Local high school academic superstar wins prestigious University of Alberta internship
An Edmonton teen has earned the unique opportunity to learn the ropes of working in a university laboratory, before he even started his undergraduate degree.
Eighteen-year-old Navdeep Badhan won this year's Brain Bee neuroscience and mental health trivia competition and with it, a summer internship to work in a research lab at the University of Alberta.
"Just before entering high school my biology teacher introduced a competition called the Brain Bee and I've been taking part in the Brain Bee since Grade 9," Badhan said. "That's when I realized that since is something that I'm really passionate about."
The student extraordinaire has also taken part in history competitions, winning the Canadian National History event and others in New Jersey and New York, as well as publishing articles and participating in security council simulations.
"I represented the U.S. in a fast-paced security crisis committee (in a 1991 United Nations simulation)," Badhan added. "I learned so much more about history and the vast amount of lessons we've learned from our historical mistakes and events."
The past summer, he's worked in Joanne Lemieux's lab studying proteins involved in disease. While it was a big learning jump from high school to working in a university graduate-level lab, Badhan says he welcomes the challenge.
"In high school, my labs were typically 99 per cent of the time successful," he told CTV News Edmonton. "Here, I was sort of really surprised when I was told the opposite number. Ninety per cent of the time, things don't work out as you expect."
Getting the opportunity to experience working in a lab before even attending university is important, Badhan says, as it is helping inform his choice of degree.
"Starting young is really important in this case because the earlier you do, the earlier knowledge you have regarding this field," he said. "(Plus), I actually have a headstart when it comes to operating many of the lab equipment."
Lemieux explained that after winning the Brain Bee trivia competition, Badhan had the choice of choosing what lab to do a six-week internship in.
"It's a really great experience in the lab," Lemieux said. "It may seem daunting at first, you come into a lab where you don't know how to do anything. However, we really take steps to slowly introduce them and show them the lab environment.
"Then quickly you see just how confident they become," she said, adding that Badhan has since worked up to having the confidence to work independently.
After recently graduating from high school, Badhan now has his sights set on completing his undergrad and is debating between a master's in biochemistry or going to medical school.
"There's still time," he said. "There could be lots of different career options you could choose, but for right now, those two are in my mind."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.