Amy Kingston from École HJ Cody High School was one of 43 high school students accepted to participate in the Women in Scholarship Engineering, Science and Technology (WISEST).  

“I got to spend six weeks living like a university student and doing science. I got one-on-one mentor sessions with many professors and Ph.D. students to learn about their educational and professional journeys. Now I can confidently say that I want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in science, and this program has influenced me to consider grad school as well,” says Amy Kingston. 

The program is a 6-week paid research internship for female and gender diverse high school students at the University of Alberta. In order to qualify for the program, students submit answers to a number of questions along with a 750-word essay and a virtual interview.  

Kingston was working in a geo-biology lab in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. She and her lab partner did kinetic experiments of charcoal collected from forest fires, compositional analysis of rocks gathered in Australia, research about how bacteria adhere to materials, and more. 

“My favorite part was probably the community that was built, especially amongst the residence students and my friendship with my lab partner. Everyone was super nice and open to chat and share their research. We still talk to each other now,” says Amy. 

“We are proud of Amy and all of her hard work that qualified her for this opportunity, and her hard work at U of A,” says Alex Lambert, Principal, École H.J. Cody School. “It’s amazing to see her excitement for her future, and make career connections that are meaningful. We can see great things in Amy’s future and we are so pleased for her!”

 

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