undergraduate student research award mcmaster

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Apply now for an undergraduate student research award.

Why wait until graduate school when you can build your research portfolio now? If you are in your third or fourth year of undergraduate studies, you could spend your Spring term conducting full-time paid research through the Faculty of Social Sciences’ Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRAs) .

The USRAs support research partnerships between undergraduate students and faculty members. Successful student applicants receive $7,500 in funding to conduct meaningful research-based activities in collaboration with a faculty member. Over 16 weeks, students gain experience in a professional research environment, hone their research skills, bolster their resumes and receive invaluable mentorship from experienced researchers and professionals in their field of study.

Last year, the Faculty of Social Sciences awarded 11 USRAs to undergraduate students and their faculty supervisors across six of our departments and addressed relevant and timely topics including, such as:

• Ethicality and accessibility in online evaluation in the secondary context
• Can anemia in adults be diagnosed through measurement of limb bones?
• Subjective truth value is influenced by misinformation
• Marginality facing international Chinese students during COVID-19
• Declining food access in urban minority communities
• The potential of tattoos and piercings to serve as viable mental health treatment options

Students who receive USRAs are expected to devote 10 to 20 hours per week to research activities, culminating in a research poster presented by each student at the annual USRA poster symposium.

The deadline to apply is March 31, 2023. Contact Chris Hollins to learn more about the supervisory and student research expectations.

Celebrating Undergraduate Student Research Award recipients

BY Danelle D'Alvise, Research Communications

June 29, 2007

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Ian_Burgess.jpg” caption=”Ian Burgess, a summer student in the Department of Chemistry, spoke at the USRA reception on June 25. Photo by Martin Wissenz.”]Some of their project titles are multi-syllabic mouthfuls that would suggest — at first glance — the research pursuits of post-doctoral students. But the group of keen and committed students celebrated at Monday's reception in Convocation Hall are all undergraduates and recipients of an award that pays them to pursue their research interests for 16 weeks this summer.

There are more than 140 students who received an Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) this year, involved in research projects that range from building a better car to building a better cornea.

The USRAs provide each student with $5,000 and, under the supervision of a faculty advisor, they have the opportunity to explore possible career opportunities in a research environment, investigate and learn more about an area of research that interests them, enhance their academic experiences and prepare for work at the graduate level.

Danielle Major and Michael Hill will be pursuing graduate studies in Toronto after completing their USRA projects. Major, under the supervision of psychologist Louis Schmidt, is exploring the underlying physiology of shyness and social anxiety in children, particular those with selective mutism.

“I am going to York in the fall to take clinical psychology — the work that I'm doing with Dr. Schmidt is so relevant to the career I want to pursue,” says Major.

Hill, who's heading to U of T for medical school, echoes that sentiment, and while he's leaning towards community medicine, the USRA has opened the door to working with Dr. Gerry Moran to explore how MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) can be used to detect and classify leukemia.

More than 85 undergraduates and faculty advisors attended the reception, representing every Faculty and every year of undergrad study. The USRAs are sponsored by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Faculties of Social Sciences, Humanities and Business, and the Office of the Vice-President, Research and International Affairs.

While some students will be leaving the University to pursue their postgraduate dreams, there are several students who will be staying at McMaster, dovetailing their USRA research experience with the postgraduate options offered here.

For those still enrolled in undergraduate programs, they can use awards such as the USRA to enrich their undergraduate experience and in the fall, will also be able to log onto a new website that will detail all of undergraduate research opportunities at McMaster University.

Acting vice-president of research & international affairs, Allison Sekuler, notes that the USRA is one of many award opportunities that undergraduates can access and, coupled with information about other research-based pursuits on campus, represents a significant undergraduate resource.

“Here at McMaster, we provide students with unique educational opportunities, highlighted by inquiry, problem-based learning and immersive research experience,” says Sekuler. “We believe the best way to learn is by doing. The launch of the Office of Undergraduate Research @ McMaster (OURMac) and the OURMac website will highlight these opportunities, give information about upcoming research events and give us a chance to celebrate the experiences and achievements of students — such as these USRA recipients.”

Fred A. Hall, associate-vice president academic, noted that the USRA awardees “are what it's all about. We are a research intensive, student-centred university and these students are proof of how best to bridge education and research. They each bring something unique to their work and to the University that is exciting and inspiring. As faculty members, this is what we strive for — they are what makes the difference.”

The projects that are currently underway will garner research results that will be displayed at the next USRA poster session, Jan. 15, 2008 in the MUSC marketplace.

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Media Enquiries

The Communications and Public Affairs Office is staffed from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.

The University has a broadcast quality television studio to facilitate live and pre-recorded interviews with media. Learn more about our experts.

Undergraduate Research at DeGroote

Experience what it is like to be a researcher at DeGroote. Explore topics that interest you and discover how you can contribute to research happening at DeGroote.

Students can:

• Engage in leading business-focused research projects
• Gain valuable work experience
• Develop transferable skills including analysis, communication, and research skills
• Receive mentorship from DeGroote researchers while learning about a key business area

Are you curious? Do you have an interest in a particular business field?

Students are important contributors to active research projects at DeGroote. They participate in hands-on research, are part of creating new knowledge, and learn how to share those insights.

Find out how DeGroote researchers solve problems and conduct research at McMaster. There are opportunities to participate in research and support work being done by faculty members across eight different academic areas.

What is an Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA)?

Undergraduate Student Research Awards provide students with research-based employment. Successful USRA recipients will generally receive a minimum of $7,500 to cover their contribution to the research project.

As a student, USRAs allow you to:

• Obtain funding for meaningful research-based activities with a faculty member
• Explore career opportunities in a research environment
• Develop skills and gain experience
• Learn more about a specific area of interest
• Foster a positive working relationship with a faculty member, research team, and/or other professionals

Students engage with DeGroote researchers on projects that directly contribute to research. Often undergraduate projects also involve coordination with various other team members inclusive of graduate students and additional academic or research partner contributors. Students are supervised and mentored by a DeGroote faculty member.

DeGroote is committed to making research accessible to all students to both explore research career opportunities and/or to gain skills also valued outside of academia. There are a variety of student research funding options available that can support your participation in DeGroote led projects. Connect with a researcher directly to see what student research opportunities are available.

How to apply?

Students interested in pursuing an Undergraduate Student Research Award at DeGroote are encouraged to reach out directly to a professor in an academic area that interests you. Researchers will receive the opportunity to apply directly for USRA specific funding or they may ask you to join one of their existing projects.

This opportunity is open to undergraduate students, and you do not need a graduate degree to participate. Undergraduate Student Research Award positions are posted on OSCARplus in the early part of each year. In addition, DeGroote researchers will also have additional opportunities for you to join an existing project team.

• Fall: Begin discussions with DeGroote faculty members to learn about their plans for undergrad research assistants and how you can contribute to their research
• February-March: Specific roles are posted on OSCARplus
• April: Student interviews conducted, and roles filled
• May-August: Students employed in research roles with the potential for extension beyond the summer

Undergrad Student Research Projects

Understanding older adults’ susceptibility and coping behaviours for cyber-attacks.

Supervisor: Milena Head

The portrayal of Hitler in leadership textbooks

Supervisor: Catherine Connelly

Determinants and consequences of overwork

Supervisor: Ala Mokhtar

Supporting Indigenous craftmaking with digital services

Supervisor: Benson Honig

Linking Canadian women’s groups with Kenyan women’s needs

Corporate scandals and their consequences .

Supervisor: Trevor Chamberlain (Principal Applicant), Anna Danielova (Co-Applicant), Hesam Shahriari (Collaborator)

Social Impact Hub (CONNECT Program) - Driving Collective Action: Bridging the Gap in Social Economy through Cross-Sector Collaboration

Supervisor: Brent McKnight , Paul Snowdon

Past Projects

BCom and eHealth student Bilal Khan shares learnings from conducting his own hands-on research at DeGroote as an undergrad student.

Undergraduate Workshop

DeGroote Research Day

August 21, 2023

Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) recipients came together to share their learning experiences from working closely with DeGroote researchers. The undergraduate students discussed how gaining experience with hands-on research has allowed them to develop theoretical and applicable skills in several facets of research, in addition to the development of strong mentorship connections with their supervisors.

Read more about their experiences in this article.

DeGroote Undergraduate Student Research Assistant Workshop

November 17, 2023 | 9-11 AM

Experience what it is like to be a researcher at DeGroote. Explore topics that interest you and the benefits of contributing to research.

Undergraduate Research Associates are valued team members across all areas within the DeGroote School of Business. Please join us to learn more about projects that students contributed to this past year and consider if you would be interested in being involved in research.

Space is limited so register early.

Register here

Connect with us

Submit the form below and a member of our team will respond.

Graduate Studies

Usra poster session is on hiatus in 2023.

The poster session will not be happening in 2023. Please watch for updates about future sessions.

USRA Poster Session

The annual Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) Poster Session provides McMaster undergraduate students the opportunity to share their summer research experience with peers, faculty members, staff and the broader Hamilton community. The session highlights the work done by Undergraduate Student Research Award winners, who spent this past summer working in the labs, libraries, and in the field. Their hands-on research experience gives them an opportunity to get a taste of what it is to be a graduate student researcher.

The Undergraduate Student Research Awards are sponsored by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; Office of the Vice-President Research; the faculties of Social Sciences, Humanities and Business; and the Arts & Science program. The poster session is sponsored by the School of Graduate Studies.

2022 USRA presenters

Arts and science.

• Anthony Cherubini — Syrian Refugees’ Integration in Canada: A Critical Literature Review of Mental Health Determinants
• Bohmee Kim — Well-Being Support for Refugee Youth during the Pandemic: Insights from the Perspective of Key Informants
• Sydney Potts — Prostitutes, Vagabonds, and Wayward Youth: A Scoping Review of the Evolution of Psychopathy
• Noah Ripstein — Dementia at the intersection of Ethics, Neuroscience and Law
• Maya Verma — Implementing an Evidence-Based Model in a Real Life Clinical Setting: The Family Check-Up

Health Sciences

• Ahad Daudi – Developmental and Age-Related Changes in Myelin Expression in the Human Primary Visual Cortex
• Matthew Aksamit – Hamilton’s Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Past, Present, and Future
• Katherine D’Agostino – Letters from Michael Tippett to Edward Sackville-West: A Complete Scholarly Edition and Commentary
• Milica Hinic – Student Learning Podcast Experience
• Ali Khan – Commercial Arbitration and the Nations of Wealth
• Jordan McClean – A Historical Review on the Evolution of the 24-Prelude Set
• Annabelle Silva – The Indigenous Population of Ancient Sicily
• Jenny Chau – Ecosystem respiration responses to environmental forcing
• Erin Donahue-Boyle – Mechanisms for Synthesis of Bio-Based Plastics Using Soybean Oil and Silicones
• Johanna Enright – Entropy Correlation Between Protein and DNA Sequences in Low Complexity Regions
• Henry Gage – Proglacial sediment records of glacial retreat and water contamination in Lake Shallap, Cordillera Blanca, Peru
• Matthew How-Chun-Lun – Modelling Hair Curls: An application of the Calculus of Variations
• Jennifer (Li Hui) Jiang – Application of qPCR for fecal coliform quantification at Niagara Beaches
• Griffin LaChapelle – Investigating the Syntheses of Transition Metal-Borane and Alane Complexes
• Emma Naguit – On the Height of Toric Ideals of Graphs and Geometric Vertex Decomposition
• Luke Nguyen – The Effect of an Acute Bout of Isometric Handgrip Exercise on Brain Function Indices
• Lisa Patrascu – Torques exerted upon a planet by its host disk
• Emmerson Teas – Characterization of extra-cellular vesicles released by primary fibroblasts under conditions of contact inhibition and hypoxia
• Philip Samokhin – Using halogen bonding to perform an intramolecular cyclization

Social Sciences

• Maham Afzaal – Lessons From the Pandemic: Evaluation of Secondary Students
• Hiya Goyal – Food desertification in disenfranchised Hamilton communities: Declining food access in urban minority communities and the illusion of choice
• Xin (Mona) Huang Huang – A phenomenological study on the experiences of Chinese international students in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Alexandra Irvine – The Influence of Bias on the Spread of Misinformation
• Aleem Mohammed – Language, Marketing, Neocolonialism – How the Tourism Industry Perpetuates Neocolonial Ideologies in the US Virgin Islands
• Florencia Saposnik – Break-Ups and Instagram: Is “Checking-In” Associated with Mental Well-Being in University Students?
• Isabel Sealey – Can cribra femora be utilized to evaluate anemia in non-adults? An investigation using micro-CT analysis
• Selby Westbrook – Technological Choice at the Nursery Site (AhGx-8): An Exploration of Archaeological Ceramic Variability and Ceramic Ecology
• Tegan Wilson – The intersections of mental health, tattoos, piercings and pain

Past USRA presenters

Expandable list, arts & science.

• A Taste of Our Own Medicine: Conceptions of “Nature” Within Naturopathy, Avery Qurashi
• Neural Processes of Face Identification, Hailey Wright
• The role of observational learning in the acquisition of complex motor skills, John Cyfko
• How Canadian Soccer Coaches Make Decisions, Mahmood Haddara
• An Arf Invariant of Virtual Knots, Marco Handa
• Transactional Nature of Temperament and Parenting in Preschoolers, Sadie McVey Neufeld
• What Does the University Stand For?: Freedom of Expression, Protest and Dissent, Tianqi Lei
• Utilization of expanded Natural Killer cells to vanquish malignant tumors via antibody dependent cellular cytoxicit, Abdullah El-Sayes
• Evaluating the effect of age on phagocytosis of S. pneumoniae by macrophages, Danny Ma
• Dissociating gut microbiome and genotype influences on Angelman Syndrome mice, Owen Luo
• Bacteriophage Discovery in the Human Gut Microbiome, Roland Chou
• Investigation of the Cooperative Functions of Polyclonal Antibodies that Target Diverse Influenza Epitopes, Sierra Barnes
• Can Musical Cues Improve Auditory Alarms in the I.C.U.?, Cameron Anderson
• Bacon Bros: Theoretical approaches to understanding masculine identities in contemporary cook books, Daniel Arauz
• Prayers and pennies for the paupers: Research into the Guilds and Charity in Late Medieval Strasbourg (1350-1475), Graeme Lavender
• Creating Wilderness and Crafting Identity: The First National Parks in Québec, Hannah Walters-Vida Karin Fish
• Pollution Visualizations, Karin Fish
• Harold “The Colonel” Kudlets: A Transcontinental Music Pioneer, Lukas Spencer
• Aether: A Sci-Fi Novella, Virginia Ford-Roy

Engineering

• Characterization of 3D Printed Titanium Alloys, Asad Hussanain
• Inkjet printing of conductive nanocellulose inks for flexible electronics, Elsie Loukiantchenko
• Curve Fitting to Characterize Stress-Generated Electrical Potentials in Bone, Elyse Rier
• Integrated External and Internal Quantum Efficiency Measurement System, Jarod Coppens
• Enhancing Microwave Imaging for Breast Cancer Screening, Jessica Trac
• On-Demand Drug Delivery from Hydrogels Induced by Alternating Magnetic Fields, Lauren Weir
• Wordathon: A Tool for Social Learning, Yumna Irfan
• Genetic Variability of Phragmites australis in Southern Ontario, Alexandra Tekatch
• Detecting Pathogens that cause Sepsis and their Resistance Genes, Brianne Laverty
• Investigating evidence for a Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in ultrathin films of Fe/W(100), Bryce Norman
• Designing a Robust Paradigm to Study Replenishment Kinetics of Nematocytes in Hydra littoralis, Christian Barborini
• Does aperiodic-predictable temporal regularity facilitate auditory perception?, Elger Baraku
• Cockayne Syndrome Group B Protein Regulates Telomere Maintenance in Telomerase-
• Negative Cancer Cells, Emily Feng
• Growth and Characterization of Mixed Pyrochlore-Type Oxide Nd2ScNbO7, Graham Johnstone
• The Effects of High Intensity Interval Training on Endothelial Function in Cardiac Rehabilitation Patients, Jessica Sadri-Gerrior
• Physiological and Behavioural Adaptations of an intertidal fish to Hypoxia and Air Exposure, Noah Houpt
• High-speed preparation of ultra-thin uniform polymer fibers for advanced materials development, Sara Evans
• Single Particle Imaging of Bicoid’s DNA Binding Domain, Sonya Martin
• Evaluating the diagnostic capabilities of cell-free DNA, procalcitonin and protein C in comparison to HEWS, Walaa Faidi
• Examining the Policies and Decision-Making Procedures of Toronto City Committees on
• Migrant Sex Workers, Aaron Li
• An Exploration of Ontario’s Grade 9 Health Curriculum Abdullah, Al Hamlawi
• Reporting Methodology for the Proportion of Students with Disabilities at Ontario Post-Secondary Institutions, Brittany Gottvald
• A Catch Twenty-Two: Mother’s Experiences with Formal and Informal Supports in the Community after Domestic Violence, Carol Lopez Ricote
• Negotiating Conflicting Understandings of Intimate Relationships, Chriselle Vaz
• Orphan Drugs in Canada and the Effect of Patent Expiration on Prices, Daley Thomsen
• China’s Rise: Assessing the Security Dilemma in East Asia Eric Lim
• Effects of Electoral Malpractice on Regime Stability, Eric Lim
• Qeya – Tracing Time Through Pots, Harriet Jopling
• The effect of music listening on implicit racial attitudes, Nicholas Ballarin
• Undergraduate Students’ Attitude-Behaviour Consistencies towards Rape Myths, Rachel Cheung
• Underscoring the Importance of Adequate Nutrition: Exploring Food (In)security Initiatives and the Policy Process at the Municipal-level in Canada, Sabrina Campanella
• Analysis of Macrobotanical Remains from Classic Maya Sites of Budsiljá and Sak T’zi’, Sarah Watson
• Understanding barriers in accessing mental health services within the Sri Lankan Tamil Diasporic Community in the GTA, Shangaari Kanesalinkam
• Cognitive vs. Chronological Age as Barriers to Using Wearable Activity Monitors in Older Adults, Shiva Gheblehverdi
• “We’re going to hold them accountable”: Explaining Attrition Among Black Students in Undergraduate STEM Programs, Tianna Follwell
• Shyness and Autonomic Regulation in Preschoolers, Annie Mills
• Modulating Software: Pokémon-Go and Contested Fun in Public Space, Benjamin Feldman
• Gendered Bodies in Post-World War Two Canada, Rachel Guitman
• Impact of the Neighbourhood Action Strategy on Social Capital, Stephanie Bertolo
• Through the Glass Ceiling, Over the Glass Cliff?, Sutina Chou
• Social Participation and Resilience among Hamilton’s Older Adults, Thipiga Sivayoganathan

Interdisciplinary

• Understanding timbre: Exploring amplitude envelope and overtone tuning, Maxwell Ng (Health Sciences and Humanities)
• The role of innate immunity in virus-induced exacerbation of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Daniel Celeste
• Fast estimation of time-varying infectious disease transmission rates, Mikael Jagan
• Early immune challenge impacts neuroprogenitors and depressive behaviours in mice, Owen Luo
• Role of Gut Serotonin in the Production of  Antimicrobial Peptides, Parsa Mehraban Far
• Palliative Care in Specialist Residency Education: Literature Review, Samer Kullab
• Copy Number Variation (CNV) prediction/validation using the XHMM pipeline and dPCR, Steven Chen
• Russell’s Epistemology Bridging the Foundationalist-Coherentist Distinction, Alisha Butani
• Canada’s Democratic Hypocrisy: The Problem of Indigenous Political Control, Elizabeth Bloomfield
• Eros and immortality in the Phaedo, Emily Wall
• Information Status in Italian, Erin DeBorba
• Virtual Learning Environments: Inclusive or Impeding?, Sumi Voora
• Perception of Beat Isochrony in 6 month old Infants, Tessa Dickison
• The Hamilton Spectator and the Great War Veterans Association, 1918-1920, Unnati Gandhi
• Locke Embodied, William Bell
• Electrically Conductive Membranes, Alex Sutherland
• Design and Wet-Etching of Al2O3 Waveguides for On-Chip Amplifiers and Lasers, Arthur Mendez-Rosales
• Correction of Multi-Angle Plasma FIB SEM Image Curtaining Artifacts, Christopher Schankula
• 3D Printing In MRI, Josh Bierbrier
• Secure Communication for a Quantum Future: Post Quantum Cryptography in SSH, Karl Knopf
• Computational Modelling of the Inner Hair Cell to Auditory Nerve Synapse, Laura Green
• Modelling Finite-Time Vortex Collapse with Contour Dynamics, Alex Kerzner
• Movement Synchrony on Helping Behaviour in Infants, Alisha Song
• The Effect of Brachial Occlusion on Finger Flexor Tendon and Subsynovial Connective Tissue Motion, Andrew Wong
• Direct Detection and Reactions of MePhSnMPP, Brianna Nguyen
• An Investigation of Sediment Cyclicity and Glacial Deltaic Processes in Lake Jircacocha Cordillera Blanca, Perú, Chimira Nicole Andres
• The regulation of a new mode of bacterial growth, Christine Pham
• Controlled Assembly of Silicones, Daniel Szames
• Evolution and Structural Implications of a Multi-Stage Moraine at Lake Palcacocha, Peru, David Bowman
• Assessment of RFID technology to estimate fledging success in common terns, Hannah Clyde
• Hydroxyapatite nucleation on bone scaffolds using simulated body fluid, Iflah Shahid
• EEG Cross Frequency Coupling in Preoperative Anxiety, Jhanahan Sriranjan
• Estimating Tibia Lead Half-Life and Intake from Blood Lead, Jonas Yeung
• Effect of task on neural responses to faces, Katrina Fackelmann
• Cognitive Audiology: Influence of Working Memory Capacity on Hearing, Marija Radenovic
• 1918 Influenza Pandemic Mortality in Ontario, Michael Chong
• Physiological impacts of aquatic hypoxia on Porichthys notatus, Noah Houpt
• Kin Recognition in Silver Maple?, Pascale Bider
• The use of pharmacological tools to study regeneration in hydra littoralis, Rachel Lee
• Estimating the effects of parasites on the maintenance of sex, Sang Woo Park
• Phylogeography of the North American Matsutake Mushrooms, Sarah Sandor
• The regulation of human skeletal muscle plasticity in response to contractile perturbation, Tom Tripp
• The Fabrication and Application of Cellulose-Based Aerogels with Tunable Thickness, Patterning, and Morphology, Tyler Or
• Adverse Childhood Experiences, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Moral Injury, Anthony Battaglia
• The Evolution of the Struggle for a Living Wage in Hamilton, Ontario, Ben Owens
• Parking to Paradise? A Case Study on the Experiences of the McMaster University Community with Ancaster Creek Restoration Work at Lot M, Carly Stephens
• Only 2 Students in the Store – Using Photovoice to Examine Individual, Cultural and Structural Forms of Adultism in Hamilton, Carolyn Ralph
• Crying Over Spilt Milk: The Impact of Supply Management in the Dairy Sector on Canada, Emma Holmes
• Exploring the Resiliency of Low-Income Older Adults in Hamilton, Grace Martin
• Proportional Representation and East Asian Party Systems, James Ankers
• Producing Public Archaeology at The Stélida Naxos Archaeological Project, Jason Lau
• Night Walkability of Hamilton, Ontario as Viewed by the City’s Deaf Community, Jillian Scott
• Food Insecurity on Hamilton’s Upper West Mountain, Leticia Cubas
• Indigenous Driven Ethnobotany, Stephanie Morningstar
• Examining male-identified student perspectives of sexual violence on Canadian university campuses, Maddie Brockbank
• The Role of Health Policy on Mental Health Care Services Use by Asian Immigrant Groups in Canada, Natalie Thirakul
• Coping Mechanisms Women of Color Use to Deal With Racism, Rachel Persaud
• Special Relativity as Told by the Luminaries, Matthew Jordan
• Sojourning in the World, Henry Krahn
• A History of Churches Formed by Immigrants to Hamilton, Clare MacDonald
• Defining Rumination: A Factor Analysis of Rumination Questionnaires, Jonah Nadler
• Investigating the Effects of Social Mix On Residents’ Experiences of Social Inclusion/Exclusion In Toronto’s Regent Park Public Housing Community, Emily Power
• Mexican Fiction and Identity, Alex Recio
• LEED and Perceptions of Sustainable Design in the City of Hamilton, Spencer Williams
• Detection of Legionella pneumophila using Flurogenic DNAzymes, Suraj Gopinathbirla
• Investigating the effects of AMPK on Atherosclerosis, Matthew Han
• Impact of maternal nutrient restriction during pregnancy on ovarian follicle number in guinea pig offspring, Xinglin (Lyn) Li
• The Cytochrome P450 Superfamily in Cnidaria, Kirill Pankov
• Screening for Pseudomonas aeruginosa genes involved in biofilm stimulatory response to sub-lethal antibiotics, Madeleine Rudolph
• Influence of fetal exposure to SSRIs on the development of the enteric nervous system, Megan Wang
• The Healing Arts, Ema Asler
• Fertility Treatments and the Singing Voice, Laura Curtis
• Covert Hegemony: Explaining Nixon’s Hostility to Chilean President Salvador Allende, Jaime Graydon Dennison
• Women’s Leadership Roles in Haudenosaunee Society, Oznur Kaynak
• Ongoing Colonial Violence against South Asian Communities in Canada: Air India Bombings of 1985, Zarah Khan
• Derrida’s Hospitality and its Local Implications in the Syrian Refugee Crisis, Adam Watters
• Perception of Tonality and Harmonic Progressions, Brandon Wild
• Teaching Introductory Italian Using Digital Tools, Kaitlyn Zarcone-Beam
• Air-Floating Wind Turbine, Akshay Aubeeluck
• Teaching Computer Science Game Graphs, Tanya Bouman
• Using MEMS techniques for fabrication of planar electromagnets for applications in DNA sensing, David Philpott
• Inducing Apoptosis in MCF-7 cells using MNP’s and Magnetic Fields, Justin Sing
• Thermal Stability of Cellulose Nanocrystals via Hydrolysis with Sulfuric and Phosphoric Acids, Oriana Vanderfleet
• Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) reflectance of decayed root matter under varying soil moisture conditions, Julia Andersen
• The Effects of Driving Experience on Visual Attention, Senuri Aponso
• A Microfluidic Microinjector for toxicological and developmental studies of cardiogenesis in Drosophila embryos, Pouya Aref
• How do plants deal with low phosphate? Getting to the root of the problem, Anna Axakova
• Ligand-induced cooperativity between CBD activation and channel gating in HCN channels, Adam Bernardo
• The Search for an Integrable Discretization of the Derivative Nonlinear Schrodinger Equation, Sylvie Bronsard
• Exploring the Interplay Between Lsr2 Proteins in Streptomyces venezuelae, Loryn Byres
• Localization and assessment of functional groups on surface modified PDMS, Srimann Chari
• Sign Patterns and their Applications, Biran Falk-Dotan
• Digital Drumming: Visualizing a Desynchonizing Percussion Performance, Kyle Gauder
• One-pot synthesis of quinazolinones as anti-parasitic agents for promotion of global public health, Tiffany Kong
• The Effects of Power on Empathic Responses to Pain, Michael, Ku
• Heat flow, Brownian motion, and Feynman diagrams, Kyle MacDonald
• Photoreactions in an Optical Vortex, Fariha Mahmood
• Fourier Series, Hilton Maurer
• Characterization of Transient Germlyenes in Solution, Austin Read
• Quantifying evapotranspiration edge effects in peatland systems: implications for at-risk reptiles, Kyra Simone
• A distributed hydrogeochemical assessment of Spencer Creek Watershed, Supriya Singh Polymer hydrogel microspheres as building blocks for extracellular matrices, Marta Skreta
• The impact of reduced daily ambulation on glycemic control in older adults: a pilot study, Tanner Stoeks
• Breast Cancer in Women of African Ancestry, Yulika Yoshida-Montezumae
• Ontario’s Allied Health Professions / Medical Expense Tax Credit, Collin Brown
• Differentiating Commingled Remains through EDXRF, Katie Campeau
• Chert Sourcing in the Cyclades, Jeffrey Coffin
• Being Transabled: What it means to seek disability in an able-bodied world, Kaelyn Danahy
• Association between socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics and household food insecurity in Canada, Mack Fielding
• Associations among shyness, physiological regulation, and social and private speech in typically developing 4-year-olds, Raha Hassan
• Hamilton’s Women’s Shelter System and the Housing Market, Sarah Hugh
• The Recipe of Choice: A Petrographic Analysis of Neutral Iroquoian Ceramics at the Christianson Site, Daniel Ionico
• Exploring Hairstylists as Cultural Intermediaries, Sasha  Johnstone
• Mapping Disabled Homeless Youths’ Navigation of (Dis)connected Services, Daire Kavanagh
• Accessing democracy: Barriers to voting for People Experiencing Homelessness, Grace Kennedy

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Undergraduate research opportunities  .

There are opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in a research project or undergraduate thesis under the supervision of a LIVELab researcher. Interested students should contact individual researchers to see what current opportunities exist:

Dr. Sue Becker, PNB Dr. Steven Brown, PNB Dr. Ian Bruce, Electrical  Eng Dr. David Earn, Math Dr. Geoff Hall, PNB Dr. Jennifer  Heisz , Kinesiology Dr. Joe Kim, PNB Dr. Jim Reilly, Engineering Dr. Mel Rutherford, PNB Dr. Louis Schmidt, PNB Dr. Mike Schutz, SOTA/PNB Dr. David Shore, PNB Dr. Ranil Sonnadara, Surgery / Arts & Sci / PNB Dr. Laurel Trainor, PNB Dr. Matthew  Woolhouse , SOTA/PNB  

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES

Humanities awards & scholarships.

New International Student Scholarships!

Starting in September 2024, all full-time international students enrolled in an Honours program will be eligible for either our Global Excellence Award or our Global Scholar Award.

Humanities Awards and Scholarships

Humanities students can take advantage of a large selection of monetary and non-monetary awards and scholarships. Some awards are offered automatically while others are available to apply for across a wide range of disciplines. Find the right one for you!

• Scholarships & Bursaries
• International Student Scholarships

Travel Scholarships

• Undergrad Research Awards

Essay Prize Competitions

• Request Info

The Faculty of Humanities offers numerous awards and scholarships that recognize academic achievements, undergraduate research, community leadership, and other contributions. Many of these have been made available through the generosity of donors who wish to assist students in achieving academic success. The faculty works in conjunction with the Aid & Awards office to adjudicate many of our faculty awards.

In-Course (Returning Student) Awards

Automatically applied or available by application, in-course awards recognize the achievements of our current undergraduate students.

Graduand Awards

Available to full-time and part-time students graduating from their first undergraduate degree program.

Take the leap and study abroad with these specialized travel scholarships.

Undergraduate Student Research Awards

Create your own research-based employment and spend the summer developing your research skills valued by academics and employers.

There are numerous other university scholarships for undergraduate students administered solely by Aids and Awards on behalf of McMaster University. Please visit Scholarships and Bursaries website for further details and a full listing of awards and scholarships.

Scholarships and Bursaries

Your outstanding essay might just earn you a monetary prize through the Humanities Essay Prize competition available in both English and French languages. Submitted a project in a non-traditional form such as a vlog, Instagram story, or YouTube video? Those are also eligible! Find out how to apply today!

Entrance Awards

Learm more about Entrance Awards for incoming students.

Faculty of Science

Office of undergraduate research, external spring/summer research opportunities.

Explore exciting research opportunities through the Office of Undergraduate Research! Our program offers a wide range of both external and internal research experiences that will ignite your curiosity and provide invaluable hands-on learning opportunities.

Expandable List

2024 triumf richard e. azuma undergraduate fellowship for mcmaster university students.

AzumaFellowshipPoster

Due: Sunday, December 10th, 2023

TRIUMF has launched a new summer undergraduate fellowship for students at our Member Universities. The  Richard E. Azuma Fellowship is named after long-time University of Toronto Professor Dick Azuma, a key contributor to TRIUMF ‘s  science program and a powerful advocate for equity in the workplace. The Fellowship is aimed at:

students who are known amongst peers and teachers as exceptional individuals with a demonstrated track record of talent, passion, and leadership.  The Azuma Fellowship is seeking not only students with stellar undergraduate records, but also those with diverse backgrounds, collaborative spirit, creativity, and other attributes that will set them apart as future researchers.

Two Fellowships will be awarded each year to students in the summer before their final year before graduation .The intent here is to expose these students to TRIUMF ‘s science program before they start applying for grad schools in the fall. Fellows will have the opportunity to choose from a carefully selected list of unique paid research opportunities. Travel to and from Vancouver, as well as a one-week stay at TRIUMF House, will be reimbursed. Fellows who later elect to attend graduate school at one of TRIUMF ’s Member Universities will be eligible for a $5000 entrance scholarship. (to date, two Azuma Fellows have accepted the entrance scholarship.)

To fulfil TRIUMF ‘s values of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and commitment to our Strategic Plan, the Azuma Fellowship seeks to actively recruit members of underrepresented groups who have experienced historically and/or current barriers to equity.

Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) summer opportunities

Information from IQC:

Undergraduate School on Experimental Quantum Information Processing (USEQIP) – June 3 – 14, 2024

Start the summer with a  two-week introduction  to the theoretical and experimental study of quantum information processing, including 30 hours of hands-on time in the labs. You will get the opportunity to interact with students from around the world and work with graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and IQC faculty members. USEQIP is offered at no cost to students. Accommodations and meals are covered, and you can also apply for travel bursaries.

Learn more about USEQIP from past participants Julia , Thomas and Morgan about what it’s like to be part of this unique training experience for undergraduate students, and how it shaped their academic journey.

Undergraduate Research Award – all summer After gaining a foundational understanding of quantum information science and technology at USEQIP, you have an opportunity to spend the summer with IQC through an  Undergraduate Research Award  (URA). During your URA, you will work with one of IQC’s researchers on innovative theoretical techniques or advanced laboratory experiments.

Not only will you enhance your research experience and prepare for your graduate studies and research career, but you will get the chance to attend IQC seminars, lectures, and student talks. This is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in an interdisciplinary research community, spanning mathematics, computing science, physics, chemistry, and engineering.

Apply before January 2, 2024. You can choose to apply only to USEQIP or to apply for both an Undergraduate Research Award and USEQIP.

• To  apply to both , click the apply button. Complete the application and check the appropriate box for the Undergraduate Research Award.
• To  apply for USEQIP only, click the apply button. Complete the application but do NOT check the box for the Undergraduate Research Award.

The SickKids Summer Research (SSuRe) Program

The SSuRe Program offers undergraduate students a unique opportunity to collaborate with Research Institute (RI) scientists on a summer research project, providing professional and career development. Spanning 15 weeks from May to mid-August, the program hosts a range of activities to enhance the students’ research experience. Weekly seminars, conducted by esteemed Hospital and RI scientists, provide valuable insights and knowledge in various fields. Additionally, a Career Night event allows students to network with research staff from different departments within the RI, fostering connections and exploring potential career paths. The program also culminates in the annual Summer Student Symposium, where students have the chance to showcase their research projects. Exceptional projects are recognized with awards, celebrating the students’ outstanding contributions to the scientific community.

To learn more, visit the SickKids Summer Research (SSuRe) Program page.

Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI) Student Research Program

Sunnybrook Research Institute offers a Summer Student Research Program that provides undergraduate students with a unique hospital-based research experience and showcases the postgraduate environment as a prospective career. The program, which runs from May to late August, starts with an orientation to SRI, and is followed by regular seminars whereby leading faculty talk about their research. In August, students present their work at the Summer Student Poster Competition.

To learn more, visit the Sunnybrook Research Institute

Hurvitz Brain Sciences Summer Student Research Program

The Hurvitz Brain Sciences Summer Student Research Program offers undergraduate students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a hospital-based research program. Summer studentships typically run from May to September of each year, culminating in an end of summer studentship Presentation Day. Students will also be able to attend regular seminars led by Sunnybrook Research Institute whereby leading faculty talk about their research.

To learn more, visit the Hurvitz Brain Sciences Summer Student Research Program 

Dojo Grants

DojoGrants provides funding for students who are curious, self-motivated, and ambitious, helping them excel in their biotech and life science careers. Their commitment is to create equal opportunities for all, supporting low-income students and underrepresented minority groups who may face barriers in pursuing research. It is an opportunity to partake in a research project that is U.S. based .

To learn more, visit the DojoGrant page.

Call For Undergraduate Summer Student Research Assistants At Biodiversity Hotspots Worldwide!

Operation Wallacea  (Opwall)  is a network of academics from European and North American universities, who design and implement biodiversity, conservation management, and climate change research programs.

If you are enthusiastic and interested in wildlife conservation and climate change research, you can join Opwall’s 2024 or 2025 summer expeditions as a Research Assistant!  Relatively few people have field experience working alongside real research projects and the Opwall research program offers the opportunity to work with wildlife conservation scientists in the field.

Opwall field surveys are divided into biodiversity research expeditions , biodiversity and climate change field training courses,   and wildlife and culture experiences . These expeditions involve clusters of scientists and field biologists running a series of wildlife research projects at biodiversity hotspots and publishing their results.

Opwall is recruiting undergraduate students to participate in our 2 to 6-week summer research expeditions at biodiversity hotspots worldwide, including the following destinations: 

South Africa : Savannah Research and SCUBA Diving in the Indian Ocean 

Perform research in one of the most endangered biodiversity hotspots in the world! Conduct research on African lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, African leopard, and rhinoceros in Gondwana or Somkhanda!  Complete an African wildlife conservation and management course.  Also, perform bird point counts and assist with vehicle-based large mammal distribution surveys throughout the reserve. Be involved in analyzing camera trap data for elusive species such as lions and hyenas.  Additional option to complete an Introduction to Applied Conservation GIS course  available to contribute to Opwall’s long-term biodiversity data collection!

Afterward, SCUBA dive at the UNESCO World Heritage site, iSimangaliso Wetland Park.  At our Sodwana Bay Diving Centre and complete a PADI Open Water diving training course  or an Indian Ocean reef ecology course  with practicals by SCUBA diving or snorkeling.

Watch our South Africa Expedition Video:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQDy-37RLeQ

Information on our South Africa Expedition:   https://www.opwall.com/location/south-africa/

Honduras : Tropical Rainforest Research and SCUBA Diving in the Caribbean Sea 

Begin your expedition in the spectacular cloud forests of Cusuco National Park, which is ranked in the top 50 most irreplaceable biodiversity sites in the world!  Learn about the ecology of the cloud forests and their conservation importance alongside a large team of scientists focusing on forest structure and carbon storage capacity, butterfly trapping, amphibian, and reptile transect surveys, bird point count and mist net surveys, fungi surveying, large mammal surveys from camera trapping and bat surveys from mist-netting and sound scaping!

Afterward, complete your expedition at either t he Tela Marine Research Centre or on Utila Island where your focus will be on Caribbean coral reef ecology and conservation.  You will have the opportunity to complete a PADI Open Water dive training course  if you would like to learn and aren’t already qualified, as well as a compulsory Caribbean reef ecology and marine survey techniques course with practicals done by SCUBA diving or snorkeling . These are Opwall’s largest marine research sites and are home to our pioneering efforts to integrate technological solutions into the monitoring and study of coral reefs, including our 3D computer modeling method, use of robots to survey reefs beyond the limits of SCUBA diving, and stereo-video fish surveys to estimate biomass.

Watch our Honduras Expedition Video:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5K9hdOdr80

Information on our Honduras Expedition:   https://www.opwall.com/location/honduras/

Mexico : Tropical Rainforest Research and SCUBA Diving in the Caribbean Sea  

Complete research at a series of tropical rainforest camps across the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve , learn about the Ancient Maya and Mayan Jungle ecology alongside practicals in biodiversity survey techniques and help scientists conduct research on a series of key wildlife species. Learn how to conduct real-world research on bats, birds, primates, large mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, forest structures, jaguars, and ungulates! 

Afterward, attend our marine research site in Akumal, which is part of the Mexican Caribbean Biosphere Reserve . If you are not already dive trained, you can spend your first week at this center completing a PADI Open Water dive training course , before moving on to the Caribbean reef ecology course  in your next week. This course consists of lectures, and morning and afternoon in-water practicals, and trains you in some of the survey techniques used in the marine environment to assess the status of reefs and their associated fish communities. If you are already dive-trained or just want to snorkel your first week is on the Caribbean reef ecology course and the second would be spent working with different researchers on-site. Projects you will join include monitoring sea turtle abundance, sea turtle grazing of seagrasses, and seagrass biomass in Akumal Bay.

Watch our Mexico Expedition Video:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4kFL5eb10M

Information on our Mexico Expedition:   https://www.opwall.com/location/mexico/

• Get involved with active research projects – over 600 papers published to date  
• Expeditions to some of the most remote and stunning places worldwide 
• A focus on environmental education and conservation 
• No prior experience or knowledge is needed – just an interest in the world around you 

KEY BENEFITS! 

• Build your résumé 
• Gain experience in field research 
• Training in SCUBA, survey techniques, and jungle skills 
• Huge range of projects 
• Contribute to active research and conservation 

OPERATION WALLACEA DATES & FEES

Operation Wallacea Fee Includes: 

• All travel from the designated start point of the expedition (as described in the brochure and on the website), between the various sites on the expedition (with the exception of Madagascar , Ecuador and the Galapagos, and South Africa), and to the designated end point of the expedition
• Food and accommodation on your expedition
• Participation in all the field research projects and training courses on-site (excluding canopy access and dive training beyond PADI Open Water level) 
• Where the described program includes SCUBA diving or snorkeling, the booking includes diving or snorkeling, dive training to PADI Open Water level, and marine equipment needed (excluding a wetsuit)
• Medical and safety support, and full operational support during the expedition.

FURTHER INFORMATION:  

Please contact Operation Wallacea’s representative Nathan Adams ([email protected])   to discuss your options to join us in the summers of 2024 or 2025!  

Nathan Adams B.Sc. (Hons) (Melit.), M.Env.Sc, LEED GA

Operation Wallacea | WhatsApp/Cell:+1 613 558 2799  www.opwall.com | www.youtube.com/opwall

The Chalmers Astrophysics and Space Science Summer (CASSUM) Research Fellowship

The Chalmers Astrophysics and Space Science Science Summer (CASSUM) Research Fellowship program for undergraduate / master students is now accepting applications for summer 2024. The website listing various projects is here: http://cosmicorigins.space/cassum    Projects will involve an in-person visit to Chalmers Univ., Gothenburg, Sweden for at least part of the 10-week program. If you advise undergraduate / master students who may be looking for such research opportunities, please encourage them to apply to the program. The application deadline is 15th Feb. 2024.

Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre

Fields undergraduate summer research program.

The Fields Undergraduate Summer Research Program (FUSRP) welcomes carefully selected undergraduate students from around the world for a rich mathematical research experience from mid-June to mid-August.

This competitive initiative matches a group of up to five excellent students with faculty from  Fields Principal Sponsoring or Affiliate Universities , visiting scientists, or researchers in industry.

Students accepted for the program will have most of their travel and on-site expenses covered by the Institute. Most of the program’s funding supports student expenses and all student placements are based at Fields.

Student application deadline: January 22, 2024

Queen's Mathematics Summer School

The Queen’s Mathematics Summer School is open to undergraduate and Masters students who are interested in spending one week learning exciting, cutting-edge mathematics on the beautiful campus of Queen’s University by the shores of Lake Ontario. There will be three courses, each with 9 hours of lecture time over the week.

Student application deadline: March 31, 2024

2024 University of Toronto Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) in Astronomy and Astrophysics

The annual Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) in Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Toronto is a unique opportunity for undergraduate students in astronomy, physics, or engineering to prepare for a career in scientific research.

The program typically runs from May to August. Throughout the program students have the opportunity to:

• Experience what a career in research is like by independently conducting a project related to on-going astronomical research at U of T
• Collaborate with U of T astronomers
• Improve their research writing and communication skills
• Learn about research being conducted at  U of T
• Participate in U of T public outreach

Students work with astronomers from the Dunlap Institute  or the   David A Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics  depending on their research interest, choice of research project , or supervisor.

SURP offers students an opportunity to work at the leading centre for astronomical research in Canada, at the leading research university in the country.

SURP is open to students who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents. If you are not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and would like to apply, you must:

• be a full-time student at the University of Toronto; or
• be a full-time student in a Canadian university and have an off-campus work permit; or
• have a work permit allowing you to work with the University of Toronto

You can still apply if you have participated in the U of T Astronomy & Astrophysics SURP in previous years.

If you have any questions, please email the astro SURP committee .

As an example of the kind of work done by SURP students, research posters from SURP 2023 can be found here .

Applications received on or before January 31, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. EST  will receive full consideration. Please note that applications submitted later than January 31 will be accepted on a rolling basis via email until all positions are filled.

Apply here .

Ontario CLRI Virtual Interprofessional Internship in Innovation & Aging in Long-Term Care

The Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care at Baycrest (Ontario CLRI) is excited to announce that this summer, we will once again be offering our Virtual Interprofessional Internship in Innovation & Aging in Long-Term Care ! This program is open to students and recent graduates of post-secondary healthcare programs and is an exciting opportunity to explore a future in older adult health care, network with future and current health-care providers, and shape clinical practice.

This paid program runs from May 27, 2024 – June 21, 2024 with applications accepted from February 12, 2024 – March 8, 2024. For more information on the application process, please visit https://clri-ltc.ca/events/internship2024/  

The 2024 Internship will be completely virtual, offering interns opportunities to actively participate in small group learning focused on aging, clinical issues in gerontology, and interprofessional competencies. Working collaboratively, interns will develop a better understanding of aging and develop competencies in seniors’ care through daily interaction in a simulation and game-based app . In addition, interns will have the opportunity to engage with residents, Baycrest leaders and participate in an innovative project. For more information on the program, and to watch a testimonial video from our alumni, please visit https://clri-ltc.ca/resource/internship/

Ontario CLRI Internship flyer

uOttawa Summer School

The summer school attendees will have the chance to meet fellow students from all over Canada and abroad. They will have the opportunity to network with many uOttawa professors and graduate students, discovering more about their research and experience the life of a graduate student.

We are looking forward to seeing you in Ottawa this summer!

Wolfram Summer School

Join us June 23–July 11 at Bently University in Massachusetts, USA, for the Wolfram Summer School! This three-week program offers a unique opportunity for students, educators, researchers and entrepreneurs to collaborate with exceptional mentors—including Stephen Wolfram. Through the experience, attendees will join a vibrant ecosystem of talented innovators tackling the challenges of tomorrow.

Embrace the unique chance to work on real-world projects with leading tech architects, researchers and physicists. Connect with a global community of talented students, educators and professionals, all carefully chosen from a broad spectrum of fields. Enhance your journey by exploring our Summer School Projects Archive , a testament to the creativity and innovation of past cohorts, and envision the possibilities that lie ahead.

Explore our unique tracks—including Science and Technology , Wolfram Physics and Foundational Science , Philosophy and Strategy , NKS and Ruliology ,and Educational Innovation —to find the one that is right for you!

Admissions are on a rolling basis and spots fill quickly.

Diversity in the Mathematical Sciences 2024 summer school - Dalhousie

Objectives: The mathematical institutes in Canada have joined forces to offer annual summer schools geared toward women and underrepresented groups in mathematics and related sciences . The first school will be at Dalhousie University in Summer 2024.

The goals of the summer school are two-fold. First, to introduce students to research level mathematics and second, to encourage more female and female-identifying students to pursue graduate school in the mathematical sciences. The research theme of the 2024 summer school will be Combinatorial Commutative Algebra, as described below. By introducing the advanced mathematics in a supportive and engaging environment, we aim to give students the tools and the support structure that will enable them to thrive in graduate school.

Synopsis: The main tools to study zero sets of polynomials using algebraic tools come from Commutative Algebra. When the polynomials have only one term – monomials – one can use methods from combinatorics, topology, linear programing and more to study their algebraic properties. The development of such techniques, going back to the 1960’s and still a vibrant area of research today, is the focus of the field of Combinatorial Commutative Algebra.

Our school will introduce some of these ideas to the participants via concrete examples and problems. We will cover topics including: edge ideals of graphs, Hilbert functions, computational commutative algebra and discrete homotopy theory.

The school will also include panels, discussions of graduate school, academic and nonacademic jobs and issues facing women in mathematics in general. We will have morning lectures, afternoon tutorials and mini-topics.

We are seeking applications from female and female-identifying students who have finished at least two years of an undergraduate degree in the mathematical sciences.

Required background: Applicants having successfully completed a Honour’s-level proof-based course in linear algebra will be given full consideration. A third-year course in algebra covering rings and ideals will be considered an asset.

Applicants should submit transcripts, and arrange for a letter of recommendation addressing their potential to benefit from this school.

Funding: We will cover room and board as well as travel expenses for all participants.

Application Deadline: March 30, 2024 via this link .

Summer School Poster

Research & Innovation

Mach-gaensslen foundation: undergraduate summer student research award 2024, research admin offices:, funding type:, opportunity type:.

$5,500 over three months.

Disciplines:

• Health Sciences
• Mach-Gaensslen Foundation

Internal Deadline:

Sponsor deadline:, description:.

This opportunity supports medical school students to conduct a medical research project in the areas of psychiatry, oncology, and cardiology.

Additional Details.

For more information, and to apply, contact Maryam Shirinzadeh .

Posts from the School of Engineering and Applied Science

The 2024 Penn Engineering Student Choice Awards

Penn Engineering is pleased to announce the faculty recipients of the 2024 Student Choice Awards. Each year, the Penn Engineering undergraduate student body thoughtfully selects the recipients of these awards for their dedication in teaching, mentorship and student advocacy.

This year’s winners are Joseph Devietti, Douglas Jerolmack, Bomyi Lim, Shu Yang and Mark Licurse.

Ford Motor Company Award for Faculty Advising

Devietti was recognized by students for investing his time in mentoring student projects outside of the classroom. “He allows students to utilize his lab’s resources for academic exploration and projects and explains technical details that would enable them to succeed outside the classroom,” states one student.

Devietti received both a B.S.E. in Computer Science and a B.A in English from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006. He then earned M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Washington in 2009 and 2012, respectively.

S. Reid Warren, Jr. Award

Douglas Jerolmack , Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics and in Earth and Environmental Science, has been awarded the S. Reid Warren, Jr. Award. Presented in conjunction with the Engineering Alumni Society, this award recognizes outstanding service in stimulating and guiding the intellectual and professional development of undergraduate students at the School.

Jerolmack’s students describe his dedication to helping students succeed both inside and outside the classroom, stating that “his positive mindset and advice has proved to be invaluable to the development of his students’ interest in engineering and applying classroom knowledge to their professional lives.”

Jerolmack received his undergraduate degree from Drexel University in 2001 and went on to earn a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2006.

Student Advocacy Award

One student remarks, “I would not have persevered and grown as much as I did if it had not been for Dr. Lim’s commitment to diversity in engineering and mentorship.”

Lim received a B.S.E. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010. She then went on to earn a Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Princeton University in 2015.

Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award

Yang has been described by students as a research mentor that motivates every student to pursue their interests and while being supportive of independent projects. “She constantly encourages students to take advantage of all available opportunities and guides them through every step of the research process, including applying for grants and research presentations,” notes one student.

Yang received a B.S. in Materials Science from Fudan University in 1992. She then earned both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemistry and Chemical Biology from Cornell University in 1997 and 1999, respectively.

Hatfield Award for Excellence in Teaching for Faculty in the Lecturer/Practice Professor Track

Students commended Licurse’s ability to clearly communicate complex concepts and topics in a way that students can understand. One student comments that Licurse “goes above and beyond to engage students, creating interactive learning exercises and demonstrations.” Students also cited his genuine care for student success and noted how he always made students feel confident in their ability to learn the material.

Licurse earned both a B.S.E. and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006 and 2013, respectively.

Four Students Receive Honorable Mention in CRA Undergraduate Research Awards

Four University of Chicago Computer Science undergraduate students —  Jacob Serfaty, Jack (Zihan) Zhang, Yiming Su, and Cyrus (Zikai) Zhou — have received honorable mentions at the Computing Research Association (CRA) Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award . Sponsored by the Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs , this award recognizes undergraduate students in North American colleges and universities who show outstanding research potential in an area of computing research. The student must prepare a resume, a research summary, a personal statement, and their transcript, along with a letter of recommendation from the P.I. to be considered for nomination by the school. 

Advised by Shan Lu

Throughout his undergraduate career, Su has studied large software systems reliability and investigated issues such as concurrency issues in software. Thus far, he has already published a paper as first author, titled HotGPT: How to Make Software Documentation More Useful with a Large Language Model? Su proposes new qualitative and quantitative methods to scientifically evaluate the performance of a Large Language Model (LLM), and also provides some insights into how to responsibly and reliably incorporate LLM in production workflows. He does this through investigating a one-model-fit-all solution through LLMs such as the GPT series, covering three representative tasks: extracting locking rules from comments, synthesizing exception predicates from comments, and identifying performance-related configurations.

Su’s research has real-world applications as LLMs are increasingly embedded in many programs today. Su says, “I hope that our paper has shed some light on how to use these powerful models reliably.”

Jacob Serfaty

Advised by Pedro Lopes

When asked about his interests, Serfaty stated, “I’ve been interested in this field from when I was a child, as I was always fascinated by technologies that integrate people and computers such as Google Glass. I was drawn to VR development specifically from my experience with game design/development.” 

This led him to join the UChicago Game Design Club and the STAGE Lab’s quantum gaming initiative, both of which showed him how to merge his passion for programming simulations and designing for specific user experiences through VR development. He was offered a research position at the HCI Lab, where he used his acquired game design/development knowledge to make VR simulations to showcase haptic devices. Under Professor Lopes’ guidance, Serfaty worked on three projects: JumpMod Haptic Backpack, Stick&Slip, and Haptics Source-effector. All three integrate full-body haptics to create new types of sensations in VR/AR, such as friction, acceleration, and different forces. For example, the JumpMod Haptic Backpack, which is a backpack that can move weights at high speeds up and down to alter users’ perceptions of gravity. This creates the sensation of either jumping high, falling very quickly, and more. JumpMod was published at CHI ‘23 and both Stick&Slip and Haptics Source-effector will be presented at CHI ‘24 in Hawaii. 

Lopes, who advises Serfaty, expressed great pride when discussing Serfaty’s accomplishments. “This is the most prestigious publication venue in Human-Computer Interaction and it is fairly unusual for undergraduates to be authoring two papers at this high level,” he emphasized. 

Jack (Zihan) Zhang

Advised by Rana Hanocka

“I discovered this area purely by accident,” Zhang said. “While I was searching for study materials on differential forms in my third quarter analysis class during my first year, I stumbled on this set of videos that focus on discrete differential geometry with a focus on meshes, a popular surface representation of computer graphics.” 

He is currently advised by Assistant Professor Rana Hanocka and a part of the 3DL Lab , focusing on motion synthesis with generative models. His paper on this topic, titled GANimator: Neural Motion Synthesis from a Single Sequence , was presented at SIGGRAPH ‘22 and utilized multiscale neural networks to generate diverse  motions given a single input sequence. He also worked on a project that develops a new way of applying diffusion models to motion synthesis, of which the paper is under review. Currently, he is working on topology control for surface reconstruction with persistent homology.  

“Jack has excellent and already-demonstrated research potential,” Hanocka, who advises Zhang, emphasized. “He has already published in the most prestigious venue in computer graphics (SIGGRAPH), which is a highly coveted achievement often missed even by exceptional PhD students.”

Zhang believes that these tools could ideally be integrated into existing software or pipelines for artists working in the animation or graphics domain. After graduating from UChicago, he is looking forward to beginning his Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Washington. 

Cyrus (Zikai) Zhou

Advised by Yanjing Li

He developed this interest by first joining Professor Shan Lu and Associate Professor Blase Ur ’s lab, which eventually led to his work in Assistant Professor Yanjing Li ’s group in his third year. Zhou says, “I was amazed by how carefully designed abstractions, components, and tools in computer systems can lead to huge gains in efficiency, reliability, and programmability.” 

Zhou has worked on various projects. Alongside Assistant Professor Yanjing Li , he led two projects on improving the efficiency and robustness of machine learning through co-optimizing circuits, computer architecture, compiler-level software, and algorithms. He has also previously worked with Professor Shan Lu on projects that enhanced software reliability by understanding and fixing bugs in computer systems and with Associate Professor Blase Ur on user-centered security and privacy projects. Zhou expresses his gratitude for the professors, co-authors, and CS staff who supported him in his computer science research journey and for the lifelong connections that were formed outside of the laboratory. 

Zhou is excited about the potential of novel computing systems and tools to achieve better efficiency, reliability, and usability of computing infrastructure. Next year, he is looking forward to staying in the United States and beginning his Ph.D. in a related field.

Congratulations to Jacob Serfaty, Jack (Zihan) Zhang, Yiming Su, and Cyrus (Zikai) Zhou for their hard work and for their honorable mentions!

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