Computer Science and Undergraduate Research: Fast Forwarding the Research Landscape

At the recent Summer 2022 Student Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Symposium, two of the top three awards were taken by students from USask’s Computer Science department. The Undergraduate Research Initiative caught up with the two winners and their supervisors to learn more about how Computer Science is such a hotbed for undergraduate research!

FutureNow a Huge Success

Students from USask participated in the first FutureNow event at the Saskatchewan Legislature to showcase undergraduate student research, scholarly, artistic and applied events.

The Lab Rat: Ashton Heidt

Ashton Heidt is currently in fourth year of a BSc (Honours) degree from the College of Arts and Science, majoring in physiology and pharmacology. His research project (with the guidance of Dr. John Howland) investigates how chemical inactivation of a particular brain region will alter performance in working memory tasks for rats.

Resilient Women in Toxicology Research

"The lessons and skills I learned in my research project are things that I will carry with me for the rest of my life," says undergraduate research student, Lacy Smith.

Play in the Grey Area

Samia Sami recounts her experiences as an undergraduate student researcher in the College of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan in 2019

The Worm Journal

“The best thing about research is that there are so many unanswered questions; there is always something new to learn”

The Domino Effect

“Something I could discover may lead to someone else to discover another thing and could lead to a revolutionary change in our understanding of a subject…” Prapti Patel shares her insights and inspirations from a summer of research.

Patience and Perseverance Pays Off

Aurora Lepe Zepeda has found that patience and perseverance are a fundamental part of the learning process. As the winner of three awards valued at $1200 at the 2019 USSU Undergraduate Project Symposium, Lepe Zepeda has advice worth reading.

Lecture, Lab, and Life

Undergraduate research student, Mars Zhao, shares his experience working in a lab as a summer Research Assistant.

A Prescription for Research

Kawthar Mohamed shares her story of working as a summer research assistant in the exciting field of cannabinoids.

Research is in my DNA

Tayab Soomro describes his experience working as an undergraduate research assistant working with DNA sequencing technology.

For the Love of Research

Through course-work, Sadika found her passion for research, pushing her to work towards pursuing a career in research.

Reconstructing a Future in Research

By completing several courses which required a research paper, Sheldon Alderton had a handful of scholarly papers under his belt. Although many in the same position close the chapter on their hard work upon the completion of a class, Alderton decided to take his projects further. He sought out and attended undergraduate academic conferences where he could present his work.

Mining for Data, Striking a Future

As most undergraduates will tell you, it is rare for a student to be certain of both the academic and career paths that they wish to pursue. U of S political studies major Davis Yuzdepski shares how he began his degree in the same boat, but over the course of his first two years, evolved into a confident, successful student and research assistant.

Nuclear Researcher Living More than a Mere Half-Life

Aravind Ravichandran has always had two passions: physics and societal improvement. Through his local and global research experiences, including involvement in the Let’s Talk Science and Science Ambassador programs, Ravichandran has struck a balance between academic and community ventures, motivating him to hone in on his true calling: using nuclear physics research to advance safety around the globe.

The Stepping Stones to Becoming a Research Rockstar

Courtney Onstad participated in the USSU’s Undergraduate Research Symposium last year and won two awards: First Place for Science & Engineering Placement Prizes ($500) and a Signature Research Area Award ($300).

Art & Science: The Story of a Single Stream

In spring of 2017, the story of “Becoming Water” made waves at Gordon Snelgrove Gallery. Along the walls and floors webbed a story that merged two worlds, art and science. This exhibit was a course-based artistic response to the facets and facts of Saskatchewan’s water. A 14-day, interdisciplinary experience embarked on by eight undergraduate and three graduate students resulted in an invitation for the University of Saskatchewan community to better understand and appreciate the conditions of Saskatchewan’s oldest bodies of water. Among the assorted student installations using various artistic mediums was that of Kelsey Ford, an undergraduate artist whose work with art in the environment continues to take form.

Lessons in Lifelong Learning

Kristy Lichtenwald spent the summer of 2017 working with Dr. Dirk Morrison in the College of Education. She shares her reflection of the research experience.

Those Who Can Do, Teach

In the summer between graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in History in the College of Arts & Science, and beginning a new year in the College of Education, U of S student Taylin Dosch dove into a work term of community-engaged research. He reveals how this experience of studying and engaging in real-world research has better prepared him to become an educator equipped to teach younger generations.

Globalink Intern Connects with Indigenous Language Research

Annalena Felber, a 2017 Mitacs Globalink Research Intern, came to the U of S for a summer-long research assistantship with Dr. Marguerite Koole. Together, they investigated the revitalization of Indigenous languages in the digital age.

Star-Struck by Science

Simone Hagey, a physics and astronomy student, went from taking a FYRE class to becoming a research coach and USRA recipient.

Meeting the Challenge of Research

Saruul Uuganbayar, a participant in One HEALtH challenges and a Science ambassador, discusses the impact of undergraduate research.

A Stride in the Right Direction

Abhishek Kumar has long been determined to not only become a practicing physician, but to also uncover clinical applications for cutting-edge biomechanical discoveries. After his in-progress research project earned him first place in the 2017 University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union (USSU) Undergraduate Project Symposium, he is one step closer to his goal.

The Success of Summer Research

Dakoda Herman was working on his BSc Honours in Biochemistry while he scoped out research opportunities on campus. He shares insight and advice to students new to research.

FYRE on the Beamline

Zachary Person was involved in the pilot project for Environmental Science 110, which involved a research project using the IDEAS Beamline at the Canadian Light Source (CLS).

CaNoRock

In March, 2015, Kimberley Dubé and Caelia Gardiner were joined by fellow undergraduate researchers from Alberta and Oslo in order to study rocket science at the top of the world.

Tackling the Mysteries of Pigmentary Uveitis

Vanessa Holly shares her story of working with researchers at the WCVM to study a challenging eye disease. The following story originally appeared as part of a weekly series in WCVM Today.

Research at the Canadian Light Source

Carmen Marquez Mellidez transferred from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid with the Trans-Atlantic Science Student Exchange Program (TASSEP). Because of exciting research opportunities here, she extended her stay.

Research with CMRS

Courtney Tuck discusses her experience with research in Classics, Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

Research and Community-Building

Jessica Alegria is in her final year of the Regional and Urban Planning program at the University of Saskatchewan. She has found that this program, alongside her work with the Canadian Roots Exchange, has fostered her interest in community-building, refugee and immigrant rights, and conservation of culture and heritage.