Undergraduate students studying science and health at York University had an opportunity to showcase research to fellow students, faculty members and staff during the 2017 Summer Undergraduate Research Conference held Aug. 11.
Hosted by the Faculty of Science, the event saw 31 students participate and share their research projects with the York community.
“Our summer research program is about providing students with not only hands-on research experiences that expose them to what frontline research really involves, but also opportunities to develop communication and networking skills,” said Dean of Science Ray Jayawardhana. “Conferences, like the one we hosted, are an excellent way to show students the other side of being a scientist: sharing your research with the world.”
The event kicked off with a welcome from Jayawardhana, Dean of Health Paul McDonald, and Associate Vice-President Research, Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation Celia Haig-Brown. The morning session included oral presentations from some students, while the afternoon portion was dedicated to students showcasing their work in poster presentations.
Following the presentations, an awards ceremony led by Associate Dean of Students Alex Mills recognized the top presenters. The following students received awards:
- Ling Lin, first prize for poster presentation;
- Joel George, first prize for oral presentation;
- Dean Vaksman, second prize for poster presentation;
- Matthew Sem, second prize for oral presentation;
- Daniel Correia, third prize for poster presentation;
- Gehrig Carlse, third prize for oral presentation; and
- Andrea Angelucci, honourable mention for poster presentation.
A summary of all of the students’ projects can be viewed in the conference program booklet. A total of 48 science and health students conducted summer research: 28 were supported by the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Undergraduate Student Research Awards; one was supported by a Mitacs Globalink Award; and 19 science students were supported by the Dean’s Undergraduate Research Awards, five of which were generously funded by Earle and Berna Nestmann.
Photos from the event have been posted on the Faculty of Science Facebook page.