Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology opens its labs to hundreds of high school students

More than 500 science students from nine local secondary schools are on campus this week for McMaster’s first ever ChemLab Days.

Students from each school spend a whirlwind half-day doing hands-on experiments in chemistry labs followed by visits to five core research facilities and a tour of the Faculty of Science along with lunch at the McMaster University Student Centre.

ChemLab Days is hosted by the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology and offered at no charge to schools. The weeklong event replaces one-off visits that were happening throughout the year. ChemLab Days lets the department deliver a memorable experience that showcases McMaster at its best, says assistant professor Jim Ghoshdastidar who organized ChemLab Days with Emma Magee, the department’s graduate outreach fellow.

Working with Magee and Ghoshdastidar is a team of undergraduate and graduate students who run the experiments and lead the tours. “When I put out the call for ChemLab volunteers, I had 30 responses within 30 minutes,” says Ghoshdastidar who’s launched weekly ChemClub meetings and ChemCram exam prep sessions since joining McMaster in 2023.

Also playing a key role in ChemLab Days are the nine students in the science research volunteer course offered through the Faculty of Science’s Office of Undergraduate Research. The credit course guarantees a dedicated team of undergrads to backstop the department’s outreach work throughout the year.

Along with the students, the department’s Laboratory and Technician Team of Linda Davis, Julie Gauthier and Brian VanSchouwen used their downtime between terms to do prep work for ChemLab Days while core research facility staff offer backstage VIP tours. “Staff who support our world-class researchers are making the time to help plant the seed that science is for everyone,” says Ghoshdastidar.

He adds that ChemLab Days wouldn’t have happened without the support of senior leaders, from Department Chair Giuseppe Melacini, Associate Dean of Research Gillian Goward and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies Rosa da Silva. “Faculty can only carry out these kinds of events when they know leadership has their backs.”

ChemLab Days has earned high marks from Marlena Zdelar, a chemistry and biology teacher at Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School in Ancaster and a McMaster biology and biochemistry graduate. Zdelar said ChemLab Day gives students a preview of what they’ll be doing and learning at universities and colleges starting in September. “This experience will be a definite confidence-booster. It’s exactly what students need.”

While there have previous field trips to Mac to visit the nuclear reactor and take in a planetarium show, Zdelar says ChemLab Day is the first time the students had gone into labs for hands-on learning.

Zdelar was back at McMaster Tuesday morning with more than three dozen Grade 12 science students who’d signed up for the voluntary field trip. “They’re our cream of the crop,” says Zdelar.

A few of the students were wearing sweaters from the universities they’ll be attending in September, including Marcus Antolic who’s already accepted his offer and scholarship from the Faculty of Engineering.

ChemLab Days included a reunion tour for Zdelar who met with associate professor Jon Stone in the Department of Biology. She’d been among the first cohort of undergrads taught and supervised by Stone. When he heard his former student was on campus, he jumped at the chance to reconnect.

“Mac’s a special place,” said Zdelar.