Diane Fulton, a Grade 11 student at Spirit River Regional Academy, has been accepted into the University of Alberta’s Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science, and Technology (WISEST) summer research program.
WISEST focuses on creating effective programs to empower women, and other underrepresented groups, to pursue, impact, and succeed in the fields of science, engineering, and technology. The summer research program, which is a six-week paid internship, gives students the knowledge they need to succeed in university, and in the science, engineering, and technology fields.
Miss Fulton, who is one of 40 young women to be accepted, says she applied to the program after hearing about it at a WISEST conference in Edmonton and with the support of her Social Studies teacher. “I’m nervous, but excited. When I found out I had an interview for the program I was freaking out, because it was the first time I had to do a professional interview.” She says that once she received her acceptance letter she faced the reality of prioritizing everything to make it happen. “It allowed me to really focus on the possibilities of the future and gave me the confidence boost of being accepted into this high academic program.”
Miss Fulton will spend the summer working in the area of paleontology, and her Program Instructor will be none other than Philip J. Currie. She says she is looking forward to discovering different areas of science and hone her developing passion for the field.