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#IAmInnovation Twitter contest winners announced

OTTAWA, ONTARIO — A new generation of researchers — from undergraduates to post-doctoral fellows — need cutting-edge equipment to gain the knowledge…

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OTTAWA, ONTARIO — A new generation of researchers — from undergraduates to post-doctoral fellows — need cutting-edge equipment to gain the knowledge and experience to solve today’s most pressing challenges. To highlight their work, the CFI launched its second annual #IAmInnovation Twitter contest in January and today, we announce the winners.

We judged photo and video submissions from students and post-docs from universities and colleges across the country who showcased their work in CFI-funded labs and facilities.

The top three winners are:

  • PhD candidate Anita Luu of the Department of Biomedical Science at the University of Guelph is researching bone cancer in dogs, which could help researchers better understand how the disease spreads in humans.
  • Postdoctoral researcher Sean Locke of the School of Health and Exercise Sciences at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan Campus is researching why some individuals are more inclined to develop healthy behaviours than others.
  • PhD candidate Caroline Aubry-Wake of the Department of Geography at the University of Saskatchewan is using weather stations in the Rockies to understand how a changing climate impacts downstream water resources.

These winners will travel to Ottawa to participate in a science communications workshop led by instructors from Laurentian University’s Science Communications program in partnership with Science North among other activities.

The most popular entries — those with the highest number of retweets — were Sean Locke and Matthew Stork, from the University of British Columbia. Both students will receive cash prizes of $500 and $250, respectively.

“We are encouraged by the research achievements of Canada’s new generation of researchers and are happy to share their successes through this contest,” says Roseann O’Reilly Runte, President and CEO for the CFI. “They hold incredible promise for this country, so we are pleased to provide them with the tools they need to build their careers.”

Each of the top three winners will also have the chance to takeover CFI’s Twitter account for a day to share their #CFIfunded research. Be sure to follow @InnovationCA for the details.

View all of this year’s #IamInnovation submissions here.