Summer Research 2026: Investigating Stroke, Menopause, and Skeletal Muscle

The Digital Athlete Lab supported two undergraduate research students during summer 2026: John Al-Rachid and Faraja Herve Habiyakare. Their complementary projects examined how menopause and stroke affect skeletal-muscle health in a rat model.

John Al-Rachid

John received a $7,500 Biomedical Engineering–Kinesiology Summer Research Studentship for the project Does Menopause Accentuate Stroke-Induced Muscle Weakness in Rats?

The project focused on an important intersection in muscle physiology: whether menopause changes the degree of muscle weakness that follows a stroke. John presented the work at the McCaig Summer Student Symposium on August 12, 2026, and at the Biomedical Undergraduate Research Program (BURP) Summer Student Symposium on August 13, 2026.

The presentation was co-authored by John Al-Rachid, Nicole A. Conquergood, Venus Joumaa, Robert John Holash, Walter Herzog, and Stephanie A. Ross.

Faraja Herve Habiyakare

Faraja received a $7,500 PURE Award for the project Effect of Menopause and Stroke on Skeletal Muscle Sarcomeric Proteins in a Rat Model.

Where John’s project considered muscle weakness, Faraja’s work examined the sarcomeric proteins involved in muscle structure and contraction. Faraja also presented at the McCaig Summer Student Symposium on August 12 and the BURP Summer Student Symposium on August 13.

The presentation was co-authored by Faraja Herve Habiyakare, Nicole A. Conquergood, Venus Joumaa, Robert John Holash, Walter Herzog, and Stephanie A. Ross.

A Collaborative Summer

Together, these projects approached the same broad research problem from functional and molecular perspectives. They also gave both students experience conducting collaborative muscle-physiology research and communicating their work to the University of Calgary research community.

Congratulations to John and Faraja on completing their summer projects and presenting their work at two research symposia.