In the lead-up to Bisons football spring camp, Bison Sports will look back on a few notable moments from the season that was. We begin with offensive lineman Mark Rauhaus' selection as the 2023 Russ Jackson Award winner. 

It was a memorable year in 2023-24 for Bisons offensive lineman Mark Rauhaus. 
 
On the field, the 6'0", 285-pounder earned the starting centre job, holding down one of the most difficult positions within the trenches. The five-year program veteran helped lead the Herd to a drastic turn-around after an 0-3 start, advancing to the Canada West conference playoffs for a program record fifth year in a row.  
 
Along the way, Manitoba finished second in Canada West in total rushing yards (1443, 180.4 yards per game). 
 
"He plays the game with passion and an energy that is contagious to the rest of his group, and that helped spark the turn around [of the season]," said head coach Brian Dobie. 
 
"Our pass protection and the run game got better due to Mark finding his voice and providing his role."


 
Rauhaus shone on the field (in one of the most competitive university football conferences in the country), as well as the classroom and the community. 
 
Academically, he's been a standout student not just within the football program, but all of Bison Sports. 
 
Rauhaus has been an Academic All-Canadian every year he's been eligible, earned a 4.0 GPA in the 2022-2023 academic year and is pursuing a biochemistry major with two minors and a co-op distinction. He has also been listed on the Dean's Honour role, and has won the football team's Nick Laping award in three consecutive seasons. 
 
Additionally, Rauhaus has spent two summers working in academic research labs that studied biophysics of proteins and Covid viral protein studies. He also developed a streamlined method that detects white blood cell activity in mice with the goal of learning about HIV infection routes.
 
The work hasn't stopped there for Rauhaus. His community engagement in a variety of areas has been felt and appreciated by countless individuals and organizations.
 
He is a member of the University of Manitoba Athletic Council (UMAC) and immediately made a positive difference, including co-leading the Bisons Against Bullying Program. 
This program is aimed at integrating Bisons athletes into the community as positive role models for children from grades 1-6. 

Over the course of last summer, he was also selected to the prestigious Presidents Student Leadership Program as one of 22 students identified as future leaders of the province.
 
In this program, Rauhaus travelled across the city and province to meet different influential men and women to learn how they lead as well as ask for advice. The program extended into the summer where he spearheaded an initiative for New Directions, a social welfare organization. 
 
Rauhaus piloted a project to help integrate independent skills workshops into the supported independent living program, which supports people with intellectual and physical disabilities.
 
This project was quite personal to Rauhaus, as his brother James has autism. Being able to make a meaningful and lasting contribution to a critical service was very important to him.
 
"Growing up it was different. I was a pretty naïve kid, and I didn't understand all of the challenges [my brother] was facing on a day-to-day basis. Part of it was confusing, part of it was frustrating because I really didn't understand," said Mark. 
 
"I saw people in his grade bully him and pick on him for being different. I heard people in my grade saying the same things. Being able to work with New Directions over the summer really meant a lot. They have a supported independent living program which is unheard of across the country. I was able to do a few orientation sessions with them where I learned a lot about institutionalization and the diminishing rights that the disabled population has across Canada. They're doing a lot of great work advocating for housing rights and advocating for privacy rights and benefits."
 
"Something as simple as the Manitoba Employment and Income Assistance, the wage that they're providing to disable individuals who might not have another source of income is really close to the poverty line right now," he added. 
 
"With increased inflation, it's becoming a systemic problem that is threatening the basic needs of these people who don't really have another option. It really meant a lot and was rewarding to go into the supporting independent living program, and make sustainable change."
 
Noting all of the above (which is just a snippet of the work Rauhaus does), it's no surprise that the Bisons veteran was selected as the 2023 U SPORTS Russ Jackson Award winner. He was also named Manitoba's Male Leadership and Community Development recipient during the annual Brown and Gold Gala. 
 
The Russ Jackson Award is presented to the player in Canadian university football who best exemplifies the attributes of academic achievement, football skill and citizenship. The award is named in honour of Canadian Football Hall of Famer and six-time CFL East Division All-Star with the Ottawa Rough Riders, Russell Stanley Jackson, who played quarterback for McMaster in the 1950s.
 
Rauhaus' section was the fourth in school history, which ties for the most-ever with McGill and Calgary. 
 
"I really couldn't be in the position that I am without the support system that I have. Not just within the university and Bison Sports but also my family. When coach called me with the news, I think I was in the middle of a chemistry assignment that I was irritated about. The first thought that I had was about my grandma, and if I had the chance to call her, how proud I would be," he said at the time of his selection. 
 
"All the people in my life, the values they've instilled in me, I'm incredibly thankful for the influence they've had. I put a lot of importance and value in what I can provide and do for my community. I'm in a lucky position to use my platform to do some extra things. I'm by no means the hardest worker in this building right now. I'm really lucky to be in the spot that I am. It's an honour to have my name put up for the Russ Jackson." Rauhaus will write the MCAT this summer, and will apply for medical schools in the fall of 2025. His research in the field of microbiology has been incredibly rewarding. 
 
In 2022, he studied under Dr. Jörg Stetefeld, where he was one of the few undergraduate students to work in the Manitoba Institute for Materials. 
 
"I went into the COVID protein folding study, where I was looking at a protein that's specific for cutting two proteins apart. I was looking at how that's produced within a cell, and how it survives packing into the virus in different buffering situations as well."
 
The following summer under the tutelage of Dr. Thomas Murooka, Rauhaus independently researched a streamlined method for detecting white blood cell activity in mice. 
 
From a general perspective, the goal was to learn about HIV infection routes. Rauhaus developed a reliable, non-invasive, quick technique that saved time, animals and money. 
 
"Dr. Thomas Murooka, he gave me a lot of independence which I'm really grateful for. My main project was learning how a bacterial infection infects the female genital tract wall and how that relates to HIV infection," he said. 
 
"There's always going to be a bacterial population within the female genital tract, and depending on which populations are present, you can have more or less white blood cell activity. I was trying to detect that white blood cell activity and the correlation it has to the wall." 
 
"In Nairobi, there's a really big community around learning about vaginal flora and the impact it has on human health," he added. "I developed an ELISA technique, which is essentially using antibodies to capture the specific white blood cell activity that we were seeing in the genital tract."
 
Rauhaus also worked this winter with Health Canada as a junior risk evaluator. It was a fun and engaging experience with practical implications for society. 
 
"It's an interesting approach. I've always been on the exploratory side of science. With this work, I'm kind of on the other end, looking at chemicals that could pose a risk to human health. Part of my job was to see the implications of using those [chemicals] in day to day life and seeing if we can tweak some guidelines and change the policy to remove those chemicals from use."
 
All of these experiences have set Rauhaus up for success in the future. His work will have a lasting impact on present and future generations. 
 
"The university offers a really good undergraduate student research program. Across Canada, Manitoba is regarded as one of the most esteemed research universities," he said. 
 
"Everything that I do is really rewarding. I'm interested in my studies, all the research that I do, it's really cool stuff. There are a lot of great people along the way that keep me going too, that human connection and the experiences that I get. I feel like I'm in a great spot here at the university. I'm really trying to make the most out of my time here."
 
A leader in every sense of the word, Rauhaus' efforts as an outstanding member in society are not lost on his coach. 
 
"I have been coaching football for 28 years and he is one of the best people I have had the opportunity to coach. I have already experienced his tremendous leadership skills and see him as a valued leader moving forward within our community."