August 7, 2012

“I never appreciated how so many hands touch each idea until I got to Women’s College,” says Robert Hurowitz, a WCRI summer student who attends Queen’s University. “Working at WCRI this summer has provided me with an opportunity to not only learn about conducting research, but about the collaboration that goes into a project.”

Over the course of 12 weeks, WCRI’s Summer Student Program introduces undergraduate and graduate students to the world of scientific and medical research, with the aim of cultivating and supporting the next generation of health sciences researchers. The students work with a faculty mentor on a project that advances an ongoing program of research at WCRI.

On Thursday, July 19, the students presented the results of their work to their peers at the ninth annual WCRI Student Research Day. This year’s event featured 23 presentations that highlighted the work of 40 summer students – the largest group to date in the WCRI program.

“Student Research Day is a wonderful culmination of all the hard work that our summer students do,” says Dr. Paula Rochon, vice-president, research. “It always amazes me, to see just how much they can accomplish over a few short months.”

The WCRI summer student program is unique in that it offers opportunities for students to attend a series of research skills sessions exploring different aspects of the research process and focusing on the skills necessary for successful research, such as “how to come up with a research question.” Students are also able to attend weekly research rounds, where WCRI scientists present on studies they are working on.

 “What initially attracted me to the summer program at WCRI was the weekly research rounds; it seemed like that wasn’t something other programs offered,” says Hurowitz.

“Another attraction was the focus on learning about the research field, like the grant application process and research idea formation, and not just doing research.”

Like the majority of WCRI’s summer students, Hurowitz is hoping to attend medical school. He is starting his fourth year at Queen’s this fall and has already begun applying to schools across Canada and the United States.