Exploring innovation at the Ice Cream Social & Summer Research Poster Showcase
Get a glimpse into the remarkable research undertaken by accomplished Mac Eng students.
About EREA
Our Dean’s Excellence Engineering Research Experience Award winners are students who entered McMaster’s Faculty of Engineering with top marks and scholarships.
They have just finished their 1st year in the Faculty of Engineering and are now spending their summer working under professors, researchers, and entrepreneurs across campus to gain valuable work experience and create a network of contacts to grow their careers.
Please be advised that in order to maintain eligibility for this award you will be required to:
- Successfully complete all required Level I program courses prior to May 1, 2024; and
- Achieve a minimum cumulative average (CA) for all courses of 9.5 on the McMaster Grading System
The award is a contribution of $6,000 towards a paid work position in research, teaching, and/or entrepreneurship for the summer after first year of studies. Your employer may contribute additional funds for this position. The total amount you receive will be equal to or more than minimum wage for the hours worked.
Students can work under any faculty member or researcher on campus (inside or outside the Faculty of Engineering). Our students can also work alongside entrepreneurs at The Forge, a start-up incubator at McMaster. Your work opportunity does NOT have to be in a traditional laboratory environment.
In the fall of your first year, the Centre for Career Growth and Experience (the Centre) will invite you to an information session. During this info session, they will explain the process which involves:
- submitting a resume for review and revisions (resumes are compiled into an electronic resume book and sent out to every professor within the Faculty of Engineering, The Forge, and other key research groups); and
- learning strategies for how to research and communicate with professors in your fields of interest.
Some students will receive an invitation to interview directly from a professor who selected them out of the electronic resume book. Other students have a clear idea of who they want to work with and will seek to initiate a conversation with those faculty members or researchers directly. In either case, the Centre is here to help guide you through the process.
Yes! As long as your position meets the minimum number of hours/week (35 hours/week) and the minimum number of weeks (12 weeks), it will count as co-op credit.
In addition to your paid work position, you will be invited to participate in weekly professional development sessions, which include:
- Guest lectures from professors on their research areas
- Research-oriented and professional skills workshops
- ‘Speed Networking’ Extravaganzas
- Considering a Career in R&D? Research careers outside academia
- Trivia Social Nights
- 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition
- ‘Your Future in Graduate Studies’ sessions facilitated by the Engineering Graduate Society (EGS) executive
In addition, we host various social events, including a summer BBQ, speed networking, and games! There is also an end-of-summer poster showcase, where you will share the work that you have been involved into a broader audience.
Undergraduate research showcase
The Annual Undergraduate Research Showcase is a collaborative event held by McMaster Society for Engineering Research (MacSER) and the Centre for Career Growth and Experience (the Centre).
The event brings staff, faculty and community members together to explore and engage with the diverse range of research projects led by undergraduate students.
As home to one of the largest undergraduate research programs in Canada, the Faculty of Engineering provides their students with opportunities to gain meaningful experience in research areas such as the ethics of artificial intelligence and data collection, characterization of bone structure, electrochemical biosensing, zinc ion batteries and more.
