Science FUNdamentals
Introducing Science FUNdamentals: Hamilton Chapter
McMaster University
This year, we aim to grow and strengthen Science FUNdamentals by inspiring young students to develop an interest in science while allowing current STEM students to share their passion within the Hamilton community. As we enter our third year as a ratified club under the McMaster Student Union (MSU), we plan to expand our outreach through MSU-hosted events, organize exciting fundraisers, and deliver engaging lessons and hands-on experiments to schools across Hamilton.
Meet our Team!
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Afeef Vehra
President
mcmaster.president@sciencefundamentals.org
Hi everyone, my name is Afeef (he/him). I’m in my fifth year of the Honours Life Sciences Co-op program. I’ve been with SciFun for the past two years, and this will be my third year with them. In my spare time, I enjoy watching UFC and trying out new food spots. A fun fact about me is that I love chocolate!
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William Winarta
Vice President
mcmaster.vicepresident@sciencefundamentals.org
Hello, my name is William (he/him), and I’m in my fourth year of Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization. I enjoy going on trails, checking out new restaurants & hanging out with friends. One fun fact is I’ve been tutoring science for over 7 years. My exec role is to support the president and make sure everything in the club is running smoothly. This is my third year being on the Scifun team, and I love this club because I want to share my passion for science with the next generation.
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Sammi Yang
Activities Director
mcmaster.activities@sciencefundamentals.org
Hello! I’m Sammi (she/her), I am one of the Activities Directors for SciFUN this year. I’m currently in my third year of the Biology Core program and looking to get a minor in Psychology. This will be my second year working with SciFUN and I look forward to making many more wholesome memories with children in Hamilton through our science demonstrations. Finally some quick fun facts about me, I enjoy eating spicy food, playing badminton, and listening to r&b.
Eman Tahir
Activities Director
mcmaster.activities@sciencefundamentals.org
Hi, my name is Eman (she/her)! I’m in my fourth year of the Honours Life Sciences program at McMaster University. I’ve been with SciFUN for two years, starting as a classroom volunteer and now serving as one of the Activities Directors. In my role, I help organize and create interactive science activities for students. I love being part of SciFUN because it allows me to share my passion for science with younger students and inspire the next generation of scientists!
Dilakshi Jemeamlouis
External Director
mcmaster.external@sciencefundamentals.org
Hi folks, my name is Dilakshi (she/her). I am in my 4th year of the Biochemistry Coop program (and minor in Indigenous studies!). This is my second year with SciFundamentals. I enjoy hiking and checking out Hamilton’s waterfalls. I love the Arts and participate in McMasters theatre and dance clubs. My role with SciFundamentals is connecting with teachers and school staff about our program.
Hasan Ahmad
Finance Director
mcmaster.finance@sciencefundamentals.org
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Hello! My name is Hasan (he/him) and I am in my fourth year of the Health Sciences program. I’ve been with SciFun for 3 years now! The reason why I chose to be apart of the team was the unique opportunity the club provides to teach fun science experiments to elementary students, something I wished I had growing up as a kid. If you see me around, you’ll see me jamming to music on my Airpods. Currently I’m listening to Lauryn Hill and mystical songs of the Indian subcontinent known as ghazals. Lol I’ll literally listen to anything :)
Vedanshi Kapadia
Fundraising Director
mcmaster.fundraising@sciencefundamentals.org
Hello! My name is Vedanshi (she/her) and I’m in my second year of the biochemistry program. I joined SciFun in my first year as a volunteer and am super excited to be part of the team again as a fundraising director! Outside of school, I’m a dancer and like to explore various styles, although I do mainly focus on hip-hop. I’m also a space enthusiast with a love for all things astronomy! I’m always down to chat with new people so please don’t hesitate to shoot me a text :).
Karina Di Pietro
Social Media Coordinator
mcmaster.socialmedia@sciencefundamentals.org
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Hey everyone! My name is Karina (she/her), and I’m in my fourth year of Biology and Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour. I joined SciFUN last September as a classroom volunteer, and continued my involvement in the club by taking over the social media pages this past February. This initiative has brought me so much joy and fulfilment, and I have absolutely adored every moment of teaching science to the students at local elementary schools. Outside of academics, I enjoy reading, graphic design, photography, kickboxing, and spending time with friends and family.
I’m excited to continue working with the amazing McMaster SciFUN team this year and to continue spreading our passion for science education!
Hirwa Patel
Volunteer Director
mcmaster.volunteer@sciencefundamentals.org
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Hi! My name is Hirwa (she/her), and I’m in my third year of the Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization program at McMaster University. This year, I’m one of the Volunteer Directors at SciFUN, where I manage and support our volunteers! Over the past two years, I’ve been a classroom volunteer and have loved making science more engaging and interactive for students. I look forward to having another fantastic year with SciFUN!
Persephone MacKinlay
Volunteer Director
mcmaster.volunteer@sciencefundamentals.org
Hi everyone! My name is Persephone (she/her), and I’m a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) student, specializing in Child Health. I joined SciFUN three years ago because I wanted to spark a love of science in the next generation of students, just as Scientist in the Classroom programs had for me. In my free time, I teach my friends to crochet and experiments with new recipes. Fun fact; I was born in PEI!
Dr. Rebecca Burchett
Advisor
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Hello! My name is Rebecca and I am the club advisor for SciFUN. I'm super excited to get our demonstrations and volunteers into local classrooms! I'm also excited to start building a community of McMaster students who all share a passion for science and teaching. A fun fact about me is that I have previously worked with SciFUN UAlberta for four years when I was completing my undergraduate degree there.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook!
Volunteer Sign-Up
If you're interested in volunteering for us, send us an email at mcmaster.volunteer@sciencefundamentals.org!
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You can also follow us on Instagram, where we'll be posting more information about our club and on
when applications open!
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Don't hesitate to reach out to any of us with your questions!
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Teacher Classroom Sign-Up
If you're a teacher or principal of an elementary school in the Hamilton area, and are interested in our programming, please send an email to our External Director!
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mcmaster.external@sciencefundamentals.org
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We are currently looking for interested classrooms for the 2024-2025 school year.
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