This summer, UBC Psychology teamed up with seed2STEM to bring BC Indigenous high school students into our labs for an immersive research experience.
On August 15, student researchers, faculty, and guests gathered at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health for a research showcase featuring students who participated in seed2STEM through four UBC Psychology labs. At the event, students shared their research findings, answered questions, and exchanged ideas—a meaningful culmination of six weeks of hands-on research and learning.
seed2STEM transforms reconciliation principles into action by creating culturally safe pathways for Indigenous high school students to participate in STEM research.
Below is a snapshot of the high school students’ experiences and our labs that welcomed them.
Meet the Labs and Students
Centre for Infant Cognition | PI: Dr. Kiley Hamlin
Research focus: Origins of social and moral cognition in infancy using infant-friendly paradigms such as puppet shows, videos, and interactive games.
Student hosted: Adison Hardy
Stepping out of her comfort zone, commuting far, learning a new lab rhythm, and presenting research helped Adison see a future in science and clarify her post-secondary path.
“It has definitely given me some insight on my future directions into post-secondary, and has been so helpful in giving me an idea of what I may want my future to look like.”
Adison Hardy
Absolutely loved my time with the seed2STEM program. I didn't even hear about it until the applications were almost closed, and I am really grateful for my family convincing me to give it a shot and sign up. When I applied and saw psychology, I instantly knew that I wanted to be in the program. The waiting to hear if I got in or not felt like forever, but it made it all the more exciting when I found out I was accepted. I really enjoyed how inclusive and unique the experience was with the Seed2Stem team, as well as my time at the Hamlin lab.
My two favourite things throughout this experience was creating the final poster, where I spoke about the study I was assigned to through the Hamlin lab. I really enjoyed talking about what I learnt this past summer, I spoke to a lot of people, which was slightly intimidating, but I loved every second! I enjoyed being able to watch live studies at the lab. Watching it happen in real time gives a different feeling then watching a previous recording, and it was always super cool to see how unique each study was.
One of my biggest challenges, on the contrary to one of my favourite things I did, was the process of creating the poster on my study. I spent a lot of hours tweaking and adjusting it, and it felt like a lifetime, but it was so worth it and I felt very proud of my end result. Alongside that, my other challenges were my commute and memorizing everything around the lab. I live almost 2 hours away from UBC, so it was definitely an adjustment transiting far to my placement each day, but I had fun with it!
Around the Hamlin lab, there was quite a bit to learn in the field I was assigned to. The first 2-3 weeks were mainly adjusting to the rhythm of the lab. Everyone at the Hamlin lab was so welcoming, supportive and helped me whenever I needed it. I learnt so many things that I'm sure I will find useful to me in the future. My experience through Seed2Stem this summer has, not to be dramatic, but honestly forever changed me. I took a major step outside of my comfort zone this past year doing lots of things I never thought I would ever have a chance of doing, and I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity. It has definitely given me some insight on my future directions into post-secondary, and has been so helpful in giving me an idea of what I may want my future to look like.
Adison’s journey shows how taking that first step outside her comfort zone opened not only a path toward science but also a clearer sense of who she wants to become.
Brain, Attention & Reality (BAR) Lab | PI: Dr. Alan Kingstone
Research focus: Real-world attention and social cognition using naturalistic observation, eye-tracking, motion tracking, and VR to study how people allocate attention in everyday settings.
Student hosted: Kyle Peters
At the BAR lab, Kyle slips on Pupil Labs Neon eye-trackers and watches fixations and saccades become data. The hard part, he says, isn’t the tech—it’s asking for help.
“I enjoyed the seed2STEM program very much. I faced challenges—like asking for help—but overcoming them ended in great success. I learned about theories of the mind and how Pupil Labs Neon eye-trackers connect the dots with fixations and saccades.”
I enjoyed the Seed2STEM program very much. In my words, it was an experience to have. I enjoyed the challenges I was faced with while spending time at the BAR Lab. I had struggled with asking for help, as it is not something I am entirely used to. But overcoming such a challenge ended in great success. I had learned THEORIES as to how the brain actually works, such as the "ID", "Ego", and "Super-ego".
Other things I had learned are how Pupil-Lab-Neons work with your eye, and how they connect the dots with fixations and saccades. Another interesting thing I learned at the BAR Lab is that not everything is strictly business-related. Students and advisors connect with each other and share stories, while also keeping a professional manner within the lab. This was my experience within the BAR Lab, and if I were to go back as a student, I would be comfortable in doing so.
Kyle’s experience shows that sometimes the biggest lesson in the lab isn’t technical; it’s also learning when and how to ask for help.
Memory & Imagination Lab — Dr. Daniela J. Palombo
Research focus: Autobiographical and emotional memory, and how memory supports imagination and future thinking; methods include cognitive tasks, VR, and fMRI.
Student hosted: Kameron Kivi
Six weeks is not a lot of time, unless you use it well. In the Memory & Imagination Lab, Kameron wrote code for an emotional-memory task, tested, refined, and analyzed it—and presented the findings.
“Kameron learned to program a task, generate hypotheses, run a pilot, and analyze and interpret data. There was real buzz at his poster—he fielded questions like a pro.”
Kameron Kivi
It was an honour to participate in the Seed2Stem program for the first time this year. This incredibly organized program was designed to support Indigenous youth in STEM at an early stage of their academic journeys—during high school! I had the pleasure of supervising a wonderful, curious, analytical, and hard-working grade 9 student named Kameron, who learned a lot about emotional memory in only six weeks! Kameron learned to program his own task, generate hypotheses, run a pilot experiment, and analyze and interpret data. Kameron had a lot of buzz and enthusiasm at his poster, which was presented as part of a special event celebration brunch on August 15th. He fielded questions like a pro! It was a pleasure having Kameron around this summer.
Kameron’s time in the lab offered a glimpse of how early exposure and thoughtful mentorship can spark a lasting interest in research.
The Soma Laboratory | PI: Dr. Kiran Soma
Research focus: How steroid hormones regulate brain, behaviour, and immune function, using LC-MS/MS and a multidisciplinary approach.
Student hosted: Jamie Boyle
In six weeks, Jamie went from curious to hands-on, sectioning mouse brain tissue on the cryostat and wrapping it with a clear, well-received poster.
“While with seed2Stem, I enjoyed being able to learn about all the equipment used in labs. Being able to slice a mouse brain with the cryostat and doing my own steroid extraction were both very fun and rewarding experiences.”
Jamie Boyle
While with seed2Stem, I enjoyed being able to learn about all the equipment used in labs. Being able to slice a mouse brain with the cryostat and doing my own steroid extraction were both very fun and rewarding experiences. I believe it was such a pleasant experience because of the lab members who were there to teach me everything I needed to know. They were such a big part in what made my experience so special and memorable because they were all so kind and willing to help, that I felt like I was always having so much fun.
The biggest challenge I faced while with Seed2Stem was for sure the commute. Since I don’t live in Vancouver, I had to commute to Vancouver 5 days a week, which was between 2 and 3 hours of commuting a day. Thankfully, I was having so much fun while at UBC that I actually didn’t mind the commute at all.
For Jamie, the commute may have been long, but the discovery of both science and belonging made every hour worth it.
Student mentor — Bella Yang (UBC undergraduate student)
Jamie progressed from newcomer to presenting an independent behavioural-neuroscience project in six weeks, while Bella, mentoring for the first time, honed her teaching skills through the seed2STEM experience.
“Working with Jamie, our high-school student this summer, was a fun and rewarding experience. It was inspiring to see how much she grew in just six weeks through her curiosity and hard work.”
Bella Yang (right); Jamie Boyle (left)
Working with Jamie, our high school student this summer, was a fun and rewarding experience. From being new to behavioural neuroscience research to presenting her own independent project, it was inspiring to see how much she grew in just six weeks through her curiosity and hard work. As a first-time mentor, I also learned a great deal about how to be an effective teacher. The Seed2STEM program not only makes STEM research more accessible and engaging for Indigenous youth but also provides a valuable opportunity for lab members to develop as mentors.
Bella’s reflections reveal how mentorship is never one-sided; it’s an exchange that leaves both the teacher and the learner changed.
About seed2STEM
- seed2STEM was launched by ICORD (International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries) with one student in 2018 as a way to address underrepresentation of Indigenous people in STEM
- In 2025, the program welcomed 104 students, including 7 undergraduate program alumni
- University labs host Indigenous high school students in Grade 9-12 for 6-week, paid summer research internships
- 88% of Grade 12 graduates who participated in seed2STEM have pursued post-secondary education, 76 % of whom have chosen STEM fields
- seed2STEM alumni who go on to undergraduate post-secondary studies at any institution are invited to return for 4-month paid research assistantships, and also act as mentors to new high school students
- At the end of the program, students present their research to the research community, friends, family and teachers at a celebration symposium
- seed2STEM is a recipient of the City of Vancouver’s Leadership in Reconciliation Award for 2025
Why partnerships matter
UBC’s seed2STEM program demonstrates how reconciliation in research is built through relationships and shared learning. The program connects community mentors, teachers, students, and university labs, each contributing their own expertise and perspectives. Together, they create space for Indigenous youth to engage with science in ways that reflect their communities and curiosity, while helping institutions reimagine what inclusive research looks like in practice. The impact moves in both directions: labs deepen their approaches to mentorship and equity, and students leave with confidence, skills, and tangible expressions of their work—posters, data, and new ways of seeing themselves in science.
“This incredibly organized program was designed to support Indigenous youth in STEM at an early stage of their academic journeys—during high school.”
