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Giving students a first-hand look at research in the health sciences

April 24, 2018
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Montreal CEGEP and high school students visit PERFORM

In recent months graduating students from Montreal area CEGEPs and high schools have visited the PERFORM Centre to get hands-on experience in our labs and learn more about the sciences in a University setting.

Since it opened its doors in 2011, PERFORM has welcomed hundreds of students interested in pursuing their studies in the sciences.

“These visits have been a great way to get high school and CEGEP students to think about how preventive health science is implicated in every human endeavour, and so can be studied in many different ways,” says Deborah Cross, manager of education and community programs.

“They also introduce students to the important contributions that Concordia University is making in preventive health which could translate to them wanting to be a part of this new movement”.

In one such visit, students from Marianopolis College, who were either enrolled in the Honours Science Certificate or participating in their school’s The Lab Project, came to PERFORM. During that visit Dr. Lisa Kakinami, assistant professor from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and her research assistants led the CEGEP students through a learning project that included collecting data from two of PERFORM’s assessment modalities in the Athletic Therapy unit, formulating an hypothesis and analyzing the data. The visiting students had the opportunity to observe how assessments are conducted and to serve as study participants.

Students from Dawson College also experienced the practical side of athletic therapy. During their visit, they toured and observed use of assessment equipment not usually available to them. In addition, they had the opportunity to participate in a nutrition session led by PERFORM’s onsite registered dietitian. During the session, students learned about the relationship between food, inflammation and injury. They also had a unique opportunity to run tests on volunteers.

This year, PERFORM also welcomed students from Vanier College’s Special Care Counselling who participated in the delivery of select programs such as fitness testing, aqua therapy and music therapy.

All of the high school and CEGEP visits were made possible with the financial support of Concordia’s Office of the Provost.

“We are very grateful to the Office of the Provost for its continued sponsorship and support of these events” said Cross. “It’s exciting for us as people working in University research to meet these young people who are excited by science and are passionate about continuing to pursue science in their studies and careers”.

The PERFORM Centre will welcome more students throughout the spring and early summer.



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