Virtual tours offer a new way to visit Faculty of Science labs and spaces

Imagine visiting McMaster’s first-year undergraduate anatomy lab from a coffee shop in Vancouver, a home in Northern Ontario, or a school in India. Now, anyone with an internet connection can tour many of the unique laboratories and facilities available to undergraduate students through the Faculty of Science Virtual Tour.

The tour site, designed to build on the current walking tours offered by McMaster’s central Recruitment Office and the Faculty of Science Associate Dean (Academic) Office, offers a more Science-focused peek into some of the Faculty’s  undergraduate laboratory spaces and premiere facilities.

With both a guided-tour and self-guided tour option, all tour locations feature 360-degree visuals of each stop. The guided tour option gives students a glimpse of facilities and laboratories that a typical first-year Science student may experience. Selecting the self-guided tour allows visitors to see unique facilities, such as the Nuclear Reactor, Cell Biology Lab or Biointerfaces Institute, that upper-level students may encounter during their time at McMaster.

“We wanted to offer prospective students a chance to see facilities that are sometimes difficult for the walking tours to visit because the facilities are in use or because of safety restrictions,” says Mic Farquharson, Associate Dean of Science (Academic). “These sites really showcase the undergraduate Science experience.”

As a result, prospective students can now “visit” campus year round. It also means that students who can’t easily travel to campus can check out the first-year sites and students who have mobility issues are able to see more of campus. The virtual tour travels among over 11 buildings and 29 locations.

New stops will be added as students and visitors provide feedback.