I am writing to comment on the story “Undergraduate research opportunities lacking on campus” in the March 20th edition of the Manitoban.
I’d like to begin by congratulating Ms. Drewnik for her article and support her conclusion that having more research and work experience opportunities would be beneficial. My concern is that the choice of image (faculty of science office) associated with the story may give the wrong impression to readers that science is in some way not supportive of such opportunities. To the contrary, science funds its own undergraduate research program to more than double the number of opportunities that would be provided through NSERC awards alone. Also, in terms of co-op education, it was the first faculty to offer a co-op option (beginning in 1983) and still has the largest number of co-op students of any faculty on campus. Further, we continue to strive in tough economic times to increase our support for such programs. Kudos to Ms. Drewnik and the Manitoban for bringing the importance of research and work experiences up for discussion. I hope that your readers will not be misdirected by the unfortunate choice of photo.
Peter Graham, associate dean (research), faculty of science
