Alberta Innovates High School Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS) Program

To be eligible for the HYRS program at the University of Calgary, you must meet the following criteria: 

• Have a clear interest in pursuing a health research career. 
• Be currently registered in Grade 11 at an Alberta high school located in Red Deer or anywhere south of Red Deer, up to but not including Claresholm. 
• Students at high schools north of Red Deer should apply to HYRS at the University of Alberta. 
• Students at high schools in Claresholm or further south should apply to HYRS at the University of Lethbridge. 
• Achieve a minimum grade of 85% in each of the following courses by the program start date: 
  • Math 20-1 or Math 20-2 
  • Biology 20 
  • One other Grade 11 science (Chemistry 20 or Physics 20) 

A maximum of two students per high school will be selected for the Alberta Innovates HYRS program. 

Pre-requisite courses must be completed before the program start date. To verify your grades, upload any of the following: official or unofficial transcripts, interim report cards, or Detailed Academic Reports (DARs). If you are still enrolled in a prerequisite course and will not have a final grade by the application deadline, upload a document confirming your enrollment and current standing, such as an interim report card or a signed teacher letter, in addition to your transcript. 

Combine all documents into one PDF and upload it to your application. It is your responsibility to ensure your upload covers every prerequisite course listed above. Applications missing grades or enrollment proof for any prerequisite will be marked incomplete and will not be forwarded for adjudication. 

You cannot save the application webform, so we recommend writing your responses in a word processor first. The application requires that you: 

• Write an essay demonstrating your interest in biomedical and health research. 
• Upload your transcripts, interim report cards, or Detailed Academic Reports (DARs) as a single PDF. See Determining Eligibility for details. 
• Obtain references from two science teachers, or one science and one math teacher, and one non-academic referee. 

Confirmation emails: Students and referees will each receive a confirmation email once their submission is received. If you do not receive one, your submission may not have gone through. Contact hyrs@ucalgary.ca to check, and resubmit if needed. 

It is your responsibility to ensure that your references have submitted before the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be evaluated further. 

The selection committee is composed equally of high school teachers and University of Calgary postdoctoral fellows. Each application is reviewed independently by the committee members. Based on these reviews, all of the applications are adjudicated and ranked in a committee selection meeting.

Applicant grades are not used for scoring purposes during the committee review; grades are used only to determine applicant eligibility.

Selection committee decisions are final and cannot be appealed.

Results of the Alberta Innovates HYRS Competition will be released in May. All candidates will be informed of the outcome using the email provided in their application. Successful applicants will be required to formally accept the award. 

Every effort will be made to match successful applicants with a mentor working in one of the areas of interest identified in their application. However, an exact match is not always possible due to mentor availability, lab safety protocols, and other considerations. 

Depending on the nature of their mentor's research, students may be placed in a wet lab (typically bench-based experimental work) or a dry lab (typically computer-based analysis). All placements are made at the discretion of the university and are final. 

Value and tenure: 

• HYRS studentships run for 6-weeks, from early July to mid-August each year.
• The awards consist of a $3,000 non-taxable stipend.
• Students must make a full-time commitment to their research during the period of the award.
• Additional costs, including meals, health benefits, and transportation, are the responsibility of the student.
• Successful applicants residing outside of Calgary who require accommodations should contact hyrs@ucalgary.ca.

Applications and offers:

• HYRS applications must be written by the student.
• The University reserves the right to confirm, through independent means, representations of authorship or credentials.
• In the event of material deviations in the submitted information, the University reserves the right to disqualify any applicant from the competition.
• Students offered an award will be required to accept or decline the offer by a date specified in the notification of the offer, with written approval of a parent or legal guardian. Students who decline the award may claim credit for the award on their curriculum vitae, noting that the award was declined.
• Only two students per high school will be offered an Alberta Innovates HYRS award.

 Communications

• All publications, including public messages, arising from research supported by Alberta Innovates grants or awards must acknowledge their support.
• Alberta Innovates reserves the right to publish and/or disseminate information regarding its grants and awards.

Alberta Innovates HYRS students are to conduct their research in a safe and ethical manner under the guidance of their mentors. During the period of the award, they are to maintain regular scheduled hours. In no case should HYRS students conduct research for more than 35 hours per week. Timesheets will be collected from all students to ensure adherence to this guideline.

HYRS students are expected to follow the procedures and rules of the research environment in which they conduct their research, including all policies governing research at the University of Calgary.

Students are required to attend all cohort events such as guest lectures, facility tours, and the final symposium.

Students are responsible for their own transportation, parking, and food during the program.

Students will be required to submit a final report to the University of Calgary Research Services Office upon completion of the award.

Students will also be required to give a presentation about their HYRS experiences to a class at their high school. Additional information will be provided to successful applicants.