11 minute read
Teaching and Learning
A Grand day of STEM activities for Indigenous high school students
Six Nations Polytechnic partners with McMaster University and the University of Waterloo to explore STEM field work in the Grand River.
On June 15, students from Six Nations Polytechnic (SNP) and the STEAM Academy program donned their waders to join researchers Charles de Lannoy, Karen Kidd and Mark Servos to conduct experiments in the Grand River.
In its first year, this joint initiative led by McMaster University and the University of Waterloo, is a land-based experiential learning approach to science and engineering. The event is a pilot for a micro-credential course in which the students could eventually gain a McMaster University credit by the end of high school.
“It’s a very exciting opportunity to see engineering and science in action, and it’s also fun to just go into the river, cool off on a hot day, explore what these two rivers look like, discover what makes them different, and use technologies and an understanding of ecology to evaluate their health,” said de Lannoy, chemical engineering associate professor at McMaster and one of the lead organizers of the initiative.
Before beginning their work, a student laid tobacco in the water.
“We wanted to establish some protocol before conducting our investigations and environmental work,” said Chris Martin,
Indigenous Program Facilitator at SNP.
“Placing the tobacco in the river acknowledges where we are and lets creation know what we are about to do. It allows us to bring our minds together before the event.”
Throughout the day, students cycled through three activities: water quality monitoring and sensors, bug collection and identification and electrofishing. De Lannoy focuses on developing technologies that can continuously monitor the health of the river remotely and make those technologies robust, adaptable and cheaper.
Students were able to use these sensors to test the oxygen in various parts of the river to determine its health. One student remarked how the sensors were like little tentacles. De Lannoy was thrilled with the curiosity of the students, how they asked great questions and devised creative hypotheses.
Kidd, de Lannoy and Servos are part of a research program funded by Global Water Futures called “Co-Creation of Indigenous Water Quality Tools,” led by Dawn Martin-Hill at McMaster.
Engaging Local, National, Indigenous and Global Communities Highlights
Mac Eng celebrates our alumni community
McMaster Engineering commemorates 2020 and 2021
graduates in Legacy Celebration. The event hosted more than 600 attendees in a ceremony and reception to celebrate the incredible achievements of the students who completed their studies during the COVID-19 pandemic, giving them the opportunity to finally walk across the stage.
A celebration of eight reunion classes
Over 50 graduates came together on campus on September 17 to celebrate their milestone reunions; 20 of which celebrated 50 years from classes ‘70, ‘71, and ‘72. The event brought together alumni of all ages for a fun day of reminiscing on their time as students and catching-up with their extended Fireball Family.
This included Bruce Watson and Marlene Lenarduzzi whose daughter is in her second-year of the iBioMed program.
1,415
new alumni
25,100
active alumni
Vincent Suffoletto and Glenn McGinnis, class of 1970
124 students
enrolled in MacChangers: a co-curricular initiative which brings students together to tackle problems facing our local community and flex their problem-solving skills in areas such as: clean and green; supporting local businesses; arts and culture; infrastructure and built environment; and healthy and safe cities.
Cosmos Voutsinos, Mechanical Engineering alumnus, 1976, and his wife Donna, have included a gift in their wills to establish a scholarship in support of Mechanical Engineering graduate students who demonstrate academic and research excellence.
Throughout his career in the nuclear engineering industry, Cosmos carried an appreciation for the growth of knowledge and understanding that his McMaster professors fostered. Donna worked as a research assistant in Biochemistry from 1972 to 1975 under Dr. McCalla who was Dean of Science at that time. This gift is both an expression of their thanks for the past and encouragement for the future.
Interested in making a life-changing contribution? Learn more about how you can donate at eng.mcmaster.ca/giving.
Teaming up with community partners to teach toddlers STEM fundamentals
For the first time in Canada, McMaster Engineering’s Community Outreach is working to amplify developing the fundamentals of STEM learning experiences for children and for their caregivers through a variety of programs that include facilitated story time and plays, take-home STEM kits and professional development for front line staff. Partners include Hamilton Public Library, Grimsby Public Library, Hamilton Area EarlyONs, Six Nations Public Library and YWCA child care centres. This exciting, cutting-edge work harnesses the power of community collaboration to support children and families where they live and to spread the message that engineering is for everyone.
Global Engineering Design Studio (GEDS) program
This year, McMaster, along with McGill University, Monash University, University of Auckland, University of Southern California, University of Toronto, and University College London, have partnered to deliver the Global Engineering Design Studio (GEDS) program. The GEDS brings together engineering students from different parts of the world to work on some of our global society’s highest priority challenges. There were 70 students registered this year, 15 from McMaster.
Global Collaborations
• Andrea Hemmerich, W Booth School sessional faculty member, is supporting a new collaboration between Academics Without Borders and Meru University of Science and Technology. She has been working to equip the Kenyan population with more professionals in cancer care.
• Sarah Dickson-Anderson, civil engineering professor, participated in field work in Ghana as part
of a collaboration between McMaster University, University of Saskatchewan, University of Ghana
and Ugandan Christian University to investigate the gendered impacts of water accessibility in rural sub-Saharan African communities in the context of climate change.
• David Novog, engineering physics professor and NSERC Industrial Research Chair, hosted
Christian Reiter, professor, at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). With two of the largest university-based nuclear reactors in the world, TUM and McMaster aim to collaborate to support
Small Modular Reactor deployment projects, improve methods used to license nuclear reactors in small communities and co-develop new solutions to improve the sustainability of nuclear energy.
• Mike Noseworthy, electrical & computer engineering professor, is collaborating with Swiss clinicians and scientists. He is working with members at the Swiss Concussion Centre, Felix
Platter Spittal and Swiss Neuro Radiosurgery Center to better treat patients with brain injuries.
Noseworthy’s partnerships are showing promise in early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, long COVID and Hantavirus infection.
• Jim Cotton, mechanical engineering professor, spent the summer as a visiting professor at the
Institute of Fluid Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. He explored the applicability of their cutting-edge high-speed velocimetry measurement systems for his advanced thermal energy storage system. He is also planning graduate student exchanges for 2023 and establishing this new experimental testing capacity at McMaster to aid in the Faculty’s strategic research program on low carbon economy pathways.
Leadership, Awards & Appointments
Provost Susan Tighe won the Sandford Fleming Award at the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) 2022 Annual Conference in Whistler, B.C. Alumni Chris Schankula and Mitchell Cooke received the 2022 Governor General Academic Medals.
Dean Heather Sheardown, Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor Zeinab Hosseinidoust and Materials Science and Engineering Distinguished Professor Igor Zhitomirsky named Canada Research Chairs.
Engineering Physics Professor Leyla Soleymani named to Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.
Professor Emeritus and former Dean John Bandler received the 2023 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Electromagnetics Award for contributions to electromagnetic optimization and the modeling of high-frequency structures, circuits and devices.
Integrated Biomedical Engineering & Health Sciences Assistant Professor Anna Korol received the Excellence in Teaching Award at the McMaster Students Union (MSU) Teaching Awards.
Nobel laureate and McMaster alumna Donna Strickland was honoured with a street naming ceremony that took place during this year’s Nobel Week.
Babak Nahid-Mobarakeh, electrical and computer engineering professor, has been named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in recognition of his contributions to service continuity of electric motor drive systems. Electrical & Computer Engineering Distinguished Professor Jamal Deen recognized for important contributions to the field of computer engineering and science with the prestigious Gottleib medal from the IEEE. Deen was also the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from MSU and the President’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision.
iBioMed alumna Lianna Genovese, researcher Zobia Jawed and Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering alumna Navita Dyal honoured as recipients of the YWCA Hamilton Women of Distinction Awards.
Electrical & Computer Engineering Professor Mehdi Narimani named a 2022 University Scholar, an award that recognizes the achievements of mid-career researchers who are considered global leaders in a number of diverse research areas and academic disciplines.
McMaster Engineering’s Venture Academy was awarded with the Actua Experience Award and were recognized, in particular, for their achievements within the National Girls program.
Josh Lawrence was this year’s recipient of the President’s Award of Excellence in Student Leadership for his commitment to serving and supporting engineering students as a peer tutor, volunteer, teaching assistant and through various leadership roles.
Omar Danta was honoured with The Veronika Czerneda Staff Award for Outstanding Service. Omar has been a loyal employee of the Faculty of Engineering for more than 13 years and worked extensively with the many technology labs in the W Booth School.
Six McMaster Engineering-affiliated professionals, including professors
and alumni, have been elected to the Canadian Academy of Engineering in recognition of their outstanding contributions to their fields:
Brian Baetz
Gail Krantzberg
Professor, Masters of Engineering and Public Policy Program, W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology
John Preston
Associate Dean, Research, Innovation and External Relations
Lynnette Madsen
Visiting Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University
Moncef Nehdi
Michelle George
Vice President, New Energy Technologies, Enbridge Inc.
Academic Leadership Appointments
Sarah Dickson-Anderson
Acting Associate Dean, Academic
Tom Doyle
Engineering Leadership Fellow
Moncef Nehdi
Chair, Department of Civil Engineering
Mohamed Bakr
Colin McDonald
Vince Leung
Andrew Gadsden
Engineering Leadership Fellow
Denise Geiskkovitch
Michael Tait
Joe Ng-JNE Consulting Endowed Chair in Design, Construction & Management of Infrastructure Renewal
Stephen Veldhuis
Director, McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute
Mehdi Narimani
University Scholar
Writers: Christine Rankin, Meggie MacDougall, Kim Arnott. Designers: McKim.Sherpa. Data Analyst: Kevin Fitzgerald. Photographers: Dan Kim, Geoff Shaw, Georgia Kirkos. Editors: Naz Kittani, Ciara McCann
McMaster Engineering’s 2022 Schulich Leaders
Launched in 2012, Schulich Leader Scholarships provides up to 100 undergraduate scholarships each year, across top Canadian universities. Schulich Leaders are entrepreneurial-minded students looking to pursue careers in technology, engineering, entrepreneurship and business enterprise and applied scientific research. This year we had five students from Engineering represented:
Camille Gillespie
Camille Gillespie intends on using their studies to make a difference in the global environment as a chemical engineer, with a focus on reducing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Javayria Mudassar
As an aspiring astronaut, Javayria Mudassar says she intends to inspire other women, and in particular Muslim women, to pursue careers in STEM fields
Michelle Adams
As a high school student, Michelle Adams spent many hours working with their community’s robotics team and has launched a community robotics event for kids to inspire the future generation of STEM students.
Rebecca Barbera
Rebecca Barbera wants to one day lead a team of engineers focused on nuclear thermal propulsion in high-speed space travel and she is passionate about being a role model for young girls in STEM.
Tyler Smith
Tyler Smith intends to use the teamwork skills they developed as a competitive curler to work with colleagues across all disciplines to develop additive manufacturing technologies that can be brought into mainstream use.
McMaster University Faculty of Engineering
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