More than 30 of the U of L's top Chemistry and Biochemistry students will have their work on display  on Friday, Sept. 27 at the 7th Annual Chinook Symposium, a one-day research presentation competition hosted by the Chemistry and Biochemistry departments.

There's money on the table for a select group of winners, who  can take home $300 for a first-place finish or  $100 for a second place finish.

The competition is judged by faculty members and external community reviewers, including researchers from different disciplines at the U of L, the Animal Diseases Research Institute (ADRI) and the federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Research Centre.

Since 2007, the Chinook Symposium  winners have received more than $11,000 and,  to date, 225 students have had the benefit of participating in the activity.   

"The prize money is a nice incentive, but it is also truly the 'thought' that counts, because the competition encourages students to put forward their best work, and have it showcased with their peers research and reviewed by the team of judges," said Dr. Marc Roussel, this year's Chinook Symposium coordinator.

"This is a significant benefit as they pursue research work at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral level of study," Roussel said. "Due to the funding and the experience students get in the labs here, a lot of them start their BSc and stay for the MSc and sometimes PhD as well. Without grants and scholarships or an activity like our Symposium, some of the students who have participated would not have pursued their MSc or PhD."

The event takes place on Friday, September 27 in the Atrium of University Hall. Poster presentations and assessments begin at 1 p.m.

Gold Medal presentations involving the doctoral candidates take place at 4:30 p.m. in classroom B660, University Hall.

http://www.uleth.ca/artsci/chemistry-biochemistry