Registration to participate in the IRCM in-house competition is now closed. 
CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who signed up!

Participating in Science POP can be an amusing and formative experience. Scientific communication is not only a calling, it's a must-have tool that each researcher will inevitably need to call upon throughout their career, whether to apply for grants or to give interviews to the media. 

Taking on a Science POP challenge provides several advantages:

• Cash prizes: You will get the chance to win up to 500$ at the in-house competition and, if you are selected as the first-place winner of your challenge, up to 1000$ at the provincial grand final! 
• One-on-one coaching: First-place winners of each challenge at the in-house competition will have access to personalized coaching by experts in scientific communication, to help them prepare for the grand final.
• Internship in scientific communication: First-place and second-place winners of the provincial grand final will be offered the opportunity to do an internship in their chosen professional organization within our list of partners (ex: FRQ, Radio-Canada, Québec Science, Technosciences, Génome Québec, ACFAS, etc.). 
• Increased eligibility to scholarship programs: Community engagement and knowledge transfer feature in the list of evaluation criteria that provincial and federal funding agencies deem very important. Science POP is a unique opportunity to boost your resume!

The event is free and open to the public!

Anyone interested in discovering the world of health sciences and the research activities performed at the IRCM is welcome to attend, no prior scientific knowledge is needed to understand the topics that will be covered!

We invite everyone to join the audience on February 4 & 5, 2026, including administrative, technical and support staff from the IRCM, family members and friends of the competition candidates, strategic partners of the Institute, donators of our Foundation, and anyone else across the province (or the world)!

It will be the perfect occasion to shed some light on what scientists study in a lab, to grasp the benefits of research, and to discover the type of initiatives through which science can give back to society! 

Registration is mandatory.

You can either save a seat in the Jacques-Genest Auditorium or attend the competition remotely if you can't come in person!

Click on one of the buttons below to register:

Sign up to attend in person
Deadline: February 2, 2026

Sign up to attend on Zoom
Deadline: None

Note: The program will include presentations in French and in English; presentations will be simultaneously translated into subtitles (generated via artificial intelligence). 

Rahil Elimam
MSc student
Molecular Biology (specializing in Cellular and Molecular Medicine), Université de Montréal

Outreach Challenge

Petits cerveaux, grands combats : le langage des gènes (FR)
Les cancers du cerveau figurent parmi les maladies les plus sévères de l’enfance, car ils touchent un organe essentiel au développement, à la cognition et à l’identité. Certains sont complexes et agressifs, comme le médulloblastome, qui touche les cellules nerveuses immatures.

a prise en charge des cancers pédiatriques est particulièrement délicate : traiter la tumeur sans compromettre la croissance et la qualité de vie demeure un défi majeur. La science moderne s’oriente vers une médecine personnalisée, visant à mieux comprendre ce qui rend chaque tumeur unique, pour proposer des traitements plus ciblés. Parmi les pistes prometteuses, une des stratégies est d’envoyer des « messages correcteurs » au cœur des cellules pour modifier l’activité de gènes impliqués dans le cancer.  

Ces recherches ouvrent la voie à des thérapies plus précises, avec l’espoir de réduire les effets secondaires et offrir aux enfants de meilleures chances de survie et un avenir plus digne.

Arian Kamel
MSc student
Experimental Medicine, McGill University

Outreach Challenge

Photocrosslinking: Catching molecules in the act (EN)
Inside our cells, tiny molecules constantly bump, bind, and separate — and most of these interactions vanish before scientists can study them. In this talk, I’ll show how researchers use light to freeze these fleeting moments in place.

Using a technique called photocrosslinking, a quick flash acts like chemical superglue, locking molecular partners together so we can finally see who was interacting with whom. It’s part chemistry, part photography, and a powerful way to uncover hidden conversations that drive health and disease.

Wai Kin Wong
MSc student
Molecular Biology (specializing in Cellular and Molecular Medicine), Université de Montréal

Outreach Challenge

Define: Intelligence Quotient (IQ)   (EN)
Think about the smartest person you know and what makes him seem smarter. Is it his ability to solve new problems, explain complex ideas clearly, remember information efficiently, or be able to adapt quickly to new situations?

IQ tests are designed to measure these cognitive abilities, particularly in learning, reasoning, and solving unknown issues, rather than how much knowledge he has accumulated. These abilities arise from billions of neurons inside our brains. They have different shapes and functions, but they communicate with one another to transmit and process information, forming the basis of neural efficiency and connectivity of neuronal systems. If you score higher, you tend to have greater cognitive capacity and advantages in many aspects of life. However, always remember that IQ does not define who you are. It does not limit what you will learn or your drive.

Natalia Uzcategui
MSc student
Bioinformatics, Université de Montréal

Outreach Challenge

Myotonic dystrophy: A weird way mutation can cause disease (EN)
Genetic diseases are caused by a mutation in your DNA. Usually, mutations affect the way the proteins in your cells work. If a protein’s code changes, it can lead to diseases. For example, sickle cell anemia is caused by a defective version of the hemoglobin protein.

However, some diseases don’t change the way your proteins are built. The mutation that causes myotonic dystrophy, a neuromuscular disease, is in an untranslated region of the DMPK gene, which means the DMPK protein remains unchanged. This mutation changes the structure of the RNA (the intermediary between DNA and protein) and turns it into a magnet for a certain type of protein. When these proteins interact with the mutant RNA, they stop working as intended. This mutation affects many different cell types, which is why myotonic dystrophy is a systemic disease.

Lucas Cervantes-Herrera
MSc student
Molecular Biology, Université de Montréal

Outreach Challenge

From kitchen pest to Nobel prize: The fruit fly (EN)
What if I told you that the same flies you find hovering over bananas in your kitchen have been used to unravel the mysteries of human genetics and cell-to-cell communication?

Over the course of more than a century, what began as a simple experiment led researchers to develop one of the most common and useful tools for understanding how genetic information is inherited from parents to children. Discoveries made using the fruit fly have earned five Nobel prizes to date, and scientists will undoubtedly continue to learn a lot more about the mechanisms of Life using it as a tool.

I would like to invite you to my talk about why and for what purpose we still work with the fruit fly nowadays.

Alex St John
PhD student
Physical Activity Sciences, Université de Montréal

Media Challenge

Breaking barriers: Making weightlifting safe for people with diabetes (EN)
Imagine avoiding the gym not because you lack motivation, but because you fear a medical emergency. This is the reality for 70% of people with type 1 diabetes, despite many knowing it could improve their lives. The problem isn't willpower. It's insufficient guidance. While exercise recommendations exist for people with diabetes, they lack specificity for high-intensity weightlifting, leaving individuals to navigate a dangerous guessing game with diabetes management.

By comparing high-intensity and moderate-intensity strength training protocols, this research will provide more precise, evidence-based diabetes management strategies for weightlifting. The stakes extend beyond immediate safety: people with type 1 diabetes lose muscle and bone strength faster as they age. Without proper exercise guidance, they face accelerated physical decline and loss of independence.

The outcome? People worldwide empowered to lift weights safely, preserving their strength, autonomy, and quality of life for decades to come.

Solène Huck
PhD student
Chemistry, Université de Montréal

Media Challenge

La chimie pour prendre soin de notre cœur (FR) 
Sophie, 10 ans, s’est battue plusieurs années contre une leucémie aiguë, qu’elle a réussi à vaincre. Aujourd’hui, elle est en rémission, mais comme 1 enfant sur 10, les années de traitements de chimiothérapie ont affaibli son cœur. Et s’il existait un traitement qui permettrait de réparer le cœur de Sophie?

Le groupe de recherche du professeur Guindon a fait équipe avec une chercheuse de l’Université d’Ottawa pour découvrir un médicament capable de contrer les effets toxiques des médicaments anticancéreux (comme la doxorubicine, qui est utilisée contre la leucémie aiguë) sur le cœur. Il s’agit d’une petite molécule synthétique, inspirée d’un composant déjà présent dans notre corps : le nucléoside. En modifiant la structure de celui-ci, nous avons créé une molécule qui protège les cellules du cœur contre la mort causée par les traitements de chimiothérapie.

Grâce à la chimie, les histoires comme celles de Sophie pourraient devenir chose du passé.

Ayichatou Sall
MSc student
Bioinformatics, Université du Québec à Montréal

Sustainable Health Challenge

ARN : innover ne suffit pas, il faut convaincre (FR)
On a tous entendu parler d’ARN messager. Mais entre promesses, peurs et informations contradictoires, difficile de savoir quoi croire.

Ce projet part d’une idée simple : la santé durable dépend autant des avancées scientifiques que de la confiance qu’on leur accorde. En suivant l’ARN de l’ombre à la lumière, on découvre comment la science progresse vraiment – preuves, erreurs, corrections – et pourquoi sa manière de se raconter compte autant que ses résultats.

Pas un cours : un récit et un dialogue, pour repartir avec des repères clairs, des questions mieux posées… et une façon plus solide d’évaluer ce qu’on lit et ce qu’on partage.

Note : Le programme inclura des présentations en français et en anglais. Une traduction simultanée sous forme de sous-titres (générés par l’intelligence artificielle) sera offerte. 

We need your help!
 

Volunteer judges

The success of Science POP competitions relies on active participation of the non-scientific, general public in evaluating candidate performances. A jury composed of three (3) to five (5) members will be put together for each challenge. 

We are looking for bilingual volunteers working in a variety of professional fields and available to evaluate in person the presentations of their jury's assigned challenge. We will be there to guide you through the whole process and will provide you with standardized scoring rubrics to make things simple for you! 

Host

Do you love public events and scientific outreach? We are looking for a bubbly and bilingual person to emcee the in-house competition. The task involves explaining the three challenges to the audience, introducing the candidates, thanking the judges, etc. 
Note: we will take care of the opening and closing speeches, as well as the award ceremony.

Logistics

Holding a competition likes Science POP requires an entire village! We will need volunteers to welcome participants, liaise with the catering service, manage microphones during the questions period, take photos during the event, etc. 

Contact us at affaires.academiques@ircm.qc.ca!