Haskayne students takes personal interests to new heights during summer research

Taking the plunge into academic research

There are many opportunities Haskayne undergraduates can take advantage of at the University of Calgary – engaging in academic research is one of them.

Every year, the University of Calgary encourages students from all faculties to take their education to a higher level by applying for research funding via the Program for Undergraduate Research Experience (PURE). These awards provide students with the financial opportunity to experience research outside the classroom and closely work with a University of Calgary researcher for eight to 16 weeks between May and August.

Business students Mark Lee and Aaron Lang were two of the 66 PURE awards recipients. Lee is a fifth year undergraduate student in Philosophy combined with Finance. Aaron Lang is also a third year student majoring in Petroleum Land Management with a minor in Geophysics.

“Research was something I didn’t see many business students undertaking often,” said Lee.

With the encouragement from his professor David Dick, fellow at the Canadian Centre for Advanced Leadership in Business, as well as his peers from the Scholars Academy, he jumped in.

“I actually became very excited to take the plunge into the new (to me), unknown waters of research,” said Lee.

Lang also commented that the award allowed him to pursue a project he was interested in and was amazed by his freedom to use the resources he never thought was possible. Lang, also new to research, was mentored by George Colpitts, a professor in the Department of History.

Influencing people to act morally

 “It seemed puzzling to me during my internship on Wall Street last summer how much excess wealth there was, yet there were 22,000 children dying each day due to poverty,” said Lee.

His passion to lead an ethical life within the corporate sector with income disparity as his catalyst, Lee focused his research on finding ways the state could influence people to act according to what they are morally obligated to do. He critically examined two opposing schools of thought:

1. Thomas Piketty’s global model of wealth taxation
2. The value in autonomy for wealth spending

Lee’s research proposed a Libertarian Moralism, a model as a solution. This model relies on changing the nature of charitable initiatives from its current ‘opt-in’ model to an ‘opt-out’ model by encouraging citizens to give.

“It seemed promising after comparing four countries that used an opt-in system for blood donation that averaged a 27.5 per cent participation rate from its eligible blood donors versus seven countries that used an ‘opt-out’ system that averaged an 85.9 per cent participation rate from its eligible blood donors,” said Lee.

Opportunities and impact of research

Lee’s experience doing research has had a profound effect in his development professionally and personally.

To date, Lee has had the opportunity to present his research at the 2015 Economic Justice and Political Action Conference at the University of Barcelona. Additionally, he received the award for the Most Innovative Research Contribution to Knowledge at the University of Calgary Student Union Undergraduate Research Symposium.

“While research provides the opportunities to travel, win awards and develop professionally, I found that perhaps the most meaningful benefit research provided me was the ability to break down the illusory barrier between professors and students that seem to arise in huge classes, and develop relationships I can take with me upon graduation,” said Lee.

Lang’s socio-economic-enviro enquiry on ghost towns.

Lang’s research inspiration in ghost towns began during his first trip to Bankerhead, a previous coal mining town located in Banff National Park. Lang became fascinated by the ‘urban decay’ atmosphere the town gave off.

“As I looked more into why these places became abandoned, I realized that this could be a viable research project that relates to my studies,” Lang said. “Being a Petroleum Landman, it is critical to know the historical background, geography, and geology of these areas to recognize stakeholder issues, land interest, right-of-ways, and ownership.”

For five months, Lang drove all over Alberta searching for these abandoned towns, taking photos, and mapping out important landmarks in Alberta. From his collected data, Lang constructed a story of the ghost towns of Alberta on a website he constructed himself.

“Through the guidance of Professor George Colpitts, I was able to refine my analytical and creative writing skills, as well, learn how to read geological maps and technical documents relating to resource extraction,” said Lang. “The end result of this was an enhanced passion for geoscience and an ever growing curiosity of the world around me.”