The Summer Studentship Program at the Centre for Blood Research (CBR) allows undergraduate students the chance to get hands-on experience in the lab during the summer months. Summer Studentship applicants have the opportunity to compete for funding through a scholarship program awarding recipients $5,000 to support their research projects. They receive guidance from a variety of research mentors, participate in workshops facilitated by current PhD candidates, Postdoctoral Fellows, and Research Associates to enhance their research skills, engage in facility tours, and participate in social events hosted by the CBR. Students present their research at a culminating program event, CBR Research Day. There, students are challenged to give oral presentations of their research in under 3 minutes and to present a poster highlighting their accomplishments that is judged as part of a competition.

at 2017 Research Day

Several 2017 summer students

This year, 40 students participated in the Summer Studentship Program. Students visited the UBC Centre for Comparative Medicine, NetCAD, and Canadian Blood Services to better understand the possible career paths and opportunities they might pursue. This year, many summer students also took part in social events designed to foster camaraderie within and among CBR Labs, including the CBR Amazing Race and CBR Dragon Boating. At CBR Research Day, David Lim from the Conway Lab (pictured below, far right) won the undergraduate oral presentation competition, and Olivia Bulka (pictured below, 4th from the left) from the Overall Lab won the undergraduate poster competition.

Many students cited Research Day as the highlight of their Summer Studentship experience. Here are some of their comments:

• “Making a poster and presenting at CBR Research Day were invaluable additions to my CV.”
• “The most beneficial aspect of the Summer Studentship Program was getting to work on your own project and present your research at the end of the summer.”
• “Research day was an awesome aspect of the program and really brought together everything that we were taught in the skill sessions (having data in an organized manner and presentation skills).”
• “[The best aspect of the program was] Research Day: it gave us a chance to showcase our work, present in a variety of formats, get a sense of the work being done by other students, and simulate the format of a scientific conference.”
• “Overall I believe the Summer Studentship Program is a great program and would definitely recommend anyone with a passion for science to apply.”

2017 summer student, Robert Kim, showing off his lucky Research Day socks (featuring penguins).

Thank you to the students who participated in the 2017 Summer Studentship Program, as well as the many mentors who guided these students! It was wonderful to host such a lively group over the summer months. For more information about the Summer Studentship Program and how to apply, visit our website!