For immediate release --
2006-23
SAGUENAY, QC (May 19, 2006) - The two young winners of the Quality of Life Student Research Awards, sponsored by the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), were given a unique prize at today's Youth Science Foundation Canada's Canada-Wide Science Fair award ceremony: a summer job working with a top professional researcher, who will act as their mentor for the duration of their work term. The award ceremony took place at the Cégep de Chicoutimi in Chicoutimi, Quebec.
The three-month "Quality of Life Summer Studentship" will see Stephen Johnson and Emily Cooley, both Grade 11 students from Calgary, Alberta, working intensively and collaboratively on their science projects with their assigned researcher/mentor.
Stephen's project in the Engineering Division, entitled 8 Seconds Safer, is a flak-jacket attachment aimed primarily at the rodeo community that has the potential to reduce injury to the neck, head and facial area.
Emily, whose project Generating Osteoblasts from Murine Embryonic Stem Cells competed in the Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, developed a method to transform mouse embryonic stem cells into bone cells called osteoblasts. These cells play an important role in bone repair. Emily's research could have potential applications in the healing of damaged bones caused by injury or diseases.
"Today's bright young science students could be tomorrow's health researchers whose work will improve the quality of life of - or even find a cure for one of the musculoskeletal or arthritis disorders affecting - more than 4 million Canadians." said Dr. Cyril Frank, IMHA's Scientific Director. "By investing in the education of high-school students like Stephen and Emily, we are investing in the next generation of health researchers."
In addition to a summer research job, each student will receive up to $3,750 over the course of their three-month term and will be required to present a poster of their work at an appropriate research conference sponsored by IMHA. IMHA hopes to be able to select each student's researcher/mentor from an approved Canadian university or institution near their homes.
CIHR's Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA)supports research to enhance active living, mobility and movement, and oral health. IMHA addresses causes, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of conditions related to bones, joints, muscles, connective tissue, skin and teeth.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to catalyze its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 10,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada. www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca
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For more information or to schedule interviews, please contact:
Marie-France PoirierCIHR Media Specialist Office: (613) 941-4563 Cell: (613) 447-4794 E-mail: mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
