Imagine being in an academic summer camp with some of the brightest young minds in the country, developing innovative scientific and technological advancements that could very well one day change the world.

Fifty high-school students spent the month of July doing just that, taking part in Shad Valley's summer program, in which McMaster was one of 10 host schools. With the motto of “Drive, Stretch, Dream”, Shad Valley McMaster's mission is to expose students to lectures, workshops and community outreach in order to facilitate the connection between science, math, technology and entrepreneurship.

With rigorous acceptance criteria including minimum high-school grades of 90 per cent and a demonstrated involvement in extra-curricular and community activities, some of the most promising young students spent three weeks designing and implementing groundbreaking ideas for the chance to compete at the national RIM/Shad Valley Entrepreneurship Cup. Last year's champions hailed from the 2009 Shad Valley McMaster program. The teams recently displayed their work at an Open Day Reception for the McMaster community.

“I'm always impressed when I see these bright young minds, their creativity, what they come up with, how they interact with each other and form a team – it's quite amazing,” said John Morrison, chair of the board of directors of Shad Valley, on hand for the open house event. “This is a life-changing experience for these students.”

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