I-CUREUS: Provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to conduct paid research and gain hands-on experience in their discipline or an area of interest.

SaPP: Offers instructors and learning support staff the opportunity to involve undergraduate students in teaching innovation and curriculum design through paid work experience.

The deadline to apply for either program is Oct. 31. If you have any questions, please reach out to tls@carleton.ca.

The annual event provides an opportunity for students who participated in the Internship-杏吧原创 University Research Experience for Undergraduate Students (I-CUREUS) and Students as Partners Program (SaPP) to share their work and celebrate their achievements.

This year, 144 undergraduate students participated in these two experiential learning programs, building their communication, teamwork and research skills, and applying their disciplinary knowledge in an impactful way.

I-CUREUS

Students in I-CUREUS conduct research in their program or an area of interest. In the process, they build connections and gain exposure to research techniques. This year鈥檚 participants worked on a range of projects, including exploring outdoor learning in Canadian schools and using yeast to investigate the genetics of a rare childhood disease.

Engingeering student Talha Nawaz presenting his poster at the 2025 I-CUREUS and SaPP Showcase.

Talha Nawaz, a fourth-year student in aerospace engineering, worked with Prof. Jeremy Lalibert茅 to analyze data and develop a simulation model that can predict the fuel weight onboard an aircraft, providing insight into flight efficiency.

He says the showcase has provided a great opportunity for him to practice conveying the details of his project to people who don鈥檛 necessarily have engineering backgrounds, and highlighting the human impact of his work.

After participating in I-CUREUS, Nawaz says he鈥檚 now considering a master鈥檚 program to pursue more research, adding that he appreciates the connections he鈥檚 been able to build through the program.

鈥淚t started off with sitting in my supervisor’s research meetings and I was just listening, trying to absorb what was going on and thinking about what I can do,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hen slowly, bit by bit, I met all these different people. Now I鈥檓 talking to a bunch of people that are working at places where I want to work.鈥�

Tracy Li presenting her project at the 2025 I-CUREUS and SaPP Showcase.

Tracy Li, a third-year industrial design student, worked with Prof. Steven Pong to explore the potential of using data to generate patterns and drive design, rather than traditional cultural or aesthetic influences. As part of a case study, they used a bar graph as the basis to design a coffee table that was inspired by a summer cottage experience by the lake.

鈥淒esign is such a personal, subjective sector,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his is really such a different way of thinking to try to make design systematic. That in itself seems like such an oxymoron and that鈥檚 a really neat exploration.鈥�

Li says she’s had some experience with more traditional research, such as systematic reviews, but really wanted a tangible end product, and in her initial discussions with Prof. Pong, she found he was on board.

鈥淚-CUREUS gave me the opportunity to complete a different type of research that I didn鈥檛 know was possible, but it became a lot more meaningful that way,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his was the best-case scenario for me 鈥� having a supervisor that鈥檚 so supportive and really aligned with the things that I wanted and having an opportunity to present my work afterwards is really meaningful.鈥�

SaPP

Students in SaPP gain hands-on work experience by collaborating with instructors, librarians and teaching support staff on course design. This year鈥檚 participants worked on projects that included developing a handbook to support first-year students in navigating the academic publishing process, creating a database of templates for teaching assistants to draw from when running tutorials, and redesigning assessments to optimize learning.

Matteo Montgomery, a third-year student in neuroscience and mental health, partnered with Prof. Ashley Thompson on a Brightspace module designed to teach undergraduate students in STEM courses about stress, coping and academic resilience.

鈥淎 lot of people come at stress as just this negative thing you have to power through. The big idea is reframing what stress is and letting them understand what is actually going on in their bodies and in their brains when they鈥檙e stressed,鈥� he says. 鈥淲ith all that knowledge they can just be more aware of their own responses and different responses that they could make.鈥�

Third-year student Matteo Montgomery presenting at the 2025 I-CUREUS and SaPP Showcase.

Montgomery says his experience in SaPP gave him the chance to explore his strong interests in both pedagogy and research, adding that he was able to develop different skills simultaneously, from leadership and time management to data analysis and public speaking.

鈥淚 think it was gaining so many different, almost unrelated skills, all in one project that I鈥檓 very grateful for,鈥� he says.

Browse through the showcase program to learn more about the projects presented at this year鈥檚 event.

Funded by the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) and administered by Teaching and Learning Services, the Provost Scholar Award is valued at $500 and is given to undergraduate students who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in research, community engagement, immersive learning and/or international activities.

The Peter J. Ricketts Outstanding Provost Scholar Award was established in 2019 and is given to an outstanding recipient of the Provost Scholar Award. The award is named for Peter J. Ricketts, who served as the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) at 杏吧原创 for eight years. This year鈥檚 award, worth an additional $2,000, was presented to Aya Tessier.

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2025 Provost Scholar Awards!

Teaching and Learning Services has launched online modules that will help students prepare for a future with AI (Photo by Ticha/stock.adobe.com)

In a world where technology is rapidly evolving, artificial intelligence (AI) is seemingly everywhere, transforming many aspects of our daily lives. From using smart thermostats or robot vacuums in our homes, to offering virtual reality simulations in university courses, to automating tasks in the workplace, AI is changing the way we live, learn and work.

To help prepare students for this new wave of technology, Teaching and Learning Services has launched online learning experiences that foster knowledge, skills and confidence in AI and digital literacy.

These new modules are part of FUSION, an initiative that aims to bridge academic and employability skills. They will teach students how to identify accurate information online, manage their digital footprint and use AI effectively and ethically.

鈥淎I is revolutionizing and reshaping our society, and we need to make sure our students are ready so they can thrive, not only academically, but in their personal and professional lives going forward,鈥� says Vice Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic), David Hornsby.

鈥淭hese modules, and the FUSION program as a whole, are invaluable in our mission to develop the next generation of citizen scholars and professional leaders.鈥�

Each module takes about four hours to complete. Instructors can incorporate any of the modules directly into their courses, while students also have the option to self-enroll in any module and complete it at their own pace.

杏吧原创 University history professor Dominique Marshall incorporated the FUSION AI literacy module into her graduate seminar (Photo by Chris Roussakis)

Dominique Marshall, a professor in 杏吧原创鈥檚 Department of History, incorporated the AI literacy module in her graduate seminar this past fall. She hoped that an explicit discussion of ethics would help students assess their current practices and identify any apprehensions they had about AI.

鈥淚 was interested by the fact that graduate students were often less familiar with generative AI, that diligent students were often more reluctant to use it, and that there should be ways to help all students go beyond the – now obsolete – idea that AI means plagiarism and should be avoided,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hese discussions have to happen, and the fact that we have dedicated course time to do this together, and in conversation, is valuable.鈥�

Once her students completed the AI literacy module, she had them apply their skills in a project using Microsoft Copilot. She says the module gave students a vocabulary to address worries and hopes they might have had about generative AI and that it helped them become more aware of the privacy implications and precautions that need to be taken when using these tools.

Megan Hurtado, a fourth-year biology student, finished the AI literacy module this year and agrees that it helped her see the importance in critically evaluating AI-generated content.

鈥淢y AI literacy skills have improved significantly, especially in evaluating the transparency and fairness of AI-generated content,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檝e become more critical of biases in outputs, more mindful of privacy considerations and better at ensuring that AI applications avoid harm.鈥�

She says she can now use the skills she鈥檚 developed to enhance her research and lab work. She plans to leverage AI tools to brainstorm projects, analyze data and help with literature reviews.

The FUSION AI and digital literacy modules will teach students how to identify accurate information online, manage their digital footprint and use AI effectively and ethically (Photo by Bryan Gagnon)

It’s not just 杏吧原创 students who will benefit from these learning opportunities. Plans are underway at Ericsson and Ross Video to pilot the modules with students who intern or are on co-op placements with their companies.

Lorraine Godden, FUSION national implementation lead, says the modules will help students become more efficient and effective learners, while building their work and life-readiness.

鈥淎ll kinds of digital tools and software, including AI, are increasingly used in a variety of ways across all areas of our society, from automating routine tasks, to streamlining workflows and facilitating communication and collaboration. But you need digital skills to capitalize on this,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e need to provide students with appropriate skills development to ensure they can deploy these tools effectively and responsibly.”

In addition to AI and digital literacy, FUSION offers eight other modules on topics such as adaptability, communication and inclusivity. Three additional modules are in development and will be released over the course of the next year. Over 1,600 students have completed at least one module since the program launched in 2020.

Experience cinematic titles such as First Steps (an introduction to VR), Sea Level Rise (focused on climate change), Guided Meditation (daily life with guided meditation), The Dawn of Art (exploring prehistory cave drawings) and more.

Don’t miss this opportunity to dive into the future of learning and virtual reality. Join us in the Future Learning Lab (room 482) and explore these captivating visual worlds firsthand during our drop-in sessions on the following dates:

• Thursday, April 17 from 1 to 3 p.m.
• Thursday, April 24 from 1 to 3 p.m.
• Thursday, May 15 from 1 to 3 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 27 from 10 a.m. to noon

If you鈥檙e interested in participating in I-CUREUS, speak with your professors about your interest or reach out to your departmental administrator for more information. The deadline to apply for the program is Wednesday, Aug. 31.