On March 3, Red Deer Polytechnic proudly presented the institution’s first annual Research Showcase, featuring recently completed and in-progress research and scholarly activity undertaken by students, faculty and staff. The online event was designed to mirror a conference, with a variety of sessions and a panel discussion for participants to learn about the projects and engage with the researchers. Across the activities of the showcase, the strong breadth of research opportunities at the Polytechnic was evident.

“The Research Showcase provided an opportunity for us to collectively celebrate and share the scholarly activity that is happening at Red Deer Polytechnic,” says Dr. Maureen Toews, Associate Vice President, Teaching, Learning and Research. “Featuring research projects in this type of showcase format really highlighted not only the breadth of activity that is undertaken at our institution, but also the depth of analysis that researchers – whether students, faculty or staff – engage in throughout their projects.”

At the Research Showcase, 36 researchers shared the details about their projects during the 21 lightning talks and roundtable discussions presented throughout the evening. The research topics discussed ranged from using plasmonic nano-technology in the medical field to a case study of MicroSociety students to understanding creativity and its impact on well-being.

Kira Weddell is enrolled in the Polytechnic’s Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Biological Sciences. She presented at the Research Showcase on the topic of bats in central Alberta.

“Having the opportunity to gain research experience that directly applies to the field of study I am pursuing is very motivating and has inspired me to seek out similar opportunities,” says Weddell. “Gaining real-world and applicable experience through this opportunity has helped to prepare me for my future experimental endeavors and has allowed me to see the complexity and importance of doing research.”

Weddell is grateful for the collaboration she established with her instructor, Dr. Sally Stuart, through this applied research project.

“This research is a unique opportunity for me as a faculty member, as well as for Kira and The City of Red Deer, to all work together,” says Dr. Stuart, Biology Instructor. “I find students, such as Kira, provide new insights into solving problems, and above all, bring their enthusiasm. Students gain valuable research skills using state-of-the-art field recorders, software skills to analyze data and programming skills for statistical analysis. Scientific literacy is more important than ever at this moment in time, so a component of each research project is scientific communication and learning to present information to the public in a clear and concise fashion.”

The research projects presented at the Showcase demonstrate the complexity of research undertaken at Red Deer Polytechnic, but such research is often an unknown aspect of the institution’s offerings.