Arts & Science Alumnus Innovates at CityLAB Hamilton

In May 2017, The City of Hamilton announced that it was partnering with McMaster University, Mohawk College and Redeemer University College to launch CityLAB. CityLAB is an innovation hub that creates opportunities for students, city staff, and community stakeholders to make Hamilton more livable and sustainable. The experiential learning opportunities at CityLAB will see students collaborating, designing, launching and testing real projects to address issues facing the city.

At the heart of this 3 year pilot is Arts & Science alum Patrick Byrne (Class of 2011). Patrick is currently on leave from his PhD studies in English and Cultural Studies at McMaster to work as Project Manager for CityLAB. After graduating from the Arts & Science program, Patrick completed a Masters of Outdoor Education at the University of Edinburgh. He also served for three years as the McMaster Discovery Program Coordinator, a non-credit university course for members of the Hamilton community who have faced barriers to higher education.

Patrick recently presented at the Research on Teaching & Learning Conference, hosted by the Paul R. McPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching. His presentation, “Students Take Over City Hall: The Adventurous Partnerships of CityLAB,” explored the exciting and challenging nature of the student-city partnerships at the heart of CityLAB.

More information on CityLAB can be found here: https://www.hamilton.ca/government-information/news-centre/news-releases/students-academia-city-hamilton-launch-citylab

More information about CityLAB’s collaboration with McMaster can be found here: https://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/article/students-collaborate-with-city-of-hamilton-to-tackle-healthy-neighbourhoods-climate-change-and-municipal-excellence/