ARVIAT - Two Grade 11 students from Nunavut were selected to spend a week in Ontario beginning on March 15 assisting food researchers at universities in the province.

Jonah Amitnaaq Seconday School student Trina Qaqqaq from Baker Lake will take part in a food science internship in Ontario in March. - photo courtesy of Louise Jessup

Dana Kalluak from Arviat and Trina Qaqqaq from Baker Lake were chosen to take part in the Be a Food Researcher for a Week program, which is organized through the Advanced Foods and Materials Network (AFMNet), a federally-funded food and bio-materials research organization.

Both students wrote an essay demonstrating why they should be chosen for the program. The girls will spend the week in science labs at the University of Toronto, Ryerson University and the University of Guelph.

One of the goals of the program is to get aboriginal youth interested in science, AFMNet communications manager Louise Jessup said.

"Aboriginal students are underrepresented at sciences in university; this will hopefully peak their interest in science," she said. "A lot [of youth] are coming from schools that don't necessarily have science labs. This gives them an opportunity to get into a science lab."

The chance to spend time in a university science laboratory is one of the things Qaqqaq said she is looking forward to on the trip.

"We have just a basic lab here so there will be more things to work with, more complex, more machines and stuff like that," Qaqqaq said.

The internship will also allow her to understand how food is processed.

"I applied for the internship so I could find out what exactly I'm eating and what's in my food," she said. "When it says 'artificial flavours,' what exactly does that mean and how is it affecting me in my life? It just seems really interesting."

Kalluak agreed. She is a volunteer at the breakfast program at Qitiqliq Middle School and said she hopes to be able to share what she learns in Ontario with her community.

"I'm hoping to learn about all the different foods and what's in them and to make healthier decisions," she said. "Since I'm in the breakfast program, I want to influence healthier choices and teach my friends and family how to eat better."

A total of 10 students were selected for the internship, Jessup said.

Qaqqaq and Kalluak will join six other youth from Manitoba and Ontario, while two students from Saskatchewan will complete their internships in British Columbia.

Both girls said they were unsure about what to do after high school and the trip will give them a chance to see what the universities have to offer.

"I heard it was in all those universities and I thought it would be a good chance to see the campuses," Kalluak said. Kalluak also said she hopes to teach people about the link between junk food and diabetes in Nunavut.

"We don't get our food in very fresh, it usually freezes, so most people just turn to junk food and food that's not good for them, which is causing all kinds of diseases and diabetes," Kalluak said. "I want to teach them that it's not OK to eat junk food every day."

Students are scheduled to arrive in Toronto on March 14 and will finish the internship on March 20. The internship and travel costs are paid for by AFMNet.