TheCatalyst Summer Program is a 2-week program that offers a unique, interdisciplinary approach to the “traditional leadership program”. Drawing from the University of Waterloo’s strengths in engineering, science, and innovation, high school students develop leadership skills within a community and problem-based context - with real opportunities to put new skills to practice!
Due to significant interest in Catalyst over the last few years, and in-particular the entrepreneurship aspects of the program, for 2024, we have added a second stream of Catalyst, entitled “Catalyst - Early Entrepreneurs” which focuses on innovation, entrepreneurship, and business. This stream is in collaboration with the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business at the University of Waterloo.
Applications for Catalyst 2024 are now closed.
What is the difference between the two Catalyst streams?
The traditional Catalyst and Catalyst for Early Entrepreneur will run in parallel, and both will run for three sessions over the summer. The two streams will mirror quite similarly, with the traditional Catalyst having a greater emphasis on development of STEM skills and the Early Entrepreneurs Catalyst focusing on ideation and foundations of entrepreneurship in STEM fields.
During the application process, you will be asked which stream of Catalyst you are interested in attending and if accepted, you will be placed into that stream. You will be able to express interest in both streams, however, in order to allow more students to experience Catalyst and due to the similarities between the two streams, you can only be accepted into one stream of Catalyst.
Who is it for?
The Catalyst Summer Program is only open to current high school students (entering grade 10 or higher in September 2024) and each applicant must submit an application in order to complete registration. Each session will be restricted to twenty-five students.
Space is limited to 25 spots per session (150 total across the two streams). If you are successfully accepted into the program, you will be notified of which stream and session date you have been accepted for. You will then be sent a link to register for that session.
This program is planned to run in-person for Summer 2024.
What to expect
The opportunity to build, test, research, present and collaborate on projects rooted in Engineering design, business and entrepreneurship and research. Participants will build leadership skills while working on STEM-related projects and attending talks and workshops from Graduate students and Faculty. The Summer program provides the opportunity for participants to gain experience practicing design thinking and problem-solving learning how to build ideas into a business and use their technical skills!
Although the main area of focus for activities will differ slightly between the Traditional Catalyst and Catalyst for Early Entrepreneurs, the overall structure, schedule and experience will be very similar.
2024 Activity Descriptions
STEM Activities will cover a broad range of topics to ensure your interest is peaked throughout the program. The Early Entrepreneurs stream will have a mix of STEM activities and business activities.
Here are some of the activities being run during Catalyst this summer:
| Traditional Catalyst | Catalyst for Early Entrepreneurs | Both Streams |
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Box to the Top Unleash your inner engineer and climb to new heights! Explore the engineering design process as you build a functional staircase entirely out of cardboard. Test your creativity and structural skills in this hands-on, step-by-step challenge! |
Business Analyst Simulation Are you smarter than a CEO? Expand your knowledge and test your skills in determining the effects of various business situations. |
Biased Bots Step into the fascinating world of Artificial Intelligence and explore the mysteries of machine learning! Using a premade Machine Learning algorithm, train your Teachable Machine to recognize happy and sad faces. Watch as your program learns and adapts, revealing surprising insights along the way! |
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Cryptography is Key Secrets are meant to be discovered! Write Python scripts to decrypt encoded messages and unravel the mysteries of various coding languages. Unlock the fascinating world of cryptography! |
Patience Peas Get your hands dirty and your green thumbs ready! Become a plant parent and learn the fundamentals of Entrepreneurship all in one. |
Blinky POV Ready to light up your life? Dive into the electrifying world of soldering as you learn to piece together a circuit board! Use your skills to create a programmable blinking LED kit that will dazzle and amaze – it's tech magic at your fingertips! |
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Origami PRO(tein) Zoom in to the microscopic world of cell membranes! Learn about protein channels and their functions, then create your own origami protein channel model. Fold your way to a deeper understanding of cellular biology! |
Pong Power 🎵 Weeee are the champions my friends🎵.... is what you will be singing after you beat all of your friends in ping pong using the motor-driven ping pong paddle that you design. |
Blooming Bacteria Ready to uncover the hidden world of microbes? Grab your swabs and head out to sample “clean” spots around you. After incubating for a week, discover the surprising bacteria that have bloomed and see if your cleanliness assumptions hold true! |
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PAC Up and Row Ready, set, float! Campers will embark on the engineering cycle to design and build boats using provided materials, aiming to navigate and conquer the PAC pool. |
Money Multiplier Are you ready to turn your pennies into mountains of cash? From savvy investments to daring ventures, we'll strategize, negotiate, and hustle our way to financial supremacy. |
Cha-Cha Chindogu Let the chaotic creativity begin! Use TinkerCAD to design your own Chindogu, an impractical gadget aimed at solving everyday problems. Then, bring your creation to life with the possibility of 3D printing it! |
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Slime and Shine Unleash your inner child and enhance your marketing skills by developing a slime product to sell to a very specific customer. |
Crack the Code Unlock the secrets of cryptography and become a data protection pro! Discover how to choose devices and online services with robust encryption, and learn to create strong, memorable passwords. Arm yourself with the skills to keep your information safe and secure! |
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Group Goldberg Ready for a chain reaction challenge? Use recycled and new materials to create a Rube Goldberg machine that raises a team flag. Work in smaller groups to build sections, then combine them for an epic finale! |
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Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Brrr! Learn about the three states of matter and the wonders of cryogenics by watching leaders make ice cream with liquid nitrogen. The best part? You get to eat the ice cream! |
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Pitch Competition Calling all innovators and changemakers! Develop a groundbreaking product to tackle a pressing social or environmental issue, and then pitch your brilliant idea to a panel of judges. Show off your creativity and problem-solving skills in this exciting and inspiring challenge! |
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That Ring is Ti-ght Chemistry meets style! Campers explore chemical reactions, electrochemistry, and nanotechnology while crafting titanium rings using anodization. Discover the science behind stunning jewelry in this hands-on activity. |
In addition to these which are run by the Catalyst leaders, participants will sit in on workshops run by faculty and current students.
How many sessions are offered?
We are planning for three sessions to run for both the Traditional Catalyst and Catalyst for Early Entrepreneurs in Summer 2024.
- Session I - July 8th-19th
- Session II - July 22nd-August 2nd
- Session III - August 12th-23rd
During the application process, you will be asked which session dates you will be available to attend and if accepted, you will be placed into a session based on your availability and the availability of other accepted applicants. If you are no longer able to attend the session that you were accepted into, please email catalyst@uwaterloo.ca and we will see if we can switch you into another session, although there is no guarantee we will be able to switch.
Program Costs
The program cost is $685+HST.
Please note:
Payment will be due upon acceptance into the program. If accepted, applicants will receive an e-mail which provides information about using our registration system and paying the registration fee. There is no application fee for this program. If you are accepted into the program and offered a bursary, the bursary will be applied to your account before payment is due.
Acceptable payment methods:
Credit or Debit card:
Catalyst accepts MasterCard, VISA and American Express as well as Debit cards (non-Interac). Card numbers are kept with the utmost security. All charges are processed directly by the university and will appear on your credit card bill as either "U of W Cashiers Office" or "U of Waterloo ESQ (Engineering Science Quest)".
We do not accept cash or cheque payment.
Credit Card and debit payment must be made through our online registration system, we are not able to process payment on the phone or in person.
Overnight Accommodations
If you require overnight accommodations:
Please note this program runs in-person and is not an overnight program.
Overnight accommodations are optional and can be booked separately and links will be sent to accepted applicants for next steps.
2024 TBD
The cost of this for 2023 was as follows:
| Catalyst (for the whole 2 weeks, includes meals) | |
|---|---|
| Double Room | $1545 |
| Single Room (limited availability) | $1790 |
**To confirm, overnight accommodations are not required to attend this program and are available to book for those who require it**
Application
Applications for the 2024 Catalyst Summer Programs are now closed!
- Complete an application form: this form will ask you for basic contact information and will confirm you have read the information on the website regarding the application process and deadlines. Once the application form is submitted, you will receive an email with a link to complete an online assessment.
- Online assessment: New for 2024, Catalyst will be using an online assessment as part of the application process. A Kira assessment allows us to virtually meet you, get a sense of your personality and interests, and better understand how Catalyst will benefit you.
- Teacher reference: At the beginning of the online assessment, you will be asked to upload a teacher reference letter in pdf format. We recommend asking your teacher for a reference letter before starting the online assessment so you are prepared to upload it when starting the assessment. If your teacher would prefer to email the letter directly to us, they can send it to catalyst@uwaterloo.ca and participants can upload a letter to their online assessment indicating that the letter of reference was emailed. Teachers are welcome to mention anything they would like about the student, but some questions they could possibly touch on include:
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Do you think this student would make a great STEM university student? If so, why?
- What impresses you about this student (comment on academic ability and social skills)?
- How do you think they will benefit from this program?
- Any other comments about the student we should know about.
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How the Online Assessment Works:
The process is simple. You will be asked a question either in video or written format, given prep time, and a set amount of time to respond. You will respond with a video for video questions, and text for written questions. It should only take 20 to 30 minutes total to complete and can be done on your own time.
You will require a desktop or laptop computer with a functioning webcam, microphone, and internet connection. The system allows for unlimited practice sessions but once you start the formal interview questions, you only get one chance. This allows us to capture your candid responses.
Don't worry, you can practice as much as you’d like once you receive the link and complete your formal assessment later if you choose.
The deadline for completing the formal assessment is February 16th at 12PM EST.
Application Timeline
The 2024 application timeline will be as follows:
- December 22nd, 2023 at 12PM EST-Applications open
- February 16th, 2024 at 12PM EST-Applications close
- February 16th-April 1st, 2024-the Catalyst team reviews applications
- April 1st-April 15th, 2024-Accepted applicants are notified of their acceptance and which stream and session they are invited to attend
If you are accepted into the program and can no longer attend the session date you were accepted into, please email catalyst@uwaterloo.ca and we will do our best to accommodate switches, but we cannot guarantee a spot in another session will be available.