Bipasha Bose joined the McMaster University community in 2016 as a postdoctoral fellow in Mechanical Engineering, then became principal research engineer at the McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI). She is now senior principal research engineer at MMRI and the program manager and founder of the Material Property Assessment Laboratory (MPAL). The state-of-the-art MPAL provides the testing infrastructure for evaluating materials and has been used to conduct research for hundreds of student and industry projects. Through MMRI and MPAL, Bipasha’s work has helped establish collaborations with 23 different McMaster research groups, 10 other universities and colleges, six start-up companies and more than 40 industry partners including international and governmental organizations. She has also played a key role in industry projects that have generated outstanding results, such as a remarkable 160% business growth for one industry partner and the development of four new products in a single year for a start-up company.  

Bipasha has demonstrated excellence in mentoring graduate students and applying her materials engineering expertise to enhancing McMaster’s research capacity and research output. She has also played a vital part in connecting her work beyond the McMaster campus. For example, she collaborated with an elementary school robotics team as a mentor to young women interested in science and technology and she helped initiate the MMRI Industrial Training Program by offering her courses for its inauguration.

Rachel Couban is the medical librarian in the Department of Anesthesia and the research coordinator for the Michael G. DeGroote National Pain Centre. In addition to her research-related duties, Rachel has also taken on responsibilities including teaching, supervision, grant coordination and conference submissions. Working with a large group of information specialists, she has delivered several systematic reviews that identified large bodies of evidence that have been missed by other research groups. That kind of insight has allowed Rachel to make invaluable contributions to 94 publications and counting. The results of those publications have influenced projects including reviews of drug treatments for COVID-19 and several crucial evidence syntheses on the management of acute COVID-19 that have supported new World Health Organization guidelines. 

Known by peers for both the speed and the quality of her work, Rachel has a strong track record of supporting both prominent research groups and student research projects. She has become an impactful trainer and advocate for applications such as DistillerSR and Covidence and she is a leader in improving systems and processes. With the National Pain Centre, for example, Rachel has streamlined processes for evidence syntheses, coordinated regular meetings with faculty and trainees, taken the lead on collating and submitting presentations to conferences and stayed on top of the latest advancements in information science. 

Samantha Couch has been part of the Science Career and Cooperative Education team for more than a decade and a half, starting as a recruitment assistant and serving since 2021 as program manager for cooperative education. Her impact and length of service have earned her the affectionate nickname “The Mom of Co-op” and she lives up to that unofficial title by building personal relationships with scores of co-op students every year. For example, at the onset of the pandemic, Sam worked tirelessly to support the 136 students working their first co-op terms. She revised employment dates, identified new options and provided personal support to students as far away as Madagascar.  

Sam leads the Co-op Student Advisory Group and played a key role in engaging co-op students in the development of the Faculty’s strategic plan. In 2021, she developed and delivered the Co-op Symposium (since rebranded as Science Career Expo) to give students returning from their first co-op experiences the opportunity to present to fellow Science students. Sam developed a mentorship program that connects first-time co-op students with an upper-year student and a co-op graduate. She also led the development of the successful Co-op Ambassador Program

Beyond the McMaster campus, Sam has consulted on an e-Campus Ontario initiative with the University of Toronto and has been a volunteer proposal reviewer for Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL). 

Stephanie Haak joined the Faculty of Engineering in 2012 and moved to the 5-Year Programs team in 2018 to help launch the Innovation Minor and coordinate programs including Engineering & Society, Engineering & Management and MacChangers. In the process, Stephanie has earned a reputation for taking care of the “little” things that can easily accumulate into significant impact, like removing expired posters while on her way to a meeting or negotiating a contract to achieve significant savings for the Faculty. One of Stephanie’s notable contributions has been supervising two dozen volunteers and more than 300 high school students for the Deltahacks overnight Hackathons. She played significant roles in launching MacBill in 2018, redesigning the Engineering website and being a member of the Engineering & Management Industrial Advisory Committee. Stephanie also has a strong track record of contributions to various conferences including the International Conference on Engineering Education and Research. 

Always dedicated to students, Stephanie has completed the Professor Hippo-on-Campus Mental Health Education program and is progressing in the Teaching and Learning Certificate program. She has been an exceptional mentor with the student societies in Engineering & Management and Engineering & Society and, in 2023, she volunteered with the Tax Squad to provide free tax services to students and eligible community members. Stephanie is also pursuing her MBA in the DeGroote School of Business where she is a dedicated teaching assistant. 

Renata Hall is the manager of inclusion and anti-racism education with the Equity and Inclusion Office and a PhD candidate and sessional instructor in the School of Social Work. Renata is a busy mentor in equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) who has taken on dotted-line supervision with a number of colleagues who are engaged in EDIA in the McMaster community – a commitment that has helped her create an influential community of practice. A cornerstone of Renata’s work is building supportive alliances with on-campus groups including the President’s Advisory Committee on Building an Inclusive Committee – Race, Racialization and Racism Working Group. She collaborated with the MacPherson Institute to create the Inclusive Teaching and Learning Resources webpage and with the Black, Indigenous and Racialized Staff Employee Resource Group in their successful proposal for Strategic Excellence and Equity in Recruitment and Retention Program funding. She has also designed strategic EDIA plans for several McMaster departments. 

A sought-after speaker on EDIA issues, Renata co-created the digital platform Learning in Colour to promote inclusive pedagogy, later presenting on that work at the President’s Retreat and at several conferences. Renata also served as an IQAP reviewer for the School of Social Work and has taken it upon herself to create safe peer support spaces at McMaster for Black and for Muslim students in the wake of distressing world events. 

Ben O’Connor joined the Office of the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies in the Faculty of Science in 2016 as an academic support associate before becoming a recruitment & academic advisor, then manager of undergraduate recruitment & education. In these roles, Ben had a significant impact on the Faculty’s recruiting efforts, particularly related to international students. He developed and refined digital learning tools including the New Student Guide and the mapsci.ca platform which allows students to map out individualized pathways from admission requirements to their undergraduate learning options. Ben also created the Fall Connection Hub, an opportunity for upper-year students to connect with Level 1 students as they consider their program selections for Level 2.  

Now serving as acting assistant dean, Ben plays a lead role in recruitment and education activities for the Faculty of Science. He has done exceptional work in the core activities of his portfolio – including student recruitment and academic regulations – while also establishing strong collaborations across campus. This has included, for example, revisiting the letters of permission process and testing the new MacHub CRM platform. He has also guided a renovation of Level 2 admission practices and worked with the McMaster English Language Development Office to create an accelerated undergraduate degree program option, in addition to working within the Faculty to enhance blended, virtual, online and distance learning course modalities. 

Dennis Tian has been at McMaster since 2002 and in the Office of the Registrar since 2006. Starting as a computer systems manager, he is now the lead for systems. A member of committees including the McMaster IT Forum Committee, the HEUG Mentor Committee, the RO Faculty Working Group and the IT Management Community Working Group, Dennis has seen his work recognized with the Registrar’s Office You Make a Difference Award, the Faculty of Engineering’s Co-op Supervisor of the Year Award and the Ontario University Registrars’ Association’s Award of Excellence. Dennis has demonstrated his leadership in managing, developing and enhancing mission-critical information systems including PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, Student Virtual Schedule Builder, the Enterprise Event/Room Booking System and the Student Card System. He developed the “Tips and Tricks for IT Help” channel for Microsoft Teams and consistently works to ensure his colleagues have the knowledge to navigate technical challenges.   

Dennis is a regular volunteer for events including Convocation and Welcome Day, as well as an active participant in the Black, Indigenous and Racialized Staff (BIRS) Employee Resource Group and the Technology Round Table. He was even a member of the Repeat Rules Project Team that received the President’s Award in 2020. A relentless innovator, Dennis developed a block enrolment tool, introduced a chatbot to answer common student questions and founded and leads a community of practice for business systems analysts.  

Lisa Villeneuve is the administrative coordinator for the Rheumatology-Allergy-Immunology Division in Pediatrics. Working at McMaster for more than 15 years, she has become an integral part of the division’s activities. Lisa is responsible for administrative and clinical tasks ranging from patient bookings, to liaising with allied health staff, to procuring compassionate care medications. She also maintains key roles in the division’s education and research activities and played a lead role in the division’s participation in the pilot program for the new Hamilton Health Sciences hospital information system. Her input has been vital to the development of new clinical services including the autoinflammatory clinic for children and adults.  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lisa worked in the office to facilitate her colleagues’ ability to work remotely and to promote continuity of care for patients during an extremely trying time. In fact, Lisa has become a go-to resource for patients and their families, supporting them with prompt and thorough responses to all inquiries, facilitating interpreters when required and building significant relationships with patient families to the point of keeping in touch even after the child is no longer a patient. 

Lisa is also a leader in establishing the division’s work culture and always sets the right tone in welcoming new resident trainees to the division during their onboarding process.

Jackie Osterman was appointed assistant dean of the Faculty of Humanities in 2015 as the latest step in a McMaster career that began in 1989 and moved into the Faculty in 2005. She has spearheaded the addition of Humanities personnel dedicated to recruitment, internships, careers and experiential education while also integrating these functions in the Student Experience Office. She has introduced new technological systems for student advising, has incorporated online services and has implemented new systems and training to enhance service related to mental health, accommodations and EDI initiatives. Jackie also pioneered information sessions and materials for new instructors related to the Undergraduate Course Management Policy.  

A trained Employment Equity Facilitator, Jackie has instituted equitable hiring practices and is well known for her engagement with students, both through student societies and one-on-one. In fact, she is the only assistant dean who regularly advises students. She has been vital to the development of interdisciplinary programs including Integrated Business and Humanities, iArts, the Integrated Rehabilitation and Humanities program and Wilson College. She has also supported the development of the McMaster English Language Development program and the Diploma in Indigenous Language Revitalization. 

Jackie co-founded MACADA – the cross-campus academic advising support group – and serves on a variety of committees and working groups including the Repeat Rules Working Group, the Mental Health Round Table and the Okanagan Mental Health and Well-Being Task Force.

Jessica Anderson started in the Office of the Registrar in 2021 as a liaison assistant before progressing to the role of student services professional (international) and, for the last year and a half, domestic recruitment officer (communication and outreach). Jessica has played a key role in successful recruiting initiatives including the viral reel “We love Mac, of course…”, the Spring Information Series, the 2024 Viewbook, Junior Recruitment and McMaster’s first international student pre-departure brochure. She also delivered a successful presentation on domestic student recruitment and school visits at the Registrar’s Office Forum.  

Jessica’s innovative approach to the design of McMaster’s recruitment fair booth wraps departed from conventional designs to introduce visually striking and interactive elements that grabbed the attention of attendees. She also took a leading role in developing the University’s first fully online Financial Transparency Week which gave students insights into how their fees are allocated across various departments and services. She also makes significant contributions to the success of the Spring Info Series, May@Mac Open House and the Fall Preview Open House. 

Jessica spearheaded the Tour Guide Social Working Group, which helped reimagine the way campus tours are presented, and introduced interactive elements and multimedia components to the tour guide program. In July 2023, Jessica was selected as a guest speaker for Post-Secondary Education Web Conference (#PSEWeb) “Build from Within” in Victoria, British Columbia. 

Danica Evering, Isaac Pratt 

In recent years, the two-person Research Data Management (RDM) Services Team has revitalized the University’s programming on the research data lifecycle including planning, storing and publishing data. This ongoing reinvention of the portfolio includes the development of McMaster’s Institutional RDM Strategy, the delivery of a SSHRC-funded two-day workshop on community research data toolkits and social justice, the development and launch of the Data Management Plan Database, the presentation of the Summer Learning Cohort on Indigenous Data Sovereignty, partnership on the Data Champions project and the creation of an RDM community of practice for the McMaster and Hamilton research communities. 

The RDM Services Team developed the vital Research Data Storage Finder, an interactive tool that lists the data storage and backup providers available to McMaster researchers. The team also collaborated with the Research Software Development Team to create a first-of-its-kind Research Assets Management Plan to help researchers manage data and software development. The template will be available nationally on the Digital Research Alliance of Canada’s Data Management Plan Assistant. 

The team’s contributions to research data management also extend beyond McMaster as both team members are involved in the provincial, national and international RDM communities, including organizations such as Compute Ontario, the Canadian Dataverse Administrators, the national Data Management Planning Expert Group and the Research Data Management in the Canadian Context open educational resources. 

Gesine Alders, Allison Dubé, Casey Irvin, Amy Ladouceur, Alison Outtrim, Audrey Patocs, Ine Wauben 

The McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA) team has been building an expanding legacy of impact both on and off the McMaster campus. The team members’ work in supporting MIRA’s research enterprise has produced exceptional results. Prior to MIRA’s founding in 2016, approximately 15% of scholarly publications by McMaster faculty and trainees were related to aging. In 2023, that figure surpassed 20%. MIRA members have generated more than $35 million in internal and external research support which continues to expand McMaster’s capacity in aging research.  

In 2023, the MIRA team collaborated with the Gilbrea Centre for Studies in Aging on a successful application to the McMaster Okanagan Special Project Funding to host an Older Adult Open Campus day as part of a broader strategy to expand MIRA’s community engagement. The event involved 70 students and 50 community members. In support of the same goals, the MIRA team also worked with faculty to develop an intergenerational space in the Lincoln Alexander Hall student residence. This space will allow MIRA to conduct intergenerational programming and bring older adults and students together to improve well-being. 

Also in 2023, the MIRA team deepened the institute’s research engagement in Toronto through a partnership with the multi-service agency Dixon Hall. The MIRA | Dixon Hall Centre unites McMaster’s research strengths with Dixon Hall’s expertise as a social service provider.  

Megan Bieska, Carlos Figueira, Greg Iarusso, Craig MacDonald, Alex Schaap, Kate Whalen   

McMaster’s Academic Sustainability Programs Office, University Technology Services and Facility Services launched the ACCESS Tech Working Group with a mission to reduce IT waste on campus, donate useful items to communities in need and improve the data security of end-of-life electronics. Since 2019, the working group has collaborated with student, campus and community partners to divert more than 8.3 tonnes of IT waste, provide more than 300 pieces of reused technology to McMaster students and donate more than 150 computers into the Hamilton community through organizations including Empowerment Squared, the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, the Immigrant Working Centre and Refuge: Hamilton Centre for Newcomer Health. 

The ACCESS Tech Working Group achieved these kinds of measurable outcomes through an exceptional commitment to planning, open communication and transparency by employing regular meetings, social media and public collection events. The team has hired McMaster students to help grow and sustain the program and has engaged 49 different experiential learning students as part of 12 different project teams, one of which received the Climate Change and Health – Innovation Award in 2020. The overall program has garnered significant positive media attention with multiple Daily News stories and one story in the Hamilton Spectator. The group’s work has established McMaster as a leader in effective e-waste management among Canada’s U15 universities as no other post-secondary institution actively reuses IT.