MacPherson Institute welcomes 2019 cohort of fellows and grant recipients

The 2019 recipients of MacPherson Institute fellowships and grants.


McMaster’s Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching has named the 2019 recipients of the Leadership in Teaching and Learning fellowships and Priority Areas for Learning and Teaching (PALAT) grants.

The two-year Leadership in Teaching and Learning fellowships were developed to establish and support a faculty community of practice and teaching champions. This year’s recipients are:

  • Ilana Bayer – Faculty of Health Sciences
  • Bernice Downey – Faculty of Health Sciences
  • Seshasai Srinivasan – Faculty of Engineering
  • Elizabeth Hassan – Faculty of Engineering
  • Robert Fleisig and Sean Park – Faculties of Engineering and Health Sciences
  • Sajeni Mahalingam – Faculty of Science
  • Matthew Woolhouse – Faculty of Humanities

The fellowship program encourages scholarly exploration, innovation, evaluation and dissemination of high-impact teaching and learning practices, with an aim to enhancing the student learning experience.

The one-year PALAT grant provides support to encourage scholarly research and the development of a project that aligns with the following priority areas:

  • Community-engaged education
  • Interdisciplinary teaching and learning
  • Social justice, inclusion and critical pedagogy
  • Student engagement, retention and success
  • Technology-enhanced education
  • Undergraduate research and inquiry

This year’s PALAT grant recipients are:

  • Andrew Costa and Tara Kajaks – Faculty of Health Sciences
  • Vanina Dal Bello-Haas – Faculty of Health Sciences
  • Veronica Moncalvo and Abeer Siddiqui – Faculty of Science
  • Jeffrey Donaldson – Faculty of Humanities
  • Mary Chaktsiris – Faculty of Humanities
  • Eugenia Zuroski and Lucia Lorenzi – Faculty of Humanities
  • Catherine Grise – Faculty of Humanities
  • Philippa Carter – Faculty of Social Sciences
  • Hanna Tervanotko – Faculty of Social Sciences
  • Teal McAteer – DeGroote School of Business

“I’m very excited that the MacPherson Institute is able to provide these grants and fellowships to faculty across campus, supporting and enabling them to take the time and inherent risks involved in trying new scholarly teaching approaches that are aimed at enhancing their students’ learning experiences,” says Lori Goff, director of the MacPherson Institute. “It is important that we take a moment to celebrate McMaster’s educators that care deeply about learning and are passionate about engaging their students in exciting educational opportunities.”

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