Trinity Western University is pleased to announce that five outstanding undergraduate students have been selected to receive federal 2021 Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA). These awards recognize high-calibre students and support them to fully pursue their potential as researchers and scholars.
Administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) nurture undergraduate students who have demonstrated exceptional academic excellence and research potential. The program encourages students to develop their skills for a research career in the natural sciences and engineering. The experience of conducting research at an undergraduate level is invaluable in preparing students for further research work at a graduate or doctoral level.
Each award is valued at $10,200 ($6,000 NSERC funding, plus $4,200 supplemental funding). It is distributed over a period of 16 consecutive weeks of full time research work. During this time, each student conducts their research with support from a faculty supervisor.
"Undergraduate research is one of the main pillars of the research activity here at TWU," Associate Provost of Research Dr. Richard Chandra remarked.
"The Undergraduate Student Research Awards from NSERC provide Trinity Western University students in the Natural Sciences and Engineering a unique opportunity to work closely with a TWU Faculty member. The students gain invaluable experience in developing processes to answer key research questions, presenting the results of their research, and building connections that will help them in their future career paths.”
USRA recipients will present their research projects at TWU's annual Undergraduate Research Conference in Spring 2022.
Here are the 2021 NSERC USRA recipients. Congratulations to each and every outstanding student!
| Recipient Name | Supervisor | Research Project |
| Hannah Merritt | David Clements, Ph.D. | Climate effects on aquatic regeneration of knotweed rhizome and stem fragments |
| Holly Horngren-Rhodes | Chad Friesen, Ph.D. | New and directive methodologies towards late-stage fluorination |
| Maria Goncharova | David Clements, Ph.D. | Simulating river conditions to test knotweed hydrochory |
| Keni Hervie | Julia Mills, Ph.D. | ILK and Abl in Cancer Cell Survival and Growth |
| Emmett Balzer | Enrique Torres Giese, Ph.D. | Bidirectional Motion Planning of Spheres |
See also—CCCU and Scholarship & Christianity in Oxford awards TWU $230,000 to advance STEM research:
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About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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