Trinity Western University is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA). These awards recognize high-calibre students and support them to fully pursue their potential as researchers and scholars.
Every summer, students at TWU have the opportunity to apply for the Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA). Winners gain experience in conducting research under the guidance of a faculty-mentor while pursuing projects relevant to the students' areas of interest and specialization.
Two categories of USRA are available: the TWU USRA and the federally-funded NSERC USRA. The NSERC USRA provides funding for students to conduct research for 16 consecutive weeks on a full-time basis, while the TWU USRA provides funding for students to conduct research between 10 to 16 weeks on a full-time or part-time basis.
All USRA winners are then able to present on their research at the upcoming TWU CREATE Conference, an annual event that showcases student research to the campus community.
"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 provide Trinity Western students 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.”
Below are the 2022 TWU USRA and NSERC USRA recipients. Congratulations to each and every outstanding student!
TWU USRA recipients
| Student researcher | Faculty supervisor | Title of research project |
| Gabriella Collins | Dr. Kendra Rieger | Learning from the old ones: Exploring storytelling as a method with Indigenous older adults in health research |
| Christy Davis | Dr. Tracy Stobbe | The economics of British literature of the Industrial Revolution |
| Hannah Hube | Dr. Kelly Arbeau | Identifying the correlates of fear/anxiety responses and exercise avoidance in persons with pain-related chronic illness |
| Abner Kooner | Dr. Angela Wolff | Healthcare provider characteristics that influence the implementation of individual-level patient-centred outcome measure (PROM) and patient-reported experience measure (PREM) data across practice settings: A mixed methods systematic review with a narrative synthesis |
| Lillian Li | Dr. Angela Wolff | Healthcare provider characteristics that influence the implementation of individual-level patient-centred outcome measure (PROM) and patient-reported experience measure (PREM) data across practice settings: A mixed methods systematic review with a narrative synthesis |
| Sakher Habash | Dr. Anita Coté | Sex differences in the association between physical activity and risk of CVD |
| Benjamin Zubaly | Dr. Jaime Palmer-Hague | Sexual selection and offspring sex ratio: Facial width-to-height ratio, dominance, and prestige |
| Darren Eddings | Dr. Enrique Torres-Giese | Motion planning assisted by group actions |
| Chengzhe He | Dr. Shane Durbach | Synthesis and characterization of transition metal carbonate micro/nanoparticle templates for micro/nanocarbon formation from waste carbon sources for use as fillers for composite thin film materials |
| Holly Horngren-Rhodes | Dr. Jaime Palmer-Hague | Variance in perception of threat due to facial obstruction: How masks change our common projection of capacity for violence in people |
| NSERC USRA recipients |
| Student researcher | Faculty supervisor | Title of research project |
| Abigail Cunningham | Dr. Julia Mills | ILK and ABL in cancer cell survival and growth |
| Sarah Demian | Dr. David Clements | Characterizing the response of knotweed populations in riparian zones
to extreme flooding |
| Micaela Horngren-Rhodes | Dr. Shane Durbach | Synthesis and characterization of copper oxide micro/nanoparticle templates
for micro/nanocarbons |
| Maximillian Laurence | Dr. Miriam Buschhaus | Chemical analysis of plant surface waxes as biomarkers for solving ecological questions |
| Hannah Merritt | Dr. David Clements | Bohemian knotweed (Reynoutria x bohemica) rhizome responses to extreme temperatures and flooding |
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier global Christian liberal arts university. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting 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. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.