(SAULT STE. MARIE, ON – July 24, 2023): Last week, the International Affairs team at Algoma University celebrated the work of summer research students through the Mitacs program. This government-funded initiative aims to increase the internationalization of research on Canadian campuses as well as serves as a way to provide international research opportunities to Canadian students.
The event took place in the Arthur A. Wishart Library, where students, staff and faculty enjoyed hearing about the students’ summer research experiences. Guests enjoyed overviews of fascinating research and a short presentation on the benefits and potential of the Mitacs program for future student and faculty engagement.
The five students hosted through the Mitacs program this year are from India, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Ottawa, each working in a different faculty. Tanmay Singh and Kavya Raghuram are studying Canadian social welfare reforms and their impacts on domestic and international migration patterns with Dr. Ahmed Aziz. Om Siddhapura is looking at public perceptions of Smart City services through Machine Learning techniques with Dr. Zamilur Rahman. María José Veytia has been working in the fields measuring flower size and pollination with Dr. Brandon Schamp to understand changing trends due to climate change. Lastly, Robbie Ferguson is working on understanding miccrorhizal fungi and with Dr. Pedro Antunes and the Ontario Forestry Research Institute.
“The students did an excellent job synthesizing their projects and sharing the personal experiences they had while visiting Algoma University’s campus,” shared Heather Douglas. On a more personal note, intern Om spoke about what he had learned during his time in Canada “Think good, and good things will start happening to you – It’s actually basic psychology that says positivity shapes our view, making us believe good things are happening to us. In short, positivity attracts life’s brightest moments.” Om went on to share a funny anecdote about the politeness culture of Canada and how he now sees the world and his language differently from his Mitacs experience.
To learn more about Mitacs, and how to participate at Algoma University, email goabroad@alogmau.ca