Student Success stories

June, 2023 – Here are a few student success stories from their summer 2022 research positions:

Celine Greis (Mitacs award)

From Celine: I modelled the effects of Ram Pressure on the clumpy molecular gas of ten Virgo Cluster Galaxies. My supervisors provided excellent support throughout the project, creating a valuable environment to ask questions, thrive and explore the wonders of the Universe and the beauty of galaxies. What started as a summer project evolved into the wish to stay at McMaster as a graduate student.

Godefroy Bichon (Mitacs award)

From Godefroy: I studied the results of simulations about how star clusters evolve following different initial parameters. I got the data generated by the simulations described by EMP-Pathfinder, and I had to explore what they could tell us about star clusters behaviour. We mainly focused on how initial sizes influence their evolution, and which are the main mechanisms that disrupt clusters following how dense they are. For an example we found that denser clusters resist better tidal shocks but suffer more from evaporation.

I really appreciated the contact I had with my two main interlocutors, Marta the post-doc I was working with and Alison my supervisor who helped us to search about clusters. I was totally part of the team and it was really pleasant to work in a true collaboration. I also liked a lot discovering something totally new as star clusters were for me, and the good explanations I had during the first weeks really helped me to understand my job. In a nutshell, my team was great and it was a pleasant and interesting adventure!

Kyle Batschkun (Research Experience Award)

From Kyle: For my summer research project, I worked along side Christine Wilson and Jiayi Sun studying the M95 galaxy. Specifically, I used telescope images of M95 from ALMA, and identified and analyzed suspected star forming regions. The images were taken with two different bands, 93 GHz and 350 GHz. I used both of these to extract different information from each suspected star forming region. Finally, I created plots of the gathered information and compared my results to similar analyses performed on other galaxies by different researchers.

Astronomy has always been of great interest to me, so I enjoyed learning about how the astronomy research process works and really enjoyed getting to be a part of it. I also enjoyed getting to work closely with Christine, Jiayi, and Christine’s graduate students.

Anonymous (Research Experience Award)

From anonymous: My time doing research showed me a lot of new things. My research was about using code to model a Bose-Einstein Condensate in a double-well potential. It was suggested to analyze the system as an oscillating pendulum as the equations of motion were quite similar. I then used Mathematica to try to model the system of the particles quantum tunneling from one well to the other. Seeing the inner workings of how scientists use mathematical models to simulate things in Nature filled me with a burning desire to hone my skills. I also got to interact with professors, Masters and PHD students that have given me valuable advice on my path in physics.

Research Experience Awards

Jan, 2023 – The Department of Physics and Astronomy recognizes that talented Black and Indigenous students encounter systemic (e.g. historical, social, and/or environmental) barriers to full and fair access, representation, opportunities, and resources with respect to physics education and higher learning. Students who self-identify as Black, Indeginous, and/or racialized are encouraged to apply for this prestigious award to work a fully-funded summer position with a professor on a research project. A list of available projects and how to apply can be found here . Applications are due February 14th, 2023

EDI Committee Newsletter, July 2022

July, 2022 – We are excited to publish the EDI Committee Newsletter 2022 where we highlight the progress that has been made in the past year. We also share goals and announce the faculty membership for the upcoming year.

EDI Committee Newsletter, July 2021

July 13, 2021 – We are excited to publish the EDI Committee Newsletter 2021 where we highlight the progress that has been made in the past year. We also share goals and announce the faculty membership for the upcoming year.

Physics & Astronomy Research Experience Award

May 12, 2021 – McMaster Daily News reports on the newly established Physics & Astronomy Research Experience Award, created to support undergraduate Faculty of Science students who identify as Black, Indigenous and/or racialized, and have an interest in research. Students will be paid a stipend to work alongside department researchers beginning in May 2022. To learn more about and to contribute to the fund, click the button below.

Executive Summary Of EDI Survey 2020

March 22, 2021 – Last December the department’s Equity Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) committee undertook a survey of the department to help us to prioritize proposed EDI initiatives and to obtain feedback from department members. The results of the survey can be found here: Resource: Executive Summary of EDI Survey 2020

The Department of Physics & Astronomy’s Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (EDI) Committee was formed September 2020 to advocate for and address the needs of marginalized members of our community. The EDI Committee works to build equity in the Department’s education, research, and scholarship activities and provide equal opportunity.

This webpage will act as the communication hub for the Committee to engage with our community members. The Committee aims to work transparently and will provide regular updates on this webpage. The Committee also welcomes feedback and encourages members of the Department to communicate with us and hold us accountable.

The Committee members for the 2021-2022 Academic Year:

• Chair – Dr. Robert Cockcroft
• Vice-chair – Dr. Pat Clancy
• Vice-chair – Dr. Duncan O’Dell
• Faculty Representative – Dr. Christine Wilson
• Graduate Student Representative – Veronika Dornan
• Graduate Student Representative – Celine Greis
• Undergraduate Student Representative – Aileen Shanzeela
• Post-doctoral Representative – Dr. Devin Burke
• Staff Representative – Dr. Dan FitzGreen

Goals & Initiatives

Student Support

• Established a mentoring program to connect Level 1 students from underrepresented groups to upper-level mentors.
• The newly established Physics & Astronomy Research Experience Award supports students in developing valuable research skills during their undergraduate experience. Funding will be awarded to students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or racialized and who are pursuing research opportunities in Physics & Astronomy. We are currently accepting donations towards this award through the link in the Donate button. The first of these awards were made in the summer of 2022, and will continue for summers until at least the next few years.

Training/Learning

• Coordinating EDI training workshops and EDI-related colloquia in the Department of Physics & Astronomy.
• Establishing a departmental demographic/climate survey.

Communication/Community Building

• Share and distribute useful resources and training programs on EDI-related topics within the Department of Physics & Astronomy.
• Hosting a town hall for all members of the Department to open discussion and encourage feedback on all EDI issues and initiatives.

Curriculum

• Incorporating non-western knowledge into the curriculum through the development of an Indigenous astronomy course with Indigenous collaborators on- and off-campus.

Outreach

• Bring physics to underrepresented communities:
  • Indigenous astronomy public outreach initiaive.
  • Acquisition of a portable planetarium to bring shows to schools from underrepresented communities.
  • Physics lab kits sent to students in underrepresented groups accompanied with a mentorship program.
  • Expand Girls in Science day to include underrepresented groups broadly.
  • Mentoring program for students from underrepresented groups (with high school students).

Advocacy

• Working towards an award for students working to foster inclusivity.

Upcoming

• Stay tuned for more upcoming events!

Past Events

• Designing and Assigning Accessible Assessments by Devon Mordell – Monday, May 1st, 2023 – 2:30pm-4:00pm
  • Design your assessments with accessibility in mind! Assessments are the source of a significant number of accommodation requests at McMaster; creating accessible assessments from the outset can help to reduce the number of accommodations student have to request. You can develop rigorous and robust assessments with fewer barriers for students by adhering to digital accessibility standards and following Universal Design for Learning guidelines.
• Anti-racism and Inclusion Workshop by Renata Hall – Tuesday, March 14th, 2023 – 1:30pm-4:20pm
  • This workshop is focused on building foundational knowledge around the facilitators and barriers to equity, diversity, and inclusion in teaching and learning sectors. Focusing on an anti-oppressive approach to teaching and mentoring, this workshop will ground the discussion in pathways to eliminating unconscious bias, stereotypes, and covert forms of discrimination in teaching and learning practices while focusing and promoting self development in regards to the principles of inclusive of teaching and learning. Slides from the talk are available here
• Creating STEM department cultures that support diversity – Wednesday, November 16th, 2022 – 3:30pm-4:30pm
  • A schema for mapping the elements of department culture that can help departments support diversity and help diverse department members navigate their workplace.
• Graduate-student only workshop – Thursday, April 28th, 2022 – 3:00pm-5:00pm
  • Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Fundamentals: This workshop is an introduction to equity, diversity and inclusion. Learn about key concepts and policies administered by the Equity and Inclusion Office.
• Asking for Help: A Mental Health Workshop, Zeinab Khawaja, Student Wellness Centre – Wednesday, March 23, 2022 – 2:30pm-3:30pm
  • Why asking for support can be so difficult for many of us.
• Making the Connections Between Science and Race Visible, Dr. Rodrigo Narro Perez  – Wednesday, February 9, 2022 – 3:30pm-4:30pm
  • Including anti-racist practices in a science undergraduate classroom.
• Colloquium Speakers, Dr. Ninan Abraham, University of British Columbia – Wednesday, September 29, 2021 – 3:30pm-4:30pm
  • What have we been missing in racial equity in academia?
  • Colloquium Event Description and Details
• Colloquium Speakers, Kate Brown & Devon Mordell, Equity & Inclusion Office, McMaster University – Wednesday, April 21, 2021 – 3:30pm-4:30pm
  • Title: Intersection of Accessibility and Teaching
  • Colloquium Event Description and Details
  • Resource: Applying Accessibility Principles to Online Learning
• Colloquium Speaker, Dr. Robert Cockcroft, McMaster University – Wednesday, February 24, 2021 – 3:30pm-4:30pm
  • Title: Indigenous Skies: Increasing Diversity in Astronomical Knowledge through Community- and Curriculum-Building
  • Colloquium Event Description and Details
• Fall 2020 Town Hall – Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at 3:30pm
• Colloquium Speaker, Dr. Shohini Ghose, Wilfred Laurier University– Wednesday, November 4, 2020 – 3:30pm-4:30pm
  • Title: Good IDEA! Promoting excellence in science through Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility
  • Colloquium Event Description and Details
• Workshop, An Introduction to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion led by Khadijeh Rakie from McMaster’s Office of Equity & Inclusion – Wednesday, September 30, 2020 – 3:00pm-4:30pm

Looking for more information? Visit the Resources Page to learn about resources available at McMaster and in the Hamilton community. Want to get in touch? Please send feedback and questions by emailing the Committee Chair at clancyp@mcmaster.ca .