#OurJourney To Infinity and Beyond

We have grown from a small group of passionate volunteers to a thriving organization with a dedicated staff, volunteers, and partners, all driven to empower youth through STEM education.

Today, we continue to expand our reach and impact by partnering with organizations and communities who share our vision. We also position ourselves as a thought leader in STEM education by collaborating with world renowned research institutes such as McMaster University, sharing our insights, innovation, and ideas, and staying up-to-date with the latest trends, issues, and challenges in STEM education and fields.

2024
Expanded
Strategic Growth & Partnerships

We set new strategic priorities in a brand new 2030 strategic plan. We acquire provincial funding to create new programs (OVIN), and national funding to grow existing programs (NSERC). We win the 2024 Hamilton Gives Award for Youth Empowerment. 

2020
Restructured
Restructuring & Growth

Pandemic related restructuring, re-envisioning and growth takes place across the organization. Online learning creates opportunities to provide programs for students across Ontario (and British Columbia). We acquire partnerships with HWDSB, HWCDSB and GM Canada.

2016
Founded
Official Founding

We register as an official non-profit organization and secure our first multi-year funding from the Hamilton Community Foundation. Our first university chapter is established at McMaster University where we launch the first hackathon for middle school students in Canada called STEM Hacks.

2012
Introduced
Grassroots Origin

A group of students who were passionate about teaching STEM start a local afterschool program called "Mathstronauts" at Dalewood Middle School in Hamilton, Ontario focused on math and astronomy. We acquire our first set of volunteers.

#Team A team with a mission

Our team comprises of highly dedicated individuals who are driven by our mission. Each team member brings a diverse set of perspectives and experiences to the table.

Board of Directors

Richard

Richard Hamilton, MASc

President | Machine Learning Specialist, GM Canada

Nancy du

Nancy Du, MSc

Secretary | Project Analyst, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

Hanna

Hanna Chernausava, CPA

Treasurer | Manager, Corporate Accounting

CesareDidonato

Cesare DiDonato, MEd

Member | Projects Advisor, Industry Education Council of Hamilton

gayYuyitung

Gay Yuyitung, PhD

Member | Executive Director, McMaster Industry Liaison Office

Advisory Council

Miroslav Lovric, PhD

Professor, Mathematics and Statistics, McMaster University

Leadership Team

Richard

Richard Hamilton, MASc

President & CEO

Sehrish

Sehrish Zehra, MSc

Executive Director

Bryan Williams, BEng

Programs Director

Priska Handojo, MDCC

Marketing Director

Olanrewaju

Olanrewaju Akinola, MEDes

Full Stack Developer

Refah

Refah Nanziba, BEng (Cand.)

Curriculum Developer

Jared St Louis

Jared St Louis, BEng (Cand.)

Curriculum Developer

Ariel Dowe

Ariel Dowe, BA (Psychology)

Program Coordinator

Pierce

Pierce Razzaque, HBSc, B.Ed (Cand.)

Camp Leader

Facilitators

David

David Dabreo

IGNITE Program

Pierce

Pierce Razzaque, HBSc

STEAM Engine Program

Refah

Refah Nanziba

STEAM Engine Program

Val Cruz

Valeria Cruz, BEng

SPARK Program

Wanaemi

Wanaemi Amaegbe

STEAM Engine Program

Zunairah

Zunairah Binte Hasan

STEAM Engine Program

Mission

Empowering youth to develop digital technology and STEM skills by making STEM education more accessible.

Vision

Youth driven by a desire to problem solve, innovate and create.

Motto

STEM is reshaping the world. We are reshaping STEM education.

Mathstronauts on stage for winning the Youth Empowerment Award at Hamilton Gives Awards 2024
A Mathstronauts' instructor helping a STEAM Engine student in coding
A mentor from GM Canada taking questions from students about working in the automotive sector
A Mathstronauts' instructor helping a STEAM Engine student in coding
A Mathstronauts' instructor helping a STEAM Engine student in coding
Hamilton MPP Neil Lumsden visiting the program to talk to students about their experiences
The participants of STEM Hacks 2023 in Oshawa
Two students discussing the STEM Hacks 2023 challenge
Students showcasing their Mars Rover project
A SPARK Program student and Mathstronauts instructor discussing Arduino
A student learning how to do block coding in an event with MCYU
Students problem-solving a STEM Hacks challenge together
Students discussing their project in the IGNITE Program
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#Belief Our Core Values

Integrity

Integrity is the foundation for everything we do. We are admired and respected for our commitment to honesty, trust, and transparency. We do the right thing — even when no one is watching. We've created a positive and inclusive culture that fosters open, honest, and meaningful relationships.

Innovation

We innovate together. Our stakeholders’ input helps us develop programs and services that best serve their needs. We set our sights on extraordinary outcomes and pave the pathway to do things differently to make them better, both internally and externally. We think big.

Diversity

We champion diversity. We recognize the variations in experiences, abilities and talents of the people we work with, and the people we serve. We embrace all types of differences in the development of our organization from program design, to curriculum design, to hiring practices.

Resilience

We keep going. We exhibit strength of character, tenacity, and resolve to achieve our goals. When we struggle, and fail, we regroup and start again by learning from our mistakes and committing to doing better. We are not distracted by the extraneous.