Elevate: A Day for Inclusion in Science organized by PIPA – Promoting Inclusivity in Physics & Astronomy
Tuesday, May 31st was our annual outreach event Elevate: A Day for Inclusion in Science organized by PIPA – Promoting Inclusivity in Physics & Astronomy. Elevate is a free event open to any student in grade 10 from local high schools with special encouragement to those who identify with traditionally equity seeking groups in STEM to register. As in past years, the registration filled quickly, and the day was a complete success.
We started by building our own microscopes. In the picture below taken by Cathie Coward with the Hamilton Spectator, graduate student Hamza Khattak is helping attendee Nicole Vandiermen with her foldscope. Attendees were looking at hair and pollen and shirt fibres. Super cool!
It was a hot day to tour the McMaster Greenhouse but totally worth it. The Planetarium is always a hit – and nicely air conditioned! We also got to look through the telescope at lunch to see sunspots thanks to Sidewalk Astronomy. We learned about the inner workings of the hand with a kinesiology workshop run by graduate students Sydney, Nigel, Ryan, and Aiden. And we heard some really fabulous advice and wisdom during the undergraduate panel with Cynthia, Ava, Joshua, and Taren.
We ended the day with our keynote speaker Dr. Rob Cockcroft who shared his personal experience as a gay astronomer which was completely inspirational and riveting. Did you guys know about our solar system scales? Mind blowing stuff! Happy Pride everyone!
Special thanks to the many volunteers who helped make this day possible including (but not limited to) Carmen Lee, Rachel Pillsworth, Blake Ledger, Hamza Khattak, Kaitlin Cerrillo, Hannah Krivic, and Veronika Dornan.
Here’s the full article from The Spec
Special credit to Cathie Coward, Photojournalist
Yuan Gao from Oakville and Ella Bradley from Westdale Secondary School take part in a kinesiology ‘what’s in a hand’ workshop
P&A graduate student Hamza Khattak helps Elevate attendee Nicole Vandiermen with a folding microscope
Miriam Abdelmalk from Waterdown smells Jamaican Sage at the McMaster Biology Greenhouse
Graduate student Shay Freger gives Elevate attendees a tour of the McMaster Biology Greenhouse
