WINTER 2018
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 SAP Newsletter
Newsmakers 1 Award Winners
2
Alumni Spotlight
3
Mentorship Breakfast: Food for thought
7
Winter Retreat
9
Insights: Speakers Series
11
Career And Professional Development Awards
13
Zeyu Liu
13
Xiongyi Cui
17
Cohort Projects
21
Humans Of Ucalgary
21
Pangaea
25
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NEWSMAKERS
MAKING HEADLINES Clare Hickie
Branden Cave “Student-led project reflects passion to help people do what they do, only better”— UToday
Sagar Grewal
“Student interests assured in Mac Hall settlement” - UToday
Cole Lord-May “Sagar Grewal acclaimed as new Students’ Union president” – UToday
Kehinde Ariyo
“Canadian, Norwegian universities commit to 10 years of collaboration in space education, research” – UToday
Shelby Montgomery
“Immigration experience inspires Social Work student’s summer project” –UToday
“University of Calgary students wait for ‘tangible plan’ as judge delays sex offender’s jail sentence” – Metro News
Jonah Zankl, Celina Pablo, Zeyu Li, Manpreet Deol “Silicon Valley tour puts students at the nucleus of startup culture” –UToday
Manpreet Deol “Meeting of minds puts Calgary on top in case contest” – Schulich School of Engineering
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Samuel Geisterfer Finalist in UCalgary World Challenge Challenge
AWARD WINNERS Students’ Union Undergraduate Research Symposium Cassandra Klune, Jenny Liao, Manisha Bharadia, Rahul Arora, Bryan Ma
Louise Mckinney PostSecondary Scholarship Shelby Montgomery
Jim Colpitts Memorial Scholarship
Cassandra Klune
Jenny Liao
Manisha Bharadia
Rahul Arora
Shelby Montgomery
Logan Haynes
Brianna Solberg
Amanda Calleberg
Shelby Montgomery
Laurence Decore Award for Student Leadership Shelby Montgomery
Senate Service Award Brianna Solberg
Academic All-Canadians Logan Haynes, Brianna Solberg
Student-Athlete Community Service Brianna Solberg
Alyson Woloshyn Legacy of Leadership Award Amanda Calleberg
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MORGAN FORET ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Morgan Foret has always had a passion for science and a curiosity for the world around her. Her undergraduate degree in Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology at the University of Calgary involved four consecutive years of summer research in addition to an Honours thesis project. Morgan’s main interest was understanding interactions between lung cells and nanoparticles. She had the opportunity to work with various exciting microscopy techniques that further fuelled her desire to pursue research at the graduate level. Morgan Foret
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Now a PhD student in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill University, Morgan is collaborating with the Department
Morgan Foret, PhD student in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill University.
of Chemistry to investigate the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. For Morgan, collaboration is the key: “[it] has greatly added to my education as a graduate student. I believe that interdisciplinary approaches to scientific and health-related challenges are key to meaningful discoveries and advancing our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases.” Moreover, Morgan specifically applied to the PhD program because she appreciated the added challenge, independence, and diverse skill set it warrants. Like many high achieving students, Morgan’s energy does not focus exclusively on her research. She is a member of the Post Graduate Students’
Society on the Internal Affairs Committee where she helped organize events including the graduate orientation program. For the past three years, she has also served on the Graduate Association of Pharmacology and Therapeutics Students committee in various roles, including Graduate Student Representative and VP Academic. Morgan helped conduct interviews for new graduate students applying to her department, mentored incoming students, and represented students by sitting on the Graduate Training Committee. More recently, she helped organize an interdepartmental methods seminars where students and staff were invited to present on methods
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and technologies they have expertise in. For Morgan, these activities are not only about research, but promoting interdisciplinary networking initiatives and helping create a sense of community between graduate students:
“while research is our primary focus, the contacts and collaborations we make with colleagues can help take our research and our careers to a new level.”
Morgan Foret, second clarinetist in I Medici Orchestra
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Aside from these student leadership roles, Morgan is a member of the I Medici Orchestra as a second clarinetist. The orchestra comprises of students (medical, undergraduate, graduate), alumni, professors, and others who share their love for music. Each year they perform charity concerts for various causes: “I am very grateful to have the opportunity to continue music during graduate school. Music is something I view as a lifelong pursuit and I am very thankful to share my passion with others.” Morgan credits her experiences in the Leadership and Student Engagement Office and Scholars Academy as providing a strong foundation for her commitment to professional development. For the latter, her experience with her community mentor, Nancy Laird, helped Morgan broaden her understanding of career paths available, in addition to application and interview preparation. Nancy’s experience in the oil and gas technology sector, although different from Morgan’s path, helped her articulate her strengths when applying to positons:
I Medici Orchestra
I appreciated that Nancy’s background differed from mine and the insight she shared regarding her experience in business have a new-found relevance for me. In the field of Alzheimer’s disease research, and in pharmacology, there is an intersection between researchers, industry, professionals, and clinicians; therefore her insight into business and management are proving useful for me today and will continue to be valuable as I advance in my career.
Following her PhD, Morgan aspires to continue to conduct research as a postdoctoral fellow with the long-term aim of serving in a leadership position, running, and managing her own laboratory.
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Rahim Sajan, keynote speaker of Community Mentorship Breakfast
FOOD FOR THOUGHT The early bird gets the worm-and it’s no different for Scholars Academy students and their mentors for the inaugural Community Breakfast at the University of Calgary, Downtown Campus. Over 50 early risers enjoyed a hearty breakfast buffet in February, but more sought-after than the breakfast sausages, was the abundant food for thought. The Scholars Academy Mentorship Program matches unlikely pairings of students with world-class community members to broaden their scopes and to build confidence in conversation
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and knowledge where there may be gaps. Students benefit most from the Mentorship Program when they are matched with someone completely outside of their comfort zone in both fields of studies and career paths, as it challenges their worldviews to be more holistic.
Rahim Sajan
The morning took off with a compelling talk by keynote speaker and renowned co-founder of TEDxCalgary, Rahim Sajan. Among the very first photos that splattered the projector screen of his presentation were Rahim’s family members in front of their new Canadian home, after their immigration from Tanzania, and a Venn diagram displaying “me” on the right side, “you” on the left side, and “us” in the centre. Rahim is a high school educator, advisor and speaker coach for the Dean’s Talks at the
Cumming School of Medicine, and is a Senator at the University of Calgary. But before all those things, Rahim asserts that he is human and he is an extension of his family-the people who have shaped his identity most. Rahim humoured guests with his personal anecdotes and life lessons as a failed entrepreneur, but a passionate global citizen, and delivered an honest discussion on the theme of Sending and Receiving Signals, which left students and mentors with uncommon but worthwhile ideas to chew on.
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WINTER RETREAT The Winter Retreat took place on January 13 in the Escalus Room on campus, and aimed to bring Scholars together to reflect on their accomplishments in the Fall term, and to set goals for the remaining academic year. It was an opportunity for students to also work on their cohort service projects together. Scholars Academy students took a stroll down memory lane on the morning of the Winter Retreat, as they confronted their past selves in a workshop that invited them to re-read their entrance personal statements. Students had the opportunity to revise
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the core components of their personal statements to represent the person they are currently and the values that accompany them. While it was both an amusing and uneasy exercise, very few students admitted they would keep their statements the same should they have the chance for a re-write. Jessica Cohen, Coordinator of Scholars Programs,
facilitated this workshop and made her point clear: every individual is constantly developing their identity and skill sets. The afternoon then picked up with an engaging keynote presentation by Rameez Virji on making information open source primarily for 3D printing, the possibilities for immense industry growth and groundbreaking innovation, and the repercussions. We are not living in as much of a dog-eat-dog world as we were taught to believe or as it may have been previously, according to Rameez Virji, Founder of an award-winning software company, Big Tree World, and creator of a flu vaccine pill that landed him in Canada’s Top 20 Under 20 in 2012. Students actively engaged in this conversation with Rameez, well after the presentation was over.
Shannon Giorgini, Scholar, 5th year Kinesiology
Rameez Virji, Found of Big Tree World, and keynote speaker of Scholars Academy Winter Retreat
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INSIGHTS
SPEAKERS SERIES In mid-February, Scholars Academy students, Rena Far and Clare Hickie, led vastly different discussions on their interpretation of the theme, Lessons Learned, in the semester’s first Insight: Speaker Series. These events allow students to share snippets of their lives
Left to Right: Samuel Geisterfer, Dante Bencivenga, and Clare Hickie
Clare Hickie, Scholar, 5th year Psychology
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Rena Far, Scholar, 5th year Biomedical Sciences and Music
Hailing from a seemingly contrasting but complimentary background in music and science, Rena described the skills she found transferrable both in the lab and in a concert hall in her talk entitled “From Pippettes to Practice Rooms.” As a fourth year Health Sciences and Music student, she discovered an unexpected harmony between her biomedical research and violin performance. A valuable skill she elaborated on was the ability to take original ideas and make
them tangible and wellreceived in her respective communities. Rena further discussed how exploring different ways of knowing and thinking led to her personal growth. Clare initiated an educated and wholesome conversation surrounding allyship and “How Do I Help?� In a world that is increasingly polarized and divisive, Clare recognized that finding ways to act as an activist and ally to social justice movements and marginalized communities can often be a source of intimidation, and act as a barrier to creating effective change. Clare discussed her experiences working in university and community activism, how her intersecting identities impact her work, and reflected on her journey towards becoming a better ally.
Left to Right: Jessica Cohen, Samuel Geisterfer, Dante Bencivenga, Jonah Zankl
Jonah Zankl, Scholar, 5th year Math and Economics
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CAREER AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARDS
ZEYU LIU
The Scholars Academy Career and Professional Development Awards, formerly known as Travel Awards, are funding opportunities awarded to students who exhibit the eagerness to advance their career and professional development that extend beyond what might be accessible to them in their day to day lives.
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In the past, these opportunities have taken on the form of out-of-town conferences, speaker panels, and case competitions, with students occupying an active and/or a facilitator-like role. Beginning this January, the award was renamed and re-programmed to better encourage both active and passive participants to apply, and to encompass inclusivity across all disciplines, where there previously were gaps. Zeyu Liu, a Mechanical Engineering student in his final year, seized every opportunity he could to take advantage of these awards this winter. The Scholars Academy supported him for a weeklong tour of Silicon Valley with the U of C Hunter Hub.
“Having worked on science and engineering projects for the past nine years, I have always thought about creating a startup around my projects one day. During the weeklong stay in San Francisco and Palo Alto, I got a glimpse of what it takes to build a startup in Silicon Valley. We toured accelerators, VC firms, and tech companies. We met many well-established entrepreneurs and VCs, and heard all about their stories and experiences. As an aspiring entrepreneur, I felt this trip was essential in steering me in the right path.�
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With so much innovation around him, Zeyu thought he would have a hard time deciding what could be the highlight of the trip, until he met with three major moguls: Duncan Logan from RocketSpace, Michael Perry from Shopify, and Norman Winarsky from Relay Ventures. Visiting RocketSpace helped put things in perspective for Zeyu: “It was clear to me that finding success being an entrepreneur needs not only skill and passion, but luck as well.” It was impressed upon Zeyu that Duncan worked for a failed startup for years before he eventually saw success, and learned not to mind the hard work that is involved for the whole endeavor to be worth it.
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Alongside those lessons, Zeyu was confronted with another harsh reality by Shopify Kit’s founder, Michael Perry, as he shared the emotional stresses of being an entrepreneur. “He was a university dropout and struggled for years to come up with a viable product. At one point he was living on food stamps and was about to be evicted from his apartment. What’s an ongoing joke that students go to info sessions for free pizza was real for Michael, for his choice for dinner was often free pizza or starve.” Hearing about these hardships, Zeyu saw these successful entrepreneurs at a more human level and felt that success was anyone’s outcome if they were strongwilled and maintained their passion.
“[But] one of the most important things for me during this trip was experiencing the culture at Silicon Valley. I once thought of Silicon Valley as a very competitive place, with startups in their own secretive spaces. However, that was not the case. All the companies and founders were so welcoming and wanted to help other potential founders and startups. The culture in the Bay Area is so collaborative, the complete opposite to my initial beliefs.”
“I’m very thankful to have received the Scholars Academy Travel Awards this year. They are a wonderful way to help cover the costs of career and professional development activities, and has made these activities more accessible to me... it was truly an eye‑opening experience.”
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CAREER AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARDS
XIONGYI CUI
Xiongyi Cui is a fifth year Mechanical Engineering student who always set his eyes on opportunities to further his personal growth outside the classroom. When he caught wind of the Western Engineering Competition (WEC), Canada’s largest undergraduate engineering competition between 14 top Western universities, he did not hesitate to put his name down for consideration. Made possible by the Scholars Academy Travel Awards, Xiongyi was thrilled to compete, learn, and interact with other passionate Engineering undergraduates over a course of three days at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). Every year, the competition incorporates a theme, and Xiongyi and his UCalgary team were tasked with the theme of Innovation for a Complex World. Xiongyi Cui, Scholar, 5th year Mechanical Engineering
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Quickly moved by the school spirit of all the universities that attended, Xiongyi had no doubt that this was the type of experience he would live twice-over if he had the chance. It was the union of young, collaborative, and energetic minds that excited his short but eventful visit. An orientation was held the first day, which outlined the expectations for competitors and allowed Xiongyi to meet his rivals. He was then given a tour of the BCIT campus, which he admired for its ultra-modern infrastructure. Hands-on workshops were offered all around campus, from welding shops to motorcycle repair shops, but the main takeaway Xiongyi discovered was not in the surrounding sites but rather, the students’ attitudes towards their future. Xiongyi recalled “they were all high achievers, ready to prove something in their lives,” which made the competition all the more poignant. Xiongyi realized the competition was not just a hobby for students to take part in; they were building a future.
After settling in the first day, Xiongyi dove right into the heart of the competition the following day. “[It] was intensive and ran non-stop into the evening.” Xiongyi’s team competed in the Engineering Consulting category and their objective was to create a flood prevention plan for communities in Ontario and Quebec, where flooding events caused by global warming have been occurring more often in the recent decade.
“We set aside a few hours of brain storming to develop a holistic flood prevention strategy that utilized cutting edge technologies. Throughout the day, we researched current prevention strategies used by municipalities and home owners. What surprised us was that most people living in areas deemed to be a high-risk flood zone did not realize the risks they are faced with. That brought about the first step in
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Xiongyi Cui on left
our plan: to develop an education system in cooperation with the local government to educate the general population of the risks. Next, we designed a cheaper flood barrier that is easier to setup than existing flood barriers on the market. The third stage in our flood prevention plan was the implementation of a cloud seeding program to disperse the amount of rain fall to a large land area and over a longer period of time.”
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But Xiongyi could not have been successful in the competition were it not for his colleagues. “My team worked well under pressure and held supportive views on each other’s ideas, which made the competition experience that much better.” The third and final day was reserved for the awards ceremony, where teams were required to pitch their projects. Although Xiongyi and his team did not win the competition, they were assured by judges they were placed high among the 13 participating teams. But more
important to Xiongyi than the rankings was his team’s ability to innovate ideas that were well-received.
“The Scholar’s Academy Travel Award helped make my attendance in the WEC competition possible. I was challenged with a real-world problem, and over the course of the competition I was rewarded with the satisfaction of proposing a viable solution with my team. WEC was a fulfilling experience; I was truly fortunate to have been in the company of such outstanding teammates.”
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COHORT SERVICE PROJECTS
HUMANS OF UCALGARY “I can’t stand to hear the silence of a busy commuter train when no one wants to talk... We’re becoming unsocial and it no longer satisfies to engage with one another, and look into someone’s eyes.” – Gary Turk Humans of UCalgary (HOUC) is a photojournalism platform that captures diverse perspectives on life, love, learning, and everything in between at the University of Calgary. Their mission is to build a more caring and connected
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community, and encourage people to engage with each other and university resources. After receiving the Champions for a Healthy Campus grant to publish the first photojournalism book at the University of Calgary in celebration
of the institution’s 50th anniversary, the books were distributed across 55 highly trafficked areas on campus for the public to enjoy, and archived into UCalgary libraries. Since then, the Humans of UCalgary team continued to interview and share stories of strangers on campus through social media platform. Tingting Yan, Founder and Editor in Chief of HOUC, reflected on their experience:
“Over the past three years, our photojournalists have experienced the impact of sharing even just one hour with someone outside of a typical academic or peer circle. This year, we desired to share this experience with the
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rest of our community: we saw how new human connections – a simple exchange of ideas and experiences – had potential to facilitate growth of all members of campus and generate critical conversations regarding perspectives. We partnered with the Scholars Academy Program to allow our university community to apply the principles of being a photojournalist: open-mindedness, curiosity, and empathy, in daily life.”
Manpreet Deol, Scholar, 4th year Mechanical Engineering and Tingting Yan, Scholar, 4th year Biomedical Sciences
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In Winter 2018, HOUC hosted two “Human Connection” events. The first installment was a “Dinner in the Dark” at the end of March, featuring two keynote speakers who shared their personal and professional stories of overcoming challenges and building resilience. Unique to the project and event, HOUC facilitated blindfolded conversations between 50 students, alumni, and community leaders on the same themes. The second installment was “Coffee for a Conversation” on in mid-April, held on the TFDL Quad. Good Earth Coffeehouse generously sponsored 400 cups of coffee, which HOUC labelled with conversation prompts, ranging from ‘Tell me about the best 30 seconds of your life’ to ‘Who has had the biggest impact on the person you’ve become and why?” Participants were asked to use the prompts on a stranger on campus and share what they’ve learned before receiving their coffee.
The results of this cohort project will be used to drive more ‘Human Connection’ events next year. Humans of UCalgary photojournalists have secured $5000 for this pursuit.
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Manisha Bharadia, Scholar, 4th year Biological Sciences and Sarah McColman representing Pangaea: Connecting Humanity at Outrun the Stigma
COHORT SERVICE PROJECT
PANGAEA Pangaea was founded in December 2015 with a goal to provide mentorship to incoming Syrian Refugees and immigrants and ease the transition into Canadian life. Manisha Bharadia, the Founder and President of Pangaea, and Co-President Sarah McColman created Pangaea with a focus on bilateral learning and inclusivity.
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Each month, mentee-mentor pairs work towards “The 4 Goal Initiative.� The 4 Goal Initiative is designed to allow mentor and mentee pairs to track their
Shannon Giorgini presenting at Pangaea’s 2018 Volunteer Training Event
learning and development by completing 4 monthly goals: Cultural Exploration Activities, Language Acquisition, Local/ Community Events, and Pay It Forward. This year, a team of Scholars-Shannon Giorgini, Walaa Taha, Asalah Alareeki, Clare Linnea, Erin Knight, and Raina Schnider-joined Pangaea to recreate Pangaea’s Volunteer Training to include topics such as: mental health, cultural sensitivity, refugee stereotypes, and health care access. The Scholars have also taken on other initiatives such
Mentors and mentees complete challenges at the University of Calgary for Pangaea’s 2nd Annual Scavenger Hunt
as increasing social media outreach and building new community links. On March 7, the Scholars presented the new training program to Pangaea’s incoming volunteers with great success. Alongside its mentorship program, Pangaea also hosted an annual Scavenger Hunt at the University of Calgary. This event connected U of C students with Pangaea members as they searched around campus to complete culturally-based challenges.
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Some of Pangaea’s mentees at Pangaea’s 2nd Annual Scavenger Hunt 2018
Testimonials “Getting to learn more about the services Pangaea aims to offer immigrants and refugees in Calgary makes me so hopeful and happy. It’s great to see that this organization’s core message is based on a sense of community and connection between all members of humanity-a much needed perspective to move towards a better place and time. I’m grateful to have been a part of a group of people that are so dedicated to raising awareness, to giving back to others, and to promoting inclusivity and a bond of community.” – Walaa Taha
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“Pangaea has had a role in contributing to both the campus and wider Calgary community beyond celebrating multiculturalism to endorsing a more culturally sensitive approach when volunteering with refugee populations. The community activities have encouraged both the organizers and volunteers to explore, engage and reflect on aspects such as culture, language, community engagement, and mentorship. I am sure as the Pangaea organization grows so will the possibilities of its contributions.” – Asalah Alareeki
The Three Brothers: Mentees (left and right) walk with Pangaea Mentor (centre) around the University of Calgary
“I had to tell you just how much of a difference you are all making in the lives of the entire family. Their teachers have noticed a marked improvement in their school work since you started working with the children…the family and I credit all of YOU for this. The added time you are spending with each of the kids has truly increased their academic performance and their overall confidence. The more casual things you do together (letting them play games on your phones, helping them navigate the computer, letting them teach you signing, drawing sketches for them, etc.) has truly made their time with you so enjoyable...they are having so much fun with you and they are feeling more and more like “Canadian” kids!” – Brenda Dushinski
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SCHOLARS ACADEMY
Student Success Centre 2500 University Drive NW Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 Canada
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sap@ucalgary.ca