Life Sciences Gateway

Being an ArtSci can lead to many things: realizing the goals you set for yourself when you were five (or twenty-five), surprising yourself with careers you hadn’t heard of before you arrived at the program, or, at a minimum, discovering that you are surrounded by students, professors and staff who are committed to a discipline of adventurous learning. Caution: you might lose the capacity to sit still, be quiet, and accept what you’re told…a phenomenon that later pushed the boundaries of my law degree into human rights activism and feminist legal research. While I was at McMaster, I knew I was part of an amazing academic community; when I left, I realized that I had been given the foundation to keep on educating myself, critically and energetically, in the world.

The education I was able to obtain in the program was rich and lasting; I draw from the ideas and skills I learned at Mac in every dimension of my life. As well, the wonderful friendships and relationships that came out of my time in Arts & Science have been one of the program’s greatest gifts. From my first days at Mac, ArtScis have been inspiring, intelligent and entertaining, and I feel fortunate to be a member of the Arts & Science community, a great source of inspiration for my plans and goals after the program. In my professional life as an emergency physician, I wear many different hats, and from hour to hour, find myself thinking back to lessons from nearly all of the program’s core courses. Yesterday morning, I was writing a grant proposal and statistical analysis plan with thoughts of Inquiry, Writing, Stats, and Logic in mind; in the evening I was counseling patients with lessons from Lit coming back to me. I can think of nowhere else but Arts & Science where I could have found such grounding and preparation.

Being in the Arts & Science Program was about learning how to approach the questions to which there are no easy answers; being part of a learning community that challenged and cherished me; and figuring out my passions and the ways in which I would contribute to life on this planet. It is a program that nurtured me as a thinker and global citizen, while incubating a community that continues to have a meaningful presence in my life years after graduation.

I was attracted to the opportunity to take a variety of courses from different disciplines throughout the program, with a particular emphasis on writing and critical thinking skills. I was especially attracted to the interdisciplinary (Inquiry) courses focusing on global issues – I wanted to be able to apply what I was learning in my coursework to real and important issues, so that I could continue to do that beyond my university career.

Adam Pantaleo was awarded an NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award in his first year of iSci.

Adam conducted research at McMaster in the Department of Chemistry working alongside Dr. Peter Kruse. Adam spent his summer studying nanoscale patterns that form during the electropolishing of certain metals. Electropolishing, or electrochemical polishing, is used to polish metal surfaces using electrically charged solutions of electrolytes. It has many applications in metal finishing.

Adam assisted Dr. Kruse in determining if this process can be used on a variety of metals and in a range of conditions.

Prateek Gupta is a student in one of McMaster’s most innovative programs. Now he has been named one of the country’s most innovative undergraduates.

Gupta, in his second year of the Integrated Science Program (iSci) at McMaster, has been accepted into “The Next 36”, a national program designed to launch the careers of 36 of Canada’s most promising students.

The initiative will give Gupta and three team members $50,000 and guidance from some of Canada’s top business leaders to develop an application for a mobile device as well as a $25,000 scholarship to participate in the program’s summer Entrepreneurship Institute.

Julianne Bagg travelled to Greece in 2010 to study at the Priniatikos Pyrgos archeological field school for the month of August. Priniatikos Pyrgos, an archeological harbour site located on the Gulf of Mirabello in east Crete, is home to artifacts from the Late Bronze Age, Hellenistic and Byzantine times and has been occupied since the Late Neolithic period (the fifth millennium BCE).

Julianne spent five weeks at the field school learning about archeological fieldwork and archeological issues such as pottery, drawing, Geographic Information System (GIS), human osteology and paeleobotany and soaking up the Greek sun.

She had the chance to work closely with an experienced archeologist in her own trench as well as attend seminars led by some of the team members.

BA (Hons.) Anthropology, BSc Life Sciences ’14

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BA (Hons.) Political Science ’11, BA Geography ’12

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BA (Hons.) Labour Studies and Political Science ’12

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My name is Monica Polania and I entered my fourth and final year of the BScN program in September 2011. Before I started the program, I knew that nursing was a profession full of opportunities, but what I never imagined were the opportunities available to me as a McMaster nursing student! Over my first three years at McMaster I was presented with so many opportunities.

The BScN program works hard to create learning opportunities for all students in a variety of areas, not only academic and clinical, but also professionalism, advocacy, and leadership. As a student, I have seen qualities in the faculty and peers around me that I have appreciated and wanted to mirror, including passion for the profession and one’s colleagues.

Using the foundation this program develops in its students has led me to build initiative and passion for the profession, program and my fellow students. I have enjoyed participating in faculty development days; providing a student’s perspective on curriculum implementation for faculty members; being a part of the University’s student government; organizing welcome week for incoming nursing students; attending conferences with hundreds of nursing students from across Canada; meeting incredible and inspiring people like Cathy Crowe and Jean Watson; and being the president of the McMaster Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Society.

This program is full of the most amazing people you will ever meet: peers, faculty, and RNs, and I know that because of this School and these people I have changed so much and I hope to one day be able to provide opportunities for others like those provided for me.

My name is Larissa Beney and I graduated from the McMaster School of Nursing in 2010. My time at McMaster was incredible and life-changing. The unique person-based style of learning was instrumental in the development of my critical thinking and problem solving skills. This program taught me so much more than the foundational nursing skills essential for clinical practice. I developed leadership and group process skills unique to the style of classroom learning which I continue to apply in meeting scenarios. Throughout the program, foundational sciences were intertwined with nursing concepts giving me the knowledge and understanding needed to be a contributing member of the healthcare team. This program gave me the foundation and equipped me with the skills I need to build a successful career as a registered nurse.

My name is Patrick Chiu and I recently completed my BScN degree here at McMaster. Throughout my years in the School of Nursing I had a variety of opportunities to grow as a student and as a professional. McMaster’s nursing program is truly unique and one-of-a-kind. As a result of the small problem-based learning classes, students learn not only the fundamental concepts of nursing theory and clinical skills, but they also gain tremendous leadership, teamwork and evidence-based research skills. McMaster’s BScN program also opened my eyes to the various opportunities in the nursing field: those in direct patient care, policy, research and administration.

With a mix of problem-based learning classes, health sciences courses and clinical practice, I know that McMaster graduates are well rounded, intelligent and caring nursing professionals. This program provides various opportunities for students in terms of extracurricular activities, professional development, and unique fourth- year international placements. In choosing nursing and McMaster, you will enter a field with never-ending opportunities and an exceptional school that will help you along the way!

I recently graduated with my BScN nursing degree from McMaster. This incredible program did not only prepare me to be a RN, but it also taught me how to treat every individual with respect, dignity and worth both in and out of the profession. Before starting my nursing journey I shamelessly made judgments and assumptions of others. The wonderful professors and person-based style of learning at McMaster allowed me view every patient equally and learn their unique stories. I have learnt that behind every individual is a story, hardships and success along with the importance to listen to the client without judgement. This nursing program will allow each and every one of you to learn how to view the patient as a human being despite their diagnosis, appearance and background which allows you to provide the best care possible. Your McMaster nursing future awaits you!

What I really like about McMaster’s BScN program is the learning that takes place in the CSBL lab. The CSBL lab since my first year to my last has helped me develop into a competent nurse through providing a great amount of knowledge, peer support, resources, and a place to hone my clinical skills. Nursing has a strong emphasis on evidence-based practice, where the best available evidence is used to make an informed decision for the patient’s care. I believe future-nursing students will be able to cultivate this practice through engaging in problem-based learning (PBL) in their final year at McMaster.

I chose McMaster nursing because of its reputation of producing quality nurses – competent with great critical thinking skills and capable of handling situations with a PBL approach. I can say with confidence that McMaster has lived up to their reputation. When coming into nursing, I was not the most confident or most mature individual; however, as I progressed through the years I notably become a more professional mature person. My journey taught me a lot about self-growth and the importance of leadership in not only for patients but also for fellow peers in helping them grow and improve.