CBC: Winnipeg student heading to national science competition for 2nd year
April 19, 2016 —
A Winnipeg high school student with a keen interest in molecular plant biology is going to a national biotechnology competition for the second year in a row.
Dennis Drewnik, 17, is returning to the Sanofi Biogenius Canada national finals after taking first place in the Manitoba regional competition this month.
The Grade 12 student from Sisler High School won for his project looking at ways to protect canola crops from blackleg disease, which can reduce crop yields by up to 20 per cent.
Drewnik worked with Mark Belmonte, a biological sciences researcher and professor at the University of Manitoba, to identify the genes that can make canola resistant to blackleg.