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Outreach

Support

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Incoming & Current Students

Are you a student from an Equity-Deserving Group and have questions about student experience and support? EDGs include (but are not limited to): Black, Latinx, racialized and/or newcomer students, Indigenous students, First generation university students, Students from low-income households or neighbourhoods, Students with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ students 

We welcome students from EDGs who are interested in exploring science programs at McMaster University to book a 1:1 meeting with Aaron to explore dedicated resources available to current and future Mac students! Nervous? Family and friends are welcome to join us! We can chat about offices and services related to: Admissions & Faculty of Science Programs; Financial Aid; Co-op and Research, and Community Supports on Campus. 

Looking for Support at McMaster Science? Let’s Connect!

Book a time with Aaron

MePLUS

McMaster Equitable Pathways to Learning University Science (MePLUS) is a free 10 month-long science outreach program for Black, Indigenous, and/or Latin American/Latinx high school students!?  

Running from September to June, our monthly program offers science workshops, mentorship, and skill building opportunities to our participants. MePLUS is open to Grade 9 to 12 students in Hamilton, Halton and surrounding areas who identify as belonging to Black, Indigenous and/or Latin American communities. Our goal is encourage youth from these communities to consider pursuing university-level science programs and to help them begin prepping for these programs. Throughout the program, students will have the opportunity to learn about STEM pathways, meet current students and faculty in Science, and explore McMaster’s campus.

In addition to our cohort program, we also run Day Trips for classes, schools, and community organizations who are interested in visiting campus during weekdays

The MePLUS Program will feature:

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Science Workshops

Engaging workshops will be organized to introduce students to different scientific concepts and experiments within the varying sciences fields.

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Mentorship

Students will be paired with science graduate student mentors who will provide guidance and support throughout the MePLUS program.

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Leadership and Professional Development

Students will have the chance to develop professional and academic skills through participation in various workshops and mentoring encounters, including financial literacy, and networking.

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Annual Cohort Program

MePLUS sessions run once a month (on the first Saturday of every month) from 9:30am-2:30pm. Each Saturday will consist of a combination of science workshops and labs, mentorship opportunities, and skill building workshops.?Sessions provide introductory information to STEM fields and involve an interactive, hands-on elements to help students experience research and lab opportunities. Cultural lunches sourced from community vendors are also be provided to students. It is expected that students who participate in MePLUS will make it to a minimum of 5 out of the 10 sessions.

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MePLUS Day Trips

Through our Day Trip program, MePLUS hosts various school groups, classes, and community organizations who are interested in bringing their students to McMaster’s campus to explore our Science programs and to participate in our STEM-focused workshops. Our Day Trips try to give groups a taste of our MePLUS Cohort Program through one afternoon of programming. We provide all programming at zero cost, but are not able to cover transportation and/or food. This is an example of what a MePLUS Day Trip itinerary can look like: 

  • 12:00-12:30PM:– Presentation on McMaster University STEM programs and admissions (Faculty of Science, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of ArtSci) 
  • 12:30-1:30PM:– MePLUS science workshop 
  • 1:30-2:15PM:– Campus tour & visit to Black Student Success Centre 
  • 2:15-3:00PM:– Lunch & networking with current Faculty of Science students 
  • 3:00-4:00PM:– Skill building workshop 

We provide a wide range of STEM and skill-building workshops, and work with visiting groups to figure out what they are most interested in exploring through MePLUS.  

Current Facilitators

Bruno Dias Dos Santos

Gabriela Jackeline Masri Ahmar

Opemipo Chidubem Oluwasola

Communications Assistant

Tomas Tamang

Mentorship

Gonzalo Dejo Carson Kondrat Danielle Berges Jade Mendes
Elizabeth Akinsola Alicia Birru Stephanie Henry Raven Morgan
James McDonough Maryam Abdella Daniela Caballero Teneilia Simpson
Alexandra Fuentes Rakel Evans Carla-Sophia Rodriguez Thomas Kanitz Rasmussen
Maya Gallardo

Access Program

Outreach activities from our office focus on students identifying as members of equity deserving groups – this is in partnership with and commensurate with the objectives and mandate of the Faculty, Institutional priorities as well as McMaster Access Strategy. Consistent with this, our Access and Outreach Coordinator, Equity Deserving Groups, Aaron Parry works in partnership with our office and members of the Access Program team.

To learn more about the Access Program, please visit their website.