News Release
UNB hopes program will entice young talent to return to N.B.
June 9, 2010
By JENNIFER DUNVILLE
dunville.jennifer@dailygleaner.com
The University of New Brunswick has launched a pilot program it hopes will attract international talent to the province.
The program, rolled out in partnership with Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems (MITACS) on Tuesday, links international undergraduate students with researchers at Canadian universities.
At UNB, the MITACS Globalink program provides a three-month internship with UNB researchers, entrepreneurs and industry specialists in the community. This year, the nine interns are from India.
But UNB president Eddy Campbell said the hope is to expand the program to include other countries.
"We are the first Atlantic Canadian university host for students through this program," Campbell said.
"We're creating entrepreneurial magic. Enterprise Fredericton's CEO said entrepreneurial magic is when the right ideas meet the right people, and that's part of what we're trying to do here. I believe we can accomplish that with this program. I believe in this program."
The goal of the MITACS Globalink program is to build research links with India, which MITACS officials call "an up-and-coming research and development powerhouse."
Over the three-month internship, students work on research projects supervised by faculty members, alongside undergraduate and graduate students. They receive business skills training, tour companies and network with industry leaders and innovators.
The program, funded by UNB and MITACS, costs $15,000 per student.
Campbell said the university is trying to secure other funding partners, including support from the federal and provincial governments.
"We see this as an investment," Campbell said. "It's an enriching experience that students from around the world bring to all of us. These extraordinarily bright students also contribute significantly to the research efforts we're undertaking at the university, which increases the economic returns that the province generates from its investments in its universities.
"We hope very much that these students will enjoy their experience here, go back and talk about the quality and lovely place this is and create a crowd of students interested in coming to UNB in the future and being a contributing part of this province."
Rohit Verma, a computer science student from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, is one of the students in the pilot program.
His research focuses on botnet detection, mitigation and visualization.
Botnets are one of the biggest computer security threats. They're responsible for a lot of malicious activities, from denial of service attacks to spam and phishing.
Verma said he's enjoying sharing his findings, learning about research at UNB and exploring the city.
"Our interaction with students and professors has broadened our perspective and exposed us to a different culture," Verma said.
"Fredericton has been a pleasant surprise as a home, coming across as a city in a calm, beautiful town.
"UNB's sprawling campus and flexible nature of the work here is very refreshing and great motivation. I'm extremely happy to be part of this great program.
"This has been an enjoyable and enriching experience that we will cherish for years to come."
MITACS is a national research network that connects university-based researchers with industry, government and the non-profit sector to develop tools and technologies to support the growth of Canada's knowledge-based economy.