2023 HYRS Cohort

Alberta Innovates High School Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS) Program

Experience Research Outside the Classroom

The Alberta Innovates High School Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS) Program seeks students who are well-rounded, curious about health research, and are looking for a summer research experience to help launch their career and academic goals. This opportunity allows exceptional Grade 11 students to work along side UCalgary faculty members, make invaluable connections, and contribute to innovative biomedical and health research at one of the world's top research University. 

HYRS is not just a laboratory experience – it offers a balanced experience focused on Grade 11 students. Cohort programming involves tours of the campus and other research facilities, guest lectures on health research and related careers, and other educational sessions from current university students. On the last day of the program, students will present on their research project at an Open House event. 

The award is meant to encourage students to consider pursuing formal training and a career in health research and innovation. HYRS is a six-week program that runs from early July to mid-August each summer. In 2024, the program will run from July 2nd to August 13th. The award consists of a $3,000 stipend.

 

Before you apply:

Read all sections of this page to ensure eligibility, and download and read the application guidelines

HYRS logo

Contact

At the University of Calgary, the HYRS program is administered by the Research Services Office.

For questions and inquiries, please contact rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca.


Project Priority Areas

Digital or Data Driven Health Research

Research projects that advance digital or data-enabled methods, tools, or technologies in health research. It has the potential to enhance the efficiency of healthcare delivery creating opportunities for more personalized healthcare approaches. Examples of topics include:

  • Computer modelling or simulation for drug discovery or technology development
  • Overcoming data access, collection, or data infrastructure challenges
  • Approaches to preparing health data for machine

Commercialization

Research projects that develop and commercialize an emerging health technology, preferably digital or data-enabled, with the potential to generate commercial economic returns (jobs, revenue, investment) for Alberta and cost-effective, beneficial health outcomes.

Health System Transformation

Research projects that enable the advancement of data and digitally enabled care models, including facilitating adoption, implementation, and/or scale across the continuum of care in Alberta. Key areas of interest include but are not limited to:

  • Implementation studies in health care settings
  • Policy development
  • Approaches to citizen-centric care

Value and Term

Students will receive a stipend of $3,000 for 6 weeks of engaging in research from July 2nd to August 13th, 2024.

Eligibility

To be eligible, students must:

  • Currently be registered as a grade 11 student at a central Alberta high school. This includes all high schools south of Red Deer to north of, but not including, Claresholm. Students in or south of Claresholm should apply to the University of Lethbridge. Students north of Red Deer should apply to the University of Alberta.
  • Have a clear interest in pursuing a health research career.
  • Have a minimum of 85% standing in each of Math-20-1 or 20-2, Biology 20, and one other grade 11 science (Chemistry 20 or Physics 20). Transcripts and interim reports must be provided as proof.

A maximum of 2 students per high school will be selected for the Alberta Innovates High School Youth Researcher Summer program.

HYRS Mentor and Student

Inspire the researchers of tomorrow

Mentors are an integral part of HYRS that inspire the next generation of scientists to further innovation and progression in health research.

Become a HYRS Mentor

Results of the Alberta Innovates HYRS competition will be released approximately 8 weeks after the submission deadline. All applicants will be informed by email of their application status.

The Alberta Innovates HYRS program will run from July 2nd to August 13th, 2024. 

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 transcript, detailed academic report (DAR), or 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 (i.e. Bio 20, Math 20-1 or 20-1 and Chemistry 20 or Physics 20).
    • If you are currently enrolled in a required course, be sure to include your current grade in the uploaded document. This must be signed by your teacher.
  • 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, your references 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. Both students and referees should receive a confirmation email after their application is submitted. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca to ensure it was received. 

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.  

  1. IMPORTANT

    We STRONGLY recommend students submit their portion of the application a minimum of 1 week in advance of the student deadline. Applications that are deemed incomplete will not be considered for award.

    Please review your application carefully and ensure that you have met all requirements before submitting. Each candidate may submit only one application. 

  2. FAQ

    Have questions? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Guide. If you don't see your question answered in the guide, please email rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca.

The selection committee is composed of three high school teachers and three University of Calgary post-doctoral 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’s high school grades are not used for scoring purposes during the committee review. High school grades are only used to determine applicant eligibility.

Selection committee decisions are final and cannot be appealed.

Results of the 2024 Alberta Innovates HYRS competition will be released approximately 8 weeks after the submission deadlineAll 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. 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 non-taxable stipend. 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 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 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 HYRS-related events such as guest lectures, facility tours, and the Open House.

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.

HYRS Awardees

First Name Last Name High School Mentor Year
Aaliyah Pirani Western Canada High School  Dr. Julio Garcia Flores 2023
Aleesha Rasheed Foundations for the Future Charter Academy High School Dr. Laura Sycuro 2023
Andrea Li Sir Winston Churchill High School Dr. Yuan Xu 2023
Anson Ma-Phan École Secondaire Notre Dame High School Dr. Ranita Manocha 2023
Caitlin  Liang West Island College Dr. Ethan MacDonald 2023
Diya  Sharma Renert School Dr. Glen Hazlewood 2023
Jack Levy Queen Elizabeth High School Dr. Hude Quan 2023
Jana Abdelrahman John G. Diefenbaker High School Dr. Julio Garcia Flores 2023
Jibola Isinkaye Renert School Dr. Amin Komeili 2023
Laura Curran St. Mary's Senior High School Dr. Susan Graham 2023
Lavindu Senadheera Queen Elizabeth High School Dr. Stephanie Wilson 2023
Lily Li Robert Thirsk High School Dr. Naweed Syed 2023
Luke Xiu Sir Winston Churchill High School Dr. Faizal Abdul Careem 2023
Mustafa Yaseen Ernest Manning High School Dr. Walter Herzog 2023
Naomi Dyck Calgary French and International School Dr. Aravind Ganesh 2023
Pareen  Cheema Foundations for the Future Charter Academy High School Dr. Walter Herzog 2023
Queenie Wang Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School Dr. Cezar Gavrilovici 2023
Ramih Haque Westmount Charter School Dr. Yunyan Zhang 2023
Ruoxi Qu Bow Valley High School Dr. Susan Kutz 2023
Ruth Pop Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School Dr. Laura Curiel 2023
Saanvi Sidhu Ernest Manning High School Dr. Laura Curiel 2023
Shawn Wang Webber Academy Dr. Ethan MacDonald 2023
Toluwanimi Oke Webber Academy Dr. Sandra Dumanski 2023
Vicky  Shi Western Canada High School  Dr. Satish Raj 2023
Yeabsera Ephrem John G. Diefenbaker High School Dr. Robert Rose 2023
Zan Tian St. Joseph's Collegiate Dr. Sarah Manske 2023
Aarushi Bhargava Renert School Dr. Maryam Badv 2022
Adhira John Notre Dame High School Dr. Yuan Xu 2022
Amy Mills St Joseph's Collegiate Dr. Richa Pandey 2022
Andy Liu Sir Winston Churchill High School Dr. Quan Long 2022
Arushi Sharma Queen Elizabeth High School Dr. Richard Frayne 2022
Breanna Morgan Rundle Academy Dr. Susan Graham 2022
Eva Xia Westmount Charter School Dr. Laura Curiel 2022
Fatema Hassan Lester B. Pearson High School Dr. Julio Garcia Flores 2022
Harris Park Ernest Manning High School Dr. Kara Murias 2022
Jiya Jakher Queen Elizabeth High School Dr. Keekyoung Kim 2022
Jordan Inverarity Springbank Community High School Dr. Juliet Guichon 2022
Kaleigh Major St. Francis High School Dr. Jason Werle 2022
Katrina Wang Rundle College Senior High School Dr. Paul Arnold 2022
Kayla Chow Robert Thirsk High School Dr. Deinera Exner-Cortens 2022
Kiran Bowron St. Martin de Porres Dr. Ethan MacDonald 2022
Lily Koochak Webber Academy Dr. Naweed Syed 2022
Luca Opresnik Westmount Charter School Dr. Faizal Abdul Careem 2022
Nikhil Srivalsan Webber Academy Dr. Walter Herzog 2022
Selma Abdulkadir Brooks Composite High School Dr. Juliet Guichon 2022
Si Chen Pan Sir Winston Churchill High School Dr. Jillian Miller 2022
Thomas Schmidt-Bellach J.T. Foster High School Dr. Grant Gordon 2022
Umaiza Hussain Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School Dr. Joseli Macedo 2022
William Zhang Sir Winston Churchill High School Dr. Samuel Pichardo 2022
Zainab Majid John G. Diefenbaker High School Dr. Alan Martino 2022
Anastasia Karagiannis Bishop Carroll High School Dr. Naweed Syed 2021
Ankita Chaturvedi Sir Winston Churchill High School Dr. Julio Garcia Flores 2021
Aria Appoo Rundle College Senior High School Dr. Ranjani Somoyaji 2021
Chimnyelu (Nanya) Anyaduba Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School Dr. Juliet Guichon 2021
Colin Loe Holy Trinity Academy Dr. Jun Yan 2021
David Girgis St. Francis High School Dr. Guang Yang 2021
Diana Davis Webber Academy Dr. Yunyan Zang 2021
Elena Bakker Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School Dr. Sabine Gilch 2021
Emily Yi Henry Wise Wood High School Dr. Samuel Pichardo 2021
Erica Yakubu Robert Thirsk High School Dr. Walter Herzog 2021
Firdaus Sadid Ernest Manning High School Dr. Ranita Manocha 2021
Ifeolu Owojori St. Martin de Porres High School Dr. Saied Jalal Aboodarda 2021
Isabella Lagman Bishop O'Byrne High School Dr. Karen Benzies 2021
Jason Xie Sir Winston Churchill High School Dr. Sarah Manske 2021
Jorrell Templeton George McDougall High School Dr. Walter Herzog 2021
Kaisha Snyder W.H. Croxford High School Dr. Svetlana Yanushkevich 2021
Liam Ross West Island College Dr. Paul Arnold 2021
Liam Sjodin Brooks Composite High School Dr. Laura Curiel 2021
Livia Ion Western Canada High School Dr. Susan Kutz 2021
Mari Wilson Queen Elizabeth High School Dr. Carolyn Emery 2021
Muhammad (Haseeb) Tahir James Fowler High School Dr. Carolyn Emery 2021
Natalie Toltesi Bishop Carroll High School Dr. Svetlana Yanushkevich 2021
Orchee Haque Westmount Charter Mid-High School Dr. Susan Graham 2021
Peicheng (William) Zhou Westmount Charter Mid-High School Dr. Kamran Yusuf 2021
Raneet Kahlon John G. Diefenbaker High School Dr. Svetlana Yanushkevich 2021
Sophia DeLuca Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School Dr. Patricia Tang 2021
Xincong Li Western Canada High School Dr. Quan Long 2021
Yiwen (Eva) Wang Robert Thirsk High School Dr. Faizal Abdul Careem 2021
Adam Gulamhusein Robert Thirsk High School Dr. Zelma Kiss 2020
Alicia Lamb Rundle College Jr/Sr High School Dr. Kamran Yusuf 2020
Andrew Xie St. Francis High School Dr. Samuel Pichardo 2020
Asiya Arora Sir Winston Churchill High School Dr. Ranjani Somayaji 2020
Badra Abbas Sir Winston Churchill High School Dr. Susan Graham 2020
Brian Vo Father Lacombe High School Dr. Juliet Guichon 2020
Cassandra Seal Webber Academy Dr. Steve Boyd 2020
Dhruva Patel Bert Church High School Dr. Tanya Beran 2020
Heny Panghulan Notre Dame High School Dr. Gabrielle Wilcox 2020
Isabella Frey Robert Thirsk High School Dr. Paul Arnold 2020
Jerry Zhou Bishop Carroll High School Dr. Laura Curiel 2020
Jessie Shang Western Canada High School Dr. Ranita Manocha 2020
Kuljeet Chohan Westmount Charter School Dr. Jun Yan 2020
Michael Beaumont St. Francis High School Dr. Julio Garcia Flores 2020
Oyinda Obigbesan Calgary Christian High School Dr. Karen Benzies 2020
Parthiv Maneesh Westmount Charter School Dr. Doreen Ezeife 2020
Rachael Peng William Aberhart High School Dr. Naweed Syed 2020
Salma Zein Joan Cardinal-Schubert High School Dr. V Wee Yong 2020
Sarah Sass William Aberhart High School Dr. Carolyn Emery 2020
Seleem Badawy Western Canada High School Dr. Carol Huang 2020
Sumair Shergill Renert School Dr. Marinka Twilt 2020
Tate McGovern West Island College Dr. Susan Kutz 2020
Tony Jiang Henry Wise Wood High School Dr. Guang Yang 2020
YJ Dawood Renert School Dr. Jiami Guo 2020
Zain Tariq Foundations for the Future Charter Academy High School Dr. Walter Herzog 2020
Abhay Parmar Foundations for the Future Charter Academy Dr. Julio Garcia 2019
Aisha Iqbal Sir Winston Churchill High School Dr. Hude Quan 2019
Andrew Loe Holy Trinity Academy Dr. Marc Poulin 2019
Anwar Subhani Sir Winston Churchill High School Dr. James McGhee 2019
Asmi Multani Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School Dr. Walter Herzog 2019
Cecilia Liu Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School Dr. Chad Bousman 2019
Chelsea Wong West Island College Dr. Doreen Ezeife 2019
Claire McPherson Bishop Carroll High School Dr. Patrick Whelan 2019
Connor Lang St. Francis High School Dr. Susan Graham 2019
Elaha Niazi Queen Elizabeth High School Dr. Christian Jacob 2019
Elena Pan Westmount Charter School Dr. Jun Yan 2019
Emily Evans William Aberhart High School Dr. Laura Curiel 2019
Hiten Mahalwar John G. Diefenbaker High School Dr. Samuel Pichardo 2019
Ishaan Cheema Robert Thirsk High School Dr. Karen Benzies 2019
Jacqueline Seal Webber Academy Dr. Samuel Pichardo 2019
JT Luterbach Bert Church High School Dr. Steve Boyd 2019
Kaila Villarey École Secondaire Notre Dame High School Dr. Fiona Schulte 2019
Kailey Beckie St. Martin de Porres Dr. Julio Garcia 2019
Luca Galler W.H. Croxford High School Dr. Susan Lees-Miller 2019
Martina Min St. Francis High School Dr. Lianne Tomfohr-Madsen 2019
Mary Long William Aberhart High School Dr. Savraj Grewal 2019
Monica Lopez Westmount Charter School Dr. Faizal Careem 2019
Nav Gill Chestermere High School Dr. Ranjani Somayaji 2019
Pakeeza Mushtaq Brooks Composite High School Dr. Naweed Syed 2019
Shounak Ray Webber Academy Dr. Edwin Wang 2019
Aaron Abraham Webber Academy Dr. Qingrun Zhang 2018
Abby Hawken Provost Public School Dr. Mark Ungrin 2018
Allison Guthrie École Secondaire Notre Dame High School Dr. Mark Ungrin 2018
Annabella Bregazzi Western Canada High School Dr. Susan Graham 2018
Anuradha Baishnob Nelson Mandela High School Dr. Dawn Kingston 2018
Aryan Zawari Chestermere High School Dr. Steven Greenway 2018
Azin Dolatabadi Medicine Hat High School Dr. Laura Sycuro 2018
Emily Laycock Crescent Heights High School Dr. Kirsten Fiest 2018
Jackson Cooper William Aberhart High School Dr. Naweed Syed 2018
Julia Beaumont St. Francis High School Dr. Walter Herzog 2018
Katherine Yuan Western Canada High School Dr. Stephanie Borgland 2018
Maggie Thai John G. Diefenbaker High School Dr. Laura Curiel 2018
Mariam Ali West Island College (WIC) Dr. Faizal Abdul Careem 2018
Mataea Armstrong W.H. Croxford High School Dr. Guang Yang 2018
Peter Gobran St. Francis High School Dr. Gerald Giesbrecht 2018
Serena Zhang Bishop Carroll High School Dr. Jiami Guo 2018
Shyla Bharadia Foundations for the Future Charter Academy (FFCA) Dr. Karen Benzies 2018
Simran Sandhu Renert School Dr. Derek Exner 2018
Sunaina Rangarajan Renert School Dr. Linda Duffett-Leger 2018
Thérèse Poulin William Aberhart High School Dr. Marc Poulin 2018
Ye-Jean Park Webber Academy Dr. Paul Mains 2018
Zainab Ali Westmount Charter High School Dr. Tanvir Turin Chowdhury 2018
Anchita Shonak The Renert School Dr. Roman Krawetz 2017
Arzina Jaffer Strathcona Tweedsmuir School Dr. Eduardo Cobo 2017
Colette Benko St. Mary’s High School Dr. Aru Narendran 2017
Curtis Ostertag Springbank Community High School Dr. Walter Herzog 2017
Jordan Hassett Chestermere High School Dr. C. Adam Kirton 2017
Joseph Girgis St. Francis High School Dr. Alexander Whalley 2017
Joshua Huang Sir Winston Churchill High School Dr. Nicole Culos-Reed 2017
Katherine Hovdestad Westmount Charter School Dr. Mark Ungrin 2017
Katherine (Xinyu) Liang Western Canada High School Dr. Guang Yang 2017
Kayleigh Yang Western Canada High School Dr. Marc Poulin 2017
Kiran Sandhu Forest Lawn High School Dr. Mark Ungrin 2017
Lexi Hill Rundle College Jr./Sr. High School Dr. Craig Jenne 2017
Richard Peng Queen Elizabeth High School Dr. John Gilleard 2017
Rosie Zhao Queen Elizabeth High School Dr. Campbell Rolian 2017
Simone Campbell John G. Diefenbaker High School Dr. Quan Long 2017
Talia Beckie St. Martin de Porres High School Dr. Aneal Khan 2017
Mackenzie Aranas Hugh Sutherland School Dr. Susan Kutz 2017
Michael Potemkin Westmount Charter School Dr. Tao Dong 2017
Onbee Kim Robert Thirsk High School Dr. Susan Graham 2017
Rachel Shuck Heritage Christian Academy Dr. Turin Tanvir Chowdhury 2017
Sarah Lambros Springbank Community High School Dr. Gerald Pfeffer 2017
Srijal Gupta Robert Thirsk High School Dr. Sabine Gilch 2017