TMU Science offers rich student development opportunities with Ontario Biology Day

When biomedical sciences undergraduate student Ayshin Mehrabi talks about her research on how our bodies regulate energy when we are stressed, her eyes light up—and for good reason: better understanding of our cells’ adaptive mechanisms when we are hungry, tired or otherwise under stress can help with treating cancer and other metabolic diseases.

Last month, the fourth-year student had the opportunity to share her enthusiasm about her findings and their potential significance at the 36th Ontario Biology Day (external link) , a research-sharing and networking event for biology undergrads from universities across the province. She says the event, which Toronto Metropolitan University hosted on March 23 and 24, was a valuable opportunity for her to practise presenting her research to others outside her direct field in a way that was clear, concise and accessible.

“Highlighting the importance of my research in a simple way before a group of people and getting asked thoughtful questions helped me become a better presenter,” Mehrabi says. “It’s absolutely crucial for all researchers to be able to tell the world what they’re doing…not only for advancing a field in science but also to gain recognition for our hard work.”

Mehrabi was one of more than 230 students, including 38 from the Faculty of Science, who had the opportunity to build their science communication skills as well as engage in useful networking. Studying diverse disciplines such as botany, virology, immunology, bioengineering and microbiology, they shared their research activities by delivering 10-minute talks to small groups, or by presenting informational posters. Five participants received awards for best oral presentation—with Mehrabi among the winners—while fellow biomedical sciences student Taiba Dawood was among the top five poster presentation winners.

“Very few of these undergrads have an opportunity to present their research because they don’t attend national or international conferences until they’re in grad school,” says Chemistry and Biology professor Roberto Botelho, the Canada Research Chair in Organelle Function and Adaptation. “The opportunity to participate in a province-wide event where they get to see the enterprise of scientific research on a large scale—I think it was pretty eye-opening for the students.”

Botelho organized the event together with fellow Faculty of Science faculty members Vadim Bostan, Krystal Nunes, Gagan Gupta, Tarushika Vasanthan and Monica Mattiazzi Usaj, along with postdoctoral researcher Mélanie Mansat and three students. They invited professors Stephanie Melles, a scholar of urban freshwater systems, and Michael Olson, the Canada Research Chair in Molecular Cell Biology, to deliver keynote talks, along with two Faculty of Science alumni: Christian Delos Santos, who co-founded synthetic biology company Biofect Innovations, and Victoria Hipolito, an executive at generative AI assistant BenchSci.

“I think it’s a great value for students, because it’s one of their first research conferences, and they can talk to other people from within and outside their discipline, share their work and gain feedback,” says Mansat, a cell biology postdoctoral researcher in Botelho’s lab (external link) .

For Mehrabi, learning about the research endeavours of other scientists-in-training and making new contacts was another highlight of Ontario Biology Day.

“There were so many students doing incredible research from different perspectives,” says Mehrabi, who also enjoyed connecting with biology peers at the social event at Mick E Fynn’s pub. “It was great learning and seeing how much everyone is contributing to biology.”

Mehrabi says the event energized her work in the Antonescu Lab for Fundamental and Cancer Cell Biology (external link) , where she studies the delivery of iron to the mitochondria of cells under conditions of nutrient insufficiency and energy deficiency. She says summarizing the nature and purpose of her research for her OBD talk has made it easier to write her thesis paper, because now, “I know the story.”

While she has her sights set on pursuing an MD/PhD degree, which would allow her to work as both a medical doctor and a scientific researcher, Mehrabi says hearing about the careers of the two science businesspeople speakers expanded her professional outlook.

“There are so many routes in science that you can take,” she says. “It’s prompted me to think about things to do in science that are outside the box.”