University of Manitoba - Information Services and Technology - PRIMER High School Biotech Institute
PRIMER High School Biotech Institute

The Biomedical Youth Program (BYP), at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba aims to promote science education and literacy among youth. The BYP’s PRIMER High School Biotech Institute is a 5-day intensive research skills seminar program available for senior high school students. Participants will be taught some of the most commonly used laboratory techniques in Medicine, Genetics, Microbiology and Biochemistry. The PRIMER Institute will include a mix of learning hands-on techniques and lectures from leading researchers. The PRIMER Institute offers a unique opportunity for high school students to get a glimpse of University-level research, and gain experience with techniques under the tutelage of technicians and leaders in the field.

The BYP’s PRIMER Institute will be hosted in two offerings, in which week 1 runs from Aug. 12-16, 2013, and week 2 runs from Aug. 19-23, 2013. The Institute will be held daily from 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m at the University of Manitoba Bannatyne Campus in the newly-renovated Biomedical Youth Program laboratories. Participation in the Institute costs $550 per participant for the 5-day program. Participants and parents/guardians are responsible for lunch, travel, and associated expenses. Please note that the BYP is unable to provide supervision for participants outside of Institute hours (prior to 9:30 a.m. and after 3:00 p.m.). Further logistics and details will be provided via email updates as the week of the selected Institute approaches for accepted participants.

Registration for interested participants commences on May 22, 2013. The BYP’s PRIMER Biotech Institute is open to participants who have completed Gr. 9 through to Gr. 12 by June 30, 2013. The deadline for registration forms and payment to be received is July 15, 2013, without exception. Please note that 30 participants will be accepted into the Institute, with a maximum of 15 participants per week, so it is advised that forms be submitted to the BYP early in the registration period.

Brochure available here

To apply to the BYP’s PRIMER High School Biotech Institute:


Please  follow the links below to down-load the relevant forms:
PRIMER High School Biotech Institute 2013 Registration Form

Instructions for the Electronic Registration form:
1. Save PDF to your computer (Right click and save target as)
2. Open PDF with Adobe Acrobat
3. Click highlighted fields and type in required information
4. Save document ( File - save) then print ( File - print)
5. Sign by hand
6. Either fax or mail to or drop off to address below.

1.Complete the registration form.  Please prepare a cheque in the amount of $550, including the information below:

Payable to:  University of Manitoba
Memo:  Biomedical Youth Program – PRIMER High School Institute

2.Submit a completed and signed registration form as well as payment via mail to the contact info below:

Program Coodinators, Biomedical Youth Program 
Dept. of Community Health Sciences
Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba
Rm. S113 – 750 Bannatyne Ave.
Winnipeg, MB
R3E 0W3

3.Upon receipt of a registration form and cheque, the participant/parent or guardian will be notified via e-mail (please provide an e-mail address that is checked frequently in the form below).

4.Due to the interactive nature of the lectures and laboratory exercises, only the first 30 applicants who have registered and paid will be accepted into the Institute (a maximum of 15 participants per week will be accommodated). In the event that a registration form is received and the maximum capacity has been filled, the participant/parent or guardian will be notified via e-mail, and the participant will be put on a wait list. The participant/parent or guardian will be notified via e-mail if a space has become available.

5.Please note that the BYP is unable to provide any refund in the event that a participant who has registered and paid can no longer attend the Institute. Further, in the event that a participant who has registered and paid can no longer attend the assigned week of the Institute (as stated in the confirmation e-mail sent by a coordinator), the BYP cannot guarantee that the participant can be moved into the alternate offering of the Institute.

6.If there are any questions in regards to the Institute or this form, the coordinators can be contacted at: byp.coordinator@gmail.com.

Overview of the Week

Registered participants will spend their week at the Institute learning techniques performed in University-level research laboratories. Participants will also listen to guest lecturers conducting cutting-edge research. Below is a brief description of the techniques to be covered at the PRIMER Institute.

  • Introduction to laboratory safety, measurement, and handling liquid samples
  • Introduction to microbiology – a closer look at how scientists study the microscopic microbial world
  • Bacterial transformation – a technique used to modify the genetic material of a bacterium of interest. At the PRIMER Institute, participants will learn how to generate colonies expressing green fluorescence protein from jellyfish, conferring a "green glow."
  • Cell culture – the growth of cells under controlled conditions. In research, this is essential for scientists to determine how changes in genetics and associated traits affect cells, as well as the efficacy of certain pharmaceutics.
  • Fluorescence microscopy – so what goes on inside a cell? Participants will use specific dyes to visualize the "internal compartments" of the cell, the unit of life.
  • Protein analysis - techniques to separate and identify the proteins of a biological sample. Proteins are the key "biological players" which drive the activities of the living cell, and are important for healthy cell function.