An abundance of praise for McMaster’s top science co-op students

Megan Johnson’s first co-op will be hard to beat. The third-year Environmental Sciences student left the Co-op Student of the Year Awards ceremony with two standout moments. Megan won the McMaster Science Co-op Student of the Year for Level 3 and was also nominated for the Ontario Education Work-Integrated Learning Co-op Student of the Year Award.

Megan spent eight months working at Environment & Climate Change Canada as a Student Policy Analyst. Her most notable contribution was completing a comparison of regulatory approaches to managing industrial chemicals in Canada and other jurisdictions. The findings contributed to a Memorandum to Cabinet on chemical regulations.

She also played a key role in improving her team’s hiring process, utilizing social media and her academic network to connect with qualified candidates.

Megan’s supervisor, Riya Sharma, refers to her as a “secret weapon” for getting things done. “Megan’s exceptional work ethic, attention to detail, and deep understanding of the legislative and policy frameworks that shape our work proved to be an incredible benefit to our team,” Riya said.

Megan left a lasting mark, so much so that her team asked her to continue as a part-time employee after her co-op term ended in August. Her supervisor says she has continued to perform brilliantly.

Beyond her work at Environment & Climate Change Canada, Megan also volunteers as a Co-op Ambassador with the Science Careers & Experience Centre. She mentors peers, offering advice and sharing insights from her own experiences, giving back to the McMaster community.

Before she started at McMaster, Megan said she had her mind set on being part of the co-op education program. “Gaining relevant work experiences in a real-world setting has always been important to me. So, joining the co-op program was a natural choice for my professional development,” Megan said.

Megan says the co-op program has allowed her to grow as a person, student, and working professional. In addition to developing important professional skills, co-op allowed her to actualize her personal goals and reaffirm her interest in working with a government organization that is crucial to her field of study.

This year, the Science Careers & Experience Centre saw a record-breaking number of nominees for the Co-op Student of the Year Awards, with 32 students nominated by their employers. The awards recognize outstanding achievements by science students in the co-op program, and are assessed based on impact on the employer, student, and the institution.

Co-op Student of the Year Awards were also presented to Maya da Luz, fourth year Chemical Biology student, for her work term with BlueRock Therapeutics, and to Alexandria Mansfield, fifth year Biochemistry student, for her work term with Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network.

Kriesha Eyer, third year Biochemistry student, Dinuri Punchihewa, fourth year Biology & Pharmacology student, and Narges Kalani, fifth year Chemical Biology student, were also recognized for honourable mention for their outstanding contributions during their co-op term.

In 2024, science co-op students completed 659 work terms and earned a combined total of over $5 million.