Science student's research garners national attention
When Karl Ayton submitted his application for the Sunnybrook Prize, he didn’t have high hopes of it leading to anything. “I thought it was a shot in the dark,” he smiles.
Despite Karl’s reservations, the university’s research officer encouraged him to submit the comprehensive application for the prestigious prize, which awards $10,000 to the winner. The competition is open to physical science and engineering students from across Canada who are in the last year of their degree.
“I submitted it, and then I kind of forgot about it,” explains Karl. “Then I got an email telling me I was a finalist.”
Not only was he a finalist, but out of the 10 undergraduate students, he was the only student from a university west of Ontario chosen to present research at the competition.
The experience of a lifetime
Nervous but up for the experience, Karl flew to Toronto on January 6 to present along with the other finalists at the Sunnybrook Research Institute, which is affiliated with the University of Toronto.
Each finalist was given 10 minutes to present their projects/findings to a room full of medical researchers and graduate students. They also toured the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre facilities.
“It was impressive to see their facilities and what they’re doing,” says Karl. “There were a lot of professional researchers. It was eye-opening.”
Karl admits it was a bit intimidating to be surrounded by his fellow finalists as well as seasoned researchers in the audience, but he was also in awe.
“They were nine of the smartest students I’ve ever met. Incredibly intelligent and impressive,” he says.
The research behind the finalist
Karl’s presentation, “Chemoenzymatic synthesis of waxes from plant oils,” was based on research he’d been working on since last summer with Dr. Samuel Mugo, his supervisor and a faculty member in the MacEwan University chemistry department. Their research into plant-derived waxes has possible applications in the cosmetics industry as an organic/natural alternative to the petroleum products currently used in moisturizers and makeup.
Originally slated to be only a summer project, Dr. Mugo and Karl realized there was more potential in their findings so they extended their research into the fall 2011 term. Karl continues to work on the project in his spare time, which is challenging as he heads into the homestretch of completing his degree this spring.
A future in research?
Karl plans to go to medical school in the fall, and hopes to someday combine his interests in medicine and research in a career as a clinical researcher. He says his experience as a finalist for the Sunnybrook Prize reinforced his choice of career path.
“At the beginning of the competition, it was explained to us that the goal of this prize is to ignite the research flame in students,” says Karl. “This experience certainly did that for me – I want to carry on with research.”
