Connecting Young Minds (CYM) 2024 Undergraduate Research Conference: 5-Minute Scientific Research Presentations

Connecting Young Minds (CYM) is a bilingual research conference at the University of Ottawa, created and run by students to enrich the experiences of undergraduates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). With a mission to inspire research interest and foster innovation, CYM offers students a unique platform to present their research to an audience and expert judges. Every year, the conference hosts a research competition where students submit abstracts or proposals. Selected candidates present their work in a five-minute session, followed by a Question & Answer period, with three grand winners chosen on the conference day. Additionally, students engage with industry professionals, keynote speakers, and past uOttawa valedictorians through presentations and networking sessions. Originally started within the Faculty of Science, CYM has expanded to reach all STEM faculties. With over 300,000 students engaged on social media, 1,000 new followers, and over 300 attendees, CYM is now uOttawa’s largest STEM conference. As the university's only bilingual undergraduate research conference, CYM connects anglophone and francophone students with bilingual, world-renowned researchers, providing an exceptional platform for undergraduates to explore STEM fields and contribute to innovative research in a collaborative environment. Abstracts in this booklet were submitted by participants on a volunteer basis.