Hi! I am a Cambridge student and Laidlaw scholar whose research focuses on individual experiences of asexuality and mental health in the UK.  I am more broadly interested in research focused on LGBTQ+ experiences, and on reducing stigma and increasing access to healthcare for minoritised groups such as racial, sexual and gender minorities. 

My name is Alice (she/her) and I have just finished my first year at the University of Toronto studying Cognitive Science, and Philosophy as a National Scholar. I am from a small province called Newfoundland and Labrador, but studied for two years at Pearson College UWC in Victoria, British Columbia. I am really passionate about mental illness - specifically about how our conception of mental illness shapes the way we treat people with mental illness in medical institutions, and in society. I am also very invested in the climate justice movement. 

I am from London, UK I study Philosophy and English at St Andrews My research/leadership project is about the philosophy of ecology - specifically, ways of thinking about Nature and what that entails for human beings. I will be evaluating the two main alternative models to the 'anthropocentric' one (which considers human beings separate two and above Nature). These are the Holistic view - that we should dissolve the human/nature barrier and consider ourselves as parts of one entangled system - and the Othering view - which defines what is natural as what is non-human.  I chose this project because I believe that the Earth Systems Crisis we are experiencing is not merely technological, but deeply rooted in the way humans beings think about nature. I also chose it because I find the ideas involved to be ecstatically beautiful, and to deepen by experience of the world.  When I'm not studying, I like to write and read poetry, spend hours in art galleries, wander in forests, and dance the nights away. I also help run Refugee Action St Andrews, as Vice President.  I'd love to connect with someone who is interested in philosophy, poetry, or nature, wherever they may be. 

Hello there! My name is Aly, and I am a British undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, currently doing an International Affairs Specialist, with a Minor in Sustainability. My research project is → Linking Political orientation and Environmentalism: An analysis of changing environmental attitudes and subsequent party support in Canada. In my project, I aim to analyze the changing link between environmental attitudes and party support/political orientation in Canada, using Canadian Election Studies data from 2015 and 2019, and comparing my results with results from a previous study which carried out similar analysis on data from the 2004 and 2006 elections. I also hope to inform my analysis with a discussion of provincial differences in these links, hoping to shine a light on possible avenues towards improving engagement with voters for provincial elections which may help Canada in its terrible track record on improving its environment. 

Hi! I'm an undergraduate scholar from the University of Toronto and am interested in inclusion and mental health. With my research project, I hope to explore how we improve mental health support and treatments to make them more accessible and inclusive of Canadian Muslims. Beyond my research interests, I enjoy connecting with people and learning from people's diverse backgrounds and unique experiences. I'm a keen listener and love learning new things!

I carry a very keen interest in understanding both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis in health and life sciences. Specifically, I am fascinated by the fields of human psychology and health sciences. My Laidlaw Scholars research project focuses on whether mindfulness meditation and relaxation response meditation display synergistic effects on decreasing stress perception, when combined into one practice. My motivation towards pursuing research in my areas of interest is partially fueled by my future aspiration to work in research, as a professor. I hope to continue building my research experience, while exploring a variety of psychology-related and health sciences-related research opportunities.

🌱 Aptly described as a pragmatic hippy, I'm led jointly by empathy and evidence. While I am emotionally moved by injustices in the world, I am intellectually motivated to find effective solutions to them. As such, I am both a heart-led community organizer and a reason-based biological researcher. Often, I ask myself: given the resources that I have, how can I do the most good? 🔬 • I have published my research in Frontiers in Immunology, won a gold and a silver medal at the Canada Wide Science fair, and a second place prize at the Toronto Sanofi Biogenius Competition. • For my Laidlaw project, I am conducting an independent research project with Professor Balachundhar at Harvard Medical School, to determine :what are the most effective, mindfulness-based meditations are in Calm and Headspace mobile applications? Through this project, I aim to begin to fill the precipitous gap between mental illness and accessibility to effective mental health interventions.  🎓 I am second-year undergraduate student at Victoria College, the University of Toronto, majoring in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology and minoring in Environmental Studies and Buddhism, Psychology, and Mental Health.