An African proverb advises that tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.

In the world of medical science, preparing for tomorrow means making sure today's young people get a chance to follow their innate inquisitiveness - so that someday they may come up with fresh approaches to cure or treat diseases and help people live healthier lives.

Through the Synapse youth connection program, CIHR encourages young people to get more involved in medical science. It matches high school students with "real life" researchers who can help them with their science projects and give them career guidance. Also, volunteer researchers - from grad students to principal investigators - make presentations at schools' discovery days and summer science camps across the country. Over the past two years, almost 5,000 CIHR-sponsored scientists have inspired some 55,000 young people.

Throughout the month of May, CIHR's website will highlight outstanding efforts by its youth outreach volunteers, including a very busy research centre in Quebec that has made time to actively engage youth for more than a decade. The Infectious Diseases Research Centre of Laval University is this year's winner of the Synapse Award. You can also see how a Synapse mentor-student relationship works and read about a University of Calgary Masters student who finds working with kids keeps her focused on the big picture.

• Sensitizing students to science
• The kids are all right
• Sharing the dream