What is UniSYN?

UniSYN is a new MSU-affiliated science club at McMaster. Our goal is to provide students opportunities to learn valuable lab and research skills in hands-on workshops for the purpose of better equipping students for future laboratory research positions.

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Who is it for?

Any undergraduate students willing to either receive exposure to wet-lab research or be trained for future research positions.

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Why is this important?

Our club fills a demand that is currently not being met, especially within the BHSc and BHSc iBiomed communities. Most of these students have little to no experience in the lab and may not be able to enroll in lab courses, such as BIOCHEM 2L06, due to course conflicts; in the past two years, BHSc students were unable to enroll in BIOCHEM 2L06 because of a conflict with a mandatory course.  In fact, many students tried to opt out of the mandatory course in favour of BIOCHEM 2L06, but were denied by the faculty. Moreover, iBiomed students are not given any space in their timetables to enroll in additional lab courses. Finally, non-science students may have an interest in learning lab techniques, but are unwilling to commit to an entire formal lab course.

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Who is running our workshops?

Upper-year undergraduate and graduate students.

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What do we require?

UniSYN has secured funding for reagents but is still seeking labspace around campus. We’re making plans to host a few student workshops in January and February outside of regular class hours, and with a workshop cap of around 20-25 people/workshop. We additionally would be requiring lab equipment including electrophoresis machines, PCR thermocyclers, etc.

 

Who is paying for/providing reagents?

We will be funding this cost from our MSU funding and other sponsorships/donations.

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What are our safety precautions?

Prior to the workshops, students will be required to complete the necessary safety courses, including WHMIS and fire safety.

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How can you reach us?

We can be reached at unisynlabs@gmail.com. More information is available at our website, https://www.unisynlabs.com/.