Doody Family Chair- Summer Undergraduate Research Assistants

The Doody Family Chair donated the Undergraduate Research Assistant (URA) Fund for Women in Engineering (WIE). We decided to find out about the impact of these positions in supporting current students to gain invaluable research experience this past summer.

Meet Chloe Tan, a 4th year Biomedical Engineering student who worked as a Research Assistant for Dr. Guneet Kaur.

What did you learn during your Undergraduate Research Assistantship?

Over the summer, I contributed to several research projects. During the first portion of my term, I focused on co-authoring a book chapter on bioprocess engineering strategies for producing drop-in biofuels using yeast systems. Namely, I was responsible for writing about batch and fed-batch extraction methods. Furthermore, another project that I took part in was working with plant wastewater and commercial media to extract rhamnolipids, a biosurfactant. I also learned how to make bacterial subcultures, take optical density measurements, extract rhamnolipids from media and operate an autoclave, just to give a couple of examples. Our lab was interested in producing rhamnolipids because they may be able to replace widely-used synthetic surfactants and benefit from being biodegradable, while also leaving less of a toxic impact on the environment than its petroleum-based counterparts.

This URA has impacted me by teaching me fundamental lab skills and techniques that I otherwise would not have had the opportunity to learn. I have learned valuable lab skills while also improving transferable skills such as written communication, time management and critical thinking. This experience has taught me the importance of creating plans, but equally, the significance of accounting for potential mishaps and learning how to adapt while on a tight timeline.

Why did you choose the U of G?

I chose UG to study engineering because I really liked the connectedness of the campus community and how everyone is more than happy to lend a hand and help one another. In a program that can be rather stressful such as engineering, being comfortable and able to reach out to others for help is valuable. Another reason why I chose the University of Guelph was because of its co-op program. This enables students to test out different streams of work within their field, to see what sorts of jobs they can see themselves doing in the future.

Meet Rylee Davidson, a 5th year Biomedical Engineering who worked with Dr. John Donald.

What did you learn during your Undergraduate Research Assistantship?

This summer as a undergrad research assistant my main focus was to develop a leadership workshop specifically designed for women in engineering. The goal of the workshop is to help women as well as other individuals be able to identify the barriers that women face as well as present strategies and ways to overcome those barriers.

This URA impacted me because though I am aware of the barriers for women in engineering, I had to opportunity to read studies as well as interviews with women in the field and gain a better understanding of what they go through, the bad and the good. This experience helped prepare me for life after school.

Why did you choose the U of G?

The reason I chose Guelph was because of the fantastic reputation that the engineering department has. The curriculum will prepare me for life after university, and the community of engineers are friendly, helpful, and committed, which encourages me to achieve my goals. It was a perfect fit because I Guelph offers Biomedical Engineering, which combined my top two contenders of engineering and medicine.

Meet Natalie Debiak, 3rd year Biomedical Engineering, who worked with Dr. Abdallah Elsayed.

What did you learn during your Undergraduate Research Assistantship?

I was involved in creating/ testing new compositions of magnesium and aluminum alloys for applications in electric vehicles.

This URA experience allowed me to gain experience in a lab/ research environment. It has also given me valuable knowledge that I will be able to apply to many of my courses and in the workplace.

Why did you choose the U of G?

I heard from people I knew that went here that the community is amazing, everyone is friendly and helpful and that the engineering faculty are amazing.