Adrian Shellard
April 15, 2020
Research associates inspire next generation of innovators with early exposure to research
When the 草莓污视频导航 launched its innovation ecosystem, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Material Engineering for Unconventional Oil Reservoirs (CERC) Dr. Steven Bryant, PhD, saw an opportunity to weave CERC鈥檚 Discovery to Impact Pipeline into the institutional fabric of the university. CERC is home to a world-class lab, leading researchers, and has long been a home for discovery and innovation. When Bryant asked his team if they could design a course that would enable undergraduate students to experience that same discovery and innovation, they far exceeded his expectations.
Partnering with the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering in the Schulich School of Engineering, CERC research associates聽Dr. Paula Berton, PhD, a chemist, Dr. Ali Telmadarreie, PhD, an engineer, and microbiologist Dr. Robert Barnes, DPhil, developed a comprehensive 13-week course that would cover the full spectrum of research and innovation for second-year undergraduate students in the chemical engineering program.
- Photo above:聽Chancellor Deborah Yedlin, far right, stops by the CERC lab to meet students and instructors from the Introduction to Research and Innovation course. From left: Ali Telmadarreie, Mario Ochoa, Arash Behsudi and Steven Bryant. Photo by Melanie McDonald
鈥淲e wanted to create an opportunity where students could be exposed to research early on as undergrads, while also applying effective models from across campus,鈥 says Berton. 鈥淥ur diverse backgrounds allowed us to offer a unique set of challenges to students, so they could decide on the problem they were interested in and we could provide the tool kit to explore that problem and develop potential solutions.鈥
The diversity brought to the table by the research associates encouraged interdisciplinary research and provided students with heightened exposure to subject matter they would not have gotten through their traditional programs. 鈥淥ur students are from engineering, so they wouldn鈥檛 normally get the opportunity to pursue microbiology,鈥 says Barnes.
鈥淢aybe one of these students will become an award-winning microbiologist, because they got exposure to something they wouldn鈥檛 typically explore.鈥
An Introduction to Research and Innovation
Composed of both lecture and lab time, the course began with research fundamentals. 聽Working in small groups, students were allowed to pick their own problem to solve from two major challenges: industrial wastewater treatment, and novel ways to kill bacteria to overcome antibiotic resistance. After learning how to perform a literature search, students were tasked with reading scientific papers and encouraged to come up with a novel solution that they could go on to test in the lab.
Once ideas were formed, students developed a research proposal, similar to what would be needed for a research grant application. Then students received pitch coaching so they could feel confident selling their idea to a panel of experts from the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering: Bryant, along with Dr. Milana Trifkovic, PhD, Dr. Roman Shor, PhD,聽 and Dr. Arin Sen, PhD.
Enabling students to develop their own approach fuelled curiosity in the lab. 鈥淲hen you can develop your own idea, you feel more invested finding the best possible solution,鈥 says Telmadarreie. 鈥淲e allowed students to pursue any idea and process they wanted to, and we were there to support and guide them every step of the way. We received emails in the middle of the night from eager students because their ideas kept them awake at night.鈥
In fact, students became so invested in their research endeavours, they even requested additional lab time. 鈥淭here was a sense of excitement for them, developing their own ideas,鈥 says Berton. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 set any limitations and our students were motivated by their own results in the lab.鈥
A move from prescribed learning
For many students, research can be a mystery. Faculty and researchers from the Schulich School of Engineering were eager to overcome the stigma associated with a career in research by hosting a course that would demonstrate research from a translational standpoint and help students realize their potential as innovators.
鈥淲e wanted our students to see that they can tackle interesting, open-ended problems that may span multiple disciplines, and to think about translatability en route to developing meaningful solutions,鈥 says Dr. Arin Sen, chemical and petroleum engineering professor and department head. 鈥淩egardless of whether or not our students choose to pursue research, they are learning skills that will make them professionally stronger, and more adept at problem solving.鈥
Melanie McDonald
Assistant professor Roman Shor聽thinks courses like an Introduction to Research and Innovation are essential to teaching students how to make a meaningful contribution. 鈥淢ost undergraduate students are given a prescribed recipe for what they need to do in the lab, and students don鈥檛 often understand the scientific method behind a problem,鈥 he says. 鈥淗ere, students are picking a problem and designing the procedure for themselves. They are being given the opportunity to innovate their own solution.鈥
For students, this new format of course delivery provided a refreshing perspective to research and opportunities available on campus. 鈥淚 really enjoyed the opportunity to do something different and learn new skills,鈥 says second-year chemical engineering student Sage Redelback. 鈥淚n a typical engineering class, it can be rigid in terms of content and discovery. Here, we were able choose what we wanted to pursue, and I have left this course more confident and comfortable in a lab setting. I feel more inclined to pursue research and innovation after this experience, even in areas that might not be exclusive to my faculty or major.鈥
Both Shor and Sen credited CERC鈥檚 amazing staff and facility for the positive outcomes of this course, which highlight CERC鈥檚 Discovery to Impact Pipeline, a proven mechanism that transforms innovations made in the lab to commercialized products.
Moving beyond the lab
Time spent in lectures wasn鈥檛 completely dedicated to learning research fundamentals. Half of the lectures were dedicated to entrepreneurs and innovators 鈥斅爐hose who have seen success taking their research out of the lab, commercializing it and turning it into a startup.
鈥淲e utilized all of the tremendous assets on campus, other departments, the Hunter Hub, and Innovate Calgary, to showcase that work doesn鈥檛 have to stop in the lab,鈥 says Berton. 鈥淲e wanted our students to learn how to develop a patent and see how their idea can be commercialized and developed into a business.鈥
Startups were eager to participate in the program as well. 鈥淥ur guest lecturers were motivational and inspiring. Everyone we asked agreed to participate, and expressed interest in coming back,鈥 says Berton.
One of the guest lecturers was Amanda Hall, CEO of . 鈥淚 am really happy to hear about this fantastic course聽that is hitting all of the key points for what it takes to build a company,鈥 says Hall, who discussed the importance of disrupting patterns in business and society, making wise transitions and having the ability to quickly adapt.
鈥淲ith challenges and problems comes innovation and creativity,鈥 says Hall. 鈥淭his course is providing future innovators the skill set required for adaptive positioning.鈥
Adaptive positioning is exactly what happened when the course had to transition from 草莓污视频导航鈥檚 main campus to an online format due to COVID-19. 鈥淯nfortunately, our students were not able to follow their lab results through to the end of the program, but they had completed enough work to have achieved results,鈥 says Berton. With those results, students were required to develop a patent, and present their outcomes to a panel of judges.
Introduction to Research and Innovation will hit the academic calendar again in January 2021. If you would like more information about the course or would like to engage with the CERC team or facility, please contact cerc@ucalgary.ca.