June 16, 2025
Two University of Missouri juniors – Sophia McCann and Gabriella Ramirez – recently earned the Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Globalink Research Internship. The award is offered through the Foundation for Educational Exchange between Canada and the United States (Fulbright Canada) and is designed for students from the U.S. who are interested in traveling to Canada to participate in advanced research projects in their interest areas.
McCann and Ramirez are both pursuing the Honors Certificate at Mizzou.
“The Mitacs Globalink application pushes Mizzou students to look at their research interests from a different cultural perspective,” said Erik Potter, program manager for the Office of Global and National Fellowships. “I’m excited for Sophia and Gabriella. The mentorship, full-time research placement and cultural immersion they will get from the program will allow them to level-up their skills and stand out in future fellowship or graduate school applications.”
Students who receive the internship spend 10 to 12 weeks in the summer on an established research project, supervised by a professor. There are also ample opportunities for professional trainings, and scholars are able to participate in cultural, social and recreational experiences. Unusual among research awards, students from all majors are encouraged to apply.
An exciting research opportunity
Sophia McCann
- Junior geography major, College of Arts and Science; pursuing the Honors Certificate
A year ago, Sophia McCann traveled to Aberystwyth University – located in Wales – through the Fulbright UK Summer Institutes program. This year, McCann will be taking part in another exciting opportunity. McCann will head to Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, through the Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Globalink Research Internship. The award will allow McCann to conduct research for the first time in her college career.
“It’s going to be really nice to have official research experience on my resume,” McCann said.
While details are still being ironed out, McCann said she will serve as a research intern with Maxwell Hart, an associate professor at Queen’s University. He has a variety of research interests, including studying shrinking cities and aging populations. The work will dovetail nicely with McCann’s interest in urban planning.
Taking research to the next level
Gabriella Ramirez
- Junior computer science major, College of Engineering; pursuing the Honors Certificate
Gabriella Ramirez has been incredibly active in research throughout her time as a Tiger. For more than a year, Ramirez has been part of the Middleton Lab, which has a research focus on vertebrate musculoskeletal physiology, form and function in the contexts of animal locomotion. The lab is led by Kevin Middleton, an associate professor of biological sciences.
Last summer, Ramirez worked as an undergraduate research fellow at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Through the MARC Program, Ramirez was able to present on her summer work during the annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists in Pennsylvania.
With the Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Globalink Research Internship, Ramirez will study generative AI.
“The project I will be working on not only aims to understand how people are using generative AI to seek out medical information but develop tools to help people better identify health misinformation,” Ramirez said. “I’m excited to see what triumphs and challenges lie ahead.”
Read more from the Office of Global and National Fellowships
