Build a more resilient and sustainable Hamilton community this summer.
June 22-26th, 2020, 9 am - 3 pm EST
Applications are now CLOSED.
This FREE five-day virtual program is what you're looking for! Work with multidisciplinary teams of students to brainstorm, share insights and create innovative solutions to real-world challenges. Students from all faculties are welcome (Business, Engineering, Health Sciences, Science, Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts & Science Program)
Participants will collaborate from home with a teaching team over the course of the week while learning about human-centered design, community engagement, and other durable skills such as:
Upon completion, students receive a digital credential highlighting their success and skills.
Meet students from all faculties and levels of study and have your work shared with real stakeholders.
The regular MacChangers program is a year-long co-curricular program (students do not receive course credit) that pairs multidisciplinary teams with community partners to propose innovative solutions to local challenges facing the Hamilton community, as well as the global community. If you would like to learn more about the year-long version, click below!
Learn more
“I was attracted to MacChangers because it gave me an opportunity to take on a project related to what I wanted to do after graduation." -Jordan Sullivan, Chemical Engineering & Society student
In June 2020, students collaborated with members of the Hamilton community in order to propose solutions to local challenges related to combatting COVID-19 in the areas of food, mobility, digital technology, and supporting local businesses.
Check out our students' video presentations through the links below!
F1 | Market in a BoxF2 | Meal in a Box: Addressing Food Insecurity, Access, and Education among McMaster University StudentsF3 | An e-commerce proposal to Hamilton Farmers MarketF4 | FarmersVerse: A Virtual Hamilton Farmers’ MarketF5 | HOME: Hamilton’s Online Market ExpressF6 | Mac’s Snack Hacks AppF7 | E-Market: Take your Business OnlineF8 | Snack with Mac: A new and effective approach to tackling food illiteracy
M1 | Engaging Hamilton: A Community Approach to SoBiM2 | SoBi Go: Redeveloping an Application to Aid Bike Redistribution EffortsM3 | COVID-CampM4 | Project Hamil-FUNM5 | SoBi Adventure RoutesM6 | FindMyWayM7 | Urban LoopsM8 | SafeOutside
D1 | Tech RentD2 | CoVR-360: Co-operative Virtual Reality-360D3 | CommunifiD4 | PROJECT PROCESS: A Social Approach to LearningD5 | Mac Cyber Café: How every student can have access to educationD6 | Virtual Literature CirclesD7 | Just Play-OnD8 | An integrated resource hub for online learningD9 | Active Recall Response System: Emphasizing Long Term Memory RetentionD10 | Tech Talks | Tech Assistance for Seniors in Long-Term Care Homes During Covid-19
L1 | IsItReady: Simplifying the Curbside Pickup and Parking processL2 | HamiltonLive: An online marketplace for the residents of HamiltonL3 | Beauty Bubble Family PackageL4 | Hamilton HotspotL5 | COVID CautiousL6 | Digital Barton Village: Celebrating Multilingual CommunitiesL7 | Virtual FestL8 | Hungry for Hamilton: Optimizing inter-business collaboration through competitive digital marketing
Here is what our students had to say about their experience during the Change-a-Thon!
“I enjoyed how the program outlined different aspects of problem-solving, whether this was considering the outcomes, sustainability, or stakeholders. It really opened up my vision when I was given insight into what it takes to attempt and solve a complex problem, even with a simple idea or solution at hand.” - Anonymous
“It was challenging to formulate solutions that met the social, economic, and environmental needs of the community and I certainly had to use creativity to come up with a solution. In the future, I will make sure to tackle all problems with the needs of others in mind and will use the problem-solving skills and empathy learned throughout this program to do so.” - Anonymous
“I like that this program gave a lot of structure, honed in on the root of these problems that needed solutions, while also providing a structured method of solving them to the point where they could actually be implemented in the community. I also think a key part of this process was being able to receive real constructive criticism toward our ideas, and being asked a lot of questions to find holes in our solution, to help us think more deeply about what our solution would involve. ” - Anonymous
“The most valuable takeaway I got from this experience is learning how to interact with people from all sorts of backgrounds and come together to collaborate and work on a single idea. I was able to take into consideration very different perspectives and was able to understand the importance in those perspectives in helping improve myself and my own thoughts.” - Anonymous
While the program requires full attendance, we do offer limited-flexibility to accommodate participants during these troubled times. Please select "I can tentatively confirm my attendance" and list any small conflicts you may have.
Absolutely! We will be forming randomized teams of four based on interests and experience.
This program will be entirely virtual and can be completed from the comfort of your own home. There are no elements that require you to come to campus. Participants are expected to have access to a computer and a reliable internet connection for the full duration of the event.
Yes! This is a multi-disciplinary program and we encourage students of all faculties to apply.
Any student with an active McMaster e-mail can apply to this program.
Thank you for applying! We will be carefully going through applications and sending out offers of acceptance no later than June 15th, 2020. Please keep an eye on your McMaster e-mail inbox, as offers are valid for a limited time.
You do not have to submit a new application! Please e-mail changers@mcmaster.ca with the name of any friends you want to work with, and be sure to let your friend know that they must also apply!
Please e-mail changers@mcmaster.ca with any changes you would like to make to your application.
Please e-mail us at changers@mcmaster.ca and we will get back to you quickly!
changers@mcmaster.ca
These students have successfully completed the five-day MacChangers: Change-a-Thon, proposing innovative solutions to community-defined priorities posed by COVID-19. Through multidisciplinary virtual team collaboration, these individuals have demonstrated outstanding skill and understanding in complex problem solving, sustainable design, agile milestone management, and iterative solution testing, while having utilized community informed judgment to scope and swiftly pivot their ideas to better align with stakeholders’ needs.
