UTM undergrads gain international research opportunities with Laidlaw scholarships
It’s a little different from your average summer vacation.
Once their finals and end-of-year projects are complete, three UTM students will pack their bags and head to international destinations for research trips that expand ideas they’ve been cultivating on campus.
It’s part of the Laidlaw Scholars Leadership & Research Programme, which aims to develop the leadership potential of up to 25 students annually.
Alisa Chichvarina, Samuel Kamalendran and Amna Habiba each received $10,000 grants to pursue community service research projects over two summers through the program.
They are among students are chosen from 19 academic institutions around the world – the University of Toronto is the only Canadian school invited to participate in the British-based program.
UTM students can apply through the International Education Centre. Scholars eventually present their findings at a symposium at Brown University.
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Chichvarina, a third-year finance specialist and economics major, is currently weighing her choices for her second summer.
“The options are unlimited: the countries, the nonprofit organizations you can work for, it's very flexible,” said Chichvarina, whose Laidlaw supervisor is UTM economics professor Eduardo Souza-Rodrigues.
“The world is my limit at this point.”
Born and raised in Ukraine, Chichvarina spent her first research period in Warsaw, Poland, talking to displaced Ukrainian environmental economists and policy experts about the consequences of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war.
Her analysis focused on ecocide – the deliberate destruction of the environment – as a weapon of war and looked at its broader impact on Eastern Europe, including the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, risks associated with nuclear plant attacks and the disruption of Ukraine’s agricultural supply chain.
Chichvarina is also a recipient of U of T’s Pearson scholarship – an award that recognizes outstanding academic achievement, creativity and leadership potential in international students – and heard about the Laidlaw scholars program from the Pearson group’s newsletter. She spoke to previous Laidlaw winners before applying.
“I wanted to know what they were actually doing, and it sounded pretty exciting,” said Chichvarina.
“Plus, I've never done research before in my life so I thought it was a way to totally challenge myself.”
The experience now has her considering a research masters after her undergrad studies.
Chichvarina said she is thankful to the Laidlaw opportunity for expanding her “global citizen mindset.”
“The importance of open-mindedness, cross-cultural dialogue, co-operation and innovation would probably be the main lessons I will remember when approaching global issues with cultural sensitivity and respect,” she said.
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Kamalendran, a third-year political science major minoring in English and classics, looked closer to home for his first summer in the program, exploring whether Canada’s assisted dying legal framework sufficiently protects the disabled, mentally ill and those living in poverty.
The idea for his research came from an assignment in his Canadian political science course.
Kamalendran was analyzing legal and parliamentary cases in Canada, to see whether the language leaned more towards advocacy or caution.
“What really drew me was the amount of academic and intellectual debate, because I saw such intelligent and established people on both sides having such contrasting opinions,” said Kamalendran, who also is president of UTM’s Politics Society.
“That really piqued my interest, because both arguments are both so valid.”
After speaking to the class professor, Christopher Greenaway – who became his Laidlaw advisor— Kamalendran realized he could expand on the topic in the scholarship program. It also gave him the opportunity to approach the topic in a new way.
“Term papers have to be argumentative, so (for Greenaway’s class) I chose the side of caution, since most of the writing I found immediately was against (assisted dying),” said Kamalendran.
“The Laidlaw program gave me the chance to step back and see which side is actually the one with the best points instead of choosing a side for the sake of just arguing.”
For the second summer of the program, Kamalendran, an aspiring lawyer, will work with the International Legal Foundation in New York.
“They do the really important service of connecting pro bono lawyers with the accused in countries where the legal justice system may not be well consolidated,” said Kamalendran.
The Laidlaw program has had a significant impact on him, said Kamalendran, who encouraged other UTM students to apply for the opportunity.
“For me, it's been life-changing,” he said. “It’s a really great way to start important conversations.”
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For her first Laidlaw summer, Habiba, a third-year molecular biology student, travelled to Geneva to explore a topic she had long wanted to learn more about.
“I was talking to a colleague about how I wanted to bring my interest in social work and science together and she said ‘Have you heard of science diplomacy?’ I hadn’t, but it sounded like a very good intersection,” Habiba said.
The professor in her UTM writing about science course – Guy Allen, who is now her Laidlaw advisor – encouraged her to pursue an independent study project on science diplomacy, which she then used to apply for the Laidlaw scholars program.
Habiba chose to focus her Laidlaw research on science diplomacy as it relates to cancer after a relative’s own medical journey in a low-income country.
While in Switzerland, she studied policy papers and strategy documents from the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipatory, the World Health Organization, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
She was looking to learn how those organizations are proactively addressing systemic disparities in cancer outcomes with “anticipatory thinking.”
Historically used for military or emergency preparedness, anticipatory thinking involves spotting emerging trends and challenges before they fully materialize, using tools like radar committees, which monitor scientific research up to 10-20 years before breakthroughs.
For her second summer, Habiba will be in England volunteering with Sense About Science, a London charity that promotes public interest in evidence-based science.
“They work with the UK parliament to convene areas where science diplomacy really exists,” she said. “I get to take my theory-based research and apply it, and actually be in these places where conversations are happening with policymakers and scientists.”
Since becoming a Laidlaw scholar, Habiba has added health policy classes to her UTM schedule. She said learning how science diplomacy can reduce the lag between innovation and impact has sparked new ideas for her own future plans.
“I still want to be a scientist, but if I'm also in a policy setting, I can impact a lot more people,” she said. “If I’m a policy maker, I'm controlling a lot of these important decisions.”
