Undergraduate Research

McMaster offers its undergraduates many exciting research opportunities

By offering a Senior Thesis course (Geo 4R06), summer research opportunities, Undergraduate Summer Research Assistant (USRA) grants and undergraduate lab assistant postions during the school year, undergraduate SGES students have access to many exciting and diverse reserach opportunites.

See what our undergraduate students in the SGES are researching.

 

USRA Recipients

Senior Thesis Students

Summer Research Postions

Courses that offer Independant Undergratuate Research Experience

 

 

 

USRA Recipients

Harris Switzman

TOWARD SUSTAINABLE JUSTICE:
An Examination of Crime and Restorative Justice in Hamilton

Justice systems are designed to provide the necessary resources for bringing about positive change within offenders, establishing accountability, providing closure and restitution for victims and reducing crime. The ability of the Canadian justice system at achieving these objectives and moving toward a culture of peace has been questioned, however. This paperassesses the validity of this criticism in relation to crime and justice in Hamilton, Ontario. It is hypothesised that to achieve the aforementioned goals requires shifting the paradigm that presently informs the Canadian justice system by using alternatives to retribution, like restorative justice. The objectives of this paper are to determine: (i) the relevance of Hamilton’s policing strategies, its judicial structure and processes, sentencing options, crime distribution, public attitudes, and government priorities to the administering of justice; and (ii) the viability and scope of alternative justice in this city. It was concluded that alternatives found within the restorative paradigm represent viable options for transforming the justice system into a more sustainable and effective one in Hamilton. The greatest barrier to the expansion of restorative justice however, is an uninformed general public and a lack of political will.

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Marianne Stoesser

Honours B.Sc. Earth and Envrionmental Sciences Level IV

This summer I am working under the supervision of Dr. Carolyn Eyles. My field research involves detailed sedimentological logging and analysis of a series of exposures through an arcuate moraine at Mohawk Point on the northern shore of Lake Erie. With my data I will interpret the origin of the morainal landform. As well, I am researching new ways to promote the earth sciences to grade 10 and 11 students, whose exposure to the field of study is very limited at the high school level. My goal is to show students that earth science is a field full of excitement, challenge, opportunity and fulfillment.

 

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Senior Thesis Students

Fourth year undergraduates may take Geo 4R06, the senior thesis course. The aim of this course is for students to conduct research and draw conclusions on a topic of personal interest. The course is designed to develop the skills needed for presenting research results to various audiences, and for evaluating other research projects.

Jay Lewis

Honours B.A. Geography

My undergraduate thesis was studying the coastal geomorphology on Playa Pelada, a small beach located on the Western coast of Costa Rica. The project required the collection of GPS data that were used to create a digital elevation model of the beach. Sediment and vegetation samples were collected to identify controls and processes occurring on the beach. Getting the GPS equipment to function properly and working around tides was challenging but the experience of conducting research on a beach in Costa Rica made it all worth while.

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Dan Thompson

Honours B.Sc. Earth and Envrionmental Science

I completed my undergraduate thesis during the summer of 2005 on the hydrochemistry of a high Arctic wetland on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. My thesis involved three months of fieldwork from mid-May to mid-August. The aim of the research project was to find how the chemistry of different types of wetlands varies within a larger complex of ponds, fens, and ice wedges. I worked alongside another undergraduate student (May Guan) who studied the hydrology of the wetlands. Together, we were able to observe how the slight variations on the movement of water in and out of the wetlands are important in controlling the salinity of the water bodies. My biggest challenge of the project was the isolation. We were re-supplied only once during the whole season, so any missing field equipment was not readily available. Despite the challenges of the remoteness, waking up to the sight of glaciers and musk ox in the distance was worth it every day.

 

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Madeleine Rosamond

Honours B.Sc. Earth and Environmental Science
The kinetics and dynamics of siliceous hot spring streams at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

“I worked under Dr. Lesley Warren studying the kinetics and dynamics of siliceous hot spring streams at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Our group was interested in examining the potential for microbially aided silica precipitation and I compared the likelihood of microbial action within and between four streams.
My thesis involved a week of fieldwork in Yellowstone and several months of lab work (mostly spectrophotometry). Although I couldn't examine phosphates due to methodology limits, my conclusions helped further research interests in Dr. Warren's lab group. Getting personal with hot springs and contributing to original research were equally wonderful experiences.”

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Rebecca Wemyss

Honours B.A. Geography
Co-operative Housing: Still More than just a Place to Live?

"One area of geography that I am interested in is urban housing. I examined the current situation in Co-op housing, focusing on Mississauga. Looking at the history of Co-ops I wanted to see if the basic social and economic benefits of living in a Co-op were still present.

I conducted interviews with board members at a Co-op in Mississauga. It was fun creating the interview questions and conducting them!

I did not have a firm answer to my research question but found that this topic should be further explored. I wrote to Dalton McGuinty asking him what he felt about Co-ops. His response focused on low-income housing; having housing available to people who need it. However, the purpose of Co-ops is that it is available and beneficial to everyone. It's something to think about!"

 

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Undergraduate Summer Research

Aislyn Trendell

Honours B.Sc. Earth & Environmental Sciences Level IV

This summer I am starting field work for my senior thesis. I am working under the supervision of Dr. Carolyn Eyles studying glacial sediments. This research involves detailed sedimentological logging of a series of Quaternary sediments exposed along the north shore of Lake Ontario between the towns of Port Hope and Oshawa. I am hoping to define the depositional environments as well as creating a 3D subsurface map of glacial sediments in the area. I have also submitted an abstract to the GSA conference in October and will hopefully be presenting my findings in Philadelphia.

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Jessica Anderson

Honours B.A. Geography Level IV

I am a research assistant for Dr. Allison Williams. I am working with her to put out a new edition of a previously written book on the concept of Therapeutic landscapes. I have been assisting by putting together the contributing author’s biographies and abstracts for the book proposal, as well as gathering the newest research on the concept and summarizing it. It was a great way to meet people from my program; overall it has been an awesome experience.

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Taryn Gray

This summer I am working in the Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry Lab under the direction of Emeritus Professor Henry Schwarcz. My work involves using delta O18 isotopes to help infer past climatic trends in Israel. To do this, I drill out samples of goat teeth and analyze the carbonate that is present. So far this job has been an excellent learning experience and has allowed me to developing invaluable relationships with fellow students and faculty.

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Holly Hynes

Honours B.Sc. Earth & Environmental Sciences Level III

This summer I am working as a research assistant for Henry Schwarcz in the Biogeochemical Isotopes laboratory. My job entails preparing and analysing samples from speleothem, which are deposits in caves. The objective is twofold: to determine paleoclimates by analysing isotopic ratios of oxygen, and pinpoint where disturbed speleothem originated using trace elements. Working for McMaster has allowed me to meet many students and professors in the department. It has also been an excellent learning experience.

 

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Courses that offer Independant undergraduate Research Experience:

Envir Sc/Geog 4MT6- Senior Thesis Course Description

Earth Sc/Geog 4MR3- Review Paper Course Description

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