Sir William Stephenson Scholarship Recipient: Esmé Franck Changing lives: Student Stories

Esmé Franck is one of the few Neuroscience majors currently studying at the University of Winnipeg (UWinnipeg) who can slip a jab and properly pipette. A member of Dr. Benjamin Lindsey’s cell science laboratory at the University of Manitoba, Franck has also been working with Dr. Britt Drögemöller to identify therapeutic drugs that could help prevent hearing loss caused by certain cancer treatments, while also bringing her own brand of tenacity to the “sweet science” at Pan Am boxing gym after class.

“Being a part of this lab for the last seven months has been an incredible experience,” says Franck. “Using zebrafish as our model, I’m able to work with my colleagues on studying the microscopic sensory hair cells that are present on the species in order to better understand the side effects that certain cancer drugs have on patients in causing hearing loss.”

Not one to limit the scope of her research skills, Franck has also worked with UWinnipeg’s own Dr. Sara Good’s as a research assistant. Operating out of the Richardson College for the Environment, she worked part-time investigating the genetic basis of sex-determination in sea lamprey—using her knowledge of molecular lab techniques to help refine protocols for DNA extractions andperform polymerase chain reactions.

“The undergraduate research opportunities that I have been afforded over the last five years while I’ve been studying at UWinnipeg have been amazing. In particular, the Biology Honours Program, organized by Dr. Jennifer Jeffrey, had a huge impact on my academic trajectory. The Honours Program offers a valuable kind of “mini-masters” experience that helps expose students to the research requirements associated with that path, and my supervisor, Dr. Sanoji Wijenayake, gave me my start in the lab world as a member of her team researching the anti-inflammatory and pro-survival benefits of breast milk in infants. Recently, a manuscript I co-authored with a graduate student, Jasmyne Storm, has been accepted for publication in the journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, based on work I’ve done in Dr. Wijenayake’s lab. I’m very thankful to Dr. Wijenayake and the opportunities she has given me to grow.”

Franck is also the recipient of the Sir William Stephenson Scholarship, a pair of awards established in the mid-1980s at UWinnipeg that honours the life and legacy of Canada’s most famous businessman, aviator, and spy from the Second World War era. “I feel both very fortunate and honoured to receive this award given Sir William Stephenson’s history. As a recipient, I feel inspired to follow his lead and persevere in my own career.”

Where volunteerism is concerned, Franck keeps busy as a member of two distinct community groups: Manitoba Underdogs Rescue and U-Turn Parkinson’s, a wellness centre and support organization. “As part of Manitoba Underdogs, I help transport medicine and recent rescues to adoption events where we help them find new homes. The charity also does a lot of important work partnering with Northern communities in Manitoba to spay and neuter the dog population up there.”

At U-turn Parkinson’s, Franck gets to put her boxing skills to work helping lead fitness classes for those living with the condition, saying that, “the volunteer work I get to do as part of this organization is both fun and incredibly rewarding—as part of the team I help the exercise instructors lead their boxing classes for the hour. This kind of movement is one of the best treatments for lessening the long-term effects of Parkinson’s disease and getting to see the participants enjoy one of my favourite pastimes in their own way is always inspiring.”

Looking to the near future, Franck has been accepted into the Physiology and Biophysics Masters Program at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, which she will start in the fall of this year.