Student research was celebrated at the 2019 Undergraduate Research Excellence awards on May 23.

UFV President Joanne MacLean spoke at the awards about the transformative effect of student research experiences.

“Research changes you. It requires self-discipline to plan a project, collect and analyze the data, and write a report. It teaches you time management, project management, and pushes you to be the absolute expert in your data. It improves your reading and writing skills, and quite possibly teaches you new technology. It advances your communication skills by requiring you to communicate technically in your paper, while also being able to use plain language when family and friends ask what you do. The value and importance of learning to do research is immense.”

Recent kinesiology grad Emily Ross affirmed that research experience is life-changing for students.

“Being involved in research has been one of the highlights of my undergraduate experience here at UFV. When we allow students the chance to pursue an interest, to engage in local and global communities in a new capacity, and to turn the theoretical into a living experience, we equip them to be passionate world-changers in a way that the classical confines of academia may not allow for. I know this to be true because that’s what happened to me.”

BC Graduate Scholarships, worth $15,000 each, were awarded to Jennifer Ofeimu (MEd), Nicole Joseph (MEd), Stacey de lay Ray (MSW), Kristen Swallow (MSW) and an as yet to be determined MA in Criminal Justice student.

McKenzie Braley received a $17,500 Canada Graduate Scholarship to fund master’s level studies at SFU.

Nicole Schurink (physics), Kaden Ray (physics), Erin Braley (biology), Brenna Hay (biology), Kyla Woelk (chemistry), Dustin Hurrell (chemistry) and Cassandra Shewchuk (geography) all received $4,500 NSERC undergraduate research awards, to fund their work with nationally recognized faculty researchers.

Other award winners included:

Community Service Research Award
Taylor Chapman, Cassandra Shewchuk, Adam Gough, Andrew Schulz — Geography

Indigenous Research Award
Lisa Wolgram — Social Work
Jesse Tremblay — Economics

Industry Engagement Research Award
Shayne Oberhoffner — Biology
Tyler Henderson, Simon Frackiewicz, Matthew Logan — Business
Hans-Georg Worms, Brett Russell, Nelson Spies, David Friesen — Physics

College of Arts Awards
Rebecca Wissink — Anthropology
Natasha Knight — Communications
Olivia Marty — Criminology & Criminal Justice
Karan Vij — Economics
Sterling Ray — Global Development Studies
Emily Clarke — History
Kyle Rehdner — Philosophy
Julie Morden — Political Science
Caroline Duncan – Psychology
Kelsey Block – Sociology
Shan Dhaliwal – South Asian Studies

Faculty of Health Sciences awards
Kenton O’Donnell — Kinesiology
Christine Drews — Nursing

Faculty of Professional Studies awards
Kim Abram — Adult Education

Harjot Kaler, Hayata Kimura, Christopher Sonea — Business
Uliyana Kubasova — Computer Information Systems

Faculty of Science
Sara Grant, Agriculture
Eryn Braley – Biology
Kaeden Teindl – Chemistry
Cassandra Shewchuk, Geography and the Environment