NUNAVUT - Two Grade 11 students from Nunavut were selected to spend a week in Toronto beginning on March 15 to assist food researchers at universities in the city.

John Arnalukjuak High School student Dana Kalluak from Arviat was chosen to participate in a food science internship in Toronto on March 15. - photo courtesy of Louise Jessup

Dana Kalluak from Arviat and Trina Qaqqaq from Baker Lake were both 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.

"It was awesome," Kalluak said of the trip. "It was beyond anything I could have imagined."

Kalluak said she learned about nutrition and food research, including helping to isolate banana DNA.

She said she was introduced to the process of chocolate-making and made mayonnaise, which she described as "not very fun."

"It's a very long process," she said. "You're much better off buying it at the store."

Kalluak also said she learned that aboriginal people have a much higher rate of lactose intolerance than non-aboriginals.

Both students wrote an essay demonstrating why they should be chosen for the program. The girls spent 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 under-represented at sciences in university, this will hopefully peak their interest in science," Jessup said. "A lot [of youths] are coming from schools that don’t necessarily have science labs, this gives them an opportunity to get into a science lab."

In an interview with News/North before the trip, Qaqqaq said the chance to spend time in a university science laboratory was one of the things she was eager to do.

"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.

She also said the internship would 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 before the trip, she said she hoped to be able to share what she learned in Toronto 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.

Before the trip, both girls said they were unsure what they would do after completing high school and the trip would give them a chance to see what the universities had to offer.

Kalluak said she hoped 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 arrived in Toronto on March 14 and finished the internship on March 20. The internship and travel costs were provided through AFMNet.