The researchers hope to make McMaster the first net-zero campus in Canada through the creation of an energy management system called MAC2, AI-powered technology that creates a “digital twin” — a virtual reproduction — of campus assets that is updated and calibrated in real-time through dynamic data and sensors.

The research team points out that McMaster, with its high energy demands, is a microcosm of the challenges faced globally when it comes to energy decarbonization.

The project uses the university as a living lab to demonstrate how AI-driven technology can boost energy efficiency and reduce emissions, ultimately supporting McMaster’s climate goals and offering a blueprint for sustainable energy systems in post-secondary institutions and communities at large.

This project is focused on ecological restoration in the McMaster Forest Nature Preserve, a 115-acre plot of land purchased by the university in the 1960s. Researchers will create a McMaster Bird Observatory to study rare migratory songbirds.

They’ll also build a “story map” of the forest’s history and establish a food forest and Indigenous teaching garden with native plant species.

Researchers will evaluate the viability of Deep Geological Repositories (DGRs) to isolate spent nuclear fuel deep underground by specifically using Ignace, Ont., as a case study that will inform the potential use of other DGRs to store nuclear waste.

The project aims to establish safe, long-term nuclear waste storage as a cornerstone of sustainable energy initiatives and promote the role of nuclear energy in cutting carbon emissions.

This project leverages McMaster’s position as Canada’s nuclear university to look at the effectiveness of Holmium-166, a radioactive isotope used to treat liver cancer. The McMaster Nuclear Reactor is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Holmium-166 and researchers say the grant funding will lead to expanded use of the isotope.

The project also aims to attract and train the next generation of multidisciplinary nuclear specialists in the production of energy and isotopes, as well as enable the development of new drugs to treat cancer.