MCYU Family Lecture Series
About the MCYU Family Lecture Series
MCYU’s on-campus program offers free, monthly lectures on Saturday mornings at McMaster University. These lectures are geared toward young individuals ages 7–14 and cover all science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) topics. The lectures are presented by post-secondary professors who are experts in their field. This is an opportunity for all young individuals to experience what it feels like to be a university student.
Post Lecture Activities
Everyone learns in different ways and learning is enhanced when students get to experience the excitement of discovery. We are offering post-lecture activities that relate to the lecture topic. This hands-on learning experience helps make the information from the lecture come to life.
Families can explore the campus together and get a feel for a post-secondary environment in one of the top five universities in Canada and top 100 in the world!
Upcoming Family Lectures
Resource Downloads
Registration
Expandable List
Visit our registration page or find us on Eventbrite by searching ‘MCYU’.
Yes. We ask all parents to register their children separately. This is to ensure we capture the details of all children who attend six or more lectures and qualify to receive a graduation certificate at the end of the year.
Yes! Sometimes we reach seating capacity for an event. If that happens, we will try to secure a larger lecture hall, in which case, we will release additional tickets to the names on our waitlist. If you would like to be notified when seats become available, please register your name on the waitlist.
Yes. However, to avoid disappointment we suggest attendee’s register in advance. You are welcome to attend without registration but admittance is not guaranteed.
Please contact us if you cannot attend and we will give your seats to a family on the waiting list. Please email us or call 905-521-2100 ext. 73790.
Lectures
Expandable List
The suggested age is children 7–14 years old but we do not restrict attendance to that demographic. Students as young as five years old and as old as 18 years old often attend.
MCYU lectures cover a variety of disciplines including but not limited to: health sciences, natural sciences, social sciences, engineering, business and history.
Topics are selected based on recommendations from our children and youth attendees via an electronic survey emailed after each event, as well as verbal recommendations.
Lectures begin promptly at 11 a.m. We begin with a short introduction by MCYU co-founder Dr. Sandy Raha, followed by the 45 minute interactive lecture and 15 minutes of a question and answer (Q&A) between the children and the professor.
Directly following the lectures, we organize post-lecture activities with the McMaster Chapter of Let’s Talk Science. These activities run for approximately one hour.
Post-lecture events are hands-on experiential learning activities that relate to the lecture material. Children and youth are able to apply what they learned in the lecture to real-life scenarios, with the help of Let’s Talk Science mentors. Examples of past post-lecture activities include:
- Post Robotic Surgery Lecture: Navigating a remote control car through a maze while blindfolded
- Post Genetics Lecture: Extracting DNA from a banana
Yes! We can always use more help. Please email us or leave your name and email at the registration table at one of our events.
MCYU in the City Workshops
MCYU in the City was founded in 2014 to take the MCYU brand of educational experiences out to communities. These one-hour workshops are developed based on questions and interests of youth ages 7–14 and challenge them to work in teams to creatively develop solutions to issues that they may face in their everyday lives. The workshops are facilitated by highly trained McMaster University students who work interactively with youth following our education credo: Question-Discover-Create™.
Our student facilitators guide the youth to question the world around them, discover their own potential and work together to create solutions. This inquiry-based learning method empowers youth by demonstrating that they are an important part of the discovery process that happens all around them, every day.
MCYU in the City has formed valuable partnerships with Hamilton Wentworth District School Board, Hamilton Public Library, Boys and Girls Clubs of Hamilton, the YMCA Beyond the Bell Program, The North Hamilton Community Centre and Pathways to Education, The Cathy Weaver after-school program, as well as the Hamilton Home School Network. Our workshops can be carried out in community centres, libraries and schools.
Interested in getting involved?
- Are you a community member who would like to attend one of our workshops? Visit our event calendar and stay up to date with where we are in the city.
- Are you a community agency that would like to book a workshop at your facility? Email us to inquire about booking a workshop at your facility.
- Are you a McMaster student wondering how you can become a MCYU in the City workshop facilitator? Learn more.
Curiosity Crawl
Next Curiosity Crawl Coming Sat. November 30.
Save the Date. Registration coming soon.
Event Information:
Date: Saturday, November 30, 2024
McMaster University – Burke Science Building (BSB)
12:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Ages 7–14 (whole family welcome)
Cost: FREE!
Curiosity Crawl
Starring – MCYU Student Facilitators
At our Curiosity Crawl, young folks and families have the opportunity to participate in TWO MCYU Workshops.
MCYU workshops are facilitated by McMaster Students enrolled in COMMUNITY BASED LEARNING WITH MCYU. Our students cannot wait to share their workshops with you. Join us on campus and get ready to Question, Discover, Create!
At MCYU, it is important to us that our programs remain accessible to all. Our Family Lectures and MCYU in the City workshops will continue to be free.
If you are able and feel inclined to support our free programs – MCYU Family Lectures, MCYU in the City Workshops – you can make a donation. Your generous donations help to keep the majority of our programming free and accessible to all across the Greater Hamilton Area.
Agenda
12:15pm – 1:00pm: Check in/Registration
1:10pm – 2:00pm: First Workshop Session
2:00pm – 2:20pm: Break
2:25pm – 3:15pm: Second Workshop Session
Parking
If you are driving, please park in Parking Lot I. We will be able to provide you with a parking voucher, which will discount your parking
Bring Your Own Snack
You are encouraged to bring your own snacks (nut free) for the day. There is nowhere to purchase food in the Burke Science Building so please plan ahead and pack whatever food you and your children may need throughout the afternoon.
Bring a labelled water bottle
Help us cut back on creating waste from water bottles and bring a reusable water bottle for the day.
Registration/check-in (Burke Science Building)
Check-in starts at 12:15 p.m. Upon checking in, you will be given a map and bracelets for the workshops you have signed up for when you registered online.
Parent waiting room
Parents who do not want to sit in on the workshops are welcome to hang out in the designated waiting room in the Burke Science Building. We ask that you meet your child at the end of the workshop to help them get to their next destination. There will be volunteers around to help guide people, but we will not be providing one-on-one supervision.
Parental supervision
Parents are required to stay on site with their children. MCYU staff and volunteers are trained to assist children and youth but cannot assume responsibility for the safety and well-being of children left unattended in the building.
MCYU policies and services are designed to provide a safe and welcoming environment for customers of all ages but parents need to use the same caution with their children on McMaster’s campus as they would in any other public setting.
Responsibility for the welfare and the behaviour of children at MCYU’s Curiosity Crawl ultimately rests with the parent/legal guardian or an assigned caregiver. MCYU recognizes the terms as stipulated in the Ontario Child and Family Services Act (CFSA) with regard to the supervision of children.