St. Mary’s University leaders have publicly conveyed an aspiration for their Calgary-based school to emerge as the premier Canadian Catholic postsecondary learning centre.

Dr. Mason Kulbaba, an assistant professor of biology, said he hopes St. Mary’s becoming the first Canadian higher-education institute to establish a chapter of the distinguished undergraduate science and mathematics honour society Sigma Zeta signifies a step toward manifesting this prestigious vision. The St. Mary’s incarnation of Sigma Zeta, which fosters and celebrates scholarly activity, is formally known as the Gamma Phi chapter.

Formerly a Sigma Zeta national president during his tenure teaching at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas, Kulbaba was pleased when the St. Mary’s community embraced the idea of welcoming the society set to celebrate its centennial in 2025.

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“With us being a smaller student-focused university, it just appeared to fit naturally,’ said Kulbaba. “I did some brief surveys in my classes, and I was really surprised with the support from both students and faculty.”

Eight students joined Gamma Phi in early September. Six were present for an installation ceremony on Sept. 6 conducted by Dr. Joe Burnell, the executive director of Sigma Zeta from the University of Indianapolis. Less than two months later, membership has nearly doubled to 14 young scholars.

Megan Fraser, a final-year biology student serving as the inaugural president of Gamma Phi, declared it is “incredibly honourable” to be a member of this group and that it will bolster her resume.

“I know employers would like to see something like that,” said Fraser. “It also grants many opportunities to build connections, publish undergraduate research and attend conferences.”

Though Gamma Phi is just getting off the ground, there are plans to organize a paleontologist-guided excursion to Dinosaur Provincial Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located over 200 kilometres east of Calgary. A member of the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists is expected to deliver a guest lecture to the honour society students soon.

Oliver Noseworthy, who, like Fraser, is completing his final year of biology at St. Mary’s, said the strong bond among the members that pre-dated Gamma Phi will help it quickly get off the ground.

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“We are all close-knit,” said Noseworthy, Gamma Phi’s vice president. “It has been very beneficial with motivation and getting work done. We all help each other when someone needs help.”

Cheyanna Luard, who will also graduate from St. Mary’s biology program next April, is orchestrating Gamma Phi’s recruitment efforts. She said building meaningful connections with prospective members pays dividends.

“The main thing that I've noticed with connecting with students is just to relate to them,” said Luard. “I think there is a huge intimidation with seeing people that are in the years above you. Being the (intermediary) between the faculty and the students (invites) students to come and talk to you about things. It also allows you to say, ‘hey, I was in your position too. I know exactly how you feel right now.’

“We’re all friends who help each other,” continued Luard. “It can be intimidating to start, but as soon as you get that first step into the door, you are more comfortable with yourself and around other people.”

Fraser, Noseworthy and Luard have become so comfortable with each other and their peers that they gladly provide brainstorming help, encouragement and feedback for one another’s projects. All continue to work on the capstone projects that they first pitched during the 2023-24 academic year.

Supervised by Kulbaba, Fraser is studying pollinator attraction with wild roses, specifically gauging reproductive success and overall flower health. Noseworthy, also mentored by Kulbaba, is observing the phenotypic (observable genetic traits and characteristics of an organism) gradients of Brassica rapa, one of the more cultivatable plant species.

Luard, mentored by another Gamma Phi faculty member, biology professor Dr. Gary Grothman, is examining microscopic tardigrades (colloquially known as water bears or moss piglets) she collected in Southern Alberta and comparing them to those found in moss samples extracted by her professor in Newfoundland.

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While aiming for Gamma Phi chapter members to shine among the Sigma Zeta community, Kulbaba is interested in rejuvenating the 100-year-old science and mathematics honour society.

“I think it would be great to have a Canadian network as a complement to the American system,” said Kulbaba. “The allure of having available funding for travel to an undergraduate-only conference and funding for undergraduate-driven research will appeal to many universities. We’ve seen something of a plateau in terms of growth with the society,” said Kulbaba. “Maybe by (extending) it into Canada, we can see that trend reverse.”