Thursday, 31 March 2022

INDIGENOUS Summer Student Program: ICORD UBC


 Indigenous Summer Student Program

In partnership with UBC’s School of Biomedical Engineering, ICORD is excited to offer a summer program to provide opportunities and mentorship for Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, Métis) youth interested in scientific research. High school students (currently in grades 10 to 12) are invited to do research projects with us, in the hopes that this experience might inspire you to go on in the sciences, and maybe consider further studies or a career in neuroscience or biomedical engineering.

About the program:

ICORD’s summer research program for Indigenous youth started as a pilot in the summer of 2018 to introduce local Indigenous high school students to the exciting world of spinal cord injury (SCI) research. From one student in 2018, the program tripled in size to three students in 2019, and again to nine students in 2021! We’re excited to expand to ICORD labs at UBC-Okanagan for summer 2022. 

Read about 2021 summer student experiences in the ICORDian community newsletter

“Without ICORD I would not have had the opportunity to hear about these experiences, directly participate in research activities, or learn from Dr. Sparrey. Opportunities like this can help Indigenous youth like myself get excited about science, research, and university.”  – Caroline B., 2021 summer student

“My presentation skills are much better, and I’ve grown my network to include people at different institutions, which is very important.” – Shana G. , 2019 + 2021 summer student

You could work on research projects in areas including (but not limited to):

·         Using exercise as a rehab strategy following spinal cord injury (SCI)

·         Improving quality of life for people with SCI

·         Using robotics (including exoskeletons) to improve functional outcomes following SCI

·         MRI of the brain and spinal cord

·         Regenerative Medicine (generation of functional tissue)

·         Bionics & biosensors, biomaterials (biomedical microtechnology)

·         Biomechanics/injury prevention (preventing injury or minimizing it as it happens)

·         Infectious disease diagnostic development

·         Nutrition and exercise-specific biomarkers

 Details about the Summer 2022 program:

·         Start date: July 5, 2022; end date: August 12, 2022

·         Hourly wage: $15.20 (5 hours/day)

·         Location of project: ICORD (818 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver), UBC Point Grey Campus, or UBC-Okanagan campus.  

How to apply:

Complete the application form:: 2022-ICORDsummer-fillable.pdf