This past year was certainly eventful for IRIC’s student community. The laboratories, usually buzzing with students, emptied out and new ways of working had to be quickly set up in a context that remained uncertain and complex.
Despite the obstacles and challenges that we faced along the way, I would like to point out the exceptional resilience shown by IRIC’s students. They rolled up their sleeves and helped advance their research projects, come hell or high water, and even contributed to the study of the action mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2. As the research field found itself under the spotlight in this situation of world crisis, their work and their mission as future investigators took on its full meaning.
As for the members of the Academic Affairs team, I take my hat off to them. They ramped up their efforts and their ingenuity in order to adapt to this new virtual reality and achieve their recruitment goals by putting activities in place that could attract new talent to join the ranks of IRIC’s scientists. The recruitment campaign turned into a digital campaign and, as the numbers prove, the interest shown by students from Quebec, Canada and abroad remained strong.
In these unpredictable times, the team also worked tirelessly to provide all of the support required to the student community in order for it to maintain the rhythm of its studies and continue to carry out its research projects in a healthy and safe environment, on both a physical and psychological level. The team continued to be mindful of making a difference using a personalized approach and it accomplished its mission with flying colors. The hard work of the Academic Affairs team paid off and was rewarded, this year, for its exceptional contribution to student success.
Finally, although the pandemic created its share of upheaval, it did not stifle the ambition or the talent of our students. They received several awards and scholarships to allow them to continue their studies and contribute to advances in cancer research. Moreover, that recognition greatly contributed to IRIC’s visibility. Talents like Thomas Milan, a Ph.D. student in the High-Throughput Genomics Research Unit headed by Brian Wilhelm, who won the Prix de reconnaissance de l’engagement étudiant 2020-2021 – cycles supérieurs de l’Université de Montréal, have highlighted the perseverance of the student community during these uncertain times.
