Science FUNdamentals
Meet our Team!
Hirwa Patel
President
mcmaster.president@sciencefundamentals.org
Hi! My name is Hirwa (she/her), and I'm in my 4th year of the Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization (BDC) program. I have been part of SciFUN for the past few years as both a classroom volunteer and Volunteer Director, and it’s truly been one of the most fun and rewarding experiences of my undergrad. I love getting to share science with students at local elementary schools and seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces during our demos. I also loved working with my team to bring SciFUN Day to life last year, and I’m so excited for this year’s event. My favourite demo right now is our bioluminescence demo. We first tried it with a kindergarten class, and they absolutely loved the glowing oil and water activity! I can’t wait to see what our amazing team accomplishes this year and to help SciFUN continue to grow! 💡🧪
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Karina Di Pietro
Vice President
mcmaster.vicepresident@sciencefundamentals.org
Hey everyone! My name is Karina (she/her), and I’m in my fifth year of Biology & Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour (BioPNB). I joined SciFUN two years ago as a classroom volunteer, and continued my involvement in the club as the Social Media Director from February 2024 onwards. I am so grateful to be entering my third year on this team as the Vice President, working to support our President and our lovely team of executives.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 making science education more accessible throughout Hamilton (my hometown)!
Sammi Yang
Activities Director
mcmaster.activities@sciencefundamentals.org
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Hello! I’m Sammi and I’m super excited to be back as one of the Activities Directors for Science FUNdamentals this year. I’m in my fourth year of Biology and this will be my third year with the club. SciFUN has always been a place where I can combine my love of science with my passion for working with children and I really look forward to continuing to help kids in the Hamilton community to explore science in the most exciting way possible. One of my main goals this year is to create more hands-on science experiments that younger children can enjoy and easily follow with our classroom volunteer team. I love seeing and hearing about the spark of curiosity in children even during simple experiments like the classic Coke and Mentos reaction, and I hope to further contribute to these learning moments. Some ideas include making Oobleck and creating invisible ink while also explaining the science behind how these experiments work so children can understand the “why” behind the fun. To wrap up, here’s one of my favourite fun facts: it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown! I like it because it’s a simple reminder that positivity can be effortless and I hope to bring that same energy to the SciFUN community. Finally I’m always happy to chat (about anything!) so don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or just want to say hi :)
Ella Zegarra Brown
Activities Director
mcmaster.activities@sciencefundamentals.org
Hi everyone! My name is Ella (she/her), and I’m in my fourth and final year of Molecular Biology and Genetics (Research Specialization)! This is my second year on the team, and I’m thrilled to be an activities director this year alongside Sammi and Hailey. I love SciFun because of how rewarding it is to create connections with local elementary students and teachers and watch them grow! I love teaching and inspiring future scientists. I admire what our initiative stands for. I can’t wait for another year!
Hailey Lyn
Activities Director
mcmaster.activities@sciencefundamentals.org
Hellooooo McMaster SciFUN! I'm Hailey, and I'm in my second year of the Honours Life Sciences program. I absolutely loved being a classroom volunteer in my first year and I'm super stoked to be back as one of your Activities Directors this year! Programs like SciFUN were what sparked my love for science way back in elementary school, and I can't wait to help ignite those sparks for other young students. I absolutely love the outdoors - outside of school, you can find me in the woods exploring new mountain bike trails, on the slopes sending it on my snowboard, or on the water paddling with the dragon boat team. One piece of advice I would give to students: never chug an entire bottle of water before writing a two and a half hour chemistry exam... let's just say I've never sprinted so fast out of an exam room in my life. I'm super excited to work with the McMaster SciFUN exec team this year, and can't wait to see what the year will bring!
Dilakshi Jemeamlouis
External Director
mcmaster.external@sciencefundamentals.org
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Hi everyone! My name is Dilakshi and I am the External Co-ordinator again for the school year. This is my 3rd year on the team and I adore the chance to teach science to youth. My favourite part of research is asking questions and trying to figure it out, and that's what the students are doing during our demos. I have a lot of hobbies ranging from dance (was on the recreational team), theatre (shoutout to MacOne Act), paddleboarding, hiking, reading books (Agatha Christie is my favourite), and just trying new activities. For people interested in joining or it's their first year with us, this is how I would describe volunteering with us. Remember how you felt excited when you had guest speakers as a kid? Well now is your chance to be the speaker and share your knowledge in these classes.
Sahejpreet Dhillon
Finance Director
mcmaster.finance@sciencefundamentals.org
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Hi guys! My name is Sahejpreet Dhillon, I'm in my 4th year of Honours PNB, and I am the VP Finance for SciFun this year! I love watching movies and TV shows, knitting, and reading. Any advice I would have is to make sure you have an organization system that works for you, those due dates pile up fast!
Hasan Ahmad
Fundraising Director
mcmaster.fundraising@sciencefundamentals.org
Hey y’all! Wanted to share that my personal hobbies are video gaming, cycling, and working out. If you meet me on campus, it’ll probably in the gym.
Zariah Lennon
Social Media Coordinator
mcmaster.socialmedia@sciencefundamentals.org
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Hi!!! My name’s Zariah, I’m the social media director for sciFUN! I’m so excited to be a part of the team this year. I adore science and learning, so I love being able to share that with others. Some fun facts about me: my favourite director is Stanley Kubrick, and my high score on Tetris is 351,794 :)
Persephone MacKinlay
Volunteer Director
mcmaster.volunteer@sciencefundamentals.org
Hi everyone! My name is Persephone, and I’m a Health Sciences student, specializing in Child Health. I joined SciFUN in my first year because I wanted to spark a love of science in the next generation of students, just as the Scientist in the Classroom programs had for me. In my free time, I teach my friends to crochet and make kombucha. Fun fact: I once watched 80 hours of horror movies in one week!
Vedanshi Kapadia
Volunteer Director
mcmaster.volunteer@sciencefundamentals.org
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Hi everyone! I’m Vedanshi, and I’m excited to be SciFun’s Volunteer Director this year. In my role, I help recruit, train, and support our amazing volunteers who bring science to life through hands-on activities and demos. I'm also in my third year at McMaster in the BDC program! When I’m not coordinating volunteers or answering your emails, you can usually find me at HSL, my favourite study spot, with my go-to drink: taro milk tea. My favourite element on the periodic table is fluorine for no real reason; I just think it's cute. A fun fact about me is that I’ve been a dancer for over a decade. I love teaching and choreographing hip-hop, and I'm looking to explore new styles this year as well! Outside of dance, I enjoy hunting for new eats, listening to podcasts, and bingeing the latest additions on Netflix :) My advice for students is to stay curious and seek out experiences that stick with you. The projects you dive into, the people you meet, and the moments that challenge you often become the most memorable ones! Feel free to say hi and chat with me anytime- I’m always happy to meet new people and hear what excites you.
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.