But the Tsawwassen First Nation lacked systematic information about their people such as their socio-economic status, education, health, and desires for a better community — information vital to guide the self-governance process.  They reached out to University of British Columbia professor Ralph Matthews from the Department of Sociology to help conduct a detailed survey on all aspects of well-being of the population. 

Outside of the laboratory, Vinícius has been building his professional portfolio by attending workshops on networking, time management and communication, a critical component of the Mitacs Elevate program. The skills and confidence he’s acquired have been instrumental in helping him grow as a researcher. “The professional development workshops have provided me with the tools, guidance and knowledge I was lacking as a career student. In particular, they’ve helped me identify which skills I need to improve and strengthen.

As a returning Globalink student, Pragyan was eligible to apply for the Mitacs Globalink Graduate Fellowship which provides financial support to former Globalink Research Interns who return to Canada for graduate studies at select Mitacs university partners.

Can you tell us a bit about the research you did through Mitacs Accelerate that led to you winning the Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation – PhD award?

Can you tell us a bit about the research you did through Mitacs Elevate that led to you winning the Mitacs & NRC-IRAP Award for Commercialization?

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.” Check out the winning category photos below.

You and your university

Winner: Martha Dourado from Universidade de Brasília. Canadian host university, Simon Fraser University.

“Through this research internship, I have learned a lot about the various applications and software used for mapping virus genes,” Ye explains.

Alongside Dr. Stephane Aris-Brosou, from the University of Ottawa’s Department of Biology, Ye is creating a novel algorithm to analyze the evolution and transmission network of the virus.

Hailing from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Daniela is stationed at the University of Saskatchewan for 12 weeks to work alongside Professor Adelaine Leung in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. Her interest in neurocognitive and neurodegenerative diseases paired perfectly with Professor Leung’s research project on depression.

Working alongside Dr. Tim Storr in Simon Fraser University’s Department of Chemistry, Laura and her team of colleagues are screening compounds that bind metals, such as zinc and copper, to look for therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease. For Laura, the hands-on research and interactive laboratory setting has been a rewarding experience. “Collaborating with my labmates has been truly inspirational. We’re tackling the project from different perspectives and sharing our methods of research.”

Alongside Dr. Frank Rudzicz of University of Toronto’s Department of Computer Science, Soumendu is constructing software that will improve the quality of life of individuals with speech disorders.

Using electroencephalography (EEG) signals from patients, Soumendu is collecting data from linguistic centers of the brain and areas involved in motor planning. This data will contribute to the development of tools that will allow patients to communicate via EEG signals by the use of an artificial articulator.