Red Deer Polytechnic hosts second annual Research Showcase

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MacDougall says showcases like these are important for students in their academic careers.

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“The students not only get a chance to present where they’re at with their own work but other students can watch that and it creates ideas for them and hopefully inspires them to see what they can do when they’re a senior and a graduate,” she said.

One of the students who participated in RDP’s Research Showcase was Payton Baltzer. He is enrolled in the Bachelor of Science – Biological Sciences program and is also a forward on the Kings Basketball team. He presented two different research projects, including one in which he studied the home range size of female elk at Elk Island National Park in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. This study saw Baltzer and a fellow student map out the area where the elk occupied to not only understand their behaviour, but also the differences between populations and seasons.

Baltzer says that opportunities for students to present at events such as the Research Showcase provide valuable opportunities as they prepare for their future careers.

“Being able to present at a formal event is a very beneficial experience as public speaking and conferences are a part of many different jobs in the field. It will also be good practice for the future conferences and presentations I will be a part of later this year,” he said.

Another group of students, Allicia Irwin, Angela Ibe, and Carolyn Scott were presenting their research on fungal and oomycetes communities associated with White Spruce and Trembling Aspen seedlings, common tree species in the Red Deer area, using DNA and PCR identification technologies.

“I’m very proud of them actually; they’re a group of very good students,” said Dr. Cyrus Taheri, RDP Biology Instructor and lead for the project. “I’m very happy to see that they are excited about the project and they are working very hard to achieve the objectives.”

Ibe also noted that the showcase allows students to potentially take their research further beyond the project’s boundaries.

“We can also get more people to fund our research so I think that’s a great way to spread the word and get more people involved,” said Ibe.

RDP officials claim that by aligning its programming and applied research with Alberta’s key economic and social priorities, they are making a significant and long-term impact. Each year, RDP faculty, staff and students complete more than 100 applied research projects in various disciplines. They say the post-secondary institution collaborates with industry, non-profit organizations and community groups, among other partners, to research and identify solutions for a myriad of issues that affect Albertans and citizens further abroad.

The institution says they continue to grow their impact in applied research, ranking 38th on Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges 2022 list by Research Infosource Inc. In 2021, RDP attracted $2.6 million in applied research investment and ranked first in the country in annual growth in research income.

More details about RDP research, including details of the annual Research Showcase presentations, can be found on their website.