In response to an increasing need to renew and update McMaster Engineering’s undergraduate lab facilities, the McMaster Laboratory Advancement Benefaction Endowment Fund, or MacLAB Endowment Fund, was initiated by Engineering students and faculty in 1997. The constant renewal and upgrading of undergraduate laboratory facilities ensures that McMaster undergraduate Engineering students are exposed to the most recent developments in their fields of study, and that graduates of McMaster Engineering possess the skills needed in the Engineering workforce.

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MacLAB is a student-funded program. Each year, engineering students contribute $50 of their tuition to the fund; however, the donation to the fund is entirely voluntary. If a student feels that it isn’t in their best interests to contribute to this program, they can have the value of their donation credited to their student account (i.e. there is no money transaction). Since it’s inception in 1997, the fund has grown to over $1.5 million (in principal), and disbursed over $425,000 in project funding. Any member or student of a department within the Faculty of Engineering can apply for financial aid to upgrade their undergraduate laboratory facilities, or to fund special projects benefiting their undergraduate student body. MacLAB represents the hard work and foresight of a student body committed to ensuring a high quality of education both for themselves, and all future McMaster Engineering students.