Undergraduate research at McGill: Student testimonials

Research projects are amazing opportunities for growth. Just read what some of our students say about their experiences!

Guillaume Lambert: NSERC USRA

"My NSERC USRA allowed me to broaden my research skills and offered me invaluable hands-on experience I simply would not have gained otherwise. The USRA program and my exceptional adviser, Professor Guillaume Gervais, gave me the opportunity to conduct PhD-level research in the high-end field of nanotechnology – during my undergraduate degree! This internship taught me independent study and creativity, two abilities that we don't always develop to their full potential in classrooms. My USRA showed me how interesting academic research is, and is one of the determining factors that encouraged me to continue to graduate school. My USRA research experience is without a doubt one of the main reasons why I have been accepted for graduate studies at Caltech and Cornell."

Tayeb Aïssiou: MATH 396

In Summer 2006, Tayeb Aïssiou (B.Sc. Mathematics & Physics, 2007) took a MATH 396 project with an interdisciplinary, interdepartmental bent: he worked under the joint supervision of Professors Nilima Nigam (Mathematics and Statistics) and Svetlana Komarova (Dentistry). His project won second prize in October 2006 at the Faculty of Science Undergraduate Research Conference in the Mathematical and Computational Sciences category. He writes:

"My summer research experience was simply amazing. My major is in mathematics and physics, and I chose this project in mathematical biology in order to discover another field of science. I acquired new mathematical skills (numerical analysis and mathematical modelling) as well as biological concepts (the life cycle of bone and its diseases). In addition, I worked in the laboratory to do my own experiment, so I acquired technical skills and learned a lot about manipulating cells and how delicate that is.

"The courses in my major are mostly abstract and theoretical, whereas the project was fully applied: the main goal was to run experiments, get results, analyse them, and create a model. I enjoyed this so much that I switched my focus from high energy physics to applied mathematics. All summer long, I concentrated all my efforts on that project, and that's what made it so interesting and motivating. I became more responsible and more autonomous - I learned how to search literature for information, read papers, and contacted people (professors and students) as needed.

"Simply put, my summer project was a very rich experience. I learned much more that summer than during my whole studies to date because I could discern a clear purpose to what I was doing. This project allowed me to discover what I really wanted to do in my life."

Kaitlyn Rathwell: NSERC USRA

During Summer 2006, McGill School of Environment student Kaitlyn Rathwell (B.A. Environment & Development min. Science for Arts Students '07) held an NSERC USRA under the supervision of Prof. Garry Peterson. She writes:

"I had made a point of connecting with Professor Garry Peterson after being inspired in his Ecological Management class. My research over the summer was a pertinent experience in my academic life and a foundation for research opportunities in the future. Working with Professor Peterson gave me a valuable opportunity for both self directed learning and teamwork. I spent part of the time in the lab working on social-ecological computer simulation models and the other part in the field with a team of researchers interested in ecosystem service trade-offs in the Yamaska and Richelieu watershed basins. This combination of tasks allowed me to refine both my personal work ethic and creativity, and my ability to work in a team and with communities. As an undergraduate student, working closely with graduate students and professors has allowed me to refine my vision for future research, and moreover the atmosphere I will demand for future research. In an intimate research setting, such as the one I experienced, teamwork leads to novel ideas."

Leonid Chindelevitch: NSERC USRA

Leonid Chindelevitch (B.Sc. Mathematics and Computer Science, '06) is presently in the PhD program in Applied Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He did an NSERC USRA project in the summer of 2006 under the supervision of Patrick Hayden and writes:

"I had previously taken Professor Hayden's course on quantum information theory, as well as another course on quantum cryptography. The project that I was working on was an interesting combination of both topics. The research experience has been very challenging intellectually, and although I was not able to reach the big result we were hoping for, there were a lot of interesting partial results along the way. I had weekly meetings with my supervisor, which forced me to work consistently on a daily basis, for several hours. I would write short reports on the work I had done, which improved my presentation skills. I also had to read and understand several papers and books in the course of the research. All of these skills turned out to be very useful in graduate school. My work on this project has strengthened my interest in research, and reinforced my decision of going on to graduate studies. As an added bonus, the money I earned for my work helped me achieve some other goals, such as travelling abroad. The NSERC project has been an invaluable experience for me on many levels, and I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to get a feeling for what research is like."