign to

create an endowment for the creation of astaff award that would be given in honourof Veronika’s many years of service. Atotal of eighty-four donors (alumni, staff,family and friends) made a contributiontowards the creation of the fund. Theaward is drawn from interest earned on the $10,000 endowment.

Veronica Czerneda Staff Awardfor Outstanding Service

Philip Czerneda, Joan Zywina & ProfessorBrian Ives

Crusaders, won the Ontario Federation ofSchool Athletic Associations AAAA cham-pionship tournament, claiming their fifthprovincial high school championship in 7years. Wesolowski, who also teaches sci-ence and chemistry, has coached theschool’s team to four of these wins.

St. Mary’s happens to be his highschool alma mater, and he fondly recallsplaying on the school’s basketball team.He also played basketball while attendingMac.

Wesolowski did apply his engineeringdegree in various positions for Torontocompanies for a couple of years prior toentering the teaching profession. He enjoyscoaching for a number of reasons. “It’s anopportunity to give something back to thekids,” he says. “You spend a lot of timewith them and as a result, get to know thempersonally.” He also enjoys teaching andreceives great satisfaction in seeing his stu-dents “go on and do well” in their post-graduation years.

Who would have thought? continued from page 8


Departmental newsbriefs

Chemical Engineering

Congratulations to Chen Lu, a Ph.D. stu-dent under the supervision of Dr. RobertPelton, who placed second in the 2003Canadian Pulp and Paper Graduate StudentSeminars, qualifying him for a H.I. BolkerPrize. The seminars were held during thePulp & Paper Technical Association ofCanada (PAPTAC) meeting at the Palais desCongrés on January 30th. Twenty graduatestudents presented their research as under-taken at Pulp and Paper Centres in universi-ties across Canada. The title of Lu’s seminarwas: “Poly(ethylene oxide)/ PolypeptideCofactor Flocculation Mechanism: Influenceof Poly(ethylene oxide) Molecular Weight”.Three prizes were created in the name of Dr. H.I. Bolker. They are aimed at encourag-ing and recognizing students who achieveexcellence in communication by presentingtheir research.

Dr. Robert Pelton and his wife, Helen,recently attended a dinner at the NationalGallery of Canada in Ottawa with the RightHonourable Jean Chrétien and his wifeAline, in honour of his excellency GèranPersson, Prime Minister of the Kingdom ofSweden. Dr. Pelton is very active in researchand production areas of pulp and paper andhas worked with Swedish paper companies.

The Journal of Chemometrics (Issue 1,Volume 17) was dedicated to Dr. JohnMacGregor, the fourth recipient of theHerman Wold medal. The medal wasawarded by the Swedish ChemometricsSociety at the 7th Scandinavian symposiumon Chemometrics in Denmark, August2001. It is awarded to a person who con-tributes significantly to the developmentand proliferation of chemometrics bothinside academia and industry, “in the spiritof Herman Wold”. The editorial to the firstissue of volume 17 details the many contri-butions that Dr. MacGregor has made toboth industry and academia. It also containstestimonials to John’s work written by for-mer students, friends, industrial clients andcolleagues.

Computing & Software

Tamás Terlaky has recently been electedfor a two-year term to the Subdivisions

Dan Olsen profile continued from page 5

Olsen’s church in Scarborough toNicaragua where they helped to build ahouse (with Habitat for Humanity). Thispast summer Olsen travelled to Mexicowith his own group of McMaster students.

“They teach you way more than youcould ever teach them,” he says of thepeople he has met and helped. “Everyonehelps each other and is committed tofamily. I think sometimes in Canada and North America we get away fromthat, those values of family and helpingothers, and focus on other things thatdon’t really matter.”

Engineering seems to run in his family.In addition to his father, Greg, his twobrothers are also in engineering. (Youngerbrother Dave is now in his third-year chem-ical engineering and management atMcMaster. Older brother Geoff graduatedfrom McMaster’s mechanical engineeringand management program in 2001.)

However, Olsen admits he’s more interestedin the ‘soft’ skills of engineering rather thanthe more technical side.

He spends a good portion of his time nowpromoting among fellow students, friendsand peers the opportunities that exist to helpabroad and make a difference at the grass-roots level. “I know a lot of engineers whohave approached me about this work andhave asked what it’s all about. Most peoplewant to do something to bring about posi-tive change in the world.”

Looking ahead, Olsen is hoping for acareer in international work. He’s thinkingabout a master’s program and expects hisinterest in sustainability, nurtured under thetutelage of civil engineering professorBrian Baetz, will guide his future direction.

It is possible to make a difference asindividuals and as a society, he says. “It’simportant we all do our part to be sociallyresponsible.”

Council of INFORMS: the InternationalFederation of Operations Research andManagement Sciences.

Engineering Physics

Congratulations are extended to Chang-Qing Xu on his successful application toNew Opportunity Program through CFI(Canada Foundation for Innovation), for hisresearch on optical waveguide devicesbased on lithium niobate substrates. He wasalso awarded funds through the OntarioInnovations Trust to support the researchbeing funded through CFI.

On February 6th, Paul Jessop hosted ameeting here at McMaster of the OntarioPhotonics Education and TrainingAssociation (OPETA). The participantswere from Ontario universities, colleges,government and industry groups. OPETA’srole is to promote photonics education andfoster cooperation among various types ofprograms, including university level (bothgraduate and undergraduate) college leveland professional re-skilling.

The department welcomed a number ofvisitors recently. Drs. Wen-Ming Wangand Han-fang Hu, from the WuhangTiancheng Environmental Protection

Science and Technology Inc. Safety andEnvironmental Protection Research Institutein China were at McMaster for threemonths from November 2002 to February2003. During that time they worked withDr. J-S. Chang conducting joint researchprojects on construction of a pilot plant forPlasma Pollution Control for Coal BoilerFlu Gases. From September 2002 toJanuary 2003, Dr. Na Li, from the Schoolof Electrical and Electronic Engineering,Nanyang Technological University inSingapore, worked with C-Q Xu onresearch in the development of semic-onductor lasers.

Materials Science & Engineering

The department extends its heartiest con-gratulations to Gary Purdy who has beenelected to the US National Academy ofEngineers as a Foreign Associate. He isbeing recognized for pioneering theoreticaland experimental studies of chemical andstructural effects on phase transformationsand interfacial diffusion-induced phenom-ena. There are only 7 Canadian ForeignAssociates, and two of them are in ourdepartment! The other is David Embury.

Photonics Engineering program a first in CanadaThe Department of Engineering

Physics at McMaster University ispleased to announce the introduction of a new Bachelor of Engineering programin Photonics Engineering. Photonics isthat branch of Science and Engineeringthat deals with the generation, control,detection and application of lightwaves,and it has long been an area of strengthwithin the Department. In recent years,Photonics has emerged as an importantnew engineering discipline, with applica-tions in areas such as telecommunica-tions, medicine, manufacturing, sensors,displays and traditional opticalengineering.

McMaster’s new program will be thefirst of its kind in Canada, reflecting atrend that has appeared in other countries.Like the existing Engineering Physicsprogram, Photonics Engineering will pro-vide students with a broad background inbasic engineering, mathematics, electron-ics and semiconductors. However, the newprogram will provide students with anopportunity to focus more intently on

photonics and to have that fact recognizedin the program designation. FollowingMcMaster’s successful pattern of five-year engineering programs, a new B.Eng.in Photonics Engineering andManagement and another in PhotonicsEngineering and Society will be intro-duced in parallel with the four-yearprogram. Accreditation of all three newprograms by the Canadian EngineeringAccreditation Board is being sought. Thefirst students are expected to enter Level IIin September 2003, with the first classgraduating in the spring of 2006.

It is the declared objective of thePhotonics Engineering program to pro-vide world-class, intensive education andtraining in photonics, using dedicatedlaboratories with advanced facilities andwith the capacity to handle all of thestudents in the program. To that end, anew laboratory course for senior under-graduate students will be established,made possible through generous dona-tions of state-of-the-art equipment byJDS-Uniphase. It will focus on light

sources, active devices, passive devices,and sub-systems in a broad range ofapplications from telecommunications tomedicine, to manufacture and to sensing.Students will acquire hands-on experi-ence in design, characterization and sys-tem testing of photonic devices using themost advanced tools and equipment,which are not readily available at manyuniversities in the world. This coursewill be linked with a new lecture course,which covers contents such as laser andchemical safety, fiber optic communica-tions, integrated optics, light sources,transmitters, receivers, regenerators andamplifiers, and passive and active com-ponents. Students will also be trained touse a waveguide simulator donated byApollo Photonics to design photonicdevices encountered in lectures andexperiments.

We firmly believe that ultimately, bothindustry and research institutes in Canada,especially those based in Ontario, willbenefit from the highly qualified person-nel trained through the new program.

The first major donation towards thisproject was received from alumnus WalterBooth to create an endowed chair inEngineering, Entrepreneurship andInnovation. This wonderful gift will allowthe Faculty to recruit a new faculty memberwith an expertise in commercializing newengineering ideas and technical expertise.

To create the infrastructure needed forthe new initiatives McMaster Universityplans to construct a new building. A 40,000square foot stand-alone building will con-tain approximately 15,000 square feet ofnew laboratory space, new classrooms andwill be home to the proposed McMasterSchool for Engineering Practice and thenew Biomedical Engineering program.

$6 million in private funding will beraised for construction of the $8 millionbuilding.

The new building will have state-of-the-art facilities for students, faculty andresearchers. The design of the building willpromote outstanding research and act as acatalyst for discovery and innovation. Bybringing together research and resources,new alliances will be forged betweenresearch groups, industry and the University.

Annual Giving, the foundationfor Alumni Support

From the steady flow of major giftsannounced during McMaster’s ChangingTomorrow Today Campaign, one mightsuggest that all support for the Universitycomes in very large contributions. There is,however, another essential aspect for sup-port from alumni through yearly appeals,with contributions of all sizes. Annual giv-ing provides crucial resources for depart-ments and programs. In 2002 annual givingfrom alumni and friends raised $1.5 millionfor the Faculty of Engineering.

Annual donations also builds and sustainslong-term relationships between the Facultyof Engineering and its alumni. It gives theFaculty the opportunity to update alumni andfriends on the activities and initiatives inengineering. With solid support of engineer-ing alumni who contribute annually, they dotheir part to sustain and enhance theFaculty’s world-class reputation.

For more information on how you canmake a contribution, please contact TerryMilson, at (905) 525-9140 extension 27391,or e-mail: [email protected]

Several new major research and educa-tional initiatives are underway in theFaculty of Engineering. To meet the

needs of students, business, and industry,the Faculty is creating a new School forEngineering Practice as well as a new pro-gram in Biomedical Engineering. These ini-tiatives build on McMaster’sinterdisciplinary strengths and will positionMcMaster at the forefront of a new era inengineering.

The School for Engineering Practice will comprise three new research and edu-cational centres.

McMaster School for Engineering Practice(MSEP)


Plans to Grow

Centre forEngineering

Entrepreneurshipand Innovation

(CEEI)

Centre forEngineering and

Public Policy(CEPP)

Centre forEngineering

Design(CED)


From an engineer’s point of view

Responsibilities and Challenges FacingEngineers in our New Economic Landscape

by Cam Vatandoust, P.Eng.

The single most important contributingfactor to the recent changes wit-nessed in the global economic land-

scape has been the development of newtechnologies. Our ability to obtain informa-tion efficiently has changed our lives for-ever. New developments have madepreviously seemingly impossible tasks,achievable, creating new economic sectors,phasing out redundant industries and overallshifting the planet’s economical forces. Thisenormous change, along with availability ofthis technology for the use of the masses,has resulted in new consumer demands andexpectations, which must also be met bysociety, reflecting an even greater change inindustrial, economical, commercial, trans-portation, health, science, social and educa-tional needs of our population.

For instance, although many educationalinstitutions have long recognized thesechanges and patterns, few have adaptedaccordingly to meet the new needs of oursociety. McMaster University, however, hasmade a conscious decision to meet thischallenge head-on by developing TheMcMaster School for Engineering Practice(MSEP) which will address specific needsby creating a unique learning environment.

The demands that have resulted from our

new “wireless” lifestyle have also put hugestresses on our planet and its ecosystems toprovide the necessary natural resources tosustain our “improved” lifestyle and meetincreasing consumer needs and expecta-tions. There has never been more demandfor raw materials, fuels and electricity.

Our attempts to satisfy the enormousthirst for resources to keep our massiveeconomies afloat have resulted in signifi-cant changes in the planet’s environmentover recent decades. We have noticed thismore and more in recent years, and con-

tinue to have the need to try and somehowaddress what we perceive to be our planet’sglobal environmental problems resultingfrom our actions and consumer choices.

In our society, we, as engineers, havebeen entrusted with the great responsibilityof safeguarding the public’s health andsafety. We fulfill this critical role byinvolvement in various diverse disciplinesand exciting fields of practice. Whetherregulating drinking water standards, man-aging construction projects, working tomake automobiles safer, setting air emis-sions standards, or researching and devel-oping new medicines in the pharmaceuticalindustry, as engineers, we continuallyplace the public’s welfare as our highestresponsibility.

But in order to keep up with our envi-ronment and the recent challenges that oursociety is faced with, we must go beyondour traditional ways of thinking. We mustthink holistically to improve the lives of the public. In some leading countries, forexample, this includes a wide range ofresponsibilities such as: preserving biologi-cal diversity, reduction of emissions of haz-ardous substances, improving indoor airquality, and reduction of noise pollution inurban centres.

As a McMaster graduate from theWater/Environmental Engineering streamwithin the Dept. of Civil Engineering, Ilook forward to exploring all of these newpossibilities and responsibilities both per-sonally and professionally. Our society ischanging greatly, and we must rise andaddress the challenges that face our planetand its inhabitants. We must not onlyensure our own welfare, but also preservethe safety of our next generations on earth.These will be our most important chal-lenges in the coming decades.

Cam Vatandoust, P.Eng., is a senior engineerwith Ontario Ministry of the Environment inToronto, specializing in water and wastewaterstandards and infrastructure capital works.He also is an instructor for Seneca College’sSchool of Civil Engineering Technology.

Cam Vatandoust

not until later that he developed an interestin business.

The Campus Incubator Business PlanChallenge offers a series of awards, ofwhich the startup prize is the first step. The second step requires teams to submit afull business plan. Through a series of freeworkshops, participants in the challengelearn first-hand from legal, accounting,marketing, patenting, financing and man-agement experts all the aspects of businessplanning. Up to $50,000 in cash and serv-ices will be awarded to the teams of entre-preneurs whose business plans for new

ventures show significant business potential.Priljeva’s team entered the second stage,

making the January 31st deadline. “Itwould have been crazy for us not to enter,”he says. “While the (start-up) award ishelpful in kick-starting the company, it’sthe skills and experience we gain that ismost valuable.”

Priljeva is always looking to networkwith like-minded entrepreneurs with ideason technical business solutions. If you havesomething you would like to discuss, orjust to catch up, feel free to contact him at:[email protected].

Don Priljeva profile continued from page 6

An additional change, providing a subtleboost to moral, has been to replace the orig-inal race number of 13 with the number 87– in honour of the 1887 founding of theUniversity.

The students have been working within aprojected budget of $124,000, which comesfrom corporate and individual sponsors.Anyone wanting to assist the project finan-cially can check the web site at www.solar-car.mcmcaster.ca or phone 905-525-9140ext. 27388.

Braden says Fireball II will be ready byMay, giving the team all of June to test andrefine the vehicle before the race.

The American Solar Challenge is theworld’s most well-known solar car race. Itstarts on July 17 at Chicago and follows his-toric Route 66, ending 10 days later in


Iam a student in third year ComputerEngineering and Management, and aRed Suit. I’ll be serving on the

Orientation Committee to select next year’sRed Suits for Welcome Week.

I knew I belonged in McMasterEngineering during Welcome Week when I was walking down the stairwell in JHElined with Red Suits chanting the words to“Godiva”. Since being elected First YearRepresentative, I have been involved withthe MES. I remember some of the Presidentsbefore me such as Mets Kramer, BradenKurczak and Elizabeth Clark, and I hope toimprove on the sturdy foundations they built.

There are many things the MES can doto serve the students better. Some key ideasthat have surfaced include:• Improve the image of an Engineer on

and off campus by coordinating and sup-porting charitable causes

• Open the MES and providing serviceseveryone can use

• Make the MES reflect and encompassthe interests of more of its members. TheMES should be responsive and listen tonew ideas.

• Prepare our Engineers for life afterUniversity by educating students on careeropportunities outside the classroom, suchas achieving a Professional license

MES news

Meet 2003-2004 MES President Josh Wong

• Increase Engineering Spirit throughoutthe Faculty beyond the Red Suits; ourEngineering spirit is not limited solely toour Red Suits

• Create a more professional atmosphere

by developing a relationship with spon-sors for our teams and in communicatingwith other universities

• Support the endeavours of all Engineeringstudents here at McMaster.One of the challenges that the MES faces

along with the rest of the University thisyear is the incoming double cohort. Wehave been preparing for two years and I amconfident that we are ready to introducethis fall’s First Year Engineering students toMcMaster and make them feel at home,just as I felt three and a half years ago.

I think by being an ECE student (adepartment with traditionally low participa-tion in the MES), I bring a unique perspec-tive to the MES. I can appreciate theworkload that all Engineering students faceday-to-day which makes it difficult to par-ticipate in any activity outside of class. ButI firmly believe that a well-rounded educa-tion, not just one developed inside theclassroom, is vital to achieving successafter University, and in life in general. Ihope that my work throughout the year willearn me a place among the strongPresidents of times past, and I look forwardto working with the new MES council nextyear. I sincerely trust that next year will beexciting and fun as we work together toachieve great things.

Josh Wong holds a sword engraved with themessage “Created and donated by SteveSears, Civ Mgmt 1994”. It bears a metal fire-ball the size of a dime. On the opposite side ofthe blade is a crest of McMaster University.The words “McMaster” and “Engineering”are engraved on each side of the hilt.

Ateam of McMaster engineering stu-dents, lead by project leader ClaireBraden, has made some dramatic

changes to the University’s 2001 solar car.They are hopeful that an improved designcombined with a 20 per cent reduction inweight will result in a creditable showing inthe 3,700 kilometre American SolarChallenge this summer.

“Fireball II is lighter, stronger, more effi-cient and definitely prettier,” says Braden, afifth-year mechanical engineering student.The car is covered with 430 solar cells whichare at least 50 per cent more efficient thanthose used to cover the first vehicle. As well,the lead-acid batteries have been replacedwith lighter, more efficient lithium ion batter-ies. These changes should help boost thecar’s top speed to 95 km/hr from 70 km/hr.

Fireball II All Revved To Go

(From left to right) Claire Braden (TeamLeader), Greg Jackson, Andrew Bryan, EmadFahem are working on the fairing of FireballII at Comtek Advanced Structures manufactur-ing facility.

Claremont, California. It typically attractsentries from all over North America as wellas Europe, and includes teams from some ofthe best engineering schools in the world,such as MIT, Stanford and Waterloo.


Instead of the traditional end-of-schoolpranks, a group of fifth-year mechanicalengineering students propose to leave a

gift of time as their legacy to McMaster. A decorative clock, designed and con-

structed by students Patrick Burton, BradenKurczak, Michael Paddags and PeterWhitred, will be placed in a prominentposition above the doorframe of the northentrance to the McMaster University

Students give gift of timeStudent Centre. The timepiece is in fact thestudents’ thesis project, under the supervi-sion of Tim Nye, assistant professor ofmechanical engineering.

The clock’s design includes a doublering that encircles a shield emblazonedwith the McMaster coat of arms. The upperring will indicate the hours and the bottomring, the minutes. The six-inch high numer-als should be visible from across campus.The aesthetics have been carefully thoughtout: all mechanical drives and power trans-mission systems will be hidden behind theshield which will appear to be floating inthe centre of the ring.

“We were looking for something inter-esting that would put together our engineer-ing and management skills,” says BradenKurczak. “We expect the clock to be attrac-tive, but also easy to read, accurate andrequiring low maintenance. It is run off thewall current, not computer controlled, soshould run relatively accurately.”

The ring shape is of course a referenceto the traditional iron ring worn by engi-neering students on the fifth finger of theirworking hand. The iron ring is a symbolicemblem that reminds the engineers of theirethical obligations to society. As all gradu-ating engineers know, the symbol evolvedfrom an incident in Quebec in the 1920’s inwhich a steel bridge collapsed killing sev-eral people. A group of Canadian engineersdecided that an organization was needed toemphasize the social significance of theprofession to new engineers. ProfessorHaultain from the University of Torontowrote for advice to Rudyard Kipling, whohad written about the work of engineers insome of his poems. Kipling responded

enthusiastically devising both a ring cere-mony and a statement of obligation called“The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer.”

In their thesis proposal, the students notethat the project will provide positive public-ity to the artistic skills of the McMasterstudent body by being one of the few per-manent features on campus that is student-designed and manufactured.

Kurczak admits that the group firstthought of doing a prank, such as attachinga clock to the Chimeric Figure (John IvorSmith’s regularly vandalized sculpture).“But this seemed like something more posi-tive. It will be the culmination of our fiveyears at McMaster.”

The Student Centre has accepted thedesign concept, and the students expect tospend a full year on the construction andfine-tuning. The cost will be approximately$10,000. Anyone wishing to help with“advice, support, wisdom, experience, influ-ence or donations” should contact BradenKurczak at [email protected] .

This clock, designed and constructed by stu-dents Patrick Burton, Braden Kurczak,Michael Paddags and Peter Whitred, will beplaced over the north entrace to the MUSC.

design. He was the author of 3 books pub-lished by Marcel Dekker which wererelated to his research work and was pursu-ing research in artificial intelligence up to,and beyond, his retirement in 1987.

Professor Siddall’s profound influenceas a teacher and innovator was cited byMcMaster alumnus Walter G. Boothwhose $1 million gift will establish anendowed chair in engineering entrepre-neurship and innovation. Mr. Booth statedin a recent McMaster news release ...“that his gift to McMaster was his way ofsaying thanks to two McMaster professors– former engineering dean Jack Hodgins

and Jim Siddall – and honouring theirwillingness to be academic leaders ofinnovation. Booth said both men wereinstrumental in his academic life and pur-suit of a meaningful and successful careeras an entrepreneur.”

Professor James Siddall continued from page 9

Al-Riaz Adatiacontinued from page 4

acquisition by Lycos, worth more than$70M (USD). He has since gone on toinvest in a portfolio of over 15 companiesand is actively involved with leadership andengineering ventures.

Of his business development career, hesays: “I invest and offer business and strate-gic advice to a number of private companies.These investments range from fund invest-ments to direct hands-on (seed money andadvice).” He adds that investments are notlimited to technology companies.

His success, he says, is due to an abilityto focus on three integrated areas: engineer-ing, teaching, and leadership. “Engineering,knowledge transfer and leadership all com-plement each other, making each skill morevaluable.”

Al-Riaz currently travels and worksbetween Vancouver, BC and Hamilton, ON,giving back to the wider Canadian commu-nity. Activities include fostering entrepre-neurial talent and helping new andinnovative companies in Canada reach theirfull potential. He continues to fund andinvest in companies “to give support andfaith to the new companies of tomorrow”. Inaddition, his financial position is providingan opportunity to explore humanitarian proj-ects in India and with e-learning companies.

Spare time is spent on two favourite hob-bies: cars and traveling. He is a member ofSF VW GROUPPEE, BMW Club ofAmerica, Ferrari Club of America andMercedes STAR. “I have designed two cars,won a number of car awards and had thecars featured in Magazines.” He is alsoinvolved with racing and spends time onracetracks around northern California andNevada. “In my travels, I like to spendtime scuba diving, motorcycling andashram hopping (don’t ask!).”

Although young, Al-Riaz has achieved suc-cess beyond his years and is proof thatCanadians can compete on a global scale.

Get your MacEngineerby e-mail!

If you would like to receive your issueby e-mail (pdf format) please contact

Carm Vespi, [email protected]


Thursday, May 22, 2003Tyandaga Municipal Golf Course

1265 Tyandaga Park Drive, Burlington, Ontario

“Shotgun” Start at 1:00 p.m.Cost per participant: $100

Tournament Includes:18 hole Tournament – Scramble Format

Shared golf cartIncludes a sausage or hamburger and a drink after the 9th hole

Welcome packageFabulous prize table

Great contests throughout the courseClosing Dinner Banquet

Please RSVP by May 1,2003 to Carm Vespi, (905) 525-9140, ext. 24906, e-mail: [email protected] or register on-line: http://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/engalumni/

BOOK EARLY, SPACE IS LIMITED!

First Annual McMaster

EngineeringGolf Tournament

Get a foursome together and support your Alumni Association!

If you would like to donate a prize(s) for the

Golf Tournament contact Carm Vespi.

If you would like to contactsomeone from your class year

and organize a foursome contact Carm Vespi.

the McMaster University MedicalCentre and will be used by HamiltonHealth Sciences for patient care wards.Plans are still being finalized, but thehospital may use the space for inten-sive care facilities.

The third floor is dedicated to theneeds of the Faculty of HealthSciences for classrooms, tutorialrooms, postgraduate offices and labo-ratories. A rounds room will havestate-of-the-art teleconferencing facili-ties, allowing students at hospitalsacross the city or throughout theprovince to join in discussions as ifthey were sitting in the room.

The fourth and most of the fifthfloors will showcase the Institute forMolecular Medicine and Health(IMMH), which includes the Centre forGene Therapeutics. The two floors willcontain a variety of offices, wet labora-tories and a biotechnology incubator.The rest of the fifth floor will be used for aresearch incubator. An interior atrium willadd a dramatic design statement, floodingthe top floors with natural light.

Established in 1996, the Centre for GeneTherapeutics already has an impressivetrack record for investigating, creating andimplementing ways to use genes as medi-cines in infectious diseases, cancer and dis-eases of the lung. The IMMH will promote“bench to bedside” research that isdesigned to decrease the time it takes med-ical discoveries to move from the research


Construction has begun on McMaster’sCentre for Learning and Discovery,the University’s 300,000 square-

foot, five-storey expansion to the north sideof the McMaster Health Sciences Centre. Itis scheduled for completion in the summerof 2004. The new facility will providemuch needed space for teaching, learningand research.

The first floor will include six class-rooms and five lecture theatres for classesfrom across all faculties. One 600-seat the-atre will be the largest seating space oncampus. Altogether, the first floor willaccommodate more than 1,800 students andwill help McMaster address the needs cre-ated by Ontario’s “double cohort”.

The second floor will be connected to

Opening doors to a bright future...

A Building for Students and New Ideas

Artist’s renderings of the Centre for Learning &Discovery addition to the McMaster Health SciencesCentre

laboratory to the doctor’s office.This facility will help ensure McMaster

continues to grow as a leading centre ingene therapy, says Jack Gauldie, holder ofthe John Bienenstock Chair in MolecularMedicine, head of IMMH and chair of theDepartment of Pathology.

Funds for the construction of the buildingare expected from the Canadian Foundationfor Innovation, the SuperBuild fund of theGovernment of Ontario, Hamilton HealthSciences and McMaster University, as wellas private donors.

Change of address card:

Name:_______________________________________________________________________________

Grad Yr. & Dept.: _____________________________________________________________________

New Address: _________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Phone: __________________________________ Fax: ________________________________________

Postal Code: __________________ E-mail:_________________________________________________

Comments: (present occupation, recent accomplishments ie: awards, recognitions).

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Any comments provided will be included in the next issue.

Upcoming Events...Thurs., May 22, 2003First Annual Engineering GolfTournament, Tyandaga Municipal GolfCourse, Burlington, Ontario Cost: $100 person

Sat., June 7, 2003Alumni Weekend Class ’63, ’78, ’83McMaster University Cost: $35 person

Oct. 3, 4, 5, 2003Homecoming WeekendClass Reunion 1988 and 1993

Mon., Oct. 27, 20035:30-7:00 pm – Reception for McMasterChemical Engineering in connection withthe Canadian Chemical Engineeringconference Oct. 26-29. Details atwww.chemeng.mcmaster.ca/

Thurs., Nov. 6, 2003MACLAB Extravaganza 2003. Keynotespeaker is Vince Smith, President andCEO Dow Chemical Canada Inc. Detailsat www.eng.mcmaster.ca/engalumni/index.html

For additional information or to registerfor any of the above events, please contactCarm Vespi, (905) 525-9140, ext. 24906,

or e-mail: [email protected],or register on-line:

http://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/engalumni/


Civil Eng&MgmtGoulding, Ryan ’02: Currently workingfor Lafarge Canada Inc. in Concord,Ontario in the Asphalt and Paving Division.My management schooling allowed me tosecure a position in the Performance Groupworking to develop corporate strategy fol-lowing a major acquisition. I knew thatEng. Mgmt. was a valuable program while Iwas at Mac however, now that I am work-ing, I can see the full advantage that it hasgiven me. I feel that I have already made upfor the extra year spent doing the program.

MacChemEngVivaldo-Lima, Eduardo. ’98: I joinedthe Faculty of Chemistry at the NationalAutonomous University as AssociateProfessor in October 1998. I am also thecurrent president of the Mexican PolymerSociety.

MacCivEngTamblyn, Dave, ’90: Married toGiulliana Wong Trelles in August, 2001.We moved to Hamilton, Ontario in October2002 and I currently teach civil engineeringat Mohawk College. Friends can contactme at [email protected].

MacMetEngMartin, Glenn, ’74: Lydea and I cele-brated our 28th wedding anniversary in2002. Our son Joel, a Carleton graduateengineer working at Telesat, will marry inJune 2003; our daughter Jodi is a psychol-ogy major at Ottawa U. Lydea works asOffice Administrator at an elementaryschool here in Ottawa where we live, andI’m still at the Canadian Nuclear SafetyCommission (CNSC). Planning for ourretirement in less than four years!

MacMechEngClutterbuck, Tim, ’80: Married for21 years in May. We have two kids: Cal is15 going on 20! He is a very good hockeyplayer who hopes to get drafted to MajorJunior A in May. Daughter Megan is 12(almost 13); she dances and plays basket-ball (I’m the coach – b-ball not dance!) I work at Etobicoke-based Integris Metalsbut live in Welland which is quite a dailycommute. I spent 20 years at a Steel Mill in Welland and left there a couple of years ago to work in the distributionbusiness – et VOILA - here I am!

MacEngPhysLi, Marco, ’88: Currently living andworking in Singapore. E-address [email protected].

MacElEng&MgmtGrkovic, Sinisa, ’00: Currently workingfor Hydro One Networks Inc, a subsidiaryof Hydro One Inc, as a Station DesignEngineer. I work on electrical arrangementdesign of high voltage transformer stations.Participated in the fall Career Fair onbehalf of my company and I have to say –the new Student Centre looks awesome!Married and residing in Burlington,Ontario.

MacManfgEng&MgmtTourigny, Mark, ’94: Presently workingas Production Manager at Ajax PrecisionManufacturing

MacMechEng & Mgmt.

Cecconi, Mike, ’98: Started workingwith Imperial Oil in Toronto, Ontario aftergraduation. Married Jennifer Laceby(Hons. Poli-Sci & History, ’98) in August2000. Moved to Sarnia, Ontario, where Icurrently provide engineering support forImperial’s lubricant oil blending and pack-aging plant. Our twin boys, Ethan andConnor, were born in September 2002 –life will never be the same!

Alumni Feedback…Sinisa Grkovic, Electrical andManagement, ’00: “I enjoy reading theMacEngineer and I would like to receive itin the future. A few months ago I was atMcMaster as a rep for my company duringthe Career Fair and I have to admit that thenew Student Center looks awesome!Definitely great addition to McMasterUniversity.”

Marco Li, Eng. Physics, ’88: “BTW, Carm,Thanks for doing all this work for thealumni.”

Alumni GrapevineHey Alumni! Have you moved, taken a new job,

got something you would like to say, any other news? We would like to hear from you.Contact Carm Vespi Tel: (905) 525-9140, ext. 24906, E-Mail [email protected]

To: Ms. Carm VespiManaging EditorThe MacEngineerFaculty of EngineeringJohn Hodgins Building, Room A 201McMaster UniversityHamilton, Ontario L8S 4L7Tel: (905) 525-9140, ext. 24906 Fax: (905) 546-5492E-mail: [email protected]


TheMacEngineerTheMacEngineer

Well-known Canadian environmen-talist David Suzuki was thekeynote speaker at the 9th annual

Canadian Society for Civil EngineeringStudent Conference that focused on thetheme of sustainability. The two-day gath-ering of engineering students, held onJanuary 31 and February 1, 2003 atMcMaster, emphasizes the connectionsbetween civil engineering and environmen-tal issues.

Members of the public, including areahigh school students, joined Mac studentsand faculty in the Ivor Wynne Centre gym-nasium to hear Suzuki’s talk entitled “Webof Life”. In his address, he made no apolo-gies for his harsh condemnation of our mis-treatment of the world around us. And hechallenged engineering students to put the

Suzuki Opens Engineering Conferencebattered environment ahead of the bottomline when they assume their careers. Thehost of the TV show The Nature of Thingssaid the world cannot sustain constantgrowth spurred on by a penchant for dis-posable consumer goods.

Suzuki painted a picture of the drasticenvironmental changes that have occurredin his life time such as valuable farmlandsturned into apartment complexes and tapwater that can’t be trusted. “We have for-gotten the fundamental realities in Canada,”he said. “We live in a series of myths andmisconceptions that lead us to environmen-tal degradation.”

Other speakers included McMaster engi-neering professors Brian Baetz andCameron Churchill who spoke about sus-tainable communities.

David Suzuki emphasizes the connectionsbetween civil engineering and environmentalissues.

Chemical engineering professorHeather Sheardown gave a presenta-tion on The Role of the Engineer in

Health Care on March 4th as one of theScience in the City lectures sponsoredjointly by McMaster University and thecity newspaper, The Hamilton Spectator.The presentation focused on the engineer-ing of two very different tissues – bloodvessels and corneas – including the back-ground into the rationale and need forthese tissues, and some recent develop-

Engineering Better Body Partsments from her laboratory at McMaster.

“I’ve always been very interested in thebody and the medical aspects of engineering,understanding the biological system and thenusing that. That’s really what engineers do –understand what’s going on and then trans-lating that into something that can be used.”

Sheardown, who received a BEng in chem-ical engineering at McMaster in 1989, wenton to pursue interests in biological and med-ical aspects of engineering, obtaining a PhDfrom the University of Toronto (1995) in thestudy of blood contacting biomaterials.

In the past 20 years, there have been rapidadvancements in the fields of biology andbiochemistry, she elaborated. Examplesinclude the mapping of the human genome,the cloning of a sheep and the discovery ofstem cells that are able to, in theory, becomeany cell in the body. “As our understanding ofbiology increases, there is a growing need forengineers who are able to translate these find-ings into treatments or cures for diseases.”

Biomaterials engineering and tissue engi-neering are new and exciting fields thatcombine biology, biochemistry, chemistry,immunology with an understanding of thematerials into the development of replace-ment organs and tissues – off the shelfhearts, livers, blood vessels, to name a few.The potential impact of tissue engineering isenormous. It has been estimated that overone half trillion dollars are spent on anannual basis in the United States alone car-ing for patients suffering from end-stageorgan or tissue failure.

The MacEngineer is printed and produced by

Managing Editor: Carm Vespi,Engineering Alumni Officer

Editorial Committee: Dave S. Weaver,John Preston, Terry Milson, Carm Vespi

Art Direction and Design: WordsmithDesign and Advertising

Contributing Writers: AdministrativeCoordinators, Terry Milson, TrudiDown, The Daily News, Carm Vespiand Judy Mair

The purpose of the conference, whichattracted almost 100 engineering studentsfrom six universities in Ontario, is toincrease students’ awareness of the environ-mental impacts of civil engineering projects.

“Sustainability is part of engineering andwe are future engineers,” says conferencecoordinator Aaron Ward, a fourth-year civilengineering student.

The Department of Civil Engineeringalso used the conference to kickoff anenvironmental engineering stream whichwill be offered to second-year civil engi-neering students beginning fall 2003. Thestream is intended to equip graduates withknowledge of municipal engineering,water quality engineering, water andwastewater treatment and environmentalpolicy and sustainability.

Professor Heather Sheardown, ChemicalEngineering, is studying biomaterials, includingthe use of polymers to treat cornea blindness.

You’re invited...

Alumni WeekendSaturday June 7, 2003

YOUR REUNION IS FAST APPROACHING!Come and renew old friendships and getcaught up on all the news. Find out about kids, cars, careers, etc. See how the campus and McMaster university have changed over the years.

Reunion Classes of

1963 19781983

Reunion Classes of

196319781983

Alumni Weekend

For more information contact:Ms. Carm VespiPhone: (905) 525-9140, ext. 24906Fax: (905) 546-5492email: [email protected]/engalumni/

Engineering and

Management

classes ’64, ’79

and ’84 are also

welcome to attend

Engineering and

Management

classes ’64, ’79

and ’84 are also

welcome to attend

Documents

MacEngineer Spring 2003