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
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.