SCIENCE 2SA1
Skills Workshop in Water Quality Testing
Instructor: Dr. Pat Chow-Fraser, Department of Biology (chowfras@mcmaster.ca)
Location: Life Sciences Building lab Room 104 (tentative)
Dates: Week of May 12, 2025 – May 16, 2025
Enrolment Capacity: 10-15 students
Research Discipline: Aquatic Ecology
Course Rationale: Water-quality testing is carried out routinely by governments and citizen groups to track changes in the health of aquatic ecosystems such as creeks, wetlands and lakes. This workshop will introduce students to current tests used to track the presence of water pollutants such as fecal bacteria and primary nutrients. This workshop will appeal to students interested in participating in current research on the West Campus restoration project.
Expandable List
Proposed Training
This course will run over two days during the week of May 12-16th. In the morning of Day 1 (9:00 am to noon), students will learn about common pollutants and their sources in aquatic ecosystems. Students will also learn about the type of sampling equipment used to collect samples in various water bodies. In the afternoon of Day 1 (1:00 pm to 4:00 pm), they will collect water samples from local creeks using proper protocols and return samples to McMaster University and analyze samples for fecal bacteria. In the morning of Day 2 (9:00 am to noon), students will learn to digest water samples for total phosphorus analysis and read the results for fecal bacteria. In the afternoon of Day 2 (1:00 pm to 4:00 pm), they will analyze the digested samples for total phosphorus. They will summarize results, run some basic statistics and make interpretations.
Learning Outcomes and Science Career Competencies
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Competence in using laboratory equipment, collecting water samples in the field, analyzing data and drawing conclusions.
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Science career competencies include critical thinking, communication, problem solving, discovery, collaboration and teamwork and testing the student’s adaptability and flexibility in navigating field conditions.
How Successful Learning Outcomes are Determined
- The results of the water tests are calculated correctly and students are using the equipment and instruments properly.
- Students participate in discussions of class results and help interpret them.
- Students will also prepare a reflection of what they learned and submit it to the OUR.
Required Components for Passing Grade
Attend all four sessions of Day 1 and Day 2. Participate actively in all laboratory and field activities.
Biology 1M03, Earthsci 1G03 or Envirsc 1C03.
Students must complete required safety training prior to attending the workshop.
Students who miss any session will volunteer in the Chow-Fraser lab for an equivalent amount of time missed.
To apply for this course, please fill out the following SCIENCE 2SA1 – 1-Unit Experiential Course Application Form – Spring/Summer 2025 online.
SCIENCE 2SB1
LIVELab Research Methods – Motion Capture for Research Applications
Instructor: Dr. Dan Bosnyak and Hany Tawfik, Department of Psychology, Neurology, and Behaviour – McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind (livelab@mcmaster.ca)
Location: Psychology Bullding, LIVELab – PC202A
Dates: Week of June 16, 2025 (Jun 17/18/19 tentative)
Enrolment Capacity: 5-15 students
Research Discipline: Psychology & Neuroscience
Course Rationale: We are looking to target prospective and current PNB undergraduate students with research interests to develop skills relevant to motion capture in research. Students will learn how to use our facility’s systems to collect data with the aim of rolling these skills into a project course (2QQ/3QQ) or senior thesis that will use the LIVELab research platform or similar labs conducting motion capture research.
Expandable List
Proposed Training
On day 1, students will learn the concepts of motion capture and how to apply them in a research context. For the remainder of the day students will work together to brainstorm potential research questions and view the types of data that can be collected from motion capture.
On day 2, students will learn to deploy and collect motion capture data from large & small groups of people.
On day 3, they will work on labelling and analyzing these data to answer their research questions.
Learning Outcomes and Science Career Competencies
- Students will learn how to collaborate with a large research team and PIs to design research questions and collect motion capture data relevant to their questions.
- Students will be required to brainstorm and consider the challenges presented when collecting such data in naturalistic and dynamic settings, such as live events, which require them to adapt to spontaneous changes or problems.
How Successful Learning Outcomes Are Determined
- Students will be asked to apply their knowledge from the workshop with a culminating task of deploying equipment and collecting motion capture data in a simulated live event (or similar) setting.
- Students will also be asked to demonstrate their knowledge through group discussions of learnings and next steps, as well as research questions they could answer in the future using the LIVELab. Students will prepare a written learning relection and submit it to the OUR.
Required Components for Passing Grade
- Attend three 4-hour sessions and participate actively in activities.
- Demonstrate knowledge of motion capture in research through both their written reflection and oral group discussions.
Required lab safety trainings as per McMaster UHS. PSYCH 1X03 minimum prerequisite, PSYCH 1XX3 preferred.
Students who miss sessions will be asked to book a make-up time in the LIVELab to demonstrate the required workshop competencies.
To apply for this course, please fill out the following SCIENCE 2SB1 – 1-Unit Experiential Course Application Form – Spring/Summer 2025 online.
SCIENCE 2SC1
LIVELab Research Methods – Multi-Person Electrophysiology Collection
Instructor: Dr. Dan Bosnyak, Dr. John Iversen, and Hany Tawfik, Department of Psychology, Neurology, and Behaviour – McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind (livelab@mcmaster.ca)
Location: Psychology Building, LIVELab – PC202A
Dates: Week of May 12, 2025 or May 19, 2025 (May 13/14 Tentative)
Enrolment Capacity: 5-15 students
Research Discipline: Psychology & Neuroscience
Course Rationale:We are looking to target prospective and current PNB undergraduate students with interests to develop skills relevant to electrophysiology research. Students will learn how to use these systems to collect data with the aim of rolling these skills into a project course (2QQ/3QQ) or senior thesis that will use the LIVELab research platform or another lab conducting electrophysiology research.
Expandable List
Proposed Training
On day 1, students will learn the concepts of electroencephalography and other electrophysiology measures (i.e. electromyography, electrocardiography) and how they are used in psychology, neuroscience, and behavioural research. For the remainder of day 1 and into day 2 students will then learn how to manage and plan data collection and deploy equipment to collect these measures from up to 30 people simultaneously in a naturalistic live event setting.
A separate workshop will be available for the analysis and application of these data in a research context.
Learning Outcomes and Science Career Competencies
- Students will learn how to collaborate with a large research team and PIs to design research questions and collect electrophysiology data relevant to their questions.
- Students will be required to brainstorm and consider the challenges presented when collecting such data in naturalistic and dynamic settings, such as live events, which require them to adapt to spontaneous changes or problems.
- Students will face both methodological challenges such as time constraints as well as technical challenges such as computer networking and data storage methods.
How Successful Learning Outcomes Are Determined
- Students will be asked to apply their knowledge from the workshop with a culminating task of deploying equipment and collecting electrophysiology data in a simulated live event (or similar) setting.
- Students will also be asked to demonstrate their knowledge through group discussions of learnings and next steps, as well as research questions they could answer in the future using the LIVELab.
- Students will prepare a written learning reflection and submit it to the OUR.
Required Components for Passing Grade
- Attend both six hour sessions and participate actively in activities.
- Demonstrate knowledge of electrophysiology in research through both their written reflection and oral group discussions.
Required lab safety trainings as per McMaster UHS. PSYCH 1X03 minimum prerequisite, PSYCH 1XX3 preferred.
Students who miss sessions will be asked to book a make-up time in the LIVELab to demonstrate the required workshop competencies.
To apply for this course, please fill out the following SCIENCE 2SC1 – 1-Unit Experiential Course Application Form – Spring/Summer 2025 online.
SCIENCE 2SD1
LIVELab Research Methods – Analyzing Electrophysiology Data
Instructor: Dr. John Iversen, Hany Tawfik, Department of Psychology, Neurology, and Behaviour – McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind (livelab@mcmaster.ca)
Location: Psychology Bullding, Computer Lab (Tentative)
Dates: Week of May 19, 2025 or May 26, 2025 (May 20/21 Tentative)
Enrolment Capacity: 5-15 students
Research Discipline: Psychology & Neuroscience
Course Rationale:We are looking to target prospective and current PNB undergraduate students with research interests to develop skills relevant to electrophysiology data analysis in research. Students will learn how to use electrophysiology data to answer research questions with the aim of rolling these skills into a project course (2QQ/3QQ) or senior thesis that will require experience in analyzing such data.
Expandable List
Proposed Training
On day 1, students will learn the concepts of data analysis and statistics relevant to the data they will be working with. They will then learn the basics of coding in Python. Throughout the rest of day 1 and for day 2, they will learn to pre-process, filter, and analyize electroencephalography (EEG) and other electrophysiology data using tools such as MATLAB and Python.
Learning Outcomes and Science Career Competencies
- Students will learn how to use the data collected in the first workshop to answer their research questions.
- Students will collaborate and work in small groups to support each other’s learning, as well as build critical thinking skills through creating large platforms of code.
How Successful Learning Outcomes Are Determined
Throughout the workshop, students will create a Python script for pre-processing and analyzing the data that are collected. They will be asked to submit this script with visualizations of the analyses conducted to the OUR and to the class to discuss findings.
Required Components for Passing Grade
Attend both six hour sessions and successfully create an electrophysiology data analysis pipeline using Python and/or MATLAB.
PSYCH 1X03 minimum prerequisite, PSYCH 1XX3 preferred. Preference will be given to students who have completed the preceding electrophysiology data collection workshop.
Students who miss sessions will be asked to perform indepedent study work to generate a similar analysis script to those created in class.
To apply for this course, please fill out the following SCIENCE 2SD1 – 1-Unit Experiential Course Application Form – Spring/Summer 2025 online.
SCIENCE 2SE1
LIVELab Research Methods—Collecting and using multi-person mobile eye tracking data
Instructor: Dr. Lauren Fink, Department of Psychology, Neurology, and Behaviour – McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind (livelab@mcmaster.ca)
Location: Psychology Bullding, LIVELab
Dates: Week of June 23, 2025 or June 30, 2025
Enrolment Capacity: 5-15 students
Research Discipline: Psychology & Neuroscience
Course Rationale:We are looking to target prospective and current PNB undergraduate students with interest to develop skills relevant to multi-person eye-tracking data collection and analysis in research. Students will learn how to use electrophysiology data to answer research questions with the aim of rolling these skills into a project course (2QQ/3QQ) or senior thesis that will use the LIVELab research platform or a similar research platform which uses eye tracking.
Expandable List
Proposed Training
On day 1, students will learn the concepts of eye tracking and generate research questions to learn how this technology can be applied in a research setting. On day 2, students will get hands-on experience on how to collect multi-person mobile eye tracking data from groups of people. On day 3, students will work to analyze this data and answer relevant research questions they have generated.
Learning Outcomes and Science Career Competencies
- Students will learn how to collaborate with a large research team and PIs to design research questions and collect eye tracking data relevant to their questions.
- Students will be required to brainstorm and consider the challenges presented when collecting such data in naturalistic and dynamic settings, such as live events, which require them to adapt to spontaneous changes or problems.
- Students will face both methodological challenges such as time constraints as well as technical challenges such as computer networking and data storage methods.
How Successful Learning Outcomes Are Determined
- Students will be asked to apply their knowledge from the workshop with a culminating task of deploying equipment and collecting eye tracking data in a simulated live event (or similar) setting.
- Students will also be asked to demonstrate their knowledge through group discussions of learnings and next steps, as well as research questions they could answer in the future using the LIVELab. Students will prepare a written learning relection and submit it to the OUR.
Required Components for Passing Grade
- Attend three 4-hour sessions and participate actively in activities.
- Demonstrate knowledge of multi-person mobile eye tracking in research through both their written reflection and oral group discussions.
PSYCH 1X03 minimum prerequisite, PSYCH 1XX3 preferred.
Students who miss sessions will be asked to book a make-up time in the LIVELab to demonstrate the required workshop competencies.
To apply for this course, please fill out the following SCIENCE 2SE1 – 1-Unit Experiential Course Application Form – Spring/Summer 2025 online.
SCIENCE 2SG1
Scientific Research Group
There are currently two projects available:
- 2SG1 offered by Dr. Pat Chow-Fraser
- 2SG1 offered by Dr. Emily Choy
Collection of eDNA samples to confirm breeding habitats of endangered Jefferson Salamanders in southern Ontario
Instructor: Dr. Pat Chow-Frasier, Department of Biology (chowfras@mcmaster.ca)
Dates: Week of May 5, 2025 – May 9, 2025
Enrolment Capacity: 5 students
Research Discipline: Ecology and Conservation Biology
Proposed Training
Between May 5 to May 9, 2025 (exact dates to be determined based on weather conditions) up to 5 students will assist Dr. Chow-Fraser and graduate student Eli Winward survey vernal pools in southern Ontario for presence of eggs or larvae of the endangered Jefferson Salamander. The course will consist of two days: Day 1 morning (9am-noon) learning about eDNA and how to sample vernal pools safely. Day 1 afternoon (1-4 pm) go into the field to sample in a vernal pool and to collect eDNA samples and to approximate morphometric information about the vernal pool and estimate canopy cover. Day 2 (9 am to 4 pm) drive to several vernal pools and assist in collecting eDNA samples for a research project. No prior experience is required—equipment and on-site training will be provided. Please note that these two days may not be consecutive due to weather.
Location of Training
Campus and vernal pools within 60 km of Hamilton
Additional Notes
- Requires travel off campus during daytime.
- Students must provide their own lunch and snacks during field sampling.
- Students must be prepared to hike in wooded areas and carry water samples or heavy backpack.
Completion of Biology 2F03 or equivalent is preferred. Students with career interests in the field of environmental science or conservation biology will be an asset.
To apply for this course, please fill out the following SCIENCE 2SG1 – Dr. Pat Chow-Fraser Course Application Form – Spring/Summer 2025 online.
Collecting Terrestrial Invertebrates to Characterize PFAS Concentrations in the Food Web of European Starlings
Instructor: Dr. Emily Choy, Department of Biology (choye1@mcmaster.ca)
Dates: 2 weeks in May 2025
Enrolment Capacity: 5 students
Research Discipline: Ecology
Proposed Training
During May, students will assist graduate student Julianna Colafranceschi in collecting terrestrial invertebrates from a landfill in Brantford, Ontario and a rural reference site in Delhi, Ontario, helping to characterize PFAS throughout the food web of European starlings nesting in those areas. Students will first learn how to deploy pitfall and malaise traps that will be used to collect these organisms. In the weeks following the initial set-up, students will collect additional invertebrates using sweep nets. In the lab, students will learn to identify the taxonomic order of terrestrial invertebrates using a light microscope and iNaturalist software. No prior experience or training is required – all necessary information and equipment will be provided on-site.
Location of Training
McMaster Campus; Mohawk Street Landfill (20 Morrison Road, Brantford, ON)
Additional Notes
- Much of the training will take place off-campus in Brantford and Delhi.
- Students are not required to drive, as transportation will be provided.
- Training involves moderate physical activity.
- As students will be out for a few hours at a time, they are encouraged to bring food, water, and comfortable clothing.
Completion of Biology 2F03 or equivalent is preferred. Students with career interests in environmental science, avian conservation biology, or ecotoxicology will be an asset.
To apply for this course, please fill out the following SCIENCE 2SG1 – Dr. Emily Choy Course Application Form – Spring/Summer 2025 online.