The research ripple effect, from campus to community

The path from classroom theory to real-world impact often begins with opportunities for students to sink their teeth into their chosen field. 

This year, that path widened considerably for students at the University of Calgary, as generous funding from Cenovus helped set a record for summer studentship awards. The investment empowers equity-deserving students, fostering groundbreaking new ideas, and sparking a ripple effect that extends beyond campus.

“Research builds your skills. There is no better way to get to know your field of study than to jump hands-on into it,” says Taylor Van Eyk, a recently graduated Media and Communications Studies student from the Faculty of Arts.  “It’s something tangible to do before you graduate and get a job, but beyond that, it is freedom to do what you want with the knowledge that’s given with you.”

Research summer studentships — including the Program for Undergraduate Research Experience (PURE) — are a signature offering at the University of Calgary that aims to expose undergraduate students to research early by funding a summer research project and connecting them to a faculty adviser to guide them. 

Cenovus, a Calgary-based energy company, invested in the PURE program in 2023 to support equity-deserving students, advance inclusion, and improve Indigenous access to education. 

Van Eyk is Anishinaabe, Chipewyan and Ojibwe, an identity that played a major part in her research, published work, and her approach to her communications studies. She was one of several dozen equity-deserving students whose research was supported through the Cenovus gift.

“I didn’t start to perform super well in school until I got into research. It gave me something to grab onto; it was just knowledge before, and I needed something to apply it to, in the formation of projects and creative thought,” she says. 

“So much of our traditional education comes from a Western background that isn’t always reflective of the student body. Indigenous students should contribute their knowledge and be loud about it,” says Van Eyk. “Research is a platform for your voice and ideas to be heard, what I've written and published aren’t the most traditional but are new ways of knowledge.”

Cenovus gift supports students who have been less present in research

Dr. Maria Victoria Guglietti, PhD, is an assistant professor (teaching) in the Faculty of Arts and the academic lead for undergraduate research. PURE falls into her leadership purview, something that she believes is critical. 

“I see undergraduate research as experiential learning. It’s important to have research skills, but it’s also the personal growth and professional growth that comes from leading their own project,” she says. 

Funding like this is important for many reasons, but namely that it is meant to support groups that may not have had the chance to engage in research before, she says. 

“We see more diverse undergraduate student populations and because of that, we see different types of questions in their research that relates to their own unique communities. By bringing personal experiences, Cenovus is enabling the concerns and connections to come to the forefront,” she says. 

This additional funding essentially extends PURE to a greater audience, because the program doesn’t need to rely only on central funding, she says. 

“It’s giving an opportunity to extend funding to people who are very deserving, and indirectly to all student groups because it allows us to award more to all students by extending the overall budget.”

“What Cenovus is doing with a substantial amount of money is having an amazing ripple effect in the community, because it supports students to become richer individuals,” she says. “They leave with opened minds, prepared with transferable skills like time management, decision-making, leadership — which will in turn make other spaces better.”

Van Eyk is working at Suncor as a recruiter, fresh from her UCalgary experience and proof of Guglietti’s belief that the skills support not only a research career, but any profession.

It was actually one of Guglietti’s own classes, an introduction to research skills course, that sparked Van Eyk’s journey, and she hopes other professors understand the impact they can have in a student’s life.

“Dr. Guglietti invited me to do a panel about Indigenous research for students who might be interested. There is funding for Indigenous researchers, but it’s not always accessible unless a professor or friend comes to them with the opportunity,” says Van Eyk. “I wouldn’t have known about PURE if she hadn’t encouraged her students to apply for it.”