Undergraduate Research Awards
The Undergraduate Research Awards (URA) and International Undergraduate Research Awards (IURA) program was established by the Irving K. Barber Endowment Fund Advisory Committee to provide exceptional learning experiences for undergraduate Arts, Social Sciences, and Science students at UBC’s Okanagan campus. The program’s purpose is to encourage undergraduate students enrolled in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science to pursue innovative and original research as part of their learning experience while at UBC’s Okanagan campus.
The awards are aimed primarily at students in their third year of study.
- The URA offers a $10,000 award plus a maximum of $1,500 for research expenses.
- The IURA offers a $10,000 award plus a maximum of $1,500 for research expenses.
FASS Undergraduate Research Awards Symposium
On September 20, 2023, the incredible work being done by undergraduate researchers in the Undergraduate Research Awards (URA) and International Undergraduate Research Awards (IURA) programs were presented. View Abstracts.
Sponsored by the Irving K. Barber Endowment Fund and the International Student Initiative.
2024 Applications
The application package must be received no later than 4 p.m. on January 26, 2024.
- Form A: Student Application
- Form B: Supervisor Recommendation
- Guidelines and Application Procedure
- Final Report Form
Contact
Dean’s Office
Please direct all application questions here
fass.research.ubco@ubc.ca
Ken Carlaw
Professor, Economics
kenneth.carlaw@ubc.ca
SCI 263
Recent Recipients
| Student Name | Department | ProjectTitle | Supervisor |
| Kyle Vallido | Psychology | Examining interhemispheric inhibition during the simultaneous combination of multiple action states | Sarah Kraeutner |
| Jillian Law | Psychology | The Zoom speed dating study | Lauren Human |
| Emily Chisholm | History and Sociology | Patterns of hyper-individual discourses of sexual violence within sexual health education learning materials in British Columbia | Emily Snyder |
| Ella Serber | Psychology | Emotion amplification: visual imagery, disgust, and OCD | Maya Libben |
| Aleyna Kirilmis | Economics, Philosophy and Politival Science | The opioid crisis: a call to arms | Min Hu |
| Cheyanne Kraig | Psychology | The role of experience on the category fluency test | Elena Nicoladis |
| Lilly Shoemaker | Psychology | A plot analysis of college romance novels: tropes, sexual scripts, and problematic behaviours | Jan Cioe |
| Jacklyn Awotwi-Pratt | Psychology | Does gesture encouragement improve children’s reading comprehension? | Elena Nicoladis |
| Aarohi Yadav | Psychology | A computational model of the cultural evolution of innovations | Liane Gabora |
| Aiisha Rishi | Psychology | Victim blaming in the media: a study of indigenous vs. white women | Elena Nicoladis |
| Danielle Gallina | Community, Culture and Global Studies | From tree fruits to grapes: exploring the conversion of orchard to vineyard in the Okanagan Valley | Donna Senese |
| Student Name | Department | Project Title | Supervisor |
| Allison Karpinsky | Community, Culture & Global Studies | Language documentation and revitalization through digitization: A Kala Case Study | Christine Schreyer |
| Carlie Unrau | Psychology | Social consequences of first impressions – Zoom | Lauren Human |
| Parres Holliday | Psychology | The effect of mental practice frequency on improving athletic performance | Sarah Kraeutner |
| Annette Nicoletti-Carriere | Psychology | Developing stories to introduce a representational system for visualizing elusive aspects of cognition | Liane Gabora |
| Samantha Barg | Psychology | Body dissatisfaction and its relationship to self-viewing behaviour: a moderator analysis | Maya Libben |
| Xioali Xiong* | Economics, Philosophy & Political Science | Investigating foreigners in contemporary China | Manfred Elfstrom |
| * Indicates winners of the International Undergraduate Research Awards (IURA) | |||
| Student Name | Department | Project Title | Supervisor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emily Eaton | Community, Culture & Global Studies | Reading in a pandemic: discovering the current and historic influence of literature | Fiona McDonald |
| Renoir Ashlea Gauvin | Community, Culture & Global Studies | Equitable Food Bank Access: Identifying Barriers for Indigenous Peoples | Gabrielle Legault |
| Prisha Mangesh Vaidya* | Community, Culture & Global Studies | Socially Distanced Darshan: Hindu rituals and devotion for Ganesh Chaturthi | David Geary |
| Katie Brand | Community, Culture & Global Studies | Babywearing: Using Social Media to Identify an Online Community of Practice | Christina Schreyer |
| Samantha Maki | Psychology | Appearance of Female Genitalia in Pornography | Jan Cioe |
| Emma Alcott | Psychology | Risk interactions: Early Childhood educators’ responses to child behaviors | Jamie Piercy |
| Mariza Micallef | Psychology | Psychological Functioning in Post-Concussive Syndrome Before and During the Pandemic | Maya Libben |
| Soumyaa Subramanium (Kumar)* | Psychology | Suicide in Digital Media: Does media adhere to guidelines for suicide? | Carolyn Szostak |
| Stephanie Awotwi-Pratt | History and Sociology | Black – Canadian Women’s Reproductive Health in Canada | Deana Simonetto |
| Braydon Neiszner | Economics, Philosopy and Political Science | Estimating Regional Determinants of Greenhouse Gas Emmissions in BC to inform Canadian Carbon Pricing Policies | Andrea Craig |
| Mallhi Prapti* | Economics, Philosopy and Political Science | Impact of gender inequalities on women’s labour force participation in India | Khan Islam |
| * Indicates winners of the International Undergraduate Research Awards (IURA) | |||
| Student Name | Department | Project Title | Supervisor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney Bosetti | Microbiology | The role of O-acetylated sialic acid on intestinal mucus in regulating host-microbe symbiosis in the gut | Kirk Bergstrom |
| Sakshi Khanna | Biology | Studying transcription factor genes regulating flower initiation in Cannabis sativa | Soheil Mahmoud |
| Taryn Murray | Biology | Extracellular cardiolipin regulates select immune functions of astrocytes | Andis Klegeris |
| Anusha Shivram | Biology | Co-operative Behaviours of Otters (Lutrogale perspicillata) in Urban Singapore | Karen Hodges |
| Arantxa Da Fonseca | Chemistry | Electrophysical response to astrocytes exposed to kainic acid-based agonists of receptors in a2q pro | Frederic Menard |
| Destiny Ellenor | Chemistry | The Functionalization of Carbon Nitride for a Greater Understanding of its Photocatalytic Activity | Robert Godin |
| Ryland Todd Giebelhaus | Chemistry | Sifting Through the Weed: Untargeted metabolomics to discover new terpenes in Cannabis sativa L. | Susan Murch |
| Kaede Hirabayashi | Chemistry | Melatonin and Serotonin Perceive Environmental Cues in Arctic Plants | Susan Murch |
| Kamal Narayana | Chemistry | Assessment of the digestion of milk oligosaccharides by human gut bacteria | Wesley Zandberg |
| Amir Sardari Romina | Chemistry | The Role of Quantum Effects in Stability of Ribonucleotide Reductase | Gino DiLabio |
| Darina Vekhova | Chemistry | Investigation of the NOX2 enzyme inhibitor (VAS2870) – via protein labeling | Frederic Menard |
| Matthew Currie | Computer Science | Matching People in Historical Metis Records | Ramon Lawrence |
| Meng Tian | Computer Science | Improving crowd counting accuracy for deep learning architectures | Mohamed Shehata |
| Sarah Wyse | Mathematics | Modeling the effect of stochasticity on a mathematical predator-prey system | Rebecca Tyson |
| Jasmine Lamoureux | Process Geomorphology | Spatial Analysis of the Effects of Forest Roads on Water Quality in Streams | Bernard Bauer |
| Luke Williams | Earth Science | Methane transport through floodplain trees | Ed Hornibrook |
| Delator Hini | Community | Female and Homless: Exploring the Barriers and Coping Strategies of Homeless Women in Kelowna | Carlos Teixeira |
| Hanna Paul | Anthropology | Unpacking Cultural Relativism of Menstruation and Moon Time for Women in the Okanagan | Fiona McDonald |
| Lydia Wood | Psychology | A Canadian Update to Neuropsychological Normative Data | Maya Libben |
| Reagan Zinck | Psychology | Shaping opinions: An analysis of Canadian press coverage of climate change | Carolyn Szostak |
| Camille Morissette | Sociology | Support Systems in Athletes that have Suffered Traumatic Brain Injuries | Deana Simonetto |
| Jonathan Gilbert Romaniuk | History | Faith and Works: A History of Canadian Community Service in the Diocese of Kootenay During WWI & WWII | Ben Nilson |
| Shao Yuan Chong | Political Science | Evaluating Trauma from Protests in the Hong Kong Community Since 1997 | Manfred Elfstrom |
| Paige Kinniburgh | Political Science | Analysis of the Relative Effectiveness of Mobile Versus Fixed Injection Sites | Adam Jones |
| * Indicates winners of the International Undergraduate Research Awards (IURA) | |||
| Student Name | Department | Project Title | Supervisor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Sydney Bosetti |
Microbiology |
The role of O-acetylated sialic acid on intestinal mucus in regulating host-microbe symbiosis in the gut |
Kirk Bergstrom |
|
Sakshi Khanna |
Biology |
Studying transcription factor genes regulating flower initiation in Cannabis sativa |
Soheil Mahmoud |
|
Taryn Murray |
Biology |
Extracellular cardiolipin regulates select immune functions of astrocytes |
Andis Klegeris |
|
Anusha Shivram |
Biology |
Co-operative Behaviours of Otters (Lutrogale perspicillata) in Urban Singapore |
Karen Hodges |
|
Arantxa Da Fonseca |
Chemistry |
Electrophysical response to astrocytes exposed to kainic acid-based agonists of receptors in a2q pro |
Frederic Menard |
|
Destiny Ellenor |
Chemistry |
The Functionalization of Carbon Nitride for a Greater Understanding of its Photocatalytic Activity |
Robert Godin |
|
Ryland Todd Giebelhaus |
Chemistry |
Sifting Through the Weed: Untargeted metabolomics to discover new terpenes in Cannabis sativa L. |
Susan Murch |
| Kaede Hirabayashi |
Chemistry |
Melatonin and Serotonin Perceive Environmental Cues in Arctic Plants |
Susan Murch |
|
Kamal Narayana |
Chemistry |
Assessment of the digestion of milk oligosaccharides by human gut bacteria |
Wesley Zandberg |
|
Amir Sardari Romina |
Chemistry |
The Role of Quantum Effects in Stability of Ribonucleotide Reductase |
Gino DiLabio |
|
Darina Vekhova |
Chemistry |
Investigation of the NOX2 enzyme inhibitor (VAS2870) – via protein labeling |
Frederic Menard |
|
Matthew Currie |
Computer Science |
Matching People in Historical Metis Records |
Ramon Lawrence |
|
Meng Tian |
Computer Science |
Improving crowd counting accuracy for deep learning architectures |
Mohamed Shehata |
|
Sarah Wyse |
Mathematics |
Modeling the effect of stochasticity on a mathematical predator-prey system |
Rebecca Tyson |
|
Jasmine Lamoureux |
Process Geomorphology |
Spatial Analysis of the Effects of Forest Roads on Water Quality in Streams |
Bernard Bauer |
|
Luke Williams |
Earth Science |
Methane transport through floodplain trees |
Ed Hornibrook |
|
Delator Hini |
Community |
Female and Homless: Exploring the Barriers and Coping Strategies of Homeless Women in Kelowna |
Carlos Teixeira |
|
Hanna Paul |
Anthropology |
Unpacking Cultural Relativism of Menstruation and Moon Time for Women in the Okanagan |
Fiona McDonald |
|
Lydia Wood |
Psychology |
A Canadian Update to Neuropsychological Normative Data |
Maya Libben |
|
Reagan Zinck |
Psychology |
Shaping opinions: An analysis of Canadian press coverage of climate change |
Carolyn Szostak |
|
Camille Morissette |
Sociology |
Support Systems in Athletes that have Suffered Traumatic Brain Injuries |
Deana Simonetto |
|
Jonathan Gilbert Romaniuk |
History |
Faith and Works: A History of Canadian Community Service in the Diocese of Kootenay During WWI & WWII |
Ben Nilson |
|
Shao Yuan Chong |
Political Science |
Evaluating Trauma from Protests in the Hong Kong Community Since 1997 |
Manfred Elfstrom |
|
Paige Kinniburgh |
Political Science |
Analysis of the Relative Effectiveness of Mobile Versus Fixed Injection Sites |
Adam Jones |
| * Indicates winners of the International Undergraduate Research Awards (IURA) | |||
| Student Name | Department | Project Title | Supervisor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elinor Binson* | Biology | Study of transcription factor genes that control flower development in lavender | Soheil Mahmoud |
| Athena Ranger | Biology | The role of histone deacetylases in brain glial cell signaling | Andis Klegeris |
| Sophia Russo | Biology | Effects of Nicotine Transport on insect renal transcriptome profiles: qPCR validation of mRNA-mRNA | Mark Rheault |
| Lucas Starchuk | Biology | Effects of SAMe in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids induced toxicity in the heart | Sanjoy Ghosh |
| Taylor Gray | Chemistry | Investigating milk glycoprotein digestion in order to create more human-like infant formulas | Wesley Zandberg |
| Yuen Yee Leung* | Chemistry | Oxidation of camptothecin (CPT) backbone through the use of oxidative enzymes | Thuy Dang |
| Nina Mohtarundin* | Chemistry | Developing a screening tool for identifying methods to block the growth of gut pathogens | Wesley Zandberg |
| Sydney Neumeier | Chemistry | A novel elctrophoresis assay to quantify single moelcule interactions | Isaac Li |
| David, Theo Hallinen* | Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics | Student Response to Various Teaching Methods in Frist Year Physics at UBCO | John Hopkinson |
| Matthew Saurette | Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics | Modeling Urban Dispersal of Mountain Pine Beetles Influenced by Low-Level Wind Currents | Rebecca Tyson |
| Tianhao Wang* | Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics | Mobile-Based Solution for Senior Citizens to Improve Their Technological Skill | Khalad Hasan |
| Marcus Savery | Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences | Quantifying fugitive emission of methane from the Glenmore Landfill | Edward Hornibrook |
| Nicholas Tochor | Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences | Spatial-temporal sampling approaches for wildlife occupancy modeling | Mathieu Bourbonnais |
| Shaniya Anand* | Community, Culture and Global Studies | Vile Biimo Le’shaha (We Share The Same Understanding): Inspiring Healing Through a Conlang | Christine Schreyer |
| Eric Douglas | Community, Culture and Global Studies | North Okanagan Analysis of Consumer Food Behavior | Mary Stockdale (Eric Li – MGMT) |
| Madelaine Lekei | Community, Culture and Global Studies | The Enabled Environment: Understanding Bathrooms as Sensory Inclusive Public Spaces in the Okanagan | Fiona McDonald |
| Keeley Lainchbury | Psychology | Bias in the Legal System: How Race and Confessions Impact a Verdict | Paul Davies |
| Ross St. George | Psychology | Utilizing Smartwatch Technology to Prevent Substance Use Disorder Relapses | Marvin Krank |
| David Shifflett | Psychology | The Space-definedness of the Blind, Blindfolded, and Sighted | Paul Gabias |
| Maxine Van Zyl | Psychology | Comparison of WCST and ToH in Assessing Executive Function and Predicting MPAI Scores | Harry Miller |
| Joanne Scofield | History and Sociology | To Help or Harm: Optimizing International Support of Pro-Choice Activism in El Salvador | Jasmin Hristov |
| Daniyal Mirza* | Economics, Philosophy and Political Science | Decriminalization Model for Canada | Carey Doberstein |
| Michaela Sullivan-Paul | Economics, Philosophy and Political Science | Are Canadian Provinces Drunk on Power? A Look into the Effects of the Interprovincial Trade Barrier | Carey Doberstein |
| * Indicates winners of the International Undergraduate Research Awards (IURA) | |||
| Student Name | Department | Project Title | Supervisor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Figura | Biology | How Specific Fatty Acids Impact the Inflammation and Disease Processes in the Mammalian Heart | Sanjoy Ghosh |
| Clerissa Heck (Copeland) | Biology | Allopregnanolene’s effect on the progression of neurogensis | Bruce Mathieson |
| Makoto Kishida* | Biology | The effects of organic cation transporter CRISPR gene knockdown on xenobiotic excretion in insects | Mark Rheault |
| Emily Manzer | Biology | Detection of Reactive Oxygen Species in Sensory Neurons Undergoing Trophic Deprivation | Philip Barker |
| Nora Melisa Perea Garcia* | Biology | Detection of Caspase Activity using Genetically Encoded Sensors | Philip Barker |
| Gabriel Zavala* | Biology | Determining expression of lavender transcription factors through qPCR | Soheil Mahmoud |
| Simon Edelmann | Chemistry | Synthesis of a fluorescent dye with application for Kainite Receptor Imaging | Frederic Menard |
| Sydney Fearnley | Chemistry | Traction force microscopy and fluorescent live cell imaging to quantify cell adhesion forces | Isaac Li |
| Alexander Garner | Chemistry | Development of chemical tools to sequence plant pectin to understand plant fungal reistance | Wes Zandberg |
| Sylvain Gretchko | Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics | The Effects of Climate Change on Spatial Predator-Prey Dynamics | Rebecca Tyson |
| Georgia Taylor McRae | Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences | Influence of Flow Regulation on Stream Temperature: Mission Creek, BC | Bernard Bauer |
| Amy Doricic | Community, Culture and Global Studies | Nesolat Kijinosi Tiholat (To Learn Thus to Understand:) Constructing Compassion through Dothraki | Christine Schreyer |
| Karen Coppock | Psychology | Investigating Gender Bias with Relation to the Sentencing Gap in Homicidal Sentencing | Michael Woodworth |
| Timothy Nemet | Psychology | Relationship between intimate partner violence and cannabis use | Zachery Walsh |
| Victoria Scotney | Psychology | Creative Influences and Smile Diffusion | Liane Gabora |
| Diya Wala* | Psychology | Gratitude and Well-Being: A Mediator Analysis | Derrick Wirtz |
| Zoe Howell | History and Sociology | The Social Experience of Low Income Single Mother’s in Kelowna’s Changing Economic Market | Luis Aguiar |
| Danielle Tataryn | History and Sociology | Impact of Technological Changes on the Canning Industry in BC’s Southern Interior | James Hull |
| An-Noura-Zen-Nab Compaore | Economics, Philosophy and Political Science | Do you prefer foreign aid or direct foreign investment for tomorrow Madame? | Ross Hickey |
| Shamarthi Ghosh* | Economics, Philosophy and Political Science | Night Lights and First Nation’s Governance | Ross Hickey |
| Daniel Kandie* | Economics, Philosophy and Political Science | Municipal Amalgamation in the Okanagan: Greater Vernon | Carey Doberstein |
| Adam Newton-Blows | Economics, Philosophy and Political Science | The Period That Time Forgot: Exploring Consumer Demand In The Very Short Run | Julien Picault |
| * Indicates winners of the International Undergraduate Research Awards (IURA) | |||
| Student Name | Major | Project Title | Supervisor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan Ashley Alford | Biology | Cathepsin B as a regulator of microglial immune responses | Andis Klegeris |
| Megan Amy Buers | Biology | How the use of biosolids affect American kestrel nest site selection and foraging behavior | Karen Hodges |
| Mackenzie Campbell | Biology | Modeling wildlife habitat in the Canadian environmental assessment process | Adam Ford |
| Norbert Eke | Statistics | What a customers really saying? A modern approach to feature-based customer review mining | Jeff Andrews |
| Michael Gauld | Sociology | An oral history of organized labour & activism in the Okanagan Valley | Luis Aguiar |
| An Goto* | Chemistry | Making beets blue: A multi-disciplinary approach to the chemical modification of betanin | Gino DiLabio |
| Anton Hsu* | Biology | Mycorrhizal fungi species involved in nitrogen distribution in lodgepole pine germinants | Melanie Jones |
| Margaret Kate Ingram | Psychology | Assessment of psychopathy expression by gender | Brian O’Connor |
| Hogun Kang | Biology | The expression of an insect organic cation transporter in an Sf9 insect cell line | Mark Rheault |
| Brianne Newman | Microbiology | Evaluation of wine yeast viability in chemically defined grape juice medium | Dan Durall |
| Adriane Peak | Anthropology | The Royal Canadian Legion: A community and organization at a crossroads | David Geary |
| Jaclyn Salter | History | Voluntary organisations, municipal governments, and their relationship to the provincial government | James Hull |
| Shaharyar Syed | Statistics | Novel statistical approaches in the analysis of environmental impacts | Jeff Andrews |
| Adam Bryce Yasunaga | Chemistry | The effects of molecular tension on integrins and cell spreading | Isaac Li |
| Sara Vicaretti | Chemistry | Improving infant formula through addition of complex carbohydrates found in human milk | Wesley Zandberg |
| * Indicates winners of the International Undergraduate Research Awards (IURA) | |||
| Student Name | Major | Project Title | Supervisor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louise Araujo | Chemistry | Synthesis of a compound to identify the binding site of calcium channels in the brain | Fred Menard |
| Guiseppe (Jesse) Crescenzo | Chemistry | Green chromium catalysts: Using bipyridine to stabilize mixed-aryl complexes | Kevin Smith |
| Anthony Culos | Computer Science/Math | Data mining a large health database | Jeff Andrews |
| Brody James Geoghegen | Biochemistry | Characterization of a novel enzyme from an opportunistic pathogen | Kirstin Wolthers |
| Lauren Hotchkiss | Psychology | Predictors of Hope: An experimental study of the relationship between gratitude and hope | |
| Tracy Marie Janzen | Psychology | Investigating mental health care services for rural older adults | Carolyn Szostak |
| Andrew Kennedy | Chemistry | Development of mass spectrometry techniques for the relative quantification of mucin-type glycans | Wesley Zandberg |
| Justin King | Biochemistry | How do neurosteroids control the “birth” of new neurons in the adult brain? | Bruce Mathieson |
| Trina Kushnerik | Psychology | Impact of directional implicit theories on well-being and intervention efficacy | |
| Carolyn Lee | Biology | Analyzing the neuroprotective properties of oleamide on astrocytes | Andis Klegeris |
| Tiah Lee | Chemistry | Comparison of chemical compounds in a medicinal plant and its loose-leaf commercial tea | Susan Murch |
| Heather Joanne McIntyre | Anthropology | Expression of social identity through grave and tombstone analysis at the Vernon Municipal Cemetery | Diana French |
| Benjamin Drew Noyovitz | Biochemistry | Breadfruit latex biopolymer as a replacement of petroleum-based polymers | Susan Murch |
| Ashleigh Parker | Psychology | The New Normal: Developing an updated corpus of normative data for five neuropschological measures | Maya Libben |
| Christopher John Paterson | Chemistry | Synthesis of sugar-bearing cobalt complexes for use as anti-tumor agents | Stephen McNeil |
| Dakshitha Ranatunga | Biochemistry | Regulation of monoterpene synthesis in lavender through RNA interference | Soheil Mahmoud |