Grace L. Tongue
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Rachel Pang
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Isabella Hoe
Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Jordan J. Yin
Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1H 8M5
Nicole Ajrab
Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Shaza El Bagoury
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Arushi Sharma
Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Tai Adewoye
Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Aida Kabbour
Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Dunia C. Ngilinga de Carvalho
Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1H 8M5
Omid Yeganeh
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Lilia Lahssaini-Benhima
Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5; Faculty of Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Tara Afshary
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Majd Al-Aarg
Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Hala Al-Farra
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Rebecca Santhosh Babu
Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1H 8M5
Samarth Chauhan
Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1H 8M5
Tiana Yuen
Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5; Faculty of Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Maggie Divok
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Kani Osiagwu
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Priyanka Azad
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Gloria Ginn
Faculty of Arts, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Samantha Sutherland
Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Abstract
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.
Abstract 
