Dr. Carr withAlex Pi of the Schulich School ofMedicine and Dentistry at theUniversity ofWesternOntario (WesternUniversity), this year’s 2nd place winner. Second Prize: Keng-Shuo (Alex) Pi, Western University Alex Pi (DDS 2026) received second prize for his research in a pilot study of the effect of planetary mixing time on 3Y-TZP/ TiO2 ceramics’ microstructure for dental implant application. “Prior to entering dental school, I studied chemistry, earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree at the University of British Columbia,” explains Alex Pi. “This is where I fell in love with science and research.” After his first year of dental school, Alex missed doing research while being in a laboratory setting. After attending a summer research program, he presented at Schulich Dentistry Research Day where he won 1st prize for Outstanding Undergraduate Student Presentation Award. This opportunity eventually led to his participation in the student clinician research program at PDC. “I was really excited because the idea of representing my school and to connect with other people from all Canadian dental schools was a very special opportunity. Talking to people also interested in research across Canada was a unique and fascinating occasion for me,” explains Pi. “Prior to the competition, I didn’t have high expectations. For me, being able to present my research at a national level and with other talented researchers was already fulfilling enough.” Pi found inspiration and new opportunities to pursue from participating in the competition. “The feedback from the judges also inspired me to think about other directions that I didn’t think about for my current project,” he explains. “Learning about people’s background and their own journeys through dental school was so interesting. Schools can have differences and their curricula are not identical, so learning how they are taught procedures in different classes was rewarding,” he says. “I would like to thank everyone who made the project possible,” says Pi. This includes Dr. Sheila Butler, Dr. Anelyse Found and other professors, such as Dr. Gregory Jensen. Dr. Lisa Bentley (centre), CanadianTrustee of the Pierre FauchardAcademy (PFA), presented each student clinicianwith a $1,000 scholarship, provided through the the PFAOral Health Foundation. 15 Issue 3 | 2024 |
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