Transcript
Transcript: Winners of the 12th National Student Paper Competition: Shah Zaib and Harshad Krishnaraj
[00:00:00 Video opens with colourful animated graphics. Upbeat music plays throughout video. Text on screen: National Student Paper Competition, 12th Edition Winners / Concours national d'essais universitaires, les gagnants 12e édition.]
[00:00:08 Photos of Shah Zaib and Harshad Krishnaraj appear. Text on screen: The 2025 Winners, From the University of Calgary; “Protecting Canada's Seniors from Cyber Fraud: Education, Awareness, and Policy Solutions”, by Shah Zaib and Harshad Krishnaraj.]
[00:00:20 Colourful animated graphics. Text on screen: What inspired your topic?]
[00:00:24 Shah Zaib appears full screen. Text on screen: 2024-2025 National Student Paper Competition Winner.]
Shah Zaib: There's a growing concern about vulnerability of Canadians and Canadian seniors to cyber fraud. My dad once received a call a couple of years ago that I was stuck at the American border and I've been arrested. Then he needs to post $20,000 in bail, and then they will release me. My dad, without even contacting me, rushed to the bank because the scammer created a sense of urgency over the phone. Then, thankfully, when he got to the bank, the bank employee had told him to call me or offered to call me on behalf of my dad. So, they took down my phone number, called me, and I was at work, not at the American border, like the caller had said. So, I think my inspiration for this topic came from this personal incident that happened in my life.
[00:01:12 Colourful animated graphics. Text on screen: What was your main recommendation to solve the issue you chose?]
[00:01:20 Shah Zaib appears full screen. Text on screen: 2024-2025 National Student Paper Competition Winner.]
Shah Zaib: So, we recommended that we should embed a cyber safety education in public service delivery that is offered by the government to Canadian seniors. Let's say a senior walks into Service Canada's office to apply for their pension or any other government services they're accessing. They should get a five-minute chat from the officer, from a trusted source of the government, letting them know of common scams that are going around. This repetitive education is very helpful for them.
We also recommended that financial institutions play a bigger role when it comes to digital safety of senior Canadians. And then also, recommended the government to partner with tech firms to leverage tech industry expertise to come up with one-click solutions or easy interfaces when it comes to security dashboards for Canadian seniors, and then also updating the National Long Term Care guidelines to include digital safety as part of standard of care for Canadians.
[00:02:25 Colourful animated graphics. Text on screen: Describe your experience with the competition in a few words.]
[00:02:32 Harshad Krishnaraj appears full screen. Text on screen: 2024-2025 National Student Paper Competition Winner.]
Harshad Krishnaraj: Firstly, I would say challenging. Of course, it wasn't an easy process at all. There are a lot of policies. There are a lot of topics we could have researched to implement the policy against, but it really motivated us when it came to something that was a bit closer to home that affects people like our trusted adults in our lives. And that was the motivating factor for us.
And then lastly, it was fulfilling. Regardless of the outcome, getting to top five throughout Canada was a huge accomplishment for both of us. And just to see how the other presenters and their topics, it was very interesting to see just how important it is to have competitions like this, to see all the ideas that are across Canada through a student body to see what people are researching, what people are aware of that need to be implemented. It's a crucial factor to have where you're listening to a student body and taking in those opinions and policies that they wish to implement.
[00:03:31 Colourful animated graphics. Text on screen: Would you recommend the NSPC to other graduate students and why?]
[00:03:38 Harshad Krishnaraj appears full screen. Text on screen: 2024-2025 National Student Paper Competition Winner.]
Harshad Krishnaraj: Definitely, without hesitation, I would definitely suggest that everyone, that has the ability to, to be a part of this competition. The NSBC provides a rare platform to work on real issues in a supportive and intellectual setting.
Whether you're passionate about policy or just curious about your own research and how it can make a broader difference, this experience offered me a valuable lesson in collaboration, strategic thinking, and public service engagement.
It's an experience I'll definitely carry forward into both academic and a professional setting.
[00:04:13 Animated CSPS logo appears. Text on screen: canada.ca/school.]
[00:04:20 Canada wordmark appears.]
