Shad motivated Fatema to pursue biomedical research
Fatema Riaz loves science. The daughter of doctors, she has watched the positive impact that medicine has on communities, which motivates her own wish to make a difference through STEAM. To reach her goals, she’s sought out opportunities to explore her passions, which led her to Shad in 2023 and to a coveted spot in the Heritage Youth Research Summer (HYRS) program at the University of Lethbridge this past summer.
“I wanted to explore my options and see what university life and science courses are like beyond my rural area. And Shad was an eye-opening experience, it’s led me to a lot of other wonderful scientific opportunities because before Shad, I never thought about looking outside of Medicine Hat to develop myself or explore career options.”
One such opportunity was HYRS, which is a competitive summer science research program where Albertan students gain valuable experience conducting hands-on research alongside experts in a laboratory setting. Her summer at Shad sparked in Fatema a desire to deepen her scientific experiences, and she realized the best way to do that might be to step into a real-world research environment.
“It was an extensive application process and hundreds of applicants are applying to fill 11 spots for a research position. I was pretty lucky, I got accepted and I worked in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry alongside a really amazing professor, Dr. Girodat.”
Dr. Girodat’s work focuses on the intricate workings of RNA-protein complexes and their implications for cancer research, which was incredibly exciting for Fatema. The opportunity to engage with research in more complex ways while exploring what a career in science might look like was exhilarating for her.
“I got to work on an antibiotic resistance project and received training on using a tool that’s not conventionally used in biochemistry, which was really exciting. I hadn’t thought of biochemistry, I was thinking strictly biology, but both HYRS and Shad gave me insight into science fields and what options are available, which really opened my eyes.”
“I found I have a talent for research and kind of like thinking about the methodology. And if something doesn’t turn out right, you have to be very detailed, go through all your steps again and think about any part where a problem might have come up. This has really led me to consider a career in biomedical research.”
Fatema notes how Shad helped prepare her for her research internship by building her capacity to overcome challenges. Not only was she encouraged to try new things at Shad, but Fatema engaged in activities that pushed her out of her comfort zone and helped to build confidence.
“One of the activities that I remember most is our 10-hour hike up a mountain. I hadn’t done anything like that before and I seriously thought I was never going to make it up. But my PAs (Program Assistants) and the other Shads kept encouraging me, and I finished the hike! It felt so good knowing that I could do that.”
Shad’s Design Project also introduced Fatema to new subjects she hadn’t had experience with before, like the financial side of starting a business. She hadn’t had the opportunity to learn the different aspects of entrepreneurship at school, so the experience was a chance to explore these skillsets.
“It was really interesting to learn about the business side of STEM and math. I got to be in charge of the financial part of my design group, which I was kind of scared about because I’d never done anything like that before. But I realized I’m pretty good at it and it’s something I could continue.”
The experience of being away from home for the month of July at Shad really pushed Fatema to pursue other out of province experiences, like the Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) this May in Ottawa. Her project compared how different AI tools diagnosed patients by comparing results to the responses of local doctors from Medicine Hat.
“My science fair project looked at using AI to diagnose hypothetical patient scenarios. I compared the AI responses, and I got like a 97% match with those of orthopedic surgeons, which is the group of medical professionals I used as the comparison.”
This insatiable curiosity will serve her well as she continues on her path to post-secondary. The introduction to a wide range of career options at Shad opened her mind to the endless possibilities in front of her, and her experience with HYRS further solidified her desire to explore the unexplored.
“I think Shad and HYRS has really grown and reinforced my desire to pursue a career as a medical researcher, it would be really awesome to be able to combine my skills and interests in that way. To be a doctor with my own practice while doing research as well.”
As she continues to work towards her dreams, she hopes to inspire other students, girls in particular, to chase their science goals and see themselves in important roles making a difference for others.
“In certain classes in school, like my math AP class, it’s all boys. This isn’t because no girls are good at math. I just think if girls see other girls in STEM, it’s going to make them feel more comfortable. If more people are doing it, girls are going to think that it’s possible for them as well. So, I am excited to be a girl helping to set that standard.”
