Innovative research by a seventeen year-old Charlottetown student at Ecole Francois Buote that could help with detecting levels of pesticides in natural waterways has earned the first place prize in the 2009 Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge (SABC) in the Prince Edward Island region.
Grade twelve student Melanie Gallant won the $2,500 dollar prize by studying a fish called stickleback, a local fresh water fish. She will travel to Ottawa to compete in the national SABC competition May 5, at the National Research Council Canada, to be judged by a panel of experts. The national winners will be announced at a ceremony in Ottawa on May 6.
Melanie studied gene expression as a means of screening for hormone-active pesticides in stickleback. Linuron is a widely used herbicide in Canada with proven negative effects on ecosystems. The aim of the project was to develop a new method of detecting linuron concentrations in natural water sources.
Encouraged by her teacher Sarah MacKinnon-Cormier and under the guidance of mentor Dr. Michael R. van den Heuvel, a Canada Research Chair in Watershed Ecological Integrity and member of the Dept. of Biomedical Sciences at the Atlantic Veterinary College, and Dr. Natasha Hogan, Melanie's project involved over many weeks in the lab. Ms. Campbell has stated this was an incredible opportunity. She said, “I would do the BioTalent Challenge again in a second …, I really hope that everyone with an interest in biology looks into this great program.”
Melanie has been accepted into the Science program at Mount Allison University and will focus on biology.
“The Department of Innovation and Advanced Learning is a strong supporter of encouraging more students to consider careers in biotechnology,” said Minister Alan Campbell. “The students in this competition represent some of the brightest young scientists in Canada and I congratulate them all on their outstanding achievements.”
Cash prizes were also awarded to:
2nd place - $2,000
Emma Trivett - Charlottetown Rural High School, Charlottetown, PEI ~ Treatment of Sea Lice Using Emamectin Benzoat
3rd place - $1,500
Gayani Gunathilake & Agatha KangYoo Hee - Charlottetown Rural High School, Charlottetown, PE ~ Characterization of Antibodies Responsible for Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia in Dogs
4th place - $1,000
Scott Dewar & Mark Townsend - Three Oaks Senior High School ~ Determining the effectiveness of bacteria at transferring their antibiotic resistance to other bacteria
5th place - $750
Courtney Fitzgerald & Jenna Gaudet - Three Oaks Senior High School ~ Identification of Effective Extracts to Develop a Natural Fungicide for Fusarium Oxysporum
Commercial Prize: - $1,000
Melanie Gallant - Ecole Francois Buote ~ Exploration of Marine ecosystems - Identification of pesticides in stickleback
National Competition, May 5
All 14 regional winners become national finalists, who will present their projects for judging by federal public service and private sector experts in Ottawa, Tues. May 5. For the second time, the national competition will be done face-to-face, with regional finalists in Ottawa for the event. In the past, the presentations were done via videoconference.
At 1 p.m. EDT on Wednesday May 6, Canada’s top student projects in biotechnology will be announced at National Research Council headquarters, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa.
Background
Now in its 16th year, the Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge is a high-level competition that introduces students to the real world of biotechnology by carrying out research projects of their own design. An SABC program has been held in Prince Edward Island since 2004.
The competition mirrors the real world of scientific research by:
• Requiring students to submit research proposals for evaluation by a scientific evaluation committee;
• Providing up to $200 in advance funding to approved student projects;
• Assigning mentors to each team to provide expert advice and access to equipment and supplies; and
• Having each student project judged by fellow students (peer review) and by judges representing government, business, academia and the education community.
The competition drives students to broaden their horizons and challenge their intellect. Each of the student teams work with a mentor in their community who provides expert advice and access to equipment and supplies.
Follow-up studies have found that many of the students who compete go on to careers in biotechnology, healthcare, agriculture, and the environment.
More than 100 organizations Canada-wide are partnered in this educational outreach initiative.
Regional competition sponsors:
• PEI Department of Innovation and Advanced Learning
• PEI Dept. of Education and Early Childhood Development
• PEI BioAlliance
• PEI Food Technology Centre
• University of Prince Edward Island
• Neurodyn Inc.
• Atlantic Veterinary College
• NRC Institute for Nutrisciences and Health
• Holland College
National competition supporters:
• Sanofi pasteur
• BioTalent Canada
• National Research Council of Canada
• Genome Canada
• Canadian Institutes for Health Research
• the Canada Foundation for Innovation; and
• the Canadian Louis Pasteur Foundation
The project is funded in part by the Government of Canada's Sector Council Program.
The national competition offers top prizes ranging from $5,000 to $1,000 plus a special prize for the project deemed to have the greatest commercial potential. Winning student teams share their cash prize with their school. In some cities, winning students also receive university scholarships or summer jobs.
A distinguishing characteristic of the competition is the emphasis judges place on the competitors’ communication of science ideas.
Many regional competition events include lectures by leading local biotechnology researchers, science workshops for students and teachers, and exhibits on biotechnology.
About Sanofi Pasteur Limited and sanofi-aventis:
Sanofi Pasteur Limited is the vaccines business of the sanofi-aventis Group, the third largest pharmaceutical company in the world. Sanofi Pasteur Limited has a long history of supporting science education at the post-secondary level. In 1994, it recognized the need to engage younger students in biotechnology education, and the initial SABC program was run in conjunction with the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s first meeting in Canada. Since then, the program has expanded to 14 events across Canada and has involved thousands of students. As lead sponsor of the SABC, Sanofi Pasteur is proud to collaborate with partners in government, industry and academia to get high school students engaged in biotechnology. Sanofi Pasteur Limited is Canada’s only full-scale vaccine company, researching, developing and manufacturing in Canada a broad range of human vaccines. With over 1,000 highly-skilled employees, it is one of Canada’s oldest and largest biotech companies. For more information: www.sanofi-pasteur.ca
About BioTalent Canada:
BioTalent Canada helps Canada’s bio-economy industry thrive globally. As a non-profit national organization of innovators leading our bio-economy, BioTalent Canada anticipates needs and creates new opportunities, delivering human resources tools, information and skills development to ensure the industry has access to job-ready people. BioTalent Canada is a Canadian sector council—one of many partnership organizations created to address skills-development issues in key sectors of the economy. For more information: www.biotalent.ca or Colette Rivet, Executive Director, BioTalent Canada 613-235-1402 x 226; coletter@biotalent.ca