W Booth School celebrates 10 years of innovation and excellence

WBooth

Through the W Booth Innovation Studio, teams of students work in collaboration with companies, organizations and individuals to address innovation challenges and develop creative solutions. Last week, more than 100 alumni, faculty, staff, industry leaders and community members came together to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the W Booth School of Engineering Practice.


If you’re wondering where the engineering leaders of tomorrow are located, you don’t have to search too far.

They’re here at McMaster — learning how to become innovators in their field, discovering the value of connected communities and looking toward a sustainable future.

Thursday night at Hamilton’s Liuna Station, more than 100 alumni, faculty, staff, industry leaders and community members came together to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the W Booth School of Engineering Practice and honour benefactor Walter G. Booth.

Members of the Booth family joined W Booth School director Art Heidebrecht in paying tribute to Walter Booth through a toast to his 80th birthday.

Ishwar Puri, dean of the Faculty of Engineering, described Booth as a generous volunteer and philanthropist. “Walter is one of our true alumni role models. He is one of the people we look to as being McMaster at its very best,” Puri said.

Guest speaker Mark Chamberlain of PV Labs also shared thoughts from his experience as a leader in business innovation.

A natural leader and innovator, Chamberlain embodies the values of W Booth School — not only as an accomplished entrepreneur, but as a community member who is known for lending his time and talent to important causes.

The idea for McMaster’s School of Engineering Practice was born in 2001. Through the generosity of Walter G. Booth, it blossomed in 2005.

Booth felt strongly that Canada needed more entrepreneurs — particularly in engineering. Initially, the concept was to develop engineers as innovators, then to support them as they commercialized ideas in the form of startup companies. A Master of Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation program was launched.

Ten years later, the W Booth School has expanded to cover much more than entrepreneurship. The school is comprised of a vibrant community of faculty, mentors and industry leaders dedicated to guiding McMaster students.

Through the W Booth Innovation Studio, teams of students work in collaboration with companies, organizations and individuals to address innovation challenges and develop creative solutions.

Over a 12 month period, students move from forming teams to discovering, defining and delivering an outcome on an Innovation Challenge. Graduate students learn from each other and from community partners.

“I have always been a strong believer in interdependent relationships as that is where true innovation is born,” says Julia-Rose Vuong, Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation Master’s candidate.

“With anything great, there also comes great struggle; the mix of students between programs and cultural backgrounds was certainly a challenge, but I can honestly say that I could not have asked for a better combination of people to come together.”

Such challenges are not only a great way for students to earn academic credit — they provide an opportunity for them to make a real global impact.

“In the Faculty of Engineering, we encourage our students to see not just the technical side of the global Grand Challenges related to health, energy, water, poverty and environment for example, but as an opportunity to enact change with our global and local communities for the benefit of society,” adds Puri.