Posted on June 25: McMaster welcomes Canada’s top high school students

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BY Heather Wilde

June 25, 2003

Fifty-two of Canada's best and brightest high school students arrive at McMaster on Sunday, June 29 for a month-long immersion into university life.

The Shad Valley program, referred to by students and staff as “MacShad,” provides senior high school students who have demonstrated excellence in academics, recreation, leadership, entrepreneurship and community involvement with the opportunity to learn more about engineering, science, mathematics and entrepreneurship at the university level.

For the past five years, McMaster has served as one of 10 host universities for the Shad Valley program, organized and financed through the program's central headquarters (Shad International) located in Waterloo.

Each year more than 1,000 students compete for about 500 spaces available at campuses spanning the country. While each campus is run slightly differently, most consist of a core executive staff along with program assistants, supported by a number of faculty members from the university that instruct the participants within one of the main disciplines of study.

A typical day at MacShad commences at 8:30 a.m. with a lecture from a university professor, followed by an intensive academic workshop until lunch. The afternoon includes an academic session and a recreational activity such as Tai Chi, a game of ultimate Frisbee, or a scavenger hunt. Evening events may include a community guest speaker, a coffee house, or time to work on the engineering and entrepreneurship project. The project requires that students be split into four teams. Each team works on brainstorming, designing, building, marketing, and presenting a product or service to a panel of judges that fulfils a particular purpose. In October, the winning team from each campus then goes on to compete at the Royal Bank Shad Entrepreneurship Competition against the winning teams from other campuses.

Upcoming MacShad events that may be of interest include MiniShad Day on Saturday, July 12 during which time McMaster University and MacShad will provide area high school students with the opportunity to experience Shad for a day and learn about the academic programs available at McMaster. The business project presentations take place Monday, July 21 from 2 to 4 p.m. and will feature presentations by each student group on the thematic product or service developed over the month. Open Day Festivities, which will showcase students' work and highlights from the month will take place Thursday, July 24 from 2 to 5 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

For more information about the McMaster University Shad Valley program, visit the Web site at www.eng@mcmaster/macshad, e-mail macshad@mcmaster.ca or contact the Shad office at 905-525-9140 ext. 26948.