By ANNA SMITH
Local Journalism Initiative on June 9, 2026.
Hania and Zainab Riaz are seen on their trip to Edmonton for the Canada-wide Science Fair, where they earned bronze medals.–Submitted Photoasmith@medicinehatnews.com
Young Hatters Hania and Zainab Riaz have returned from the Canada-wide science fair sporting bronze medals and an even deeper appreciation for STEM fields.
Having won the regional science fair earlier this year, the sisters travelled to Edmonton to take part in various activities, engage in labs and receive mentorship from various researchers from across the country.
Hania is currently in Grade 9, where Zainab is graduating this year.
“We got to like experiences a lot of different science-y things, with all of these lab experiences, and we got to really dig in and explore the fields we were interested in,” said Hania.
“The whole thing makes me feel really accomplished, because we come from a very small district, and we don’t have as many resources as, say, other kids that come from cities like Toronto or Ottawa, so this really shows what people from these smaller, rural places can do.”
Zainab’s project, which focused on how to best anonymize time-series data for use in medical research, was partially the product of the High School Youth Researcher Summer program, or HYRS.
The program paired students with university departments and challenged them to come up with research projects related to health research. She credited those she spent six weeks working with as serving as some of the inspiration for the final project, as well as helping with the drive to learn to code.
“I had to teach myself how to code within like six weeks, so it was really difficult. But I think it’s definitely sparked an interest in combining computer science with my love for medicine and biology, because that’s something I’ve always been interested in,” said Zainab.
Zainab is pursuing the neuroscience program at the University of Calgary in the coming year.
Hania’s project meanwhile, took a look into the world of chemistry, as she examined common Alberta crops and which ones were most suitable for use as biofuel. This was a new field for her, but she found the work on the project incredibly rewarding, as well as the recognition of taking it to compete on the national level.
While in Edmonton, the pair took part in a scavenger hunt, as well as pin trading with other competitors. Zainab said they forgot to bring any pins from Medicine Hat initially, but left with over 40 different ones at the end of the trip.
Overall, both Zainab and Hania feel incredibly proud and grateful for the experience.
“It was a really excellent experience. We had a whole entire week to kind of explore Edmonton. I feel like it was a very enriching experience for us to have together, and it was a lot of fun, too. We got to meet a lot of students from across Canada, and connect with other people because of our shared love for science,” said Zainab.
They expressed gratitude to Praxis Science Outreach and to the Kiwanis Club of Medicine Hat for sponsoring their trip, as well as to their delegate, Gary McFarlane, for watching over them for the duration and ensuring they could travel as needed.
It is Zainab’s hope that this accomplishment can stand as inspiration for other young women.
“I think it’s really important that we try to encourage more students, especially girls, especially people coming from rural areas, to engage in science, especially computer science,” said Zainab. “It connects to almost every kind of science, and it lays the groundwork for everything that we do. We’re becoming a very digital world, so having that understanding is extremely important, and it’s also very empowering to understand how things work.”
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