By Andrew Alexander, MSc Student in Dr. Natalie Strynadka’s Lab

The change from taking science classes in an undergraduate degree to doing research at the bench is a shock to many. Some revel in the freedom to try and push the boundaries of human knowledge, while others struggle to maintain enthusiasm when faced with the challenges of experimental science. Exposure to research during an undergraduate degree enables students to make informed decisions about the careers they want to pursue.

The Centre for Blood Research (CBR) works to facilitate career development directly in their Summer Studentship Programme, providing undergraduate students the opportunity to develop their own research project with the guidance of mentors, as well as attend a series of skill building workshops and tours.

The workshops cover topics important in research, starting from the basics of literature search and managing a lab book, and expanding into project management and presentation skills. The workshops also fulfil a secondary role of providing a teaching experience for the CBR graduate students and postdocs, who develop and deliver the content.

Elana Kimmel was awarded for Best Poster Presentation

The tours serve to expose undergraduates to a variety of science organizations and careers. This year, the tours featured the work of the Canadian Blood Services, the UBC Centre for Comparative Medicine, an animal facility, and GF Strong, a rehabilitation centre.

Elana Kimmel, a student studying the association between markers of immune aging and ovarian health in Dr Hélène Côté’s lab, thought the tours were one of the highlights of her summer experience and were very helpful. “We were exposed to a lot of facets of science [during the tours] that I would not have ever thought about otherwise”- she writes.

Camy Leung presents her poster to Rolinda Carter, PhD Student in Ed Pryzdial Lab

“I really liked the animal facility that we went to; that was quite enjoyable” said Camy Leung about the UBC Comparative Animal Facility, which houses both large and small animals, and offers animal care training. Camy worked in Dr Natalie Strynadka’s lab characterising the

structure of the potential drug targets in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which does not involve a lot of work with animals.

At the end of August, the CBR summer students were given the chance to showcase their hard work and present some of their research findings at the CBR Research Day. This event challenges the undergraduate students to share their research in 3-minutes and the best talk is selected by their peers. This is followed by a research poster competition judged by the CBR postdoctoral fellows and graduate students.

Mahsa Movahedan presenting her research project

“It involved gaining a lot of great life … experience and was also very fun. We got to socialize with other students after getting to know more about the projects … there was a lot of networking opportunity.”Mahsa Movahedan from Dr Leonard Foster’s lab, who tracked changes in protein expression in neuronal cells treated with a candidate Alzheimer’s disease drug, thought the CBR Research Day was the best part of the programme.

In order to get into the CBR Summer Studentship program, students apply directly to the CBR PIs and postdoctoral fellows. Approximately, 20 students get funded through a competitive CBR Summer Studentship Scholarship worth $5000, allowing these recipients to focus on their own research project. However, over 30 undergraduate students work at the CBR over the summer and all are encouraged to attend the scheduled events, developing skills in and outside the lab.

Whether the students plan on pursuing academia or another career, skills learned in problem solving and communication during their time with the CBR Summer Studentship Programme can only help them succeed.