Professor’s final challenge – deliver hands-on and high-impact research experiences to as many science undergrads as possible

Pat Chow-Fraser’s career is winding down the way it began 35 years ago.

“I like doing what’s never been done before,” says Chow-Fraser, a biology professor, director of the Faculty of Science’s Office of Undergraduate Research and inveterate innovator. “I thrive on the challenge.”

She got her first challenge on her first day at McMaster in July of 1991. Chow-Fraser went for a walk with the chair of the biology department to the Cootes Paradise Nature Sanctuary. Standing at the water’s edge, the chair told Chow-Fraser to think of the 320-hectare marsh in McMaster’s backyard as her living lab. “Do whatever interests you and will have an impact” was Chow-Fraser’s research mandate.

She did exactly that over the next decade with an ever-growing team of trainees. They launched research-informed ecological restoration projects with the sanctuary’s stewards at the Royal Botanical Gardens and a host of other partners and funders.

Their work in Cootes Paradise led to restoration projects on a larger scale further from campus. The coastal marshes throughout the Laurentian Great Lakes – the largest freshwater ecosystem on Earth – became the new living lab for Chow-Fraser’s research group for the next 20 years, with new partners including First Nations communities. In 2023, Chow-Fraser was named the Faculty of Science Research Chair in Great Lakes Ecosystem Health Indicators.

A year later, Chow-Fraser was appointed director of the Office for Undergraduate Research (OUR). She was given the same carte blanche mandate to innovate, this time from Rosa da Silva, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies who oversees the office.

“Pat’s a true legend within the McMaster Science community,” says da Silva. “Throughout her entire career, Pat’s inspired and mentored countless students, helping them discover their passion for research and providing opportunities that have shaped their academic and professional journeys. When we selected Pat as director, we knew her exceptional experiences as a researcher, educator and mentor made her uniquely qualified to elevate undergraduate research opportunities across the Faculty of Science. And we were right.”

Launched in 2023 with funding from the Office of the Provost’s Strategic Alignment Fund, the OUR remains a first for McMaster and the only one of its kind among Faculties of Science at Canadian universities. With a mission to promote excellence in undergraduate student, and faculty-led, collaborative research and scholarship, the OUR’s launched workshops, forums, seminars, summer research experiences, a shadowing program and one-on-one advising. Everything on offer aims to help the Faculty of Science’s 8,3000 undergrads build the competencies and confidence to join research groups and work on research projects during the back half of their time at Mac.

Scaling up those offerings while securing the OUR’s long-term sustainability became the final challenges of Chow-Fraser’s career – she plans to retire next summer.

“There’s such a hunger among undergraduate students for meaningful research experiences, starting in their first year. I’ve seen the demand in the courses I’ve taught, in my lab and with the students I’ve supervised and mentored over the years.  Figuring out how the OUR would deliver meaningful research experiences to as many students as possible in their first and second years is far and away of the most satisfying things I’ve done at McMaster. At this stage of my career, being able to help make a real difference for such a large group of students is such an incredible and rewarding opportunity.”

The OUR is run by a skeleton crew – it’s just Chow-Fraser and experiential programming managers Sunita Nadella and Ali Solhi (Nadella’s focused on science outreach while Solhi builds external partnerships).

To make the OUR sustainable, the team created a suite of innovative and unconventional credit courses and embedded them in the curriculum. “Sunita and Ali have been instrumental in making that happen,” says Chow-Fraser.

In 2025, the OUR developed and launched courses where students earn credits for attending research seminars, volunteering for research-related outreach events, being mentored by graduate student researchers, completing hands-on research skills training and taking part in supervised group projects.

Everyone benefits from the courses, says Chow-Fraser. Students earn credits for work they’d otherwise be doing on their own time and on top of already full course loads – making research opportunities accessible for all students has long been a priority for Chow-Fraser. Class sizes are small so students spend more time working alongside instructors. The courses also bring together students from across the Faculty of Science, creating opportunities to meet new people and friends beyond their department or school. Chow-Fraser makes a point of sitting down with students after they’ve completed courses to get unfiltered feedback – “I never thought learning could be so fun” is a recurring comment.

Just as undergrads are hungry for research experiences, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students are looking for teaching and mentorship opportunities to add to their CVs. Delivering courses built by the OUR helps meet that demand, says Chow-Fraser.

Faculty who need extra pairs of hands to run outreach initiatives or help with short-term research projects can outsource student recruitment and registration to the OUR. As an added bonus, Chow-Fraser says faculty get to meet and work with undergrads in their first year, and even during their first term at McMaster. “Why wouldn’t you want to help prepare and train students from the get-go?”

And the Faculty of Science now has a slate of new and popular revenue-generating electives – filling seats is one challenge the OUR team doesn’t need to solve.

“The courses are all about investing in students and letting them really experience research in authentic environments,” says Chow-Fraser. “Gaining hands-on research experience is a big reason why students choose McMaster and our Faculty of Science. The OUR is here to help faculty, postdocs and grad students meet those expectations and deliver those experiences to as many undergrads as possible.”

The success of the courses has led to the launch of another first for the OUR and the Faculty of Science –  three-credit courses with university partners who serve up real-world research challenges for students to explore and help solve. A computational biology course with an industry partner just finished while a course with St. Joseph’s Health System is continuing into July. In that course, to be offered again in during the fall term, students take on work-integrated applied healthcare ethics projects. Students attend weekly sessions, complete team-based project work, go on site visits and present their work to the health system’s ethics committee. In yet another first, the course is funded by Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada. The collaboration means students in the course learn and earn, says Chow-Fraser. “We’re hoping other university partners come on board and put our students to work.”

There’s one more challenge for Chow-Fraser before she moves into the role of professor emeritus and full-time grandmother. The OUR is looking to add innovation and entrepreneurship to its line-up of courses and events and a name change – the Office of Undergraduate Research & Innovation is in the works..

“Students are asking for this and it’s a strategic priority for the Faculty and University.” Work’s already begun – the research seminar course introduces students to both faculty researchers and scientists who’ve commercialized their research and launched start-ups. There’s also a foundational, skills-building course that introduces undergrads to everything from market research and idea validation to preparing and acing pitch competitions.

The courses, the OUR and Chow-Fraser’s leadership earn high marks from the incoming Dean for the Faculty of Science. “Pat’s a dedicated and visionary leader both in her own research and in the leadership she’s offered to the OUR,” says Gillian Goward, who’s currently the Associate Dean of Research and External Relations. “Pat’s tireless in her commitment to giving undergraduate students hands-on experiences that are meaningful, accessible and inspiring.”

And that will be Chow-Fraser’s lasting impact on the Faculty of Science and McMaster, says da Silva. “Pat’s legacy will be defined through the generations of students she mentored, the programs she built and the countless future researchers whose lives and careers were shaped by her exceptional influence.”