AUTHOR: Elyse Rosa
This year as a part of the MiNDS Outreach Program also known as “Out of our MiNDS”, a new high school co-op program was launched. The purpose of this initiative was to fill a gap in the current high school curriculum, which has few, if any opportunities for high school students to gain real laboratory experience, leaving these students unaware of what could be gained from an education or career in science. Through this co-op program, students are able to earn high school credit in exchange for working in the lab for a minimum of 15 hours/week during their chosen semester.
The diversity of the MiNDS program allows us to offer a wide range of lab experiences to incoming high school students and thus fosters unique co-op placements for each student. The first round of high school students to participate in this program are currently completing their placements and it has proven to be a great experience for everyone involved. I am currently working on recruiting high school students who will start their placements next fall. If you have any questions about this program or are interested in taking part, please do not hesitate to contact me (rosae@mcmaster.ca).
June 2018 Co-op Program Update: For more information about the program or current positions, please email Lisa & Ashley at mcmastermindscoop@gmail.com.