Arts & Science students launch inaugural Piraeus Conference

On Friday 6 March 2026, the Arts & Science Program kicked off the inaugural Piraeus conference. This student-led conference, held over two days, showcased the interdisciplinary research of Arts & Science students and McMaster faculty.

The idea for the event came from fourth year student Claire Crawford, who wanted to create a platform where Arts & Science students could further develop their skills in communicating and disseminating research, while engaging with interdisciplinary ideas and scholarship. The inspiration for the conference name, Piraeus, comes from the opening lines of Plato’s The Republic — “I went down to the Piraeus…” The name symbolizes a journey into new areas of knowledge found at the intersections of academic disciplines. Much like the Piraeus is a port welcoming travelers from different lands, the conference is designed to be an event open to the vast diversity of fields and ideas with which students in the Arts & Science program engage.

After a year of hard work in collaboration with Arts & Science Program Director, Dr. Beth Marquis, and program staff, Claire and a team of eight Arts & Science students — Lilah D., Emelia G., Rachel L., Lily N., Annika N., Safiya S., Ella T., and Helen W. (pictured below) — hosted the inaugural Piraeus Conference in L.R. Wilson Hall. Artsci students in all levels of the Program shared research they completed both in and outside of class settings, offering both poster and oral presentations that shared scholarship spanning a wide range of disciplines.

For many students, this was their first experience presenting at a conference. The opportunity to share and discuss their work within the close-knit program community made Piraeus an incredible learning experience for students of all years. Several first-year students took the opportunity to share posters they created for one of their capstone projects in Global Challenges Inquiry (ARTSSCI 1C06), before being graded on a similar presentation later in the month. Similarly, Piraeus gave graduating students a chance to workshop their thesis presentations, or to share the other research they’ve done throughout their years at McMaster.

“In presenting my capstone proposal, I was able to talk through my ideas with peers—giving me a more concrete idea of what I wanted my capstone to look like. Further, many Artscis recommended authors and readings that would help with my research.” – Anisa K. (pictured right), first year Arts & Science student, who presented a poster entitled “State Jurisdiction in Differentiating Terrorism from Activism.”

For student attendees, the presentations allowed a glimpse into the incredible research their peers are doing, an opportunity to learn about upper year courses and extracurricular research opportunities, and a greater appreciation of the Level IV thesis and individual study process. Discussions after each presentation led to fruitful conversations regarding future research and the relationships between different students’ research projects. As poster presentations were taking place, an incredible mix of conversations were heard around the room, taking up everything from an analysis of the comic book medium to the intersection of Buddhism and AI to the science behind the invasive Goby fish. Truly any topic could belong at Piraeus.

“The Artsci community is so passionate and engaged, and I really appreciate how Piraeus gave students a spotlight to share their work.” – Avery F., attendee, second year Arts & Science student.

The event opened on Friday evening with introductory remarks from Claire C., as well as a keynote speech by Dr. Marisa Young, a sociology professor and Director of the Centre for Advanced Research on Mental Health and Society (ARMS) at McMaster. Dr. Young provided attendees with a glimpse into the student mental health landscape at the university, and of ongoing, interdisciplinary research work addressing students’ emotional well-being on campus. This session was followed by the first round of poster presentations, at which students shared coursework from Arts & Science classes like Global Challenges Inquiry (ARTSSCI 1C06) and Technology and Society (ARTSSCI 3B03 and 3BB3), as well as independent projects undertaken under the supervision of McMaster faculty members.

On Saturday morning, Dr. Loa Gordon’s keynote address set the tone for the many individual oral research and poster presentations to be seen throughout the day. Dr. Gordon, an anthropologist at McMaster’s ARMS research centre, spoke about the local research she is currently conducting at the Hamilton Public Library. More specifically, she discussed her work studying the role of security and peer-support workers in helping the unhoused population of downtown Hamilton. After a brief Q&A period, attendees heard student oral presentations on research in various fields, which took up topics from social isolation in snails to the criminalization of migrants in the EU. These presentations allowed Arts & Science students to learn more about opportunities to become engaged in research projects during their undergraduate career at McMaster.

Soon after, lunch in the Arts & Science program office allowed students to mingle and network more freely, discussing presentations, research projects, and student life. The afternoon wrapped up with a second round of poster and oral research presentations, highlighting fourth-year thesis projects, Undergraduate Student Research Award projects, course-specific projects, and independent summer research work. Once again, the diversity of student research interests fell across the spectrum of the arts and the sciences, including work on post-humanism and generative AI in education, sex chromosomes in African Clawed frogs, and much more.

“Piraeus provided me with the amazing opportunity to both share my work and learn about the inspiring work of my peers. I left the conference with renewed awe of the efforts and diverse interests of Arts & Science students and only wish there were more opportunities like Piraeus!” – Naeva S.B. (pictured right) fourth-year Arts & Science student who presented her thesis project exploring the experiences of parents and caregivers who cycle with their children in Hamilton, Ontario.

The conference was the first of many Piraeus events to be hosted by the Arts & Science program, and it was an honour to share the experience with our many talented researchers and presenters, attendees, and organizing team. It is our hope that the conference continues to be a space in which fields and interests interact and overlap and conversations breach the borders of disciplines. We thank Program Director, Dr. Beth Marquis; conference chairperson, Claire Crawford; faculty speakers, Dr. Gordon and Dr. Young; the Arts & Science program staff; the Piraeus team; and the incredible Arts & Science students who shared the research and engaged with each other’s work.

To learn more about the work presented at the Piraeus 2026 Conference and the inaugural student organizing team, visit the event website.

Follow @piraeus.artsci on Instagram for news and updates about Piraeus 2027.