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Research Services at IWK Health recognized three outstanding grade 12 students within the Maritimes who have demonstrated an early interest in health-related research and innovation. Applications were received from the three Maritime Provinces and one scholarship worth $2500 was awarded in each of those provinces.
The 2022 winners are Adelaide (Adie) Scott of Park View Education Centre in Nova Scotia, Mikayla Hanlon of Harbour View High School in New Brunswick, and Andrew Clow of Charlottetown Rural High School on Prince Edward Island. Each applicant was required to submit an essay that used scientific evidence to explain a specific area of health research and/or innovation they would like to pursue and how their research and/or innovation could potentially contribute to the health and well-being of children, women and families in the Maritimes.
“My whole life I have been extremely interested in the human body and how its complex systems work,” says Scott in her scholarship application letter. “From sitting on my cousin’s lap as a four-year-old watching her review PowerPoints during her time in med school, to shadowing an internist in the CIU at the South Shore Regional Hospital this past summer.” Scott submitted an essay on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) explaining her idea to link the symptoms of FAS to the certain cell groups affected and help determine possible in vivo treatments for FAS.
Co-winner Hanlon makes a compelling argument for her research idea within social psychology. “I have long been passionate about advancing equity in my community, whether that be through climate action or a Women’s Day march, and I have developed an understanding of how my interest in social justice intersects with group dynamics and individual cognition through social psychology,” writes Hanlon. “Much research is done every day in these fields, and social psychologists can use this research to improve the conditions of individuals or groups, whether that be legal, financial, or medical.”
“I would like to extend my sincere thank you to the committee as well,” says Dr. Doug Sinclair, Interim VP, Research and Innovation at IWK Health. “This work is so important to support the interests of youth in science and innovation.”
As the three winners look to their futures, all have plans on attending university this September. All three recipients will be studying the sciences, Scott in medical science at Dalhousie University, Hanlon a Bachelor of Science with a focus in psychology at Saint Mary’s University, and Clow in nursing science at the University of P.E.I. We wish the best of luck to the winners in their school year and look forward to seeing what is to come for these bright students.