Past Arch Award Winners

Dr. Michael McGillion
BScN ‘96

Dr. Michael McGillion earned a BScN in 1996 from McMaster University and a PhD from the University of Toronto in 2006. Michael is an Assistant Professor at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto. As a pain scientist, Michael's program of research is focused on improving the quality of life of people with debilitating cardiac pain caused by refractory angina.

Treatment options for the growing population of people living with refractory angina are limited as this painful condition is not improved by conventional management approaches for heart disease such as coronary artery bypass grafting or angioplasty. In 2009, Michael led a Canadian Cardiovascular Society position statement which provides a new definition of refractory angina, offering a broader understanding of this condition as one caused by underlying cardiac disease as well as chronic pain pathology.

Michael is now leading a national team of scientists, clinicians, and patient representatives in the development of Joint Canadian Cardiovascular Society – Canadian Pain Society Guidelines for the management of refractory angina. These guidelines are the first collaboration of its kind in Canada, establishing a formal collaboration, at the national level, between the cardiovascular and pain science communities in order to tackle the difficult clinical problem of refractory angina.

Michael lives in Toronto with his wife, Heather Saum, and is grateful for her support and that of his parents, Michael and Janet. Michael also wishes to acknowledge the career mentorship he has received from Drs. Heather Arthur and Judy Watt-Watson.

Milica Radisic,
BENG '99

Dr. Milica Radisic is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. She obtained B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from McMaster University in 1999, and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2004. Before joining University of Toronto in 2005, she was a Postdoctoral Associate at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology. Dr. Radisic has received numerous awards and fellowships, including MIT Technology Review Top 35 Innovators under 35.  In 2006, she was featured on the cover of the book Changing our world: True stories of women engineers.  Toronto Star named her one of the people to watch in 2010. Dr. Radisic's research is in the field of cardiac tissue engineering and biomaterials. She utilizes heart cells in combination with biomaterial scaffolds and bioreactors to cultivate functional heart tissue in vitro. Her research on electrical field stimulation was featured on the cover of Toronto Life in the piece titled 25 Ideas That Are Changing the World and CanadaAM in December 2009. Her research interests also include development of injectable biomaterials for cardiac regeneration, microfluidic cell separation and development of in vitro models for cell injection and drug testing. Currently, Dr. Radisic holds research funding from NSERC, CFI, ORF, NIH, CIHR and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. She is a Section Editor-Bioengineering for the International Journal of Artificial Organs.  Her research findings were presented in 60 research papers, reviews and book chapters. She is a mother of three children, Anastasia 8, Theodora 5 and Mihailo 1.5.

Adam Spence
B.A. '04

Since graduating from McMaster University, Adam has focused his work on community development, social innovation, and public policy change focused on poverty reduction and education.

Adam worked as a community animator for the skilled trades in Hamilton, and was the Executive Director of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA), where he successfully advanced a number of reforms during Ontario’s Postsecondary Review including low-income grants for Ontario’s students.

Since 2005, Adam has been the Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB).  In this position, he has lead a number of groundbreaking research studies including Canada's first review of the cost of poverty, successfully pressed the provincial government to implement a poverty reduction strategy in collaboration with many partners, and grown the organization’s ability to acquire and distribute fresh, healthy food.

Adam has spoken to audiences from students to CEOs, and politicians to front line community organizers across Canada on issues related to education, poverty, and social issues.  He has written extensively on these topics, and has been featured in numerous media outlets, including CNN International, TVO, CTV, CBC Television and Radio, GlobalTV, The Toronto Star, and The Globe & Mail.

Over the past three years, Adam has supported the development of a community food centre project in Sandy Lake First Nation, a fly-in reserve community 700 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay.  He is also the founder of the Toronto-based Social Venture Exchange (SVX) project, an initiative to increase access to capital for non-profit and for-profit ventures focused on improved social and environmental outcomes.

Julie Angus
BSc ’97

Julie is the first and only woman to row across the Atlantic Ocean from mainland to mainland. During the worst hurricane season in history, she spent 5 months rowing unsupported across 10,000 km of unforgiving seas, reaching shore in 2006 and completing her dream. Throughout this challenge, she and her fiancé, rowed through 4 cyclones, encountered great white sharks, fished for survival, and swam with animals that accompanied them across the ocean.

Julie is a molecular biologist, adventurer, writer, and filmmaker. She has a combined honours degree from McMaster University and a graduate degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Victoria. She spent over a decade studying and developing treatments for heart disease, cancer and genetic ailments, before focusing completely on examining the natural world through exploration.

She has explored over 35 countries, including cycling and rowing some 20,000 km through many of them. Julie received National Geographic's Adventurer of the Year Award for 2007 and has been lauded for her work on environmental awareness. She has written for publications including The Globe & Mail, National Post and enRoute. Her photography has appeared in Outside Magazine, explore Magazine, Reader's Digest and National Geographic Adventure, among others. Julie's book, Rowboat in a Hurricane, which details her row across the ocean and the changing state of our oceans, is a national bestseller and her newest book Rowed Trip, which she co-wrote with Colin on their 7,000 km rowing journey from Scotland to Syria, will be available in September 2009.

Nimesh Bahl & Cristian Nunez
2008 M.Eng Faculty of Engineering (Masters Eng Entrep & Innovation)

With their eyes on achieving success in the “beyond-university-real world” Nimesh Bahl and Cristian Nunez enrolled in McMaster’s Masters Program in Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The pair worked with McMaster Professor Adrian Kitai to use optical fibre display technology developed in the Faculty of Engineering and successfully created ground-breaking displays that offer a combination of market leading resolution, brightness and reliability at a lower cost than current LED displays. Bahl, Nunez and Kitai founded Liquid Fiber Displays and in 2007 and in 2008 Liquid Fiber Displays won Canada’s Top 10 Technology Competition hosted by OCRI, the TiEQuest 2008 Business Venture Competition, the Ontario Entrepreneurship Trophy, as well as being invited to present at the World’s Best Technology Showcase in Arlington, Texas.

Cristian Nunez graduated from McMaster University’s Faculty of Engineering with an M.Eng. in 2008. In addition to his work with Liquid Fiber Displays, Cristian dedicates his efforts to two other projects as a partner entrepreneur including working on green innovation within the furniture industry and the expansion of the McMaster Xerox Centre for Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation to Mexico to generate partnership agreements to the benefit of both countries.
Cristian would like to be remembered for putting all his energy into commercializing innovative technology to make a positive impact on society.

Nimesh Bahl graduated with a Masters in Engineering from McMaster University in 2008. In addition to his work on his company, Liquid Fiber Displays, Nimesh is also an engineer with SKF Canada Ltd. Over the past year, Nimesh has shared many honours with Cristian Nunez in recognition of the technology they are helping develop and commercialize, including being named two of Hamilton’s Top 40 Under 40 by the Hamilton Spectator. Nimesh would like to be remembered for putting his heart and soul into commercializing a promising McMaster technology through Liquid Fiber Displays Inc. and hopes to be able to create meaningful employment in our region as they move ahead with their plans.

Jodi Steele
’97 B.Kin. ’99 B.H.Sc. Faculty

Jodi Steele earned a B.Kin. in 1997 and a B.H.Sc. in 1999 from McMaster University. After graduation Jodi began and still works for Hamilton Health Sciences, Therapy Health Care, and has recently designed, developed, launched and remained on as a program leader for Wellspring’s Cancer Exercise Program.

In 2005 Jodi founded Cancer Rehab Inc., a not-for-profit centre aimed at improving the lives of those living with cancer. Jodi recognized that individuals undergoing cancer treatments experience side effects such as lymphedema, fatigue, mobility issues and depression. Drawing on her personal savings Jodi created Cancer Rehab Inc. to provide rehabilitation services and work towards rehab becoming a standard practice in the treatment of cancer. Jodi is a registered physiotherapist with a background in personal training and kinesiology. Those who work with Jodi attest to her vibrant and sensitive personality that seems to be contagious.

In addition to her work with Cancer Rehab Inc., Jodi lectures for organizations including the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, the Ostomy Society of Canada, the Breast Cancer Society, and numerous cancer support groups. Jodi also directs a clinical skills lab for McMaster Physiotherapy students both in Hamilton and Thunder Bay. Over the past five years Jodi has volunteered over 2,600 hours providing cancer rehabilitation in the Hamilton community.

Jodi is the common-law wife of Ira Henderson and mother to their son Menno Steele-Henderson. She would like to be remembered for starting Canada’s first not-for-profit cancer rehabilitation clinic, and helping improve the lives of people living with cancer.

Colin Farrelly
’94 BA, ’96 MA

Colin Farrelly graduated with an honours BA in History and Philosophy from McMaster in 1994, followed by an MA in Philosophy in 1996. He was then offered a Postgraduate Scholarship to pursue his PhD at the University of Bristol in England.

Since completing his PhD in 1999 Colin has held numerous academic appointments at Universities in England, Scotland and Canada. He is currently Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Waterloo where he has been teaching since 2003.

Colin is the author and editor of four books. He has published over two-dozen articles in journals ranging from philosophy, law and politics to medicine, bioethics and gerontology. His work has been published in both international and national peer reviewed journals. For the past eight years he has been working on his latest book entitled Genetically Modified Justice. This book examines the ethical and social implications of the genetic revolution, and it addresses topics ranging from human gene therapy and reproductive freedom to the aspiration to retard human aging.

Colin would like to be remembered for being a loving husband and father to his three sons. As an academic he would liked to be remembered for the following two things: firstly, for fostering interdisciplinary research and dialogue; and secondly, as a scholar who had the foresight to see the profound benefits, as well as the challenges, that could be reaped by overcoming the biological limitations we have inherited from our evolutionary history.

Corey Centen
’07 B.Eng

Nilesh Patel
’08 B.Eng

Sarah Smith
’07 B.Eng

Corey Centen and colleague Nilesh Patel, conceived of the CPRGlove technology as their final year capstone project in engineering. The CPRGlove is a CPR assist device worn on the hand of a rescuer. During CPR, the device uses sensors to determine how well the rescuer is performing CPR and delivers feedback on his or her performance so that the CPR being delivered is as effective as possible. After success on an academic level, Corey and Nilesh filed an initial patent on their technology and entered the Ontario Engineering competition in 2007 winning the innovative design category. The team went on to place well at a number of other competitions including a second place at the Canadian Engineering Competition and a second place at the IEEE design competition. Upon their graduation, Corey, Nilesh and fellow classmate, Sarah Smith incorporated Atreo Medical Inc. with the goal of commercializing the CPRGlove technology. In June 2007, they were featured in Popular Science magazine with the CPRGlove being recognized as one of the top ten inventions of the year.

Corey Centen graduated from McMaster in electrical and biomedical engineering with distinction in 2007 and is currently CEO of Atreo Medical Inc. Corey is responsible for the overall direction and strategy of the company. When not working, Corey enjoys speaking at various events about entrepreneurialism and the introduction of science and engineering at a young age. Corey also founded Mobilab Technologies inc. in 2004. The company is dedicated to the design and development of a novel bacterial-protein based solar cell.

 

 

Nilesh Patel is graduating from McMaster in electrical and biomedical engineering in 2008. As a student, Nilesh co-invented the CPRGlove as a part of his final-year design project.  In 2007, he co-founded Atreo Medical Inc., a start-up company based around the CPRGlove technology and is currently their Chief Technology Officer.

 

 

 

Sarah Smith graduated from McMaster in electrical and biomedical engineering with distinction in 2007. During her years at McMaster she was an active member with the Electrical and Computer Engineering Society (ECES). In 2006 she was the society’s VP Finance responsible for the handling of all group financial records and transactions. Sarah is currently Chief Operations Officer, COO, of Atreo Medical Inc.

Hugh Silk
’98 MD

Although trained as a family physician, as a resident, Hugh Silk saw a lot of children with dental caries – a demineralization of the tooth surface caused by bacteria. The specialists he trained under could not help him understand the issue, so he began to teach himself. In his chief residency year at the University of Massachusetts Family Medicine Residency, Hugh presented on pediatric oral health and designed a curriculum to be taught to providers across the state of Massachusetts.

Hugh turned his interest in pediatric oral health into a research project. He, along with pediatric dentists, family doctors and pediatricians in the Massachusetts area, won the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s national prize for dental research. This research led to the creation of a state-wide lunch and learn program called EPIC (Educating Practices in the Community), to train pediatric primary care providers about oral health.

Most would be satisfied that their research had resulted in a state-wide education program – Hugh Silk decided to take the program nationally. Working with others from around the country, they created a curriculum for family medicine residents entitled “Smiles for Life”. This program has become the most downloaded web-based resource on the Family Medicine Digital resource Library for over 6 months and has received the Society of Teachers in Family Medicine’s Most Innovative Curriculum Award.

Hugh has become the Medical Director for Oral Health Initiatives at The University of Massachusetts/Memorial Hospital, acting as a liaison between the world of medicine and dentistry. He continues to develop curriculum for the dental faculty and emergency medicine residents and lends his expertise to many committees in the medical community.

Jonathan Abrams
B.Sc. 1995

Founder and CEO of Socializr, an online service for sharing event and party information, Jonathan Abrams is a successful business entrepreneur. Since graduating from McMaster with a B.Sc. in 1995, he has been a part of many business adventures. He worked as a software engineer at Netscape and Nortel and then founded bookmarking community HotLinks. In 2002, he founded Friendster, an online network used mostly by young tech-savvy people to meet and reconnect with friends.

Jonathan is a member of the advisory board of the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs, and has been extensively involved in the Silicon Valley entrepreneurial community. He has co-chaired the SDForum Venture Finance SIG and been a judge for the Stanford Entrepreneur’s Challenge Business Plan Contest, the UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition and the Stanford-Berkeley Innovators’ Challenge.

Jonathan is co-owner of a new sleek and modern club, Slide, in San Francisco and an investor in the restaurant Mamacita. He has co-hosted parties with top event planning companies in the San Francisco area.

Named “Breakout star of 2003” by Entertainment Weekly and one of Advertising Age Magazine’s “Entertainment Marketers of the Year,” Jonathan is a well-know contributor in the business of social networking. He has appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, BBC Radio 5, KNTV NBC11 and TechTV and established himself as the go-to person for input on the phenomenon of social networking.

Dr. Quincy Almeida
B.Sc. 1995, M.Sc. 2000

Dr. Quincy Almeida is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Science and Director of the recently established Movement Disorders Research & Rehabilitation Centre at Wilfred Laurier University.

The focus of his research at the center is to better understand the relationship between basal ganglia dysfunction and movement impairment, and also to scientifically evaluate and approve all exercise programs and assistive devices to be utilized by Canadians suffering with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. His research has been featured in the Toronto Star, the Globe & Mail, on CTV and CBC national news and just recently in Maclean’s magazine.

He is an expert in motor control, balance and gait assessment and exercise rehabilitation for Parkinson’s disease. His research is currently funded by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and he has won several awards for his work on Parkinson’s disease including the Franklin Henry Young Scientist Award for motor control in Canada, the Parkinson’s Society of Canada Young Investigator’s Award, and the Petro-Canada Innovators Award.

Laurier University is enabling Quincy to develop the Movement Disorder Centre, which “would be the first community-based facility of this magnitude to be focused on movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease in Canada”.

There is no cure for Parkinson’s and the disorder can eventually lead to total disability. Quincy Almeida’s research and dedication to rehabilitation method’s for the disease are important contributors to understanding these disorders and providing quality of life for those living with the disease.

Julie Hard
1997 B.Kin, 2003 M.Sc

While on a two month placement in Kenya for her master’s degree, Julie Hard was shocked by the lack of resources available to people living with disabilities. When she returned, she and her husband established the Kenya Working Group (KWG) to help co-ordinate volunteer rehabilitation professionals and students to go to Kenya and provide services within these resource-poor settings.

Attending the Toronto AIDS Conference in 2006, Julie participated in discussions where the disabled have often been voiceless. Julie and her husband hosted a friend they had made in Kenya, Carilus Okidi, so that he could share with the conference his first-hand experience with the pandemic. He is a physiotherapist from Kenya who coordinates a community-based rehabilitation program for the Nyanza province.

Julie states in her diary of the conference, that “thousands of people around the world living with disabilities are disregarded in their communities and are not given the opportunity to voice their concerns or to protect themselves from HIV.” It is aiding and providing a voice for these people, that Julie dedicates her time and efforts to.

This June, Julie is participating in the World Confederation for Physical Therapists Congress in British Columbia. The event is held every four years and this year she is being awarded the International Health Award from the Canadian Physiotherapy Association.

Julie also works as a physiotherapist in the Inner City Health Programme at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

Tanya Thompson B.Sc. '94
Faculty of Science
After graduating with an Honours Mathematics degree from McMaster in 1994, Tanya Thompson completed her Bachelor of Education at the Junior/Intermediate levels in Mathematics at Queens University. She began teaching while continuing to develop her skills, obtaining the qualification at the Senior Level in mathematics as well as obtaining her Honour Specialist Certification in Mathematics from the O.I.E.S., University of Toronto. Since her career began, she has taught mathematics from kindergarten to grade 12, including the development of an entire Mathematics Department at a small independent school outside Collingwood.

While Department Head in Mathematics at this school, Pretty River Academy, she initiated an annual SNAP Math Fair with a group of professors mainly from Alberta. These math fairs have proven highly successful and continue to be a focus for Tanya. She has now begun to implement math fairs at local elementary schools and she also ran a workshop for teachers at the Ottawa Carleton Board of Education. Recently, she designed and implemented an extremely successful conference for mathematics educators at Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences, University of Toronto on SNAP Math Fairs.

Among her volunteer efforts, Tanya has also spent time as a marker for the University of Waterloo Mathematics Contests administered in high schools throughout Canada. In 2005, she was honoured to be a part of the university's writing team to write their mathematics contests. This is a true compliment as she is one of only approximately seventy educators from across Canada to be writing for them.

She has volunteered her time and resources to be a guest speaker at many national conferences and has helped to organize mathematics workshops with renowned professors from the universities of Waterloo, Queen's, Alberta, York, London and Toronto to develop problem solving strategies and SNAP math fairs with students of all grade levels.

Recently, Tanya has began writing mathematical book reviews with the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) for their publication Crux Mathematicorum with Mathematical Mayhem. She was also asked by the publishing company McGraw-Hill Ryerson to be a part of their team of reviewers and advisors in the senior mathematics division.

Tanya has recently been invited to attend the internationally renowned and exclusive International Puzzle Party (IPP) conference. A select group of approximately 250 people are chosen from across the world to meet annually. IPP travels each year from North America, Europe and Asia. It is a high honour for Tanya to be included within this group as it is a chance to meet internationally known mathematicians and puzzlists.

Tanya Thompson has locally become a very respected mathematics teacher that is well-known and well-liked for her passion of everything mathematics. She now works with the Simcoe County Board of Education teaching secondary mathematics at Collingwood Collegiate Institute.

Lisa McGrail B.Kin '97 & Steve McGrail B.Kin '97
Faculty of Social Sciences
With dedication and perseverance Lisa and Steve McGrail created Kylie's Kause in 2004 in memory of their daughter, Kylie Marie, who passed away due to complications of prematurity. Kylie's Kause is a 2 mile charity walk, run and silent auction that in just two years has attracted over one thousand participants and has raised over $41,000 for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph's Health Centre in London; the largest individual fundraiser for the NICU.

For the first year of the charity event, Lisa and Steve had set a modest goal of $5,000 and figured over 5 years a $25,000 donation would be a nice gift to the NICU in memory of Kylie. They were overjoyed when they raised a total of $20,000 in their first event. The second year of the event, held in July, 2005 raised over $21,000. The money raised is being used to purchase specialized Giraffe Omni Beds that are used to treat sick and premature babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Their silent auction has been very successful, comprising of 280 items in the first year and continuing to grow to almost 400 items for its second year.

Lisa and Steve have received much praise from St. Joseph's Health Centre, their local community and surrounding area, businesses, family, friends and fellow supporters of the cause. The event has attracted a lot of media attention in their community and in London. They have attracted many large sponsors to help support the event, as well as many smaller local sponsors. Most recently, they created a website for Kylie's Kause that allows you to register, view the photo gallery, see a listing of silent action items and learn more about St. Joseph's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Kylie's Kause has been a proven success.

Aside from their dedicated work organizing Kylie's Kause, Lisa is a Registered Physical Therapist at CBI Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Centre in Sarnia and Steve has taught for eight years, currently teaching at Lambton Centennial School in Petrolia, Ontario. After both graduating with Bachelor of Kinesiology degrees from McMaster, Lisa earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Toronto and Steve earned a Bachelor of Education from the University of Windsor.

They have both also volunteered their time coaching a Special Olympics Soccer Team, Lisa for eight years and Steve for ten. Steve is an active runner, has trained for and ran the Walt Disney World Marathon and has dedicated many hours to coaching baseball, track and field and volleyball. Their tireless dedication to their community has not gone unnoticed and has no doubt been an important contributor to the success of their foundation.

Lisa and Steve McGrail reside in Wyoming with their son Jace, born in April 2005. They both would like to be remembered for being able to take a personal tragedy and turn it into a loving tribute in memory of their daughter Kylie, ultimately raising money for the NICU and assisting other families faced with premature/ill newborns.

Michael W. Brown B.Eng. & Mgt. '01 / M.B.A. '03 & Tal Dehtiar M.B.A. '05
Faculty of Business
Tal Dehtiar and Michael W. Brown co-founded MBA Without Borders, a not-for-profit organization that aids the business and social development of upcoming nations by sending early career MBA professionals to provide the necessary guidance for business development.

One of the primary reasons behind the creation of MBAs Without Borders was to challenge the negative image often associated with MBA professionals; to challenge the thinking that MBA professionals do little to help others. Tal and Michael have recognized a move toward social responsibility and since beginning MBAs Without Boarders they have had many MBA students across the country interested to help start local business opportunities in developing countries.

The MBA students and professionals working with the organization are enablers, whether teaching local entrepreneurs or helping to develop business models. The organization shapes the development of early career MBAs and also calls on private donors, foundations and corporations to support their efforts financially and promote social responsibility.

Since it's inception in 2004, MBAs Without Borders has sent MBAs to work in Tanzania, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Vietnam. Over the next three years, they hope to send over 50 MBAs expanding across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

Tal Dehtiar currently works as a Medical Sales Representative with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Canada, aside from his duties as co-founder of MBAs Without Borders. He has worked on a number of international projects, including starting up an agri-business to support rural communities in Belize, starting-up and producing radio shows in Singapore and locally he helped to manage the SARS crises for St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

Tal can speak four languages including English, Russian, Hebrew and Spanish and has traveled to North, Central and South America, West and East Africa, South East Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Recognized for his accomplishments, Tal received the 2004 Ontario Global Trader award and, in 2005, was nominated for the YMCA Peace Award and Canada's Top 40 Under 40.

Michael W. Brown is currently in the Early Professional Development Program with Imperial Oil Limited, aside from his duties managing MBAs Without Borders. Michael has worked on assignments throughout Canada with Imperial and is currently based in Calgary as a planner of large capital projects. Michael specializes in the Management of Innovation and New Technology and has worked with large international corporations in technology strategy and operational development.

An active volunteer, Michael has volunteered more than 200 hours a year working with high school science students competing in robotic design competitions and is an active member of a variety of community charities including the United Way and Junior Achievement.

In 2005, Michael was nominated for the YMCA Peace Award and Canada's Top 40 Under 40.

Ryan Gregory '97
Faculty of Science
Since graduating from McMaster in 1997, Ryan Gregory has achieved outstanding academic success. In 2002, he was awarded an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship, and in 2003 he was the recipient of the prestigious NSERC Howard Alper Postdoctoral Prize, which identified him as the top postdoctoral researcher in Canada, in any field of science or engineering. His Ph.D. thesis and subsequent research have focused on the long-standing puzzle of genome size diversity, and have provided many important insights into how it might be resolved.

After completing his Ph.D. in evolutionary biology at the University of Guelph, Dr. Gregory spent one year as a postdoctoral fellow at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, followed by one year at the Natural History Museum in London, England. Gregory is the author of more than 30 professional scientific publications, and his first book, The Evolution of the Genome , was released in early 2005. Most recently, he has worked with colleagues at the University of Guelph on the assembly of a major research grant in support of the novel method of “DNA barcoding” for use in species identification.

Ryan would like to be remembered for:
“ …finding new ways of looking at old problems, for bringing together concepts from very different areas of study, and for developing complex ideas and making them easy to understand.”

Jillian Horton '00
Faculty of Health Sciences
Jillian Horton graduated from McMaster University Medical School in 2000 as the class valedictorian. She completed her residency at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and currently lives and works in Winnipeg, Manitoba, dividing her time between a community hospital and a teaching hospital.

In addition to her interest in medicine and her desire to care for people, Horton has always had a passion for music and as a youth she had her heart set on studying music. She was accepted and attended Vermont's prestigious Adamant Music School until tendonitis cut short her dream of becoming a concert pianist. Instead, she obtained her degree in English and came to McMaster to study medicine. While pursuing her studies Jillian continued to write songs and compose music. All of her hard work paid off in the fall of 2004 when Horton signed a five-record deal with the Toronto based Marquis/EMI label and released her first self-titled CD.

Her style is a mix of folk pop with classical influence and all of the material on the recording is original. Since the release of her first CD Jillian has performed in Toronto, throughout Manitoba and has been featured on CBC's “Sounds like Canada”.

Avery MacLean '96
Faculty of Humanities
Prior to completing her M.A. in Music Criticism at McMaster, Avery earned her B.Mus in Early Music Performance and Literature at McGill University and a post-graduate certificate in Performance at The Hague Royal Conservatory of Music. Avery continued to pursue her passion for music after graduation. She is a frequent performer with the Toronto Masque Theatre, founding member of the Aradia Baroque Ensemble and the Recordare Ensemble, a small music trio specializing in Renaissance music. She has made guest appearances with Arbor Oak Concerts, the Mississauga Symphony, Toronto Philharmonic, Toronto Consort and many other early music and choral groups across south-western Ontario. Most recently, she has completed five international recordings for the Naxos label, two for the Classical Kids label and published a teacher's guide to the critically acclaimed CD ‘The World's Very Best Opera for Children'. Avery has also been featured as a soloist and chamber musician on CBC and CJRT radio, CBC and BRAVO! television and on several film soundtracks.

In addition to her thriving music career, Avery works full-time is as an Information Analyst at the Hospital of for Sick Children and is an avid volunteer. She is a Toronto Masque Theatre Board Member, teaches music to young immigrants and has provided pro bono web site services to Street Health in Toronto and Potentials Renewal for Congregations.

Emechete Onuoha '93
Faculty of Social Sciences
Since completing his honours degree in political science, and serving as MSU President, Emechete Onuoha has distinguished himself in a diverse array of public policy roles, particularly in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. In 1994 he began work on Parliament Hill in Ottawa as Legislative Assistant and speechwriter for the member of parliament for Hamilton West.

In 1997 Emechete left the House of Commons and began work as Special Assistant, Trade and Consultation Policy in the Office of the Minister for International Trade. Later that same year he became Policy Advisor to the Minister of National Defence. In addition to providing advice on strategic policy issues and managing the minister's relations with his counterparts in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Emechete travelled to 19 countries around the world including Kuwait and Iraq. In 1999, ten days before NATO commenced a full-scale military operation in the Balkans, he was promoted to Chief of Staff in the minister's office.

In 2000, Emechete left the minister's office and began work as Vice President, Corporate Strategy at the Canadian Commercial Corporation, where he was responsible for overseeing the corporation's corporate planning process, information technology strategy as well as marketing and communications. In 2002 Emechete was recruited to work as Senior Analyst at the Privy Council Office, and became Director of Operations (his current post) in 2003.

Anton Skorucak '96
Faculty of Science
Anton Skorucak is president and creator of PhysLink.com, an e-project inspired by his massive list of website bookmarks.

PhysLink.com promotes education and research in physics and related sciences. The website includes links to the latest physics and astronomy news releases, a science reference section, an “ask an expert” page, scientific software reviews, discussion groups and forums and lists of college physics departments, science jobs, journals, societies and books.

PhysLink.com has received over 60 awards and has been mentioned in over 20 magazines and books. Some of these include: BBC, CNN, USA Today, Science, Discover, Popular Science and others. PhysLink.com is currently the largest physics and astronomy website on the internet, serving 1,000,000 visitors each month. McMaster has been proudly featured on PhysLink from the outset.

In his spare time Anton enjoys visiting science and art museums. He is also one of the founders of a local entrepreneur group (The Catalyst EG) in Long Beach California, where fellow entrepreneurs can learn from one another and share ideas.

Anton would like to be remembered for:
“..my ultimate goal is to pass along the excitement for physics and astronomy, and science in general to the public. To in still curiosity about the universe and the physical world around us onto growing generation; and to provide them with the tools they need to study science”

Al-Riaz Adatia '90
Faculty of Engineering
An accomplished entrepreneur and engineer, Al-Riaz built his professional career in California’s Silicon Valley working for companies such as Octel/Lucent, ST Microelectronics and Microsoft. In 1998, Al-Riaz was one of the three founders of IMDI, developers of the MP3 Player Sonique. During its peak, Sonique was the second most popular MP3 player on the internet. The product generated three patent applications, of which Al-Riaz is co-inventor of two. In 1999, Al-Riaz led IMDI through its acquisition by Lycos, worth more than $70M (USD).

While in California, Al-Riaz also became well recognized for his teaching at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz. In addition to teaching at the university level, Al-Riaz founded Ustad, a teaching consulting practice, which developed and presented private courses for companies including S3, Microsoft, Apple and HAL. His courses were considered the most sought after in the Valley.

Combining his passion for engineering, travel and community service, Al-Riaz is currently volunteering to deploy technology and communication systems in Afghanistan, Syria and India for Micro Credit Loan Programs, organizations that loan people money to start small businesses.

Matthew Choi '01
Arts & Sciences
While working towards his Bachelor of Arts and Science at McMaster, Matthew co-founded CanadaHelps.org, Canada’s first and only nonprofit internet charity portal. The website processes online donations at no cost for every charity in Canada. Since inception in 2000, the website has delivered millions of dollars in value to the charitable sector. In recognition of this achievement Matthew and the CanadaHelps team have been honoured with numerous awards including the Government of Ontario Showcase Voluntary Sector Award of Excellence, the Microsoft Productivity Award: Best Solution for Not-for-Profit, and the Industry Canada/Canarie IWAY Recognition for Technological Innovation.

An exceptional student and volunteer, Matthew is currently studying medicine at Queen’s University. His academic achievements have been recognized with numerous awards and honours including, the Associated Medical Services/Boyd Upper Award, the Queen’s University Aesculapian Society Award of Merit, and the McMaster University Award for Special Achievement.

Matthew is particularly interested in exploring the practice of medicine in underdeveloped nations. After graduation he headed to the Indian Himalayans on a rural development project to create a basic health care manual for isolated mountain communities. Most recently, he has traveled to Tanzania to work at a hospital Trauma Centre.

Alexandra Kitty '94
Faculty of Social Sciences
While completing the final year of her B.A. in psychology at McMaster, Alexandra decided, quite by accident, to pursue a career in journalism. After watching a story on the CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes, Alexandra wrote a letter praising the story. 60 Minutes responded by asking Alexandra to do some further research into the topic. It was at that time she decided that if 60 Minutes thought a Mac psych student had the right stuff to be a journalist, she was not going to argue.

Ms. Kitty has written for a number of magazines and papers including Elle Canada, Maisonneuve, Current Magazine, Quill Magazine, Hamilton Magazine, Presstime Magazine, the Hamilton Spectator, Victoria Times Colonist and Burlington Post. Alexandra’s topics of specialty are crime, the news media and hoaxes in the news. She is expecting her first book Don’t Believe it!: How lies make news to be published by the Disinformation Company in the Fall of 2004.

In addition to writing for a number of magazines, Alexandra currently teaches writing at the Sheridan Institute. She was also a professor of Language Studies at Mohawk College, teaching courses ranging from communication, research and reporting, ideas in tv and film to public speaking.

Patrick Mahoney '02
Faculty of Health Sciences
An accomplished nurse and passionate volunteer, Patrick came to McMaster as a mature student to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. During his first year of study, Patrick co-founded the McMaster Student Outreach Clinic (MacSOC), which patrols the streets of Hamilton and provides a helping hand to the homeless. The program operates with out a budget and relies on volunteers who provide donated food, clothing and hygiene supplies to Hamilton’s less fortunate. Identifying the need for a unique program specifically targeted to help Hamilton’s struggling youth, Patrick also founded Getting Youth Back from the Edge (GYBE), which works to get homeless youth off the street and prevent homelessness among street youth 16-25 years of age.

Working with a professor at McMaster, Patrick co-produced and co-teaches a fourth level course on Poverty and Homelessness at McMaster that has been offered for three consecutive years. In honour of his many distinguished accomplishments, Patrick won the McMaster University Nursing Science Society’s Service to McMaster Community Award and the McMaster University Prize for Special Achievement. Patrick is currently a public health nurse with the city of Toronto in the Family Health Division.

Bernardo Trigatti '88, '95
Faculty of Sciences
Dr. Trigatti completed his undergraduate and doctoral degrees at McMaster and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before returning to McMaster in 2000 as an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry.

An exceptional young scientist, his state-of-the art approach to understanding the molecular aspects of lipid transport using a combination of biochemistry, cell biology and transgenic mouse model technology may reveal new strategies for therapy aimed at preventing atherosclerosis and heart disease. In recognition of his research Bernardo has won numerous awards including; the Medical Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario New Investigator Award, and, most recently, the Canadian Lipoprotein Conference/Pfizer Young Investigator Award for Basic Lipoprotein Science.

A talented and devoted professor, Bernardo has the ability to make complex problems clear and meaningful to students. He has also initiated the establishment of new graduate courses in Molecular Genetics and Diseases. In addition to teaching and research he has taken on numerous responsibilities within the Department of Biochemistry and the Faculty of Science. He is a member of the Graduate Admissions Committee, the Graduate Scholarships Ranking Committee. He is also a member of the Centre for Functional Genomics.

Nat Hardy '93
Faculty of Humanities
Dr. Nat Hardy is an accomplished educator, academic, writer and community volunteer. Nat's unique style of teaching has been recognized by his students a number of times, most recently with the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award from Louisiana State University.

Nat is currently a visiting professor at the University of Oklahoma (Stillwater) where he teaches a unique composition course which incorporates his commitment to volunteer service. Through a service learning component, his students participate in Habitat for Humanity, keep journals of their experiences, and complete related writing assignments to reflect on their personal and professional development.

He has received numerous scholarships and academic awards and is currently preparing a collection of his own poetry: In the Temple of the Off-Ramps . In 2001, Nat won both the Robert Penn Warren Memorial Award for Poetry and the Moonlark Poetry Competition. Nat also received the Louise Glück Academy of American Poets Award for Poetry in 2000.

B. Duncan McKinlay '96
Faculty of Social Sciences
Dr. B. Duncan McKinlay is a registered Psychologist (supervised practice) with the College of Psychologists of Ontario and is currently working for the Toronto District School Board.

Since being diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at the age of 19, Duncan has focused his abundant energies on outreach, community service and awareness of Tourette Syndrome and a host of associated disorders. His efforts have been recognized by the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada with the Richard Stein Memorial Award for making an outstanding difference in the quality of life for people with Tourette's.

Duncan is much sought after as a guest speaker in hospitals, universities, and school boards. He has assisted many organizations and families through his website (www.lifesatwitch.com) and has received international acclaim and attention from various media including the Discovery Channel, The Montel Williams Show, and Maclean's Magazine. In 2001 and 2002, Duncan's willingness to share from his personal experience culminated with the release of an award-winning documentary on his life: Life's a Twitch.

Michael P. Smith '93
DeGroote School of Business
During the last term of his M.B.A., Michael Smith started a marketing and sales outsourcing company named CIM – Consumer Impact Marketing. CIM has grown over the past 10 years to become Canada's largest and fastest growing third party sales and merchandising organization.

CIM currently employs over 1,400 people and has offices in Toronto, Montreal and New York. For the past three years, CIM has been recognized as one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies. As well, CIM won the Etobicoke Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award. As CIM's Chief Executive Officer, Michael has been twice nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year.

Although his main focus is the development and growth of CIM, Michael also has two other business ventures in process: Launch Brand Marketing, a promotions and branding company with clients such as Labatt, Microsoft, and Lenox; and Chaos Productions, a company focused on the Canadian TV and film industry.

Giving back to the community is also important to Michael. He devotes both personal and corporate resources in support of Ronald McDonald House and Sunshine Dream for Kids.

Vincent Tropepe '94
Faculty of Science
Dr. Vincent Tropepe's first experience at McMaster was actually as a high-school co-op student in the lab of Dr. Sandra Witelson. After graduation, Vince went on to the University of Toronto for his Ph.D.

During his Ph.D., Vince was part of a team at the University of Toronto and Hospital for Sick Kids which discovered the presence of stem cells in the human adult eye and was lead author of the resulting paper. This research indicated that it may be possible to repair damaged retinas in adults. He has since received several awards and honours including being named as one of Canada's Top 133 Young Leaders (Medicine Category) by the Globe and Mail .

Vince has since moved on to the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where his research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern the development of the vertebrate nervous system.

Jeffrey Wight '90
Faculty of Social Sciences
After five years as a member of the Men's Varsity Rowing crew, Jeffrey Wight earned the McMaster Varsity Letter, Varsity Plaque and the Silver Bar. Jeffrey was the sole McMaster Students' Union representative for the School of Physical Education from 1980 to 1982. He also worked as a Student Patrol Officer for Security Services and was a member of the President's Advisory Committee on Security Services.

Jeffrey pursued a career as a Scuba Diving Instructor. Over the years, Jeffrey has volunteered his time to teach scuba diving to students from the Cayman Islands High School and developed the world famous Bahamian Shark Diving Experience. He was also hand-picked to train the elite 2nd Regiment of the Canadian Horse Artillery. Jeffrey was also among the first 370 professional divers to receive the Platinum Pro 5000 Diver card, which signifies the completion of 5000 dives. Jeffrey's remarkable career has received international media attention from Canada's Diver's Magazine , Sport Diver Television, The Discovery Channel, and the BBC, among others.