Alumni Arch Award-Young Alumni Award

Beverly Goodman ’06,
Faculty of Science

Beverly Goodman job description includes examining shells and sediment on the coastlines of the Mediterranean, Red Sea, and the northern coastline of the Yucatan Peninsula.

A coastal and marine geo-archaeologist, her research explores the complex ways in which nature and humans interact on coastlines. With coastal populations increasing exponentially and sea levels on the rise, her research is of great value and has important applications for understanding coastal change and its impacts. Of particular interest is her work predicting the location, timing and triggers of tsunamis. When Beverly first visited Caesarea, Israel, she was part of a team that uncovered archaeological proof of a tsunami recorded in historical texts that had never been scientifically corroborated: contributing to the destruction of a massive harbour built by Herod the Great at the end of the first century A.D. Beverly is now traveling throughout the Mediterranean to perform excavations and collect sediment cores at other archaeological sites in order to show a pattern of tsunami activity across the region.

Beverly has a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin and an M.A. in anthropology from Pennsylvania State University. She earned her PhD at McMaster's School of Geography and Earth Sciences from 2001 to 2006, choosing McMaster's program over Harvard and the University of Chicago. Beverly is now completing post-doctoral studies at the University of Haifa in Israel. She was named an Emerging Explorer by National Geographic magazine in 2009 in recognition of her work in tsunami research.

Beverly is grateful to her supervisors and professors for the investment and support they continue to provide in her career, including supervisors Eduard Reinhardt and Henry Schwarcz at McMaster.

Sameer Hajee ’98
Faculty of Engineering

Sameer Hajee provides low-power electricity and lighting solutions to countries in East Africa and India where the extent of rural electrification is as low as one per cent of the country.

Sameer is the co-founder and CEO of Nuru Energy, a social enterprise whose mission is to create an affordable off-grid electricity infrastructure that serves the energy needs of base-of-pyramid consumers. Many rural populations use expensive, dangerous and unhealthy kerosene lights. Seed-funded by the World Bank in 2008, Nuru Energy provides a cheap, safe and clean lighting solution: a portable, on-demand (POD) light that lasts 37 hours after being charged for just 20 minutes on a pedal generator. Local female entrepreneurs sell the lights and recharge them so that the project is sustained by the local economy. Nuru Energy has been the recipient of numerous global awards, including the prestigious 2010 UNEP Sasakawa Prize and the 2010 UNDP World Business and Development Award.

Sameer graduated with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from McMaster University in 1998. He majored in international finance and strategy in his MBA studies at INSEAD, graduating in 2004. Prior to Nuru Energy, Sameer was the Global Business Development manager at Freeplay Energy PLC, the developers of the world's first hand-crank radio and flashlight.

Chitram Lutchman ’00,
Faculty of Business

Chit Lutchman is making his mark in the Alberta oil sands by improving health and safety in the industry.

Chit immigrated to Canada in 1995, and although he held a B.Sc. in agricultural sciences, the only job he could find was off-loading trucks at Wal-Mart at minimum wages. He eventually found a job as a Power Engineer with Petro-Canada, drawing on pre-university experience in the oil and gas industry in Trinidad. Chit studied at McMaster for his MBA while working 40-hour weekend shifts at the Petro-Canada Oakville Refinery. This allowed him to study full-time while providing for his family. He graduated from McMaster in 2000 and completed a doctoral degree in business administration at the University of Phoenix in 2007. Working at Petro-Canada through both degrees, Chit was promoted several times, eventually becoming manager of loss management and emergency response in 2008. Chit has gravitated towards the area of health and safety because of a workplace injury he sustained much earlier in his life. He now works for Suncor as a contractor safety specialist developing practical solutions for improving Contractor Safety Management.

Chit was the coordinator of the commissioning and start-up of Canada's first commercial Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage plant in the oil sands. The technology is now being be used to access oil sand reserves with significantly less environmental footprint than conventional mining technology, and the process recycles more than 90% of the water used in production.

Chit is the author of Project Execution: A practical approach to industrial and commercial project management. This book brings together his experiences and knowledge in executing projects in the Energy and Agriculture industries.

He is also the principal author of Safety Management: a Comprehensive Approach to Developing a Sustainable System, a practical package of health and safety knowledge and skills for new graduates, safety professionals and business leaders.

Dr. Lutchman now holds a 1st Class Power Engineer's License, Certified Safety Specialist's designation and a doctoral degree in business administration and is among a rare few qualified persons who can Integrate Health and Safety, Process Operations and Business Management into a single discipline.

Jennifer Mitton ’99, ’07
Faculty of Health Sciences

Jennifer Mitton believes that it is important for health care professionals to work closely with the community as partners. Jennifer has worked across Ontario as a front-line public health nurse on substance abuse prevention, school health and tobacco cessation.

Jennifer earned her bachelor of science in nursing from McMaster in 1999. She began working as a public health nurse at the Regional Niagara Public Health Department, where she chaired the Niagara Dance Safety Guidelines committee and the Niagara Drug Awareness Week committee, which won the 2002 Ontario Drug Partnership award. From 2004 to 2006, Jennifer worked for the Region of Peel Public Health Department. There, she formed and chaired the Ontario Public Health Marijuana Workgroup.

In 2007, Jennifer again graduated from McMaster, this time with a PhD in nursing. Her research focused on young adults who use recreational drugs at nightclubs. From her qualitative studies, Jennifer formulated a theory that young adults stay in control during drug use by balancing multiple definitions of the self. As a result of her findings, Jennifer has promoted the idea that public health nurses should recognize the psychological aspects of drug use and allow for an open dialogue that fosters a therapeutic relationship and client-centred care.

Jennifer now works as a public health nurse for Hamilton Public Health Services with a focus on tobacco cessation programs. She has developed a Quit Smoking Clinic and co-chairs the Hamilton Tobacco Cessation Community of Practice. Since 2009, she has also worked at McMaster's School of Nursing, first as a part-time instructor and more recently as an assistant clinical professor.

Tina Powell ’07
Faculty of Humanities

Tina Powell has used her skill as a children's author and businesswoman to raise important issues with her audiences. The author of six bestselling children's books, Tina has worked with companies such as Canada Bread and Boar's Head Provisions to bring literacy skills and positive messages to school children.

Tina received her first degree from York University specializing in Administrative Studies. Tina graduated from McMaster in 2007 as a mature student. She also holds a diploma in business administration from Sheridan College and was a 2010 inductee into the Sheridan College Business Hall of Fame. She has worked in advertising, marketing and journalism, and has written for Canadian Business Magazine, Time Magazine, the Toronto Star, and Canadian Health and Lifestyle.

In 2004, Tina started her own publishing company: Big Fat Pen Publishing Inc. She has used her books to support the efforts of the American Diabetes Association, Kids Help Phone, the Children's Aid "Read with Me" project and the Raise a Reader Program. Her children's book If You Could See What I See... raised $58,000 for the Canadian Red Cross U.S.A. Appeal in the aftermath of 9- 11.

A resident of Vancouver, Tina does regular book tours and appearances, always with a positive message for her readers.