Grad student pays it back and forwards in new research shadowing program for first-year undergrads

Kangyu So went from mentee to mentor with a pilot project that brought together graduate and undergraduate students who share a passion for research.

Kangyu was one of four graduate students recruited to test drive a shadowing program developed by the Faculty of Science’s Office of Undergraduate Research. Tiana (Yan Hei) Ng was one of 149 first-year science undergrads who applied for the four mentee positions – her interest in environmental science got her matched with Kangyu who’s a Master of Science candidate majoring in Earth and Environmental Science.

Kangyu knew first-hand the impact mentors can have on undergraduate students. He joined Alemu Gonsamo’s Remote Sensing Laboratory as a research assistant in the third year of his undergraduate degree. Alemu is an assistant professor in the School of Earth, Environment & Society and the Canada Research Chair in Remote Sensing of Terrestrial Ecosystems.

“I lucked out,” says Kangyu. “Getting your foot in the door with research can be intimidating for undergraduate students. I never felt that in Dr. Gonsamo’s lab. He’s incredibly supportive and focused on developing students as researchers, from inviting us to conferences and workshops to contributing to papers and encouraging us to pursue our own research projects. He always makes time for every one of the students in his lab.”

Also welcoming Kangyu was graduate student Tanisha Sharma. She mentored Kangyu throughout his entire first year as a research assistant and then helped with his fourth-year thesis paper. “Tanisha inspired me to go to graduate school.”

Kangyu has stayed on in the Remote Sensing Laboratory as a graduate student, with Alemu supervising his research into remote sensing, global change ecology and biogeochemistry. Much of Kangyu’s work is focused on studying tree canopies and forest health.

Being invited to join the graduate shadowing program was a way for Kangyu to pay it forward.  Over eight weeks, he gave Tiana opportunities to learn about, and then do, environmental science fieldwork. She got to try out some of the tools of the trade, from a hypsometer that measures tree heights to advanced research software programs used to collect and interpret data. “I didn’t have any prior experience with coding so it was fun and interesting to try and replicate what Kangyu does as a researcher.”

Beyond showing Tiana the day-to-day work of a graduate researcher, Kangyu offered career planning and academic advice. “Kangyu recommended research labs and professors that I could reach out to, along with research scholarships and upper-year courses that I should consider.”

The knowledge transfer went both ways. Tiana gave Kangyu a crash course in sustainable chemistry – she’s now in Mac’s Honours Sustainable Chemistry program, the first of its kind in Canada. “There’s a lot of overlap between our fields,” says Kangyu. “Everything I know about the subject I learned from Tiana.”

The success of the shadowing program has the Office of Undergraduate Research looking to bring together even more undergraduate and graduate students.

And Kangyu says mentorship will be a lifelong commitment. “Mentors like Dr. Gonsamo and Tanisha made all the difference when I was an undergraduate student. So I have a responsibility to do the same – to pass on what I’ve learned and help guide the career development of the next generation of researchers and future collaborators. Empowering and engaging undergraduate students is one of the most fulfilling aspects of working at a university – it’s an absolute privilege.”