Volume 8 • Number 2 • December 2022
Conference Proceedings
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STEM Fellowship’s High School Big Data Challenge is an inquiry-driven experiential learning program that provides students an opportunity to learn and apply the fundamentals of data science – a crucial skill set for a young researcher in the digital age – through independent research projects. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted high school education, at the same time creating a “fertile ground” for interdisciplinary, student-driven STEM education. This year, we invited students to explore issues of Affordable and Clean Energy at the Individual and Community Levels and to suggest their own evidence-based solutions, using Open Data and the principles of Open Science. Students explored many topics, ranging from Greenhouse Gas Emissions of School Buses to Legitimacy of Electric Vehicles to be the Greener Alternative We developed in-depth learning modules designed to bridge the gap between traditional high school courseware and digital reality and computational science. The students learnt a broad range of data analytics tools and programming languages which are useful for uncovering hidden patterns, trends in structured and unstructured data. Some of the tools the students learnt and used include Python, R, LaTeX, and machine learning. On behalf of the STEM Fellowship, we extend our sincere congratulations to all students who participated in the challenge, and wish them the best for their future endeavours. We want to express our appreciation to all the mentors and volunteers. This program would not be possible without patronage of CC UNESCO and generous support of our sponsors: RBC Future Launch, Let’s Talk Science, Digital Science, Infor, SCWST, CISCO Networking Academy, Canadian Science Publishing, and the University of Calgary Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking. It has been a privilege for us to witness the analytical capabilities of the data-native generation of students first hand, and we are certain all entrants will continue to demonstrate excellence in their respective academic and professional careers.
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STEM Fellowship’s Inter-University Big Data Challenge is a unique Big Data inquiry and experiential learning program that provides university students worldwide an opportunity to apply computational thinking in search of national, regional, community, and individual health solutions. It is a new form of R&D talent development and identification through computational science and scholarly communication demonstrated by students. As part of the program, participants were offered a broad range of workshops in data analytics, programming, and science communication. Some of the tools the students learned and used include Python, R, machine learning, LaTeX, and Overleaf. This year, the program participants explored issues of The Sustainability of Health Economics and suggested a whole spectrum of original Open Data-based ideas and solutions. Presented research topics are ranging from Improved Health Resource Allocation and Tracking the Spread of a Virus to Health Insurance based on Health Behaviours, and more. Overall, we received submissions from student teams from practically all leading Canadian universities, mixed teams of students from Canada and the US, Asian, and Latin American universities. On behalf of the STEM Fellowship, we extend our sincere congratulations to all students who participated in the program and wish them the best for their future academic and professional endeavours. We want to express our appreciation to all the mentors and volunteers. This program would not be possible without generous support of our sponsors: Hoffman La Roche Canada, Canadian Science Publishing, and JMIR Publications.
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Indicium is an annual research mentorship program and competition geared towards introducing interested students to the process of independent research. Through this mentorship program, undergraduate students are grouped with mentors or principal investigators (e.g., PhDs, professors, graduate students, medical students) who actively guide and support student teams to conduct research. With the mentors’ guidance, Indicium participants are fully prepared for the final Indicium Research Conference. The program also includes workshops focusing on various aspects of project development as well as networking opportunities within the greater scientific community. This year, Indicium expanded across five universities across Canada and was carried out by the STEM Fellowship branches at McMaster University, University of British Columbia, York University, University of Toronto St. George, and University of Toronto Mississauga. Every branch held a university-level conference where participating teams submitted to have their abstracts to be published in the proceedings below. Eight teams selected from these branches moved forward to participate in the National Indicium research Conference held on July 9, 2022. Winning research projects from this final competition are invited to submit their work to the STEM Fellowship Journal, pending that it passes peer review. We are pleased to be showcasing the conference proceedings from the five participating Canadian universities. It was our pleasure working alongside an incredible group of mentors, mentees, judging panel, and executive team on this initiative. Indicium would not be possible without the drive, engagement, and active participation of all those who were involved to help advance knowledge, mentorship, and future opportunity.
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The Global Youth Science and Technology Bowl (GYSTB) is an online competition based out of Hong Kong which encompasses biology, chemistry, engineering, and physics. The competition is a showcase of global youth scientific achievement and innovation, which aims to promote science and technology, provide a platform for global youth to develop their creativity and scientific mindsets, and facilitate the exchange of scientific ideas, interests, and abilities among young scientists all over the world. Young researchers worldwide compete with their research reports and prototypes. GYSTB is organized annually by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, and well supported by the academia in Hong Kong. This year, the competition received 125 teams of enrollment from 27 countries and regions including but not limited to the United States, Ireland, Sweden, South Korea, and Singapore. We extend our thanks to all parties for making this year's competition a success. STEM Fellowship collaborated with the GYSTB Secretariat to provide youth worldwide with the unique opportunity to submit their work in the STEM Fellowship Journal. This year's theme was "Sustainable Development". The broad scope of the competition allowed participants to submit their work in a variety of areas such as water pollution, food supply, medical health, energy harvest, artificial intelligence systems, environmental health, plastics, and many more. We are pleased to share the creativity and ambitious drive for research demonstrated by GYSTB's participants in these proceedings. We would like to congratulate every passionate individual who participated in the GYSTB this year and showcase their abstracts below.
View Points
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Breast implants are one of the most popular medical devices used today. It has been estimated that at least 10 million women globally have had implants [1]. The most common use of breast implants is for cosmetic breast augmentation [2]. Implants are also often used in breast reconstruction for women who have had mastectomies. A less common use for implants is in gender-affirming surgery for transgender women. The first modern implant, consisting of a smooth-surfaced silicone outer shell filled with silicone gel, was introduced to the public in 1961, while saline-filled implants were introduced in 1965 [3]. The first textured implant was introduced in the late 1980s.
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As the COVID-19 pandemic spread quickly across the world, one of the largest emerging debates in the science community was surrounding the risk of COVID-19 (also referred to as SARS-CoV-2) as an effect of the regular use of anti-hypertensive medications. In this article, this debate and the controversy that followed will be analyzed by outlining the elements of the biological system involved, then analyzing its importance, the implicated arguments, and the controversy itself.
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Oncology is an ever-changing field of medicine with the constant development of innovative treatments. Small-molecule drugs have entered the spotlight in the past few decades for their efficacy, selectivity, and ability to target intracellular proteins. Small-molecule inhibitors (SMIs) are small-molecule drugs that inhibit proteins involved in tumour growth [1,2]. Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are heterobifunctional molecules that degrade proteins involved in tumour growth [3,4]. Both treatments have revolutionized the field of oncology as they have proven to be more beneficial than traditional treatments.
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Cardiovascular disease is the second leading cause of death in Canada [1,2]. Artificial transplantation is often required for those with end-stage cardiovascular disease due to the inability for cardiac tissue to regenerate [3]. Currently, ventricular assist devices and total artificial hearts serve as temporary mechanical replacements for the dozens of individuals on the transplant list, but it is estimated that 50% of these patients will never receive a transplant due to limited donor hearts [4]. Bioprinting hearts can better meet patient demands, thus revolutionizing the field of transplantation. While there have been three-dimensional (3D) prints of arteries and other low complexity biological parts, fully functional hearts are still under development. The main challenges of bioprinting a heart include soft bioinks, cell viability, complex internal geometry, and clinical implementation.
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After a traumatic brain injury, patients often experience a period of impaired consciousness characterized by a diminished ability to perceive external stimuli (i.e., awareness) and a diminished responsiveness to stimuli, when perceived (i.e., arousal) [1,2]. These impaired levels of consciousness are defined as disorders of consciousness (DoC), a spectrum typically defined by three states of consciousness: coma, unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS, formerly known as vegetative state), and minimally conscious state (MCS) [1].
List of Issues
Volume 8
Issue 2
Issue 2
December 2022
Volume 8
Issue 1
Issue 1
December 2022
Volume 7
Issue 2
Issue 2
December 2021
Volume 7
Issue 1
Issue 1
December 2021
Volume 6
Issue 1
Issue 1
December 2020
Volume 5
Issue 1
Issue 1
December 2019
