U of S student’s video tweet wins CFI contest
Arinjay Banerjee, a PhD candidate in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, has been chosen as a winner in the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) #IAmInnovation Twitter contest.
By Sarath PeirisBanerjee, who is conducting research at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization — International Vaccine Centre on the potentially high impact of emerging viruses on humans, submitted a video tweet showing how VIDO-InterVac facilities with cutting-edge equipment funded by CFI is helping him.
“This is a great opportunity to showcase to a wide audience the great research being done at the U of S,” said Banerjee. “Thank you, CFI.”
Banerjee and two other winners each get the opportunity to take over CFI’s Twitter account for up to four hours on a business day before March 2018. The account has more than 10,000 followers, including some of Canada’s leading researchers, innovative companies and science media.
They also will be CFI’s guests at a special event in Ottawa where they will have an opportunity to discuss their research with MPs, senators and senior government officials.
“As I start my PhD, this is a fabulous chance to network and build connections,” said Banerjee.
Roseann O’Reilly Runte, CFI’s president and CEO, said her agency wanted young researchers to tell all Canadians just how important it is to equip this country’s bright minds with the tools they need to think big and innovate.
“The CFI knows that tomorrow’s research is being shaped by this new generation of great minds, and we want to highlight their contributions by celebrating and sharing their vision of a better future for Canada.”
The contest ran from Oct. 2 to Dec. 1 and drew 25 eligible submissions from across Canada. A panel of judges selected winners based on creativity, persuasiveness, and clarity of their submissions.