Clean and Green
Protect, respect, and conserve the environment.
Collaborate. Innovate. Change.
Join interdisciplinary teams to tackle the most pressing challenges facing Hamilton.
MacChangers is a co-curricular, experiential learning program open to all McMaster students.
Applications open September 2025.
Information on
What is MacChangers?
MacChangers is a year-long, co-curricular program where interdisciplinary teams of McMaster students research innovative solutions to community-identified challenges in Hamilton.
Students are placed in teams and assigned a challenge question. Throughout the year, they participate in workshops and collaborate with mentors and community partners to research, develop, and refine their ideas. Final proposals are presented at the MacChangers Project Showcase in April.
MacChangers offers hands-on, experiential learning that empowers students to tackle complex local and global issues—aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Our Future Hamilton vision.
Empowering Menstrual Equity with a QR-Code Operated Dispenser & Smart-App
Fei Huai Liu, Jeslyn Chow, Le Minh An Nguyen, Malak Al Musawi, Xuong Minh Thi
Mitigating Stormwater Runoff in Hamilton
Arvan Kayal, Kajanan Dayaparan, Muhammad Shuaib, Subhan Razzaq
Improving Novice Cyclist’s Safety and Comfort During Winter Months to Sustain Year-Round Bike Ridership
Pooja Murali, Kobe Li, Saqib Nadeem, Yvonne-Marie Mako
Permeable Concrete in Small-Scale Parking Lots
Ubaida Kamran, Maggie Zhou, Zoha Ali
Climate Resilient Solutions for Hamilton Bicycle Infrastructure
Kourosh Mamouri
Floating Treatment Wetlands: Plant Powered Phosphorous Reduction
Savitoj Sandhu, Charlyne Taabazuing, Marlena Ciemiega, Deea Saha
SmartCatch: A Modular Filtration System for Hamilton Harbour
Maarij Shahzad, Trisha Raj
Making Sustainability Convenient: Customized Food Ordering to Incentivize Food Waste Reduction at Bistro
Anthony Carlucci, Paul Stoica, Piranavaan Vijayalingam
Fridgie: Reducing Waste at McMaster University
Alexandra Chow, Christine Namuddu, Liliana Patru
CleanPath: Enhancing Waste Management in the Parks of Hamilton
Sebastian Rivera Alfonso, Sophia Ello, Brian Dang, Vanessa Mbakwa
Finding Entrepreneurial Opportunities in the Social Sciences
Akshita Kumar, Laiba Imtiaz, Sanusi Akintunde
Helping Hamilton’s Youth: Empowering Young Entrepreneurs Through Digital Marketing
Zanobiah Malik, Hifza Siddiqui, Nibra Yasin
Reviving Fashion: Bridging Art & Vintage
Ashnavi Assokan, Mariama Jallow, Zain Khalbous
MacMentors: Briding the Gap between Secondary and Post-Secondary Students
Vidhi Patel, Tasin Karim, Haniya Rahman, Aymann Patel
Roots in Hamilton: Proposing a Student-Led Initiative for Newcomers
Areeba Hasan, Ayesha Akhtar, Sejude Alama, Tanisha Ahamed, Wazba Faiaz, Yasmin Ahmed
Upright
Nithika Karunamoorthy, Olivia Redford, Zuhair Qureshi
PhonePals to Address Social Isolation Among Older Adults
Fatima Hameed, Bob-Shen Yan, Riyad Asgarali
Personalized Bingo Kits and Collaborative Game Nights
Christina Fodtchouk, Diane Coatrieux, Talean Ghanayem
Enhancing Resource Accessibility for Domestic Violence Survivors in Hamilton
Ayushma Neku, Fion Lee, Vidhi Patel
A Home Upgrade Catalogue for Older Adults to Age in Place
Gabriel Smith, Joseph Newman, Navneet Singh, Shekyra Hebert, Tania Kan
Breaking Barriers: Empowering Domestic Violence Survivors to Access Aid and Achieve Financial Stability
Tridib Banik
Student-Run Delivery Volunteer Program for the Aging Population
Adrian Yu, Aidan Khan, Konstantin Blinkov, Shirley Zhu, Syed Usman, Zijian Chu
LegacyLinks: Connecting Retirees with Purpose
Dania Hilfi, Yaseen Al-Saleem
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Learn more about Clean and Green (Opens in new window)
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Communities, Arts, and Culture
Learn more about Communities, Arts, and Culture (Opens in new window)Support the diversity and richness of connections within our community.
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Built Environment and Infrastructure
Learn more about Built Environment and Infrastructure (Opens in new window)Create solutions to improve physical structure and systems in Hamilton.
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Healthy and Safe Cities
Learn more about Healthy and Safe Cities (Opens in new window)Prioritize the well-being and security of Hamilton residents.
Past MacChangers Projects
Our teams of interdisciplinary students have proposed dynamic solutions to complex challenges.
Statistics
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Develop skills desired by employers
Improve your communication, teamwork, project management, entrepreneurship, leadership and problem-solving skills in an experiential learning environment.
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Build connections
Work closely with experts in the McMaster and Hamilton communities as you build your professional network.
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Make a difference
Propose innovative solutions to community stakeholders that could result in positive change in our community.
MacChangers is an official McMaster program open to all students.
Students enrolled in MacChangers are eligible for a complimentary elective credit by enrolling in ENGINEER 3CX3. More information can be found on the experiential learning page.
Students are expected to attend in-person sessions on Wednesday evenings from 18:30-19:30. It is expected that students commit an average of 3 hours each week to the program from October to March.
Yes! Please ensure that you and your friend(s) each fill out an application form. Indicate the first and last names of those you wish to work with on the application form.
Attend an information session:
Wednesday, September 11th: 10:00-11:00am @ MUSC 302
Friday, September 13th: 10:00-11:00am @ MUSC 303
Monday, September 16th: 10:00-11:00am @ MUSC 302
Feel free to reach out to changers@mcmaster.ca if you have any questions.
Applications for the 2024-2025 year close on September 17th.