This summer, the Faculty of Science will be hosting a record high number of undergraduate research students. The Faculty has made 19 Dean’s Undergraduate Research Awards (DURAs) to high-performing York Science students, tripling the number of awards given last year. The awards are in addition to administering 20 NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (NSERC USRAs) to deserving students. Both groups of students will present their research at a conference to be held in August.
“We are delighted to support an increased number of DURAs this year because they are a win-win-win for everyone involved,” says Faculty of Science Dean Ray Jayawardhana. “DURAs expose promising students to frontline research and new skills, boost our professors’ research productivity and impact, and enhance the research culture within the Faculty.”
The Dean’s Undergraduate Research Awards program was launched last year to expand hands-on research opportunities for undergraduate students, a key priority articulated in the Faculty of Science’s strategic plan. The DURAs are 16-week positions (paid, full-time) for undergraduate students to work in a York University research lab over the summer. Students who apply for a DURA must first secure the support of a faculty supervisor, who agrees to host the student in their research group and to cover a portion of their salary.
The 2017 DURA recipients are:
- Avani Abraham, supervised by Biology Professor Ronald Pearlman
- Mauood Ahmad, supervised by Biology Professor Chun Peng
- Andrea Angelucci, supervised by Chemistry Professor Sylvie Morin
- Amir Binesh, supervised by Chemistry Professor Arturo Orellana
- Monahil Chaudry, supervised by Physics and Astronomy Professor Sean Tulin
- Carolyn Ewins, supervised by Biology Professor Amro Zayed
- Jordan Fliss, supervised by Chemistry Professor Derek Wilson
- Leonardo Hernandez, supervised by Physics and Astronomy Professor Wendy Taylor
- Alegria Indio, supervised by Biology Professor Emmanuel Rosonina
- Kabeer Karzai, supervised by Biology Professor Amro Zayed
- Lin Ling, supervised by Mathematics and Statistics Professor Augustine Wong
- Bilan Mohamed, supervised by Biology Professor Andrew White
- Shahir Morcos, supervised by Biology Professor Mark Bayfield
- Aylin Ovaisy-Moakhar, supervised by Biology Professor Peter Backx
- Sheza Qayyum, supervised by Biology Professor Chun Peng
- Jacob Ogbeide, supervised by Chemistry Professor Philip Johnson
- Parinaz Soghrati, supervised by Biology Professor Katalin Hudak
- Nadine Tan, supervised by Biology Professor Vivian Saridakis
- Sunqiaohe Zheng, supervised by Mathematics and Statistics Professor Augustine Wong