During a 12-week Mitacs Globalink research internship at the University of British Columbia in the summer of 2012, Linda Yang quickly realized she wanted to return to complete her Master’s.

In 2009, the Tsawwassen First Nation situated south-west of Vancouver became the first in British Columbia to sign a self-governance treaty with the governments of Canada and British Columbia. It effectively set up a new government jurisdiction for the local population under the formal treaty negotiation process, allowing them to pass new laws over their land and decide, independent of other levels of government, how the community should be managed.

Junjie came to Canada four years ago (via China and then the Netherlands) to complete his PhD in geomatics engineering because he wanted to become part of Canada’s geomatics community. What he didn’t expect while completing his PhD abroad was the vital business and professional skills training he’s received through Mitacs Step.

Vinícius Gadotti’s quest to understand how the human body deals with pain began more than ten years ago, when his aunt was diagnosed with a severe form of arthritis that left her in constant pain and confined to a wheelchair. A Mitacs Elevate fellow at the University of Calgary’s Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Vinícius is researching alongside Dr. Gerald Zamponi to help uncover these answers.

Hailing from India’s National Institute of Technology-Surathkal, Pragyan Hazarika spent the summer of 2012 as a Globalink Research Intern at École de Technologie Supérieure. It was during this research internship that Pragyan fell in love with Montreal, and more importantly, the limitless research potential Canadian universities offer students.

My research is particularly important because it identified that stigma may be preventing open discussions about the risk for psychiatric disorders. An open discussion is the first step in making sure patients receive proper and timely mental health care, which can greatly improve prognosis.

The Mitacs Accelerate internship provided a fantastic opportunity to grow as an engineer in training and to become familiar with the challenges faced in realizing the commercial potential of my research.

One of the truly unique aspects of the Mitacs Elevate program is the availability of professional development workshops. As a career student, I had rarely been exposed to a formal work environment and these courses have been truly beneficial to my development as a researcher.

Daniela’s results will play an important role in better understanding which drugs are effective treatments for depression.

After hearing great things about Mitacs Globalink from a university colleague, I knew that this internship would be an excellent opportunity to participate in research in another country.

Globalink interns were invited to submit photos to one of three categories: “You and your university,” “You and your city,” and “You and your research.”

I believe that knowledge is not just attained within the classroom but also in the real world. Developing skills outside of a laboratory is a modern way to build open-minded and engaged researchers.