After a summer of conducting research, students from the Pathways to Graduate Studies (P2GS) program headed back to classes this year with a new set of skills and experience.
Through P2GS, second year neuroscience student, Kadyn McDonald, spent the summer working with UWinnipeg professor, Dr. Natalie Richer. He conducted electroencephalogram (EEG) brain scans, which support research on the correlation between brain activity and balance.
“You sit in the psychology classes and these physics classes and you learn about electrical impulses and the brain,” said McDonald, “but to be able to actually work in there and see how all of these examples that we’re talking about in class are actually gathered in real time was super neat experience.”
Now in its seventh year, the P2GS program supports Indigenous students in sciences – providing research experiences and Indigenous cultural activities to students in the first few years of their degree programs.
Being able to work in the lab, I’ve made a lot of good connections. These are people I now can rely on and ask questions to.
Kadyn McDonald
“Having research opportunities for early undergraduate students is such a unique experience that the University of Winnipeg can provide,” said Anna Weier, Project Coordinator for Indigenous Leaders in Science. “In 2025, we were able to support 15 Indigenous students in Sciences to explore research, participate in extra science learning, and engage in Indigenous cultural activities.”
P2GS provides paid work opportunities to introduce students to the world of research. It encourages them to continue with their undergraduate programs, and eventually to go into graduate programs.
McDonald said he gained new practical skills through his placement, like communication skills and adaptability. But he also said the program provided invaluable connections in the early stages of his university career.
“Being able to work in the lab, I’ve made a lot of good connections,” he said. “These are people I now can rely on and ask questions to. They can help me outside of the lab with schoolwork, as a lot of them have gone through the same path that I’m currently on.”
Second-year biology student, Tia Plawicki, also participated in summer research through P2GS. She said she appreciated the team environment that the program provided.
“It taught me how school does not always have to be an independent program and how there are many ways to participate in group work outside of class,” said Plawicki. “It creates a positive student experience outside of the school semester. I was able to get to know people from the University that I had not met before and create a friendship with them outside of school.”
This summer, Plawicki worked with Assistant Biology Professor, Dr. Anas Usoof. Their research focused on analyzing forested critical habitat zones in lower British Colombia for the Nooksack Dace and Salish Sucker fish using computer programs such as QGIS and Google Earth Pro.
“One of the things I learned from my experience completing research is how to overcome challenges,” she said. “The trial-and-error process made the project more interesting, as there was an unexpected level of creativity when attempting to find solutions to problems that I had not encountered before.”
Plawicki’s biggest take away from her summer of research work is learning how important collaboration is to research.
“P2GS is extremely supportive environment to begin the first steps of research,” she said. “Both the faculty members and program coordinators are welcoming and are always willing to help. They also facilitated many off-campus activities as well which helped foster the collaborative environment that I think is what made this research program unique.”
The Pathway to Graduate Studies (P2GS) program offers research opportunities for Indigenous students in STEM at UWinnipeg. P2GS is open to Indigenous students who have declared a major in a natural science and engineering field or are planning to declare a major in a natural science and engineering field.
