Maiza Asif knew her work term would be interesting and a challenge.
Not only is the Memorial University computer science student enjoying her role at CanAI Garage in St. John’s, she says she feels completely comfortable there and genuinely enjoys it.
“The number of meetings, the work environment and the team’s level of competence is preparing me really well for the professional world after graduation,” she said about her experience spending the 2026 winter semester at the John Cabot building.
Ms. Asif is one of 10 Memorial computer science co-op. students working on AI research and public sector modernization while on their work terms at Shared Services Canada’s CanAI Garage.
CanAI Garage was established last fall to build AI capacity in the public service, to provide practical AI solutions to common issues facing government departments and agencies and to create a national AI talent pipeline from post-secondary institutions into the federal public service. It was also designed to help bring research talent to industry applications and retain top talent in the public sector.
“There is an incredible opportunity for growth and learning in all areas.”
Memorial University is one of six post-secondary institutions selected as a CanAI Garage partner based in part on the university’s expertise in AI and related fields. The Memorial students are part of several nationally distributed teams based in St. John’s, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Vancouver.
The arrangement is a natural fit, says Dr. Sharene Bungay, head of the Department of Computer Science. She says the department has considerable expertise in AI and AI-related fields.
“Faculty are producing significant research in this area, including the use of AI to power prosthetics for amputees and to develop compression algorithms for streaming holographic video. We also have research partnerships with a number of tech companies,” she said. “Students are highly motivated to take courses with content related to AI, which we offer at the undergraduate and graduate levels.”
Applying AI solutions across the public sector
In partnership with Government of Canada departments and agencies, the Memorial University students are examining various use cases to determine how AI solutions can be applied across the public service, such as error and fraud detection, predictive AI for fleet management, smart intake solutions, sovereign large language models and many more.
The work is varied, with teams dedicated to data analytics and governance, machine learning modelling, full-stack application development software and cloud engineering.
“By supporting these work terms, we’re helping to build a strong AI talent pipeline in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Student Farhan Ishrak Probandho says working and connecting with other passionate students from across Canada has been “amazing.”
“I get to do a little bit of everything, from full-stack development to machine learning to project management,” he said. “There is an incredible opportunity for growth and learning in all areas.”
The impact on the co-op. students is transformative. It is also a significant boost to computer science students’ post-secondary education experience overall.
Student Nikhil Khatri says the CanAI Garage work term is his first real taste of professional software development.
“Working with actual codebases, collaborating with fellow developers and building connections with students and professionals from across the country has been way more transformative than any classroom project could be,” he said.
Albert Norman is a regional IT manager with CanAI Garage.
He says the Memorial co-op. students bring an “outstanding” blend of technical skill, initiative and real-world problem-solving to the work.
“They are not just learning from us — they are actively shaping the solutions we deliver,” he said. “Their ability to quickly understand complex challenges and draw on the strong academic foundations they’ve built in the Faculty of Science adds immediate value to our work.”
CanAI’s regional team lead Sanjana Khan Shammi says she is impressed by the students’ initiative and ownership of complex AI projects.
“The students go beyond development and deployment by engaging with stakeholders, gathering requirements and presenting prototypes to senior leadership across the Government of Canada,” she said. “Through sprint ownership and collaborative delivery, they gain invaluable experience in AI implementation, project management and leadership. We are deeply grateful for the students’ commitment, curiosity and impact in bringing projects to life. The work term is a major factor in preparing graduates for their future careers.”
Mr. Norman says the students emerging from Memorial’s Faculty of Science are collaborative, motivated and consistently elevate the work of his team.
“By supporting these work terms, we’re helping to build a strong AI talent pipeline in Newfoundland and Labrador, and these students are becoming a tremendous asset for the future of digital and data innovation in the province and beyond.”
March 25 is National Work-Integrated Learning Day, a day to celebrate co-operative education learning and work-integrated learning programs across Canada.
