Weekly WISE #2
Our second weekly WISE of 2025 features Sophia H., Grace P., Gracie S., Amelia G., Reegan G. & Juliana P.! Read about their work experience so far.
Sophia H. & Grace P., Research Assistants in the Department of Chemistry
Hi! Our names are Sophia Hoben and Grace Peddle. This summer we are working with Dr. Lindsay Cahill as research assistants in the Department of Chemistry. So far we’ve had so much fun and have got to learn many new things. We’ve got to work with mice, do placenta collections for research projects, go to summer camps to do presentations about microplastics, and assist the graduate students with their research in the lab.
During the first couple days of our placements one of the graduate students took us to the Animal Resource Centre (ARC) to watch different kinds of tests they do with the mice for their research. The students are doing research on human diseases using mouse models. For their research they use ultrasound technology, complete rotarod testing, collect brain samples and do heart perfusions on the mice. While at the animal care facility we got to go watch these tests. For rotarod testing, the mice get placed on a rotating rod machine that can go from 4RPM to 40RPM, this machine tests them on their motor skills to see how Huntington’s disease affects their brain capacity. In these specific tests, we would count how many times they fell in a two minute span.
Aside from research on mice, Dr. Cahill is also interested in researching the effects of microplastics on the human body. She is conducting a specific study researching the effects of microplastics on women and their babies during pregnancy. We’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go to the Health Sciences with graduate students for placenta collections, where we biopsy and measure the placentas. After collecting these placentas, we’ve learned the different methods that can be used to digest the placenta samples, so they can be filtered and examined for microplastics.
Another task that encompasses our roles working at the Cahill Lab is creating social media posts. We each research information about plastics, microplastics, sustainable materials, clothes and formulate informative posts for the Cahill Lab Instagram page. We are interested in informing people on reducing their use of plastics, because we know that plastics are evidently in the human body and it is probable that it is harming the human species. We design our content with fun colours and we make them in post and reel form. The office work is a contrast to the Animal Care and lab work, which is what makes our placement so diverse.
Overall, the WISE Student Summer Employment Program has been an amazing opportunity that assists us in building new friendships, learning about different scientific careers, exploring more of the MUN campus, and most importantly getting valuable work experience. We’ve loved the experience so far and we can’t wait to see what the remaining weeks will bring!
Gracie S., STEM Program Designer at The Fluvarium
Hi! My name is Gracie Squires, and I’m super excited to share a bit about my summer so far.
Through the WISE Student Summer Employment Program, I’ve been lucky enough to get a job placement as a STEM Program Designer at The Fluvarium under Jon Butler. During my first week, I took part in a training course with Brilliant Labs, and in week two, I got the chance to shadow mentors and facilitators. I’ve been learning how to code, program, and help run a STEM-focused camp for aspiring engineers.
This week (week three), I’ve been working with a group of Ocean and Naval Architectural Engineering students to design and coordinate a brand-new RC Boat Camp! With support from the amazing staff and students at the Fluvarium, the camp will officially launch next week—running from July 21st to 25th!
The main focus of the RiverTech Maker Camp is to design, program, and build working RC race boats completely from scratch. We’re currently finalizing our plans and gathering materials. I’ve been working closely with Brilliant Labs, engineering students, and professionals, along with attending weekly meetings—through it all, I’ve learned so much about programming, design, and what it takes to lead a project from start to finish.
Outside of my placement, the WISE Program has given me even more amazing opportunities. I’ve toured places like the NRC and the MUN Engineering Building, and I can’t wait to see what other tours are coming up. Each week also includes a fun social event with the other WISE students—like movie nights and trivia!
I’m really grateful to be part of the WISE Program. It’s been such a great experience so far, and it’s a privilege to learn from so many passionate and experienced people. The connections I’m making and the skills I’m building are going to be so valuable moving forward—and I couldn’t be happier. I’m super excited to see what the rest of the summer holds!
Amelia G., Science interpreter at the Johnson Geo Centre
Hi! My name is Amelia Gosse, and I’m working this summer at the Johnson Geo Centre through the WISE NL Student Summer Employment Program. My role started off with developing fun, educational activities for the Centre’s summer camp and since then, I’ve been working as a camp counselor, helping to run those activities and support campers throughout their experience.
One of my favourite parts of this placement has been getting to work with such a wide range of people from diverse scientific backgrounds. Everyone brings something different to the table, and I’ve loved hearing about their experiences and learning new things from them every day. We even had two engineers from Toronto volunteer with us for three weeks, and during that time, I learned how to code and experiment with different programming tools I’d never used before.
Through this experience, I’ve gained so much from communication and leadership skills to hands on STEM learning. It’s also been really meaningful to work with many neurodivergent campers. I enjoy seeing how each camper thinks and approaches challenges in their own unique way. It’s helped me appreciate different learning styles and reminded me how creative and curious kids can be when given the space to explore.
Outside of our internship placements the activities with the WISE program are really great opportunities I would not be able to get anywhere else. Each week we do a tour and I learn things I never knew about. We also participate in fun group activities, my favourite has been trivia night. I will never forget the connections and friends I am making through this program!
Overall, working at the Johnson Geo Centre has been an incredible opportunity to grow as a leader, learn more about science, and connect with amazing people that all make me feel welcomed at the Geo Center I’m so grateful to be part of WISE and can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer brings!
Reegan G. & Juliana P., Geochemistry Research Assistants in the Department of Earth Science
Hello! Our names are Reegan Gambin and Juliana Pippy. We are working as Geochemistry research assistants with Dr. Michael Babechuk and Dr. Inês Nobre Silva. We are located in Memorial University’s Earth Science department’s newly opened clean laboratory and plasma mass spectrometry laboratory. These analytical labs are involved in the sophisticated measurements of rocks, minerals, sediments/soils, waters, as well as biological materials that determine elemental compositions, from high abundances down to amounts so small they can only be detected through instrumentation picking up electrical signals produced by a handful of ions.
Throughout our time here we have been assigned to some of the routine critical tasks necessary to improve the accuracy and success of the research projects taking place. This includes the transferring of sedimentary rock samples into smaller vials for chemical digestion, as well as the preparation of tools in the clean lab that will be utilized in experiments involving the Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). The clean lab is a specialized environment designed to minimize the introduction, generation, and retention of airborne particles. In this laboratory, there is a particle count that cannot exceed 1000 particles per cubic meter of air. In addition, we also have to ensure that we do not contaminate tools with trace metals from tap water and even gloves!
This is necessary as the ICP-MS is a highly precise instrument that uses a plasma flame sustained by argon gas that reaches temperatures as high as the surface of the sun. This immense heat ionizes the sample as it passes through the plasma. This allows the machine to detect extremely small amounts of anything and evreythng that the sample consists of.
We have also been assigned our own project! We are conducting online research about the chemical digestion of pasteurised cows milk and determining their trace metals using an ICP-MS. Location and environment of where each individual cow is raised has a significant impact on the quality and general composition of the milk produced. Next week, we will be using our findings to conduct our own lab experiment to compare the trace metals found in two different milk brands sold in our local grocery stores, (e.g. Scotsburn and Central Dairies). The goal of this experiment is to see if the milk sourced from local Newfoundland farms (Centeral Dairies) or from farms in Nova Scotia (Scotsburn) has significant differences, and if so, which is the superior brand.
This week, we have been given a tour of the Faculty of Engineering here at Memorial University. We were shown many of the different engineering fields and the impact they can have on the world, showing us how many options there are to find what fits for you. We are excited to see and learn more about all the different pathways in all the sciences and continue with this amazing opportunity!