Voices in Undergraduate Research Experience (VURE) Panel Session

Voices in Undergraduate Research Experience (VURE) brings awareness to opportunities for undergraduates to do academic research and creative work, especially students who identify as members of a minority community. Opportunities to engage in research work and creative activities can enhance a student’s opportunity freedoms, confidence, and sense of belonging (Hart, 2012 and 2019; Walker 2008). Additionally, a key outcome for socially just higher education experiences should include opportunities for social mobility, to engage in theoretical and powerful knowledge, and to learn skills for the knowledge economy (Calitz, 2017; Olssen & Peters, 2005; Wheelahan, 2012). The VURE team initiated a listening process to gather advice and solicit support from various stakeholders like the Office of Human Rights, Equity, and Accessibility, the Anti-Black Racism Task Force, and the Aboriginal Education Centre, amongst many other offices. In the ongoing listening process, the VURE team aims to understand questions of belonging across groups as rationales for undergraduates\u27 desire and awareness of conducting research and creative work with faculty and their peers (Langford & Clance, 1993; Stiwich, McCunn, and Dayal). VURE aims to establish a reflective and engaged student network that inspires inclusive affiliations among peers, research networks, and faculty researchers (Walker, 2006, 2008; Weeks, Villeneuve, Hutchinson, Roger, Versnel, & Packer, 2015). This is a panel presentation with four University of Windsor undergraduate students. References Calitz, T. M. (2017). Designing capability-informed pedagogy using participatory student research. In Socially Just Pedagogies, Capabilities and Quality in Higher Education (pp. 153-175). Palgrave Macmillan, London. Hart, C. S. (2012). Aspirations, education, and social justice: Applying Sen and Bourdieu. A&C Black. Hart, C. S. (2019). Education, inequality and social justice: A critical analysis applying the Sen-Bourdieu Analytical Framework. Policy Futures in Education, 17(5), 582-598. Langford, J., & Clance, P. R. (1993). The imposter phenomenon: Recent research findings regarding dynamics, personality and family patterns and their implications for treatment. Psychotherapy: theory, research, practice, training, 30(3), 495. Olssen. M. & Peters, M.A. (2005) Neoliberalism, higher education and the knowledge economy: from the free market to knowledge capitalism, Journal of Education Policy, 20(3), 313-345, DOI: 10.1080/02680930500108718 Stiwich, K. D., McCunn, L. J., & Dayal, C. (2019). Woolly Stories: An Art-Based Narrative Approach to Place Attachment. Engaged Scholar Journal: Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Learning, 5(2), 245-253. https://doi.org/10.15402/esj.v5i2.68348 Walker, M. (2008). A human capabilities framework for evaluating student learning. Teaching in Higher Education, 13(4), 477–487. doi: 10.1080/13562510802169764 Weeks, L. E., Villeneuve, M. A., Hutchinson, S., Roger, K., Versnel, J., & Packer, T. (2015). What We Learned about Mentoring Research Assistants Employed in a Complex, Mixed-Methods Health Study. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 45(4), 207–228. https://doi.org/10.47678/cjhe.v45i4.184492 Wheelahan, L. (2012). Why knowledge matters in curriculum: A social realist argument. Routledge

Combining natural health products with standard chemotherapies as a novel therapeutic for Glioblastoma and Neuroblastoma

Glioblastoma is the most common form of brain cancer with a 5-year survival rate under 10%, while neuroblastoma is the most diagnosed cancer in infants. In addition to the limited effectiveness of current treatments, standard chemotherapies are non-specific targeting both healthy and cancerous cells. As a result, these conventional chemotherapies, including temozolomide (TMZ) and cisplatin, cause severe adverse side effects following prolonged use. Alternatively, natural health products (NHPs) are safe for consumption and may contain many therapeutic properties, including anti-cancer activity. Specifically, Long Pepper Extract (LPE) and Synthite Green Tea Extract (STE) are NHPs with great therapeutic potential as previous work has indicated efficacy against various forms of cancer. We have analyzed the effect of these NHPs in U-87 Mg glioblastoma and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells both alone and in conjunction with standard chemotherapies. Our results indicate the ability of LPE and STE to selectively induce apoptosis in these cancer cells while enhancing the anti-cancer activity of both TMZ and cisplatin in-vitro. Mechanistically, LPE is both inducing oxidative stress and inhibiting autophagy as a means of targeting these cancer cells, while STE is functioning as a mitochondrial destabilizer. Furthermore, these NHPs may provide protection to healthy cells when used in conjunction with standard chemotherapies due to selective abilities including DNA protection and antioxidant capabilities. Currently, this research is progressing to in-vivo trials on nude mice with subcutaneous xenografts of human glioblastoma cells. If our exciting in-vitro results are confirmed in-vivo, LPE and STE could provide safe alternatives to standard treatments allowing for reductions in chemotherapy dosing and associated adverse effects

STEMxPolicy: An approach to empowering STEM students to become leaders in policymaking

Public policy is informed by many stakeholders and bodies of knowledge. As policies are needed for topics rooted in STEM such as climate change, AI, health, cybersecurity, etc., it is vital that knowledge translation between researchers and policymakers is prompt and efficient. The current 1–2-decade gap in knowledge acquisition and implementation is insufficient (Curran et al., 2011). Researchers and policymakers should not be two mutually exclusive groups. STEMxPolicy is a new student organization in the Faculty of Science’s USci Network based in student experiential learning and research. Our goal is to bridge the existing gap between STEM and policy by educating students about STEM policy, engaging them in policy-based discussions, and empowering them to become leaders in policymaking. Over the past year, we have hosted two panels and three “Snapshot Seminars” featuring expert panelists that have sparked thoughtful dialogue. The seminars have provided students an overview of the relevance of policy-making within STEM, field-specific considerations in constructing policy, and guided students to get involved. Social media has also been leveraged to circulate educational “Vlog Interviews” and “Hot Topic” posts and promote virtual events. Our work has created numerous student-faculty partnerships and engagement opportunities with high-profile speakers from large provincial and national organizations such as the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, and National Research Council. We anticipate that this model of connecting STEM and policy will translate into more STEM professionals being at the forefront of the policymaking process. Curran, J. A., Grimshaw, J. M., Hayden, J. A., & Campbell, B. (2011). Knowledge translation research: The science of moving research into policy and practice. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 31(3), 174–180. https://doi.org/10.1002/chp.2012