On Wednesday May 7th, Maria Merziotis of Hillcrest High School in Ottawa won the $5,000 first prize and the $1,000 commercial prize at the 2008 Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge (SABC) National Competition, hosted by NRC. For the second year, Dr. Michel Gilbert, a research officer at the NRC Institute for Biological Sciences (NRC-IBS), served as mentor to Merziotis.

Entitled "Synthesis of a receptor for the influenza virus," Merziotis' project "demonstrates the potential of a new way to diagnose and perhaps prevent influenza," said Dr. Michelle Peel of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, who presented the commercial prize during the SABC award presentation at 100 Sussex Drive.

Left to right: Dr. Pierre Coulombe, Maria Merziotis, Dr. Michel Gilbert and Dr. Roman Szumski

Merziotis was one of 14 regional SABC winners from across Canada who earned the right to compete for the national crown. To qualify for this prestigious science competition, hundreds of student teams submitted project outlines to a scientific evaluation committee. Those whose projects were approved were then paired with mentors, who guided them in the project design. Biotechnology mentors also provided valuable support to contestants by familiarizing them with lab work and sophisticated equipment.

"Over the past year, Maria's scientific knowledge has really broadened," said Dr. Gilbert. "Her ability to read the scientific literature has increased. At both the regional and the national competition, she did a great job of presenting and explaining her work, and handling questions. I am very proud of her."

Merziotis' win earns her an invitation to represent Canada at the upcoming sanofi-aventis International BioGENEius Challenge in San Diego from June 16-18, along with the second place team of Jonathan Schneider, Josh Alman and Norman Yau. This trio, who attend the University of Toronto Schools, identified plant genes that could help lead to the development of new salt-resistant crops. 

The 2008 SABC National Competition was judged at NRC by a panel of senior officials from the public and private sectors, including Dr. Roman Szumski, Vice-President, NRC Life Sciences; as well as last year's SABC winner, Ted Paranjothy. The panel evaluated each project for its relevance to biotechnology, innovation, and level of science.

The Honourable John Baird, Minister of the Environment, greeted the 2008 SABC finalists on behalf of the Government of Canada.

During the awards ceremony, Lynn Yelich, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Canada, noted that some of the most prominent scientists in Canada have worked at NRC, such as Nobel Prize winner Gerhard Herzberg. "As I look around this room, I see talented, energetic and successful young researchers," she added. "I wonder if I'm looking at a future Nobel Prize laureate."

NRC President Dr. Pierre Coulombe used the event as a chance for informal recruiting. "Did you know that NRC has facilities in every province and that last year, more than 1,200 students worked with our research teams across Canada?" he asked the finalists. "I'm certain that this information is of interest to many of you who will be looking for summer jobs over the next few years."

SABC finalist and judges