Students' Union rewards 102 undergrads for excellence in research

A record $30,500 was awarded to undergraduate researchers at a special ceremony Nov. 29. The winners of the 13th annual Students’ Union’s (SU) Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS) were announced in 22 different categories, up from 16 categories last year.  A team of more than 55 judges made up of faculty and staff from the University of Calgary had the difficult task of determining the best submissions.

During the ceremony, Peter Garrett, the university’s associate vice-president of research innovation, presented a keynote address. He shared his accomplishments in the field of technology and innovation and spoke of how research has shaped his personal journey.

The research showcase portion of the symposium took place in Mac Hall on Nov. 27. This year, the 102 students who were selected to share their research could do so through oral or display presentations, not just posters. The symposium also provided a great networking venue for student researchers and a chance to meet professional researchers. More than 350 members of the campus community took time to visit the event. 

“Research is always evolving, and so URS should keep pace as well,” says Jessica Revington, the SU’s VP academic, on this year’s expanding event. “We spoke with past participants and judges to gather their feedback and let their suggestions drive the evolution of the URS. The diversity of this year’s winners is an indication that we succeeded in making the symposium accessible to everyone.”

2018 Undergraduate Research Symposium winners

• Faculty of Arts (2 x $1,000): Hangsel Sanguino; Elizabet Rajchel 
• Cumming School of Medicine (4 x $1,000): Amanda Neves; Nadia Narendran; Fahad Iqbal; Alexandra Greenslade 
• Faculty of Science (3 x $1,000, 1 x $500): Winner - Emily Hanniman; Winner - Joseph Mercado; Winner - Tanille Shandro; Runner-up - Maharshi Gandhi 
• Faculty of Kinesiology (1 x $500): Sadhiq Hussain Nazeer
• Faculty of Nursing Student Impact (1 x $500): Emma Nickel
• Werklund School of Education (1 x $1,000): Janine Pelletier
• Schulich School of Engineering (2 x $1,000): Christina Bueckert; Jessica Corpuz 
• Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (1 x $1,000): Saud Sunba
• Faculty of Social Work (1 x $1,000): Kendal David
• Graduate Students’ Association Future Innovator (1 x $1,000, 1 x $500): Winner - Bryan Ma; Runner-up - Rahul Arora
• Office of the President (1 x $1,000): Ryan Lee 
• Office of the Vice-President (Research) (2 x $1,000): Aasima Gadiwan; Michelle Chen 
• Office of the Vice-Provost (Libraries) (1 x $500, 1 x $250): Winner - Alyssa Carruthers; Runner-up - Mathieu Chin
• Provost’s Award for Excellence in Internationally-Focused Research (2 x $1,000): Brooke Bull; Robyn Thomas 
• The Judges’ Choice Award (1 x $1,000): Lea Caplan
• SU Sustainability Fund (1 x $1,000, 1 x $500): Winner - Thinh Tuan Tong; Runner-up - Adrien Takada
• The Chancellor’s Award (1 x $1,000): Moiz Hafeez 
• Office of the Vice Provost (Teaching and Learning) Programs in Undergraduate Research (PURE) Award (1 x $1,000): Amrita Saini 
• Office of Diversity, Equity and Protected Disclosure Award for DEI Excellence (2 x $1,000): Kayla Ueland; Shifa Hayat
• The CASE (Consent and Sexual Education) Award (1 x $250): Pooja Rani Sohal
• ATB Financial Award (1 x $500): Fazeela Mulji
• UCalgary Alumni Community Impact (1 x $500): Rachel Huh