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McMaster University

Founded in 1887, McMaster University is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading research-intensive universities. Our researchers are committed to advancing human and societal health and well-being.

Ranked 83rd overall in the 2016 Academic Ranking of World Universities, McMaster is the home of problem-based learning – our signature teaching method. Pioneered at McMaster and adopted by institutions around the world, this innovative approach opens young minds to new ideas and hones the critical thinking skills needed to create healthy communities in a complex and changing world.

At McMaster, collaborative thinking is a gateway to greater intelligence and greater optimism. In short, it’s helping us create a brighter world.

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 376 articles
Trans rights are under attack in the U.S. Here, Jamiyah Morrison, 19, of Riverdale, Md., left, has rainbow makeup touched up by Niaomi Moshier, 21, while attending Transgender Day of Visibility rally in March in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Listen: Trans scholar and activist explains why trans rights are under attack

Vinita Srivastava, The Conversation and Boké Saisi, The Conversation

This year, there are more than 400 active anti-trans bills across the U.S. What do things look like in Canada? Are we a safe haven or are we following those same trends?
Si l’on souhaite améliorer la vie des filles au Canada et ailleurs dans le monde, il faut d’abord réfléchir aux raisons pour lesquelles on a tendance à rejeter et à invalider leurs préoccupations. (Shutterstock)

Crise chez les jeunes filles – on doit prendre leur santé mentale au sérieux

Alexe Bernier, McMaster University

La santé mentale des jeunes filles est précaire. Normes de beauté irréalistes et pression des médiaux sociaux sont en cause, mais aussi, le fait qu’elles ne sont écoutées ou prises au sérieux.
New Canadians take the Oath of Citizenship during halftime at a Redblacks and Montréal Alouettes CFL game in Ottawa in July 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

How smaller cities can integrate newcomers into their labour markets

Mary Crea-Arsenio, McMaster University; Andrea Baumann, McMaster University; Bruce Newbold, McMaster University, and Margaret Walton-Roberts, Wilfrid Laurier University

Canada is counting on immigrants to drive economic growth. Smaller urban communities can help take pressure off Canada’s most heavily populated regions by attracting and retaining newcomers.
If we want to see improvements in the lives of girls in Canada and beyond, we need to first think critically about why we tend to dismiss and invalidate their concerns. (Shutterstock)

Girls are in crisis — and their mental health needs to be taken seriously

Alexe Bernier, McMaster University

In Canada, over 50 per cent of female students in Ontario have reported moderate to severe psychological distress. One in four girls has been sexually abused by the time they turn 18.
El rey Carlos y la reina consorte Camila posan con representantes de los países de la Commonwealth durante la recepción anual del Día de la Commonwealth en el Palacio de Buckingham en mayo de 2022. (Daniel Leal/Pool via AP)

Coronación del rey Carlos: ¿puede la monarquía británica desprenderse de su pasado imperial?

Justin Vovk, McMaster University

La coronación es un momento clave para que el rey Carlos demuestre que la monarquía puede ser más eficaz y más sensible al legado del imperialismo británico.
Smouldering fire in a drained peatland near Fort McMurray, Alta. produces smoke from underground. These ecosystems are affected by rising temperatures, drought, wildfire and various human actions including drainage. (Leyland Cecco)

Up in smoke: Human activities are fuelling wildfires that burn essential carbon-sequestering peatlands

Sophie Wilkinson, Simon Fraser University and Mike Waddington, McMaster University

New research shows that northern peatlands may not help regulate our climate by the end of the century.
Strategies that may help reduce support for corporal punishment — as well as reduce its use and intentions to use it — include individual and group-based programs to develop positive parenting skills. (Shutterstock)

Time to abolish the Canadian law that allows adults to spank and hit children

Tracie O. Afifi, University of Manitoba and Andrea Gonzalez, McMaster University

Extensive evidence shows the harms of spanking, and 65 other countries or states worldwide have already banned it. Why has Canada not done the same by repealing Section 43 of the Criminal Code?
COVID-19 is still with us, and is still causing serious illness and death. However, it is disproportionately affecting older people. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Ageism and the pandemic: How Canada continues to let older adults suffer and die from COVID-19

Dawn ME Bowdish, McMaster University

COVID-19 is the third-leading cause of death in Canada, but it’s older people who are dying. That we accept this and carry on as if the pandemic is over reveals our ageism: We don’t value older people.
What does student feedback about technology reveal about the changing nature of post-secondary education and equitably supporting student development? (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

ChatGPT: Student insights are necessary to help universities plan for the future

Alpha Abebe, McMaster University and Fenella Amarasinghe, York University, Canada

Post-secondary student input about ChatGPT and other AI matters not only for accountability, but also as a savvy way to strategize about the future of higher education.
Early play-based learning helps children develop skills and knowledge before elementary school, and provides an essential foundation for learning in later years. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

Newly linked data can reveal academic development from kindergarten to high school in 150,000 students

Jeanne Sinclair, Memorial University of Newfoundland; Magdalena Janus, McMaster University, and Scott Davies, University of Toronto

A study following Ontario students between 2004 and 2012 can help policymakers ensure all students get the supports they need when they need them.
A driver backs a Volkswagen e-Golf into a parking spot in Peterborough, Ont. Volkswagen has announced plans to build an electric vehicle battery plant in St. Thomas, in southwestern Ontario. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ives

Did Canada and Ontario pay too much money for Volkswagen’s battery plant?

Greig Mordue, McMaster University

For the kind of money the federal and Ontario governments probably spent for a Volkswagen EV battery plant in southwestern Ontario, Canada might have been able to launch its own EV maker.
King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla pose for a photo with representatives of the Commonwealth countries during the annual Commonwealth Day reception at Buckingham Palace in May 2022. (Daniel Leal/Pool via AP)

King Charles’s coronation: Can the British monarchy shed its imperial past?

Justin Vovk, McMaster University

The coronation is a critical moment for King Charles to show that the monarchy can be more efficient and more sensitive to the legacy of British imperialism.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to the crowd gathered at a meet-and-greet in Stoney Creek, Ont., in March 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Alex Lupul

Pierre Poilievre is popular among union members. What’s it really all about?

Chris Fairweather, McMaster University

The goal of the labour movement is to advance the interests of workers everywhere. Nativist narratives about defending Canada could explain Pierre Poilievre’s popularity among some union members.
In the HBO series ‘The Last of Us,’ the parasitic fungus cordyeps mutates, and jumps from insects to humans and quickly spreads around the world, rendering its victims helpless to control their thoughts and actions. (HBO)

The fungus zombies in ‘The Last of Us’ are fictional, but real fungi can infect people, and they’re becoming more resistant

Gerry Wright, McMaster University

While ‘The Last of Us’ is a dramatic projection of a deadly fungal outbreak, it is based, if not in reality, in logic. And it’s a reminder that fungal infections are growing more resistant.
Margot, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, is important because viewers without much experience with fine dining culture, or who empathize with criticisms of it, can relate to her. (Eric Zachanowich/Searchlight Pictures)

Horror comedy ‘The Menu’ delves into foodie snobbery when you’re dying for a cheeseburger

Melissa Montanari, McMaster University and Marika Avenel Brown, McMaster University

The Menu’s real horror comes from the ways food, eating, and cooking lose their carnal pleasures under capitalism.

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