CONNECT Summer Student Award

CONNECT awards serve as a pipeline to allow a new generation of undergraduate or medical summer students and co-op students to engage in GI and liver-related research. The CONNECT program serves to connect interested students with scientists who will provide a supportive, engaging full-time, paid summer research role and reduce barriers to gaining research experience. The CONNECT program also includes learning and skill development opportunities via the TRIANGLE curriculum.

After the summer, CONNECT students will have access to long-term mentorship from leading scientists, clinician-scientists, and more senior students and fellows aimed at helping them continue their training into graduate school and beyond.

Most awards will go to students who belong to groups that have historically been excluded from advanced study in STEMM and to labs headed by TRIANGLE early career faculty, who will receive targeted training and mentorship to ensure CONNECT students have the best possible summer experience.

Faculty: This award is open to all Canadian researchers (new investigators to senior scientists) at a Canadian academic institution and/or health research institute, conducting gastrointestinal or liver research.

Students: Summer students that are supported by this grant must be:

enrolled as an undergraduate or medical student in the term immediately before or after their CONNECT studentship at a Canadian university.
eligible to work full-time on or off campus.
able to meet the in-person requirements of the host institution.
guaranteed a position in the lab, regardless of the outcome of this award.

Location: The award must be held at a Canadian academic institution and/or health research institute.

Citizenship: This program is open to Canadians and permanent residents of Canada. Both the student and faculty/supervisor must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.

Research: All projects must focus on gastrointestinal (GI) or liver researcher.

Successful applicants will receive:

A $6000 summer student stipend for 12-16 weeks (May – August) of full-time or part-time
research.

In addition, summer students supported by this stipend will receive:

Scientific seminars with leaders in GI and liver research – career and professional development support
Mentorship from more senior TRIANGLE students and fellows
Social and community building events with other local CONNECT students and TRIANGLE awardees

Deadline to apply: February 28th 2025 at 11:59 pm EST. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

When you are ready to submit your application click on the “APPLY NOW” button on our website to complete the online form. You will be asked to upload each of the required documents below.

Proof of citizenship for the summer student and the faculty/supervisor: A pdf of your passport, birth certificate, or residency card are all acceptable forms of verification. Please name it “Lastname_Citizenship”. Identity documentation will not be circulated to the adjudication committee and will only be used to review eligibility.
Summer Student CV/Resume: Please name it “Lastname Resume.”
Faculty/Supervisor CCV Biosketch: Please name it “Lastname CV”
Summer student transcripts: Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. Please name it “Lastname transcripts”
Student Letter: All students are required to write a 250-word maximum letter answering the following question. “Please explain how your past experiences, life challenges, and/or career goals motivate you to pursue a career in research and work in this lab specifically.” Please name it “Lastname Letter”

In addition to uploading these items the Faculty/Supervisor Applicant will be asked:

Project Title
Lay Abstract
What you plan for your CONNECT summer student to learn and do for this project.
How having a summer student will support your research and this project.
How you and your lab members will mentor and supervise a CONNECT summer student.

EVENT	DATE
Applications Open	December 1^st 2024
Deadline to apply	February 28^th 2025
Review of applications by the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology Research Affairs Committee	March 1^st – 31^st 2025
Notice of funding results	Mid April 2025
Funding period	May – August 2025

Reviewer Assignment and Conflict of Interest:

1. Upon application deadline, the TRIANGLE Program Manager will collate applications and ensure that each applicant meets all eligibility requirements.

2. TRIANGLE funded ECRs via the SECURE stream who have been guaranteed a summer student will be removed from the application pool and automatically approved by the TRIANGLE program manager.

3. The following information will then be sent via email by TRIANGLE program manager to the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG) Research Affairs Committee Project Manager:

The total number of awards available for funding
A list of the remaining applicants in excel
A PDF of each application
A link to the evaluation form

4. The CAG Project Manager and Research Affairs Committee will manage all conflicts of interest, assignment of reviews, and completion of reviews.

5. CAG will assign 3 reviewers to each application based on the collected conflicts of interest. Emails are sent by CAG to the reviewers to accept or decline and declare any conflict of interest. A new reviewer will be assigned if a reviewer declines or has a conflict.

Reviews and Scoring:

6. Reviewers are given approximately 4 weeks to complete their reviews and return the evaluation form via Redcap with scores. The CAG Project Manager will ensure all reviews are completed within the designated timeframe. Reviewers will score the candidates based on the following categories and all will have equal weight.

CATEGORY	POINTS
Applicant: Faculty Applicant/Supervisor’s research and publication record	5 points
Applicant: Growth as a researcher with summer student support	5 points
Mentorship: Student’s role and skill development	5 points
Mentorship: Mentorship plan for the summer student	5 points
Summer student: Resume and GPA	5 points
Summer student: Contents of student letter	5 points

7. Based on the reviewer evaluation scores, all applications will be ranked by the CAG Project Manager and shared with the Research Affairs Committee. The top applications will be accepted for funding.

8. The ranking and funding order will then be shared with the TRIANGLE Program Manager.

Notice of Award:

9. Notices to all applicants will be sent via email by the TRIANGLE Program Manager that will include their rank among all applicants. Feedback and/or copies of the reviewer’s forms will not be sent with the notice. Applicants are always welcome to contact the TRIANGLE Program Manager for further information regarding their application.

Grievances:

10. All grievances with the selection process can be brought to the Steering Committee via the Program Manager or anonymous feedback survey: https://surveys.sickkids.ca/surveys/?s=47TLPWH9MNJN9AHF

11. A follow-up discussion with TRIANGLE can be planned based on the issue and method of
contact, if needed.

CONNECT Summer Student Award

Triangle Program Office