How does SURE work?
All undergraduate students conducting course-based or faculty-led research projects at the University of Saskatchewan (or interested in doing research now or in the future) are welcome to take part in SURE: Student Undergraduate Research Experience. Students taking co-op or internship positions are also welcome to join.
Note: all students at USask conducting research must be supervised, and all research must be pre-approved (if required) by the relevant ethics committee. Do not start a research project or conduct any research unless you are approved and supported to do so. Scholarly and artistic projects may be completed independently if they meet ethics standards for that discipline.
Students who register in SURE will be eligible to receive co-curricular credit by completing a minimum ten hours of training, webinars, or events supported or delivered through SURE each term (fall, winter, or summer). Students keep their own record of which webinars, training or events they attend. At the end of each term, they submit their hours and, if qualified, SURE is added to their co-curricular record.
SURE also partners with the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for the annual Summer Symposium, and with the USSU to support the Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Please email undergraduate.research@usask.ca with questions.
Students in SURE must complete 10 hours of training, from the following categories:Communication: 2 hours minimumResearch ethics, safety, management and analysis: 2 hours minimumProfessional Development/Entrepreneurship: 2 hours minimumThe remaining 4 hours can be chosen to respond to the student's experiences, disciplinary needs, and to focus on any areas with need support or improvement.
Remember: all research conducted at USask must be supported via a supervisor or within a course-based research experience. Scholarly and artistic projects may be completed independently if they meet the ethics criteria of that discipline.
Webinars, Training and Events
The SURE program pulls from multiple units across campus to offer a wide range of suitable options for your SURE co-curricular credit. Some of these events are organized by the Undergraduate Research Intiative. Others (see below) are offered by USask library, Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research (CHASR), USask Safety Services, USask Ethics, Tri-Council Ethics (TCPS Core 2), Research Excellence and Innovation, Career Services, and many more!
| Event | Date and Time | Speaker | Category | Registration |
| So You've Got a Summer Research Job. Now What? | Friday April 22nd 1pm | Merle Massie | Professional Development | |
| SURE Summer 2022 Kickoff |
Friday May 6th at NOON HYBRID online and in-person THORV125 |
Merle Massie | Information | |
| Comprehensive Searching for your Literature Review | Monday May 9th 11am | Angie Gerrard - Library | Communications | |
| How to Manage your Research Data (RDM summer program Part 1 -- all welcome) | Tuesday May 10th 10:30am | Kevin Read and Sarah Rutley - Library | Research Management | |
| How to Organize and Analyze your Literature Review | Monday May 16th 3:30pm | Jill McMillan - Library | Communications | |
| How to Read a Journal Article | 11am Tuesday May 17th | Merle Massie | Communications | |
| Indigenous Research Workshop: Dimensions of Ethical Principles in Indigenous Research | 1pm-2:30pm Tuesday May 17th | Research Acceleration and Strategic Initiatives | Professional Development | Link to come. |
| How to Handle Imposter Syndrome | 1pm Thursday May 19th | Jaclyn McLean - Library | Professional Development | |
| How to Create a Research Data Management Plan: workshop for students registered in summer RDM program | 1-3pm Wednesday May 25th | Kevin Read and Sarah Rutley - Library | Research Management | Registration is separate -- please contact Merle Massie for details. This program is linked with SURE but requires faculty supervisor permission. |
| Plain Language for Researchers | 1pm Wednesday May 25th | Research Profile and Impact and URegina | Communication | Register |
| How to Write Your Literature Review | 1pm Thursday May 26th | Jill McMillan - Library | Communications | Register |
| Managing References with Zotero | 11am Monday May 30th IN PERSON/HYBRID ONLINE | Helen Power - Library | Communications - In person THORV125 or online via Zoom | Register |
| So You Want to Be an Entrepreneur? (Business Basics 101) | 1pm Tuesday May 31st | Jenelyn Santos Ong Research Exellence and Innovation | Entrepreneurship series | Register |
| Write/Right from the Start: Research, field and lab notebooks | 11am Wednesday June 1st | Merle Massie | Communications | Register |
| Assessing a Business Idea Using Market Research | 11am Monday June 6th | Christine Peng, Research Excellence and Innovation | Entrepreneurship series | Register |
| How to Practice Open Scholarship: Collaboration, Integrity, Transparency | 11am Tuesday June 7th | Kevin Read - Library | Research Management | Register |
| Entrepreneur Speaker Series: From Student to Entrepreneur | Noon Friday June 10th Lunch and Learn | Alix Hayden REI and Dawson Norrish (Cub.bi) | Entrepreneurship series | |
| Pathway to Commercialization | 11am Monday June 13th | Erin Kulhawy - REI | Entrepreneurship series | Register |
| Photography for Research Purposes | 11am Tuesday June 14th - HYBRID in person THORV and online via Zoom | Christina Weese - professional photographer | Research Management | Register |
| Science Writing Made Easy | 3:30pm June 15th | Jill McMillan - Library | Communications | Register |
| UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and USask Research | 1pm Thursday June 16th | Aditi Garg, Gwenna Moss Centre | Professional Development | Register |
| Entrepreneur Speaker Series: Building your Team | Friday June 17th Lunch and Learn | Alix Hayden REI and Stephen Foley (Excir Works) | Entrepreneurship Series | Register |
| Picture a Scientist: Documentary Screening |
Friday June 17th at 2:30pm Neatby-Timlin Theatre, Arts Building |
Merle Massie |
Professional Development |
Register |
| Introduction to Intellectual Property and Licensing | 11am Monday June 20th | John Mapletoft REI |
Entrepreneurship series Research Management |
Register |
| Entrepreneur Speaker Series: From Researcher to Entrepreneur | Noon Lunch and Learn Friday June 24th | Alix Hayden REI and Samer BuHamdan (Amb.AI) | Entrepreneurship series | Register |
| Introduction to Business Model Canvas (quick business plans 101) | 11am Monday July 11th | Chris Bowman REI | Entrepreneurship series | Register |
| How to Tell a Research Story with Visuals (Charts, graphs, and tables) | 11am Wednesday July 13th | Michelle Boulton, 3C Publications | Communication | Register |
| Open Publishing | 1pm Thursday July 14th | DeDe Dawson - Library | Research management | Register |
| Entrepreneur Speaker Series: The Pivot | Friday July 15th Noon Lunch and Learn | Alix Hayden REI and Melanie Morrison (BetterCart Analytics) | Entrepreneurship series | Register |
| Storytelling Your Brand | 11am Monday July 18th | Special guests Ben Borne and Melody Lynch of SymmetryPR | Entrepreneurship series | Register |
| Publishing with USURJ | 11am Tuesday July 19th | USURJ editors Kandice Parker and Alina Sami | Communications | Register |
| Makeover 101 for your visuals (charts, graphs, and tables) | 11am Wednesday July 20th | Michelle Boulton, 3C Publications | Communications | Register |
| Copyright and Permissions for Research Publications | 11am Thursday July 21st | Kate Langrell, copyright coordinator USask | Research Management | Register |
| How to Create a Research Poster | 11am Wednesday July 27th | Merle Massie RASI | Communications | Register |
| Establishing online identity and tracking scholarly impct | 11am Monday August 8th HYBRID | Helen Power Library | Professional Development | Register |
| Networking and LinkedIn | 11am Tuesday August 9th | Ali Wehrcamp Career Services | Professional Development | Register |
| Writing a Journal Article | 11am Wednesday August 10th | Liv Marken Library | Communications | Register |
| Creating top cover letters and an effecting resume | 1pm Thursday August 11th | Dawne Warner Career Services | Professional Development | Register |
| Powerpoint is Not Your Friend | 11am Monday August 15th | Rebekah Bennetch Ron and Jane Graham School of Professional Development |
Communications/ Professional Development |
Register |
| The Three Minute Pitch (for Symposiums) | 11am Tuesday August 16th | Merle Massie RASI |
Communications |
Register |
| Acing the Interview | 1pm Thursday August 18th | Ali Wehrcamp Career Services |
Professional Development |
Register |
| SURE Summer Symposium | August 25th in person and HYBRID ONLINE | Convocation Hall and online |
Connection |
Register |
USask Safety Services training is eligible for SURE credit. The most common safety training for students includes: Covid-19 training, Biosafety training, Laboratory Safety, WHMIS 2015, and Safety Orientiation for Employees. All Safety courses qualify for SURE credit under Research Management.
Go to Safety Services training
Research Ethics: both human and animal research ethics training is eligible for SURE credit. Students actively working in human or animal research must take training. All ethics training goes under Research Management.
|
Training |
Category |
Link |
|
Tri-Agency TCPSCore2 course on research ethics. |
Research management | |
|
USask Animal Care and Research Support: Animal User Training |
Research management |
Link to Animal Care and Research Support - includes links to ethics training |
|
USask library course on academic integrity |
Research management | |
|
USask Behavioural Research Ethics webinar |
Research management |
Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research- CHASR. If you're conducting social science research, past webinars offered by CHASR may help! Training in mixed methods design, survey design, NVIVO, triangulation, program evaluation, GIS, social network analysis, SPSS, and more. Any of these past recorded webinars can count towards your SURE credit, under Research Management.
CHASR YouTube Site
NOTE: if you are taking training in Python, Matlab, or any kind of coding or analytical program used in your discipline, those training hours can count towards Research Management in the SURE program. Take note of your training hours in these programs and count them towards SURE credit!
USask Career Services offers many student-focused services, from career assessment (knowing your strengths/personality type to career readiness competencies) to one-on-one career planning (resumes, cover letters, practice interviews), through to professionalism in your online persona (LinkedIn and more) and career fairs, to connect you with potential employers. All USask Career Services events and activities qualify toward your SURE co-curricular credit under Professional Development. Take advantage today!
Go to Career Services website.
LinkedIn Learning: USask library gives all students, faculty and staff access to LinkedIn Learning, an excellent free resource. There are THOUSANDS of training sessions here which can qualify toward your SURE credit.
Go to LinkedIn Learning
The SURE program pulls from multiple units across campus to offer a wide range of suitable options for your SURE co-curricular credit. Some of these events are organized by the Undergraduate Research Intiative. Others (see below) are offered by USask library, Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research (CHASR), USask Safety Services, USask Ethics, Tri-Council Ethics (TCPS Core 2), Research Excellence and Innovation, Career Services, and many more!
| Event | Time | Category | Registration |
| SURE Winter 2022 Kickoff | Friday January 7th at 1pm | Information | |
| How to Write a Scholarship Proposal | Wednesday January 12th at 3:30pm | Communications | |
| Meet the USSU Executive | Thursday Jan 20th at 1pm | Professional Development | |
| How to Write a Research Report | Tuesday Feb 8th at 3pm | Communications | |
| Using Social Media to Fight an Infodemic | Recorded by College of Medicine | Communication | |
| Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine | Recorded by College of Medicine | Professional Development | |
| Rethinking Medicine Post-Covid | Recorded by College of Medicine | Professional Development | |
| Business 101: Startup Bioscience Businesses | Recorded by AgWestBio | Entrepreneurial Development | |
| Powerful Pitches: Helping Non-Experts understand your research | Recorded by Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation | Communication | |
| Social Media for Researchers | Recorded by Sask Health Research Foundation | Communication | |
| From Talk to Action: Charting Equitable Futures in the Academy | Keynote speech from USask EDI conference 2021 | Professional Development | |
| Global Sustainability vs. Human Nature | Be Well USask podcast with Office of Sustainability | Professional Development | |
| Be Well USask series | This podcast series can help support your professional development | Professional Development | Link to Be Well YouTube channel |
| Imposter Syndrome and How to Handle It |
Recorded by Science, Research and Society Club | Professional Development | |
| Indigneous Science: Askootenow STEM | Recorded by the Science, Research and Society Club | Professional Development | |
| Creating Space for Meaningful Indigenous Engagement | Recorded by the Science, Research and Society Club | Professional Development | |
| Avoiding Plagiarism with guest Jill McMillan | Friday February 18th at 11am | Communication | |
| PowerPoint is Not Your Friend | Tuesday March 8th at 3pm | Communication | |
| Community-led research (seminar) with guest Rachel Loewen-Walker | [Tentative] Thursday March 17th at 3"30pm | Research management, ethics and safety | |
| How to Make a Great Poster | Friday March 18th at 12 noon | Communication | |
| Conducting informational interviews -- with guest Roberta Braid of Career Services | Tuesday March 22nd at 3:30pm | Professional/Entrepreneurial Development | |
| USSU Symposium | March 31st | Communication | Symposium is HYBRID - in-person on March 31st afternoon in the North Concourse of Place Riel, and online via Canvas. |
| Event: Climate Change and Drought 2021 with Dr. David Sauchyn | Friday April 8th | Hosted by the Science, Research and Society Club | Tickets |
|
So you've got a summer research job. Now what? with Merle Massie |
April 22nd at 1pm | Research management | Register |
Upcoming USask Library webinars (SURE-credit approved) Note: SURE students are welcome to register/attend both undergraduate and graduate level workshops at the library. Choose according to your interests, skill level, needs and available time. Writing and research workshops go under Communication. Citation workshops go under Research Management.
| Event | Library link |
| Undergraduate writing workshops | UG writing workshops |
| Undergraduate research workshops | UG research workshops |
| Undergraduate citation workshops | UG citation workshops |
| Graduate writing workshops | Grad writing workshops |
| Graduate research workshops | Grad research workshops |
| Graduate citation workshops | Grad citation software workshops |
USask Safety Services training is eligible for SURE credit. The most common safety training for students includes: Covid-19 training, Biosafety training, Laboratory Safety, WHMIS 2015, and Safety Orientiation for Employees. All Safety courses qualify for SURE credit under Research Management.
Go to Safety Services training
Research Ethics: both human and animal research ethics training is eligible for SURE credit. Students actively working in human or animal research must take training. All ethics training goes under Research Management.
|
Training |
Category |
Link |
|
Tri-Agency TCPSCore2 course on research ethics. |
Research management | |
|
USask Animal Care and Research Support: Animal User Training |
Research management |
Link to Animal Care and Research Support - includes links to ethics training |
|
USask library course on academic integrity |
Research management | |
|
USask Behavioural Research Ethics webinar |
Research management |
Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research- CHASR. If you're conducting social science research, past webinars offered by CHASR may help! Training in mixed methods design, survey design, NVIVO, triangulation, program evaluation, GIS, social network analysis, SPSS, and more. Any of these past recorded webinars can count towards your SURE credit, under Research Management.
CHASR YouTube Site
NOTE: if you are taking training in Python, Matlab, or any kind of coding or analytical program used in your discipline, those training hours can count towards Research Management in the SURE program. Take note of your training hours in these programs and count them towards SURE credit!
USask Career Services offers many student-focused services, from career assessment (knowing your strengths/personality type to career readiness competencies) to one-on-one career planning (resumes, cover letters, practice interviews), through to professionalism in your online persona (LinkedIn and more) and career fairs, to connect you with potential employers. All USask Career Services events and activities qualify toward your SURE co-curricular credit under Professional Development. Take advantage today!
Go to Career Services website.
LinkedIn Learning: USask library gives all students, faculty and staff access to LinkedIn Learning, an excellent free resource. There are THOUSANDS of training sessions here which can qualify toward your SURE credit.
Go to LinkedIn Learning
The SURE program pulls from multiple units across campus to offer a wide range of suitable options for your SURE co-curricular credit. Some of these events are organized by the Undergraduate Research Intiative. Others (see below) are offered by USask library, Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research (CHASR), USask Safety Services, USask Ethics, Tri-Council Ethics (TCPS Core 2), Research Excellence and Innovation, Career Services, and many more!
These events were from Fall 2021 and can be used toward your SURE credit hours.
| Event | Time | Category | Registration |
| SURE fall 2021 Kickoff event | Friday September 17th 3pm | Information | |
| How does research work at USask? | Thursday September 23rd 3:30pm | Professional Development | |
| Landing an undergraduate research job | Wednesday September 29th at 3:30pm | Professional Development | |
| Science Communication - guest Jay Whetter (an SRS presentation) | Friday October 1st at 12:30pm | Communication | |
| Roundtable: USask faculty on why they support undergraduate research | Thursday October 7th at 3pm | Professional development | |
| Roundtable: USask undergraduate student researchers chat about their experiences | Thursday October 14th at 3:30pm | Professional Development | |
| Faculty-student meetup -- speed 'dating' for undergraduate research connections | Wednesday October 20th at 3:30pm | Professional Development | This event was live and not recorded. Watch for another coming up soon! |
| Research Skill Development Framework | Thursday October 28th at 3:30pm | Professional Development | |
| How to Be a Changemaker: EDI in undergraduate research | Thursday, November 4th at 3:30 | Professional Development/Research Management | |
| SparkPath: Exploring toward your future career | Thursday, November 18th at 3pm | Professional Development | Not recorded. This was a live demonstration of SparkPath as career exploration tool. |
| Mitacs and undergraduate student opportunities | Tuesday November 23rd at 1pm | Professional Development | |
| Faculty-Student mixer for undergraduate research | Wednesday November 24th at 4:30pm | N/A | Not recorded. These are live events intended to connect students with faculty looking for summer interns. |
| NSERC USRA seminar: for students, faculty and Indigenous students | Thursday November 25th at 3pm | N/A | |
| SRS Club presentation: Collaborating with Government | Professional Development | ||
| SRS Club Presentation: Imposter Syndrome and how to handle it | Professional Development | ||
| SURE RSAW fall 2021 Symposium | November 29th-Dec 7th | Communications | Visit the Symposium |
SURE previously recorded webinars are all available for viewing. Viewing past webinars can count equally toward your SURE 10 hours for co-curricular credit. Follow these links to SURE playlists on YouTube, where you can also subscribe and be notified when we add new videos. Note: all summer and fall 2021 past webinars have direct links, above.
- Communication
- CHASR: Research Analysis
- How to Get Involved in Undergraduate Research
- Research Data Management
- Professional Development
- Entrepreneurship
- Publishing Research
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research
- Developing Good Habits
- Jeff Perera Gender of Success and Failure
- SURE program full playlist
Student Connection
The SURE program sponsors the Science, Research & Society Club.
Open to SURE participants and the wider campus community, this club aims to engage students in STEM and research across campus in two ways:
- to create a safe space for students to discuss, analyze and question research articles, science concepts and ideas;
- to explore the human aspects of science by having conversations about topics like imposter syndrome, representation in STEM and research and EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion).
SRS will restart January 2022.
All registered SURE students will recieve updates, and events will be posted on PAWS.
SURE RSAW Fall Symposium
SURE Research, Scholarly and Artistic Works Fall 2021 Symposium
Research Acceleration and Strategic Initiatives is pleased to announce our new SURE (Student Undergraduate Research Experience) RSAW (Research Scholarly and Artistic Works) Fall 2021 Symposium. This fall Symposium complements the SURE summer Symposium and the USSU Spring Symposium as an additional campus-wide symposium open to all undergraduate students in all disciplines.
Details: The Symposium was held online via Canvas between November 30th and December 7th.
Symposium Winners:
Honourable Mentions:
Katie Sofko: Changes in Tibial Articular Cartilage T2 Relaxation Time with Load – An in vivo Repeatability Study (authors Sofko KG, Elebute I, Cui L, Bzowey N, McWalter EJ) Engineering
Kayley Lawrenz: The Experience of COVID-19 in Rural Saskatchewan Long-term Care Homes (with Ivy Myge, B.A., Rebeca S. Pereira, BA., & Paulette V. Hunter, Ph.D.) Health Sciences
Yash Tendulkar: Experiences Supporting Videoconference Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Rural Saskatchewan Long-term Care Homes (Supervisor Dr. Paulette Hunter) Health Sciences
Award winners: Second Place (three way tie)
Alina Sami: The Role of APOBEC3C Deoxycytidine Deaminases in Somatic Mutagenesis (supervisor Dr. Linda Chelico) Health Sciences
Cindy Li: Design and synthesis of inhibitors for Glucocerebrosidase, a top biomarker and therapeutic target for Parkinson’s Disease (with Dr. Chris Phenix Morshed Chowdhury) Physical and Life Sciences
Norah Ridley: An exploration of documents' privacy leaks (with Enrico Branca and Natalia Stakhanova) Computer Science and Math
Top Award: First Place
Leah Houseman: "It’s a Violation of My Freedom”: Getting Informed, Social Media, and Face Mask Use in Canada (Supervisor Dr. Scott Thompson) Social Sciences and Business
SURE Summer Symposium
SURE Symposium 2022 August 25th HYBRID
In Person: Convocation Hall
Online via Canvas
All undergraduate students in any discipline are welcome to register and present at the SURE Symposium
Registration for summer 2022 SURE Symposium
Registration deadline: July 25th 2022