Alberta Innovates Highschool Youth Researcher Summer Program

The online application deadline for students is Friday, March 26, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. MT.

The submission deadline for Teacher & Non-Academic references is Friday, April 2, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. MT.

Results of the 2021 Alberta Innovates HYRS competition will be released approximately 8 weeks after the submission deadline.

The Alberta Innovates HYRS program will run from July 2 - August 14 2021. 

You cannot save the application form, so you are encouraged to review the entire application before you begin. It is recommended that you type your written responses in a word processor offline, then copy the text into the form. The application requires that you:

• Write an essay demonstrating your interest in biomedical and health research
• Upload a scanned copy of your most recent report card, stamped by the high school office
  • NOTE: Please ensure your uploaded transcript includes all of the necessary grades to confirm you meet the minimum eligibility criteria for HYRS. In the event your upload does not include all necessary grades (ie. Bio 20, Math 20-1 or 20-1 and Chemistry 20 or Physics 20) your application will be marked incomplete and will not be forwarded for adjudication.
• Obtain references from two science teachers (or one science and one math teacher) and one non-academic reference (an adult who is not a relative and is from outside your school).

Important information regarding references: 

The application form requires that you provide the names and email addresses of individuals who will provide references to support your application. When you submit your application, those individuals will be sent an email with the details of your application and a link to the appropriate reference form. However, we cannot guarantee that the email will be received – therefore, it is your responsibility to ensure that the reference forms are submitted before the deadline.

Before you submit your application, please ensure that the individuals you list as references have agreed to provide a reference. Please also ensure that your selected references identify you by the preferred name provided in your application; this helps to ensure the reference is appropriately matched to your application. References that cannot be matched to an application will not be considered, and incomplete applications will not be eligible for adjudication.  

The selection committee is composed of two high school teachers and two University of Calgary scientists. Each application is reviewed independently by the committee members. Based on these reviews, all of the Alberta Innovates HYRS proposals are adjudicated and ranked in a committee selection meeting.

Applicant’s high school grades are not used for scoring purposes during the committee review. High school grades are only used to determine applicant's eligibility .

Selection committee decisions are final and cannot be appealed.

Results of the 2021 Alberta Innovates HYRS competition will be released approximately 8 weeks after the submission deadline. All candidates will be informed by email regarding the outcome of their submission using the email address provided in their application. Successful applicants will be required to formally indicate their acceptance of the award.

Every effort will be made to match successful applicants with a mentor working within one of the areas of interest identified within the student application. However, please be aware that an exact match is not always possible due to mentor availability, lab safety protocols, and other considerations. Students are placed in a lab setting depending on the nature of the research their mentor is involved in; this could mean they will be involved in a wet lab (typically bench top experiment based labs) or a dry lab (typically computer based analysis). All placements will be made at the discretion of the university and are final.

Value and tenure of award

Studentships will be for 6 weeks, from early July to mid-August, 2021. The final program dates will be updated soon. 

Students must make a full-time commitment to their research during the period of the Alberta Innovates HYRS award.

The awards are in the amount of $3,000 in the form of a stipend. Additional costs, including health benefits, travel, and accommodation, are the responsibility of the student.

Successful applicants residing outside of Calgary who require accommodation should contact rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca.

 

Applications and offers of award

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 Alberta Innovates HYRS 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 the 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 working hours. In no case should HYRS students work 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 HYRS-related events, such as guest lectures, facility tours, and the Open House.

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 their high school science class.

Additional information will be provided to successful applicants.

In April 2016 the University of Calgary received 166 applications for Alberta Innovates Heritage Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS) awards. 

The University is pleased to announce the names of the 22 successful candidates:

In March 2017 the University of Calgary received 153 applications for Alberta Innovates Heritage Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS) awards. 

The University is pleased to announce the names of the 22 successful candidates:

In March 2018 the University of Calgary received 106 applications for Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions Heritage Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS) awards. 

The University is pleased to announce the names of the 22 successful candidates:

Student Name Student High School HYRS Mentor Mentor Faculty Adam Gulamhusein Robert Thirsk High School Dr. Zelma Kiss Cumming School of Medicine Alicia Lamb Rundle College Jr/Sr High School Dr. Kamran Yusuf Cumming School of Medicine Andrew Xie St. Francis High School Dr. Samuel Pichardo Cumming School of Medicine Asiya Arora Sir Winston Churchill High School Dr. Ranjani Somayaji Cumming School of Medicine Badra Abbas Sir Winston Churchill High School Dr. Susan Graham Arts Brian Vo Father Lacombe High School Dr. Juliet Guichon Cumming School of Medicine Cassandra Seal Webber Academy Dr. Steve Boyd Cumming School of Medicine Dhruva Patel Bert Church High School Dr. Tanya Beran Cumming School of Medicine Heny Panghulan Notre Dame High School Dr. Gabrielle Wilcox Werklund School of Education Isabella Frey Robert Thirsk High School Dr. Paul Arnold Cumming School of Medicine Jerry Zhou Bishop Carroll High School Dr. Laura Curiel Schulich School of Engineering Jessie Shang Western Canada High School Dr. Ranita Manocha Cumming School of Medicine Kuljeet Chohan Westmount Charter School Dr. Jun Yan Cumming School of Medicine Michael Beaumont St. Francis High School Dr. Julio Garcia Flores Cumming School of Medicine Oyinda Obigbesan Calgary Christian High School Dr. Karen Benzies Nursing Parthiv Maneesh Westmount Charter School Dr. Doreen Ezeife Cumming School of Medicine Rachael Peng William Aberhart High School Dr. Naweed Syed Cumming School of Medicine Salma Zein Joane Cardinal-Schubert High School Dr. V. Wee Yong Cumming School of Medicine Sarah Sass William Aberhart High School Dr. Carolyn Emery Kinesiology Seleem Badawy Western Canada High School Dr. Carol Huang Cumming School of Medicine Sumair Shergill Renert School Dr. Marinka Twilt Cumming School of Medicine Tate McGovern West Island College Dr. Susan Kutz Veterinary Medicine Tony Jiang Henry Wise Wood High School Dr. Guang Yang Cumming School of Medicine YJ Dawood Renert School Dr. Jiami Guo Cumming School of Medicine Zain Tariq Foundations for the Future Charter Academy High School Dr. Walter Herzog Kinesiology