by Kristen Ashworth

Graphic design Jayne Leggatt

On August 17, 2023, the Institute of Medical Science Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) celebrated a day of sharing science at its annual SURP Research Day, held at Hart House at the University of Toronto. SURP students had the opportunity to present their research projects in the form of poster presentations to a panel of judges, faculty members, graduate students, and fellow SURP peers. The day began with a keynote speech by surgeon-scientist Dr. Mojgan Hodaie, who gave an intriguing account of her laboratory’s recent progress towards finding a treatment for trigeminal neuralgia pain. The focus of the afternoon revolved around the student poster presentations, during which students shared their work with one another in small groups. Each student had eight minutes to deliver a compelling overview of their summer research project, followed by a two-minute question session with the judges. At the end of the day, outstanding participants in each group were recognized with awards for first place and honourable mention.

Foram Naik is a SURP student working under the supervision of Dr. Brian Ballios in the field of vision science. She received an award for her poster presentation, which focused on investigating the disease phenotype of retinal organoids derived from patients with Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (a type of genetic eye disease). She reflects that this summer, the SURP program allowed her to grow deeply both academically and interpersonally. “My project at the Ballios Lab challenged me in a field I was unfamiliar with prior to the SURP program and taught me how to be adaptable – for example, when encountering experimental obstacles, or having to refine my hypothesis. In addition, as someone interested in pursuing a career in healthcare, it was valuable to meet so many like-minded individuals at research day, hear about their career trajectories and the amazing research they pursued this summer.” She adds, “The SURP program is an excellent opportunity to explore what really excites you about research, step out of your comfort zone, and work with some remarkable Principal Investigators.”

Cindy Wen was awarded first place in her SURP poster group, presenting her research about the role of culturally-responsive education for kidney transplant recipients in Canada (PI: Dr. Istvan Mucsi). She reflects that her favourite part about SURP Research Day was being able to learn new science from her fellow peers. She explains, “Over the summer, I have been really immersed with my own lab, so being able to hear about other research – basic research, clinical research, qualitative research – […] it was really nice to see the large diversity of work that is being presented here for research day.”

At the end of the day, I had a chance to sit down with Dr. Ted Brown, Director of SURP. He discussed with me the valuable scientific skills, personal development, and networking opportunities that SURP offers for young, flourishing scientists, many of whom are interested in pursuing graduate school. Speaking to the high-calibre nature of the science presented today, he adds that, “The presentations I listened to were so well done. I was very impressed by our students. […] I truly believe all of them were winners.” With that sentiment, I think he captured the essence of the day perfectly. 

Congratulations to all our SURP 2023 students – and looking forward to next year!