Community, opportunity and chasing a cure

Kush Bapuji

Last fall, Kush Bapuji walked into the newly opened Sperber Health Sciences Library open in a new tab for the first time. He was met with welcoming natural light, modern design and comfortable study zones.

A year later, Bapuji says the Sperber Library is his favourite — and most-frequented — spot on the University of Alberta campus. A cell biology major, Bapuji has received support from expert librarians, checked out niche books on mitochondria and spent countless hours studying underneath the library’s floor-to-ceiling windows. A vital space to support the success of a student who is advancing research on ovarian cancer. 

Without philanthropy, this space would not exist. The health sciences library is one of the largest donor-funded spaces on campus, made possible by Geoffrey Sperber, a retired Faculty of Dentistry professor, and his wife, Robyn. Donors like the Sperbers are helping students succeed by establishing these kinds of enhanced learning environments. 

Safe, welcoming spaces where students can learn and study are essential to student success, which is why this is a key area supported by Shape the Future, a fundraising campaign to enhance financial support for student success. Through the campaign, donors can enhance the student experience in two other vital areas: hands-on learning opportunities, and scholarships, awards and bursaries.

For Bapuji, the benefits of the Sperber Library went well beyond a quiet place to study.

“At the Sperber library, you’re studying with like-minded people. They’re going to be the next doctors, the next dentists, the next scientists. Having this space is so integral to our success,” says Bapuji, now in the third year of his degree. “Donors who are willing to invest in future generations — that’s something I’m incredibly grateful for.”

From library to lab

Less than a year ago, Bapuji was unsure what he’d do with his degree. That is until he took a hands-on research course, working directly under the supervision of Martin Srayko, a biological sciences professor. In Srayko’s lab, Bapuji learned to clone a specific gene with the aim of understanding its potential role in human cancer cells.

Now, Bapuji is in the midst of his undergraduate thesis, working in the lab of Jason Dyck, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and Canada Research Chair in Molecular Medicine open in a new tab . There, Bapuji is studying a protein found in human cells that has been linked to ovarian cancer. Under the mentorship of Dyck and graduate researchers including Matthieu Zolondek, Bapuji is testing an FDA-approved drug that may block this protein, seeking to confirm and validate the drug’s efficacy.

“It’s so cool that you can go from class and immediately start working on a project in the lab,” says Bapuji. “Research is so important to students like me. We really view it as a job. ... Having lab spaces makes it possible for me to pursue my dreams.”

The Faculty of Science is expanding these kinds of hands-on learning opportunities through the Science Experiential Skills Advantage (SESA) program. This initiative ensures that every undergraduate science student, regardless of their GPA or background, can access meaningful research experiences and mentorship to build professional skills.

Bapuji also credits donor granted spaces for helping to inspire his pursuit of research and graduate school in the future. By supporting Shape the Future, donors can help provide the facilities, resources and other experiential learning opportunities for students like Bapuji to make a difference in the world – and encourage the next generation of philanthropists.

“Seeing these donor-funded spaces, it makes you more willing in the future to donate as an alumn,” says Bapuji. “I’d like to keep that tradition going for the generation after me.”