By Christina Lépine – Features Editor

On Feb. 13, 2023, the Royal Military College Saint-Jean hosted the first edition of the Canadian Undergraduate Security Conference (CUSC). The CUSC offers undergraduate students the opportunity to present their research on international security, and network with experts, scholars, and other students in the field. This year, the CUSC broadened into a nation-wide event after five successful annual editions of the Quebec Undergraduate Security Conference (QUSC). 

The organizing committee for this year’s edition was formed with the help of Bishop’s students Victoria Perak, Hana Allal, Liam O’Toole, and Matthias Deschamps as well as Royal Military College students Athena Pucovsky, Stefan Bobu, Rebecca Reid, Jasmine Bertand, and Charles Joncas Roy. They were supported by Dr. Sarah-Myriam Martin Brûlé, associate professor at Bishop’s University and non-resident fellow at the International Peace Institute in New York City as well as Dr. Bruno Charbonneau, PhD at Queen’s University, and Director for the Security Crisis Governance at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean. 

Throughout the day, students from universities around Canada, the United States Military Academy Westpoint, and Norwich University in Vermont presented their work to experts in the field, received constructive criticism, and discussed with other students about how to improve their work and research. Politics and international studies students Fabrice Blais-Savoie, Angus Whyte and Christina Lépine represented Bishop’s University at the event. When asked about his experience presenting at CUSC, Fabrice Blais-Savoie shared: “As my first experience presenting a research paper in front of an audience, it was a great learning opportunity. It allowed me to perfect my public speaking skills while receiving instant feedback, and to discuss with students as well as professors who shared an interest in my topic, while also learning about many different topics through in depth research.” 

The first edition of the Canadian Undergraduate Security Conference discussed papers on four themes – climate and environmental security, great power politics, security and conflicts, peacekeeping, and security and new technology. Blais-Savoie found that CUSC revealed “the dichotomy in perspectives between military and civilian students. While the civilian students were mostly concerned with theoretical concepts and governmental behavior, there was, in most cases, a strategic angle to the military students’ research.”

Hana Allal, who presented at last year’s QUSC and participated in the organization of this year’s CUSC, shared: “I had the honor of participating in the fifth edition of QUSC and assisting in the organization of the first edition of CUSC. This was a fantastic chance for me to connect with students across Canada and to give my research presentation in front of other students for the first time. Undergraduate students who are interested in international security and research are strongly encouraged to take advantage of what CUSC has to offer.”

Should you want more information on CUSC, announcements are posted on their Instagram account @cusc_official.