Community, Culture and Research with IMPRESS 2024
The 2024 edition of the Indigenous Mentorship and Paid Research Experience for Summer Students (IMPRESS)聽kicked off last month, welcoming 19 students to McGill for the summer. Run by Branches, McGill's Community Outreach Program, IMPRESS aims to create a unique space for Indigenous youth, empowering them to overcome barriers and thrive academically while fostering Indigenous perspectives and knowledge in the research community. Each summer, IMPRESS pairs undergraduate Indigenous students from across the country with McGill professors and graduate students for hands-on, paid research experience, professional skill-building and Indigenous-focused community engagement.
Join us for the IMPRESS Research Day, held on Tuesday, July 30, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at McGill's Bellini Life Sciences Complex Atrium (located at 3649 Promenade Sir William Osler) in Montreal.聽The 19 students will be showcasing their research spanning various disciplines at McGill and present the work stemming from their experience with IMPRESS this summer.
In addition to their academic and research endeavours, IMPRESS also offers its student-interns a wide variety of activities and workshops, such as self-reflection exercises, beading, hoop dancing and attending the annual Pow Wow in Kahnawake, Quebec.聽
On Thursday, June 13, students enjoyed the morning in Kahnawake with Iontionhnh茅hkwen Wilderness Skills, where they learned new techniques for reflecting in nature, starting fires, tying knots and building shelters.
On Thursday, July 4, IMPRESS hosted a gardening workshop titled 鈥淒ecolonizing your Garden,鈥� where the students prepared seeds of Canada Goldenrod, New England Aster and Hoary Vervain for fall germination. This hands-on experience was guided by Bogs, the founder of , who shared insights on revitalizing the land with native species.
HBHL is proud to support the STEM-track of the IMPRESS program, a unique experiential learning opportunity that connects Indigenous undergraduate students with McGill professors to gain research experience鈥攁ll while being paid. Beyond that, it is also an opportunity for students to find an Indigenous community on campus. To learn more about IMPRESS,
