{"id":68116,"date":"2020-07-30T09:00:20","date_gmt":"2020-07-30T13:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=68116"},"modified":"2025-10-17T17:05:52","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T21:05:52","slug":"mentoring-high-schoolers-research","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/mentoring-high-schoolers-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Carleton Mentoring High Schoolers Keen on Research"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Carleton Mentoring High Schoolers Keen on Research\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

The incredible recovery of former U.S. congresswoman Gabby Giffords from a traumatic brain injury, sustained when she was shot in the head in 2011, has been inspiring to many\u2014not least a Grade 12 student at Ottawa\u2019s Lisgar Collegiate Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wim Creutzberg became fascinated by the way Giffords regained the ability to speak when her brain\u2019s neuroplasticity was engaged by music therapy.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cThe brain processes music like no other stimulus,\u201d he says. \u201cThe more I looked into it, the more interested I got in how we process patterns and why that can make us feel good.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

With help, he developed a methodology to investigate changes in dopamine activity in response to anticipated pattern alterations in music. In February, he was using functional near-infrared spectroscopy to gather data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s unusual work for a 17-year-old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, Creutzberg was enrolled in an innovative program that bridges the gap between secondary and university education that helps admissions departments identify promising students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prof. Matthew Holahan<\/a>, undergraduate chair of the Department of Neuroscience<\/a> at Carleton University and Creutzberg\u2019s mentor, was happy to lend his support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe mentoring process has been really positive,\u201d he reports. \u201cWim has some really good ideas, and, like other high school students I\u2019ve worked with, he\u2019s highly motivated. Part of my job is to find a balance between being encouraging and being realistic; there are constraints around time and equipment accessibility, for example. We\u2019ve had discussions and worked out something that\u2019s feasible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Carleton<\/figure>\n\n\n

Eclectic Mix of Students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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The Capstone Research Program is an import from the U.S. College Board, an organization that develops standardized tests and courses that support post-secondary admissions. Just 30 secondary schools in Canada are currently authorized to offer the program, and Lisgar Collegiate Institute in Ottawa was one of the first on board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe identify students in Grade 10 who are up for the challenge,\u201d says Mike Middleton, the Lisgar teacher who oversees the program.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cIn Grade 11, the program\u2019s first year, students learn to analyze different texts and research studies. Grade 12 starts with four months of intensive training in research methods, and they begin to identify what they want to research. Our position is: if they have an interest, we\u2019ll find a way to study it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

That can lead to an eclectic mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside Creutzberg, the other four students mentored by Carleton faculty in this year\u2019s group of 15\u2014Lisgar also has arrangements with the University of Ottawa, Global Affairs Canada and the National Research Council\u2014investigated hate crimes, funding of women candidates in the Republican Party, the evolution of a fairy tale as it passes through generations, and the influence of TikTok, a video-sharing social networking service, on digital story-telling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cImportantly, they are out doing real field research,\u201d adds Middleton. \u201cThey\u2019re taking water samples, scheduling interviews, analyzing archival documents. Given their age, it\u2019s impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anika Bousquet was the first student to be mentored at Carleton, for her study on how Canada could implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples relating to land rights. Now at Queen\u2019s in a politics, philosophy and economics specialization, she credits the capstone program with giving her a smooth transition to post-secondary education.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Carleton<\/figure>\n\n\n

Risk-Free Environment for Research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt made such a difference to my first year, which a lot of my peers found difficult.\u201d So comfortable was she in the academic environment that she took on a role as research assistant at a campus lab conducting reconciliatory research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bousquet\u2019s capstone experience also provided a risk-free environment for exploration. Her research included attending meetings of the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples \u2014 \u201can unforgettable glimpse into decision-making\u201d\u2014 which prompted the realization that she had a strong interest in policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Creutzberg appreciates learning skills around professionalism and time management: \u201cIn class we practised writing formal emails and talked about how to contribute in meetings, and even what to wear. Without this, I would\u2019ve had to learn these things by trial and error.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his role as mentor, Holahan appreciates the opportunity for community linkages.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cCarleton has great people with great ideas,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s really nice that secondary students in the area are aware of that, and that they know we\u2019re ready to build relationships and foster their curiosity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Like many Carleton students, this year\u2019s capstone class faced unique challenges when campuses were closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, necessitating creative solutions to data collection and stakeholder interactions. (The photographs that accompany this article were taken before the lockdown began and social distancing rules were implemented.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these challenges, capstone students completed their research and are poised to confidently take their first steps into post-secondary education this fall, in large part to the experience they gained through capstone and the mentoring process.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Carleton<\/figure>\n\n\n

—
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The incredible recovery of former U.S. congresswoman Gabby Giffords from a traumatic brain injury, sustained when she was shot in the head in 2011, has been inspiring to many\u2014not least a Grade 12 student at Ottawa\u2019s Lisgar Collegiate Institute. Wim Creutzberg became fascinated by the way Giffords regained the ability to speak when her brain\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":68118,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[28],"cu_story_tag":[],"class_list":["post-68116","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-community-partnerships"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":"blueprint"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/68116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/68116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98135,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/68116\/revisions\/98135"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=68116"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=68116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}