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2026 UGRS Program

2026 UGRS Program

Photographs and video will be taken at the event for use on the 天美mv天美 website and in 天美mv天美 marketing materials, and all other university publications. By entering this event, you consent to the University photographing and using your image and likeness unless you have specified otherwise in media consent forms that will be available onsite.

Elder Welcome and Opening Remarks | 12:00 - 12:15 | Halpern 126

  • Elder Sempulyan
  • 天美mv天美 Vice President Research and Innovation Dugan O'Neil
  • UGRS Planning Committee

 Where Research Can Take You: From Undergrad to Grad Panel | 12:15 - 1:15 | Halpern 126

  • Join a panel of 天美mv天美 graduate students as they discuss how their undergraduate research experiences shaped their paths. They鈥檒l share when they first saw research as part of their future, why they pursued graduate studies, and how early opportunities prepared them. The session will also offer practical advice, address feelings of being 鈥渦nderqualified,鈥 and highlight ways to build confidence and find research opportunities.

Meet the Panelists

 

Bomin Keum (she/her) is a PhD student in the International CyberCrime Research Centre and School of Criminology at 天美mv天美. She completed her B.A. Honours (Distinction) in Criminology at 天美mv天美 and her MPhil in Criminological Research at the University of Cambridge. Her previous work focused on online radicalization patterns that lead to violent extremism and terrorism. Now, she studies how people navigate鈥痚xit,鈥痑nd how best to support individuals鈥痙uring that process. She does so by: interviewing former extremists, conducting a Campbell Systematic Review of radicalization鈥痯revention鈥痯rograms, evaluating鈥疉I鈥痑pplications for countering violent extremism online ---and who knows鈥痺hat else, she's still figuring鈥痶hings鈥痮ut!

Sarra Pirmohamed (she/her) is in the second year of her Master's of Science degree in the department of BPK, where she also graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in Biomedical Physiology in 2024. Sarra has a passion for physical activity and a deep curiosity for it's benefits on the aging population. Her current work is looking at outcome measurement optimization for randomized controlled trials of physical activity interventions for older adults. Outside of school, Sarra enjoys playing sports, spending time outside, and exploring Vancouver's food scene!

Basil Giannopoulos (they/them) is a Master鈥檚 student in Applied Sciences, researching stretchable materials for wearable sensors. Their work focuses on characterizing dielectric properties of polymer substrates, and developing fabrication techniques for polymers based on screen printing, moulding, direct ink writing, and 3D printing for rapid prototyping of simple biomedical patch sensors. They also鈥痳un a website for鈥, a volunteer tutoring program supporting Indigenous students. In their spare time, they like gardening, hiking, and repairing old things.

Moderator: Julie Jones (she/her) As Research Commons Librarian in 天美mv天美 Library鈥檚 Research Commons, Julie supports and partners with 天美mv天美 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and other researchers to build expertise and community through the provision of research services, programming, and tools. Julie鈥檚 professional and research interests include emerging research services in libraries, library services for graduate students, well-being in postsecondary education, and knowledge syntheses in the Social Sciences.

Block 1 | 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

AI, Social Media, and Society 鈥 Library 3008

 

A Research Assistant with No Relations: Indigenous Insights on AI in Data Analysis 

Riley Williams

Converging AI Culture War Controversies: How AI Shock Campaigns Illuminate Affective Capitalism鈥檚 Absorption of Critique Into Spectacle

Zarena Puti Mohd Zaidi

Do AI Recommendation Systems Impede Personal Autonomy? A Philosophical Analysis

Justine Harris-Owen

Regret vs. Rape: Digital Sense-Making and Cultural Narratives of Sexual Violence Following the R. v. McLeod et al. Verdict

Goldie Leighton

Is Online Content within the 'Manosphere' Making Young Men More Conservative?

Charlotte Young

Immigration and Cultural Connection - Library 7010  

A Tale of Movement: Mapping the Spatial Evolution of Rural Punjab in Partition Narratives

Rajan Boyal

Choosing a Future: The Resettlement Intention Among Ukrainian and Syrian Refugees in Europe

Constance Ruan

A New Era of Immigration Politics: The Evolution of Right-Wing Immigration Stances in BC from 1991 to 2024

Jayson Biana

Mapping Connections in Newcomers鈥 Acculturation Attitudes: What Drives Their Adjustment to Canadian Society? 

Julia Mosi

Re-making a home in the wake of displacement

Nina Hoang

Climate and Communities - Library 7200

DC Microgrid Feasibility for a Remote Community

Ahmed Vajahath, Nalyssa Runge, Cyrus Urbanowicz, Aisha Shata

Finding Tomorrow's Floods Today: Climate Risk Analogues

Hailin Wang

Is the Bus the Solution to the 15-minute City?

Hyeonjin Kim, Ahasan Bhuiyan

Power to the People: Community Forestry and Forest Landscape Planning as a Model for Co-Management on the Sunshine Coast

Eli Hacker

Designing for Livability: Special District Design Guidelines for the Vancouver Villages Planning Program

Shaunee Kaitli, Mihai Aneculaesei, Rowan Koenig, Sebastian Coxell

Inside the Storm: Visualizing Tornado Dynamics Through Virtual and Mixed Reality

Mussaab Manzer

Innovations to Improve Healthcare - Library 2020

Application of the Caregiver Indirect and Informal Care Cost Assessment Questionnaire (CIIQ) and the VR-12 in the Context of Spinal Cord Injury

Nicholas Tjandra

Modelling Robinow Syndrome in the Fruit Fly

Colin Fairburn

Longitudinal Monitoring of Physiological Variables during Mechanical Ventilation and Weaning in Intensive Care

Aaron John 

Development of an optical tweezers-based assay for ECM viscoelastic characterization in decellularized MSC spheroids

Ibrahim King

A Step-by-Step Guide for Diagnosing and Treating Peripheral Neuropathies by Primary Care Physicians

Max Karp

Poster Session 1 - Halpern 114

Perineuronal Nets effects on incentive-salience and neuronal connectivity.

Muksan Ghag

鈥淵ou Need to Learn with Experience鈥: Parent-Child Conversations and Ethical Generative AI Use

Julien Felbur 

A tangly tale: The impact of stone fruit fermentation on the attraction of Drosophila melanogaster

Simon Tumulak, Harry Nguyen, Candela Miguel Garcia

Accessible Wheelchair Navigation in Urban Public Spaces

Therese Wong, Summayyah Memon, Sylvia Zhang

Burns, Bog, and Birch: The relationship between Betula spp. and bog soil conditions

Matthew Syvenky

The Effect of Varying Diagnostic Terminology Within Questionnaires on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Symptom Reporting 

Lisa Ungureanu 

The Effects of Long-Term Trazadone Treatment on Object Recognition in the APPNLF  Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease

Hillary Han

Decolonial Resistance Through a Critical Feminist Analysis of Activism Against Gendered and Racialized Violence in Vancouver and Guadalajara

Valeria Santos Garcia  

Did I Make a Difference? The Importance of Percieved Impact and Appreciation of Mentors Wellbeing 

Mia Tognotti

Effect of Ferry Activity on Brandt鈥檚 Cormorant Foraging Behavior

Kassandra Chavarria Sosa  

Evidence for Whom? Transparency, Sampling Bias, and Generalizability in Meta-Analyses of Psychological Interventions

Ashley Ghuman

From Procedure to Policy: The Policy Impacts of Charter Infringements

Lisa Kim 

Healthy Children, Healthy Communities: Co-Benefits of Children's Action on Climate Change and Mental Health

Caitlin Chow

How Acceptance & Rumination Support Students鈥 Emotional Well-being: A daily diary study

Amrit Mandair

How Parents Support Children鈥檚 Autonomy: Looking at Age-Related Differences in Autonomy-Supportive Parenting

Sheena Chahil 

Immunodominant Proteins of Fusobacterium nucleatum: Comparative Analyses in Colorectal Cancer Patients, Healthy Individuals, and Vaccinated Mice Models

Petra Jozsa

Im-perfect Sync: Autonomic Conflict and Cardiac Responses to Artistic Swimming

Christina Vassilenko

Exploring the Association Between the Timing of Sleep and Cognition in Older Adults

Tegan Soroka

SpeakSwarm: A Co-Speech Gesture Generation Pipeline for Conversational Agents using Swarm Robots

Saarang Anand

Collagen Imaging Using Fluorescent Peptides 

Shetal Bhandal and Nikki Shahram

Exhibition Hall | 2:00 PM - 3:30PM | Halpern 126

  • Explore our Exhibition Hall, featuring student journals, research resources, and 天美mv天美 partners who support undergraduate research. Drop in to browse publications, learn about opportunities to share your work, and connect with organizations and programs that can help you get involved in research at 天美mv天美. Whether you鈥檙e just curious about research or looking for ways to publish, present, or collaborate, the Exhibition Hall is a great place to discover what鈥檚 possible and start building connections.

Browse the Exhibitors

 

  • Open Scholarship Intiative 
  • Centre for Dialogue 
  • Student Learning Commons 
  • 天美mv天美 Grad Studies 
  • Community Engaged Research Intiative 
  • 天美mv天美 Undergraduate Journal of Psychology
  • Philosphy Nouveau 
  • Confluence- ISSA Undergraduate Journal 
  • Lyre Magazine 
  • Gladfly
  • Undergraduate Student Research Awards

Block 2 | 2:45 PM - 3:45PM  

Identity Formation and Expression 鈥 Library 3008  

Decomposing the Dead Girl: Replacing the Language of Death in Gender Transition

Josiah Loewen

The Afro-Caribbean Experience Across Generations: Tracing Roots, Feminist Storytelling, and Negotiating Black Identity in Vancouver

Maiya Jehman Morancie

The Intergenerational Effects of Residential School Attendance on Cultural Retention among Indigenous Peoples

Justin Brower

How to do Things with Graffiti: A Rhetorical Speech Act Analysis 

Gabriel Kitsos

Understanding Outcomes in the Mind and Body 鈥 Library 7010 

How is success measured and defined in upstream health promotion?

Makaila Grundy

Culture Clicks First in Chinese Canadian Vaccine Communication

Rand Wang

Why does Psychopathy Predict Lifelong Crime? Offense Motivation as a Key to Persistent Youth Offending 

Brianna Park 

Reentrant Processing as Indexed by the N2pc

Graham Voiles

Young Pregnant Women's Lived Experiences of Social Support 

Perusi Wayancha

Exploring the Past, Understanding the Present - Library 2020

Ancient DNA Analysis of Deer Remains from Cura莽ao

Alpha Hui

Sex-Biased Harvest of Chinook Salmon at Babine Lake? Ancient DNA Evidence from Archaeological Vertebrae

Emmet Lee

Turtles as storytellers: the potential of ancient DNA analysis to shed light on Mayan culture, life, and traditions

Yael Toyber

Encoding an 18th Century Manuscript for the 鈥淟yon in Mourning鈥 Project

Abigail Streifel

Ancient DNA Species Barcoding of Avian Remains from the Caribbean

Jiawei Zhang

Scientific Innovations - Library 7200

Reversal effects of 20(R)鈥 and 20(S)鈥揼insenoside-Rg3 on daunorubicin uptake in multidrug resistant leukemia cells studied in the single-cell biochip

Nandini Joshi

Activity and Inhibition of 6S RNA: A Regulatory Bacterial RNA

Yelyzaveta Kharkova

Contribution of DNA topology and primary sequence to aberrant AID-mediated deamination 

Ivan Iavorskii

Tracking the Decline of Starburst Activity in Post-Merger Galaxies

Julia Kropivny

Multi-Illumination Photography

Arlo Watts

Poster Session 2 鈥 Halpern 114

Investigating How the Brain Allocates Attention to Spatially and Temporally Salient Stimuli Across Time

Jayden Sawada

Memes, Misogyny and Misinformation: Exploring the Re-Victimization of Women through Meme Culture within an Online Space

Brenna Parker 

Merging PET and MEG Neuroimaging Graphs to Predict Alzheimer鈥檚 Conversion in Preclinical Patients

Kevin Louie

Music and Identity: A Correlational Investigation between Music Reward and Ego Identity Statuses Among Emerging Adults

Christopher Cappelletti 

On Campus Third Places: Qualitative Research on Impacts to 天美mv天美 Students' Perceived Social Interaction and Sense of Belonging

Cora Dickson

Paying Attention to Your Emotions: A Mixed-Methods Study on Alexithymia and Emotional Dysregulation in Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Victoria Belway 

PINC (P4 and Intent for Network Configuration): A Prototyoe Using Large Language Models

Illia Nasiri

Public Space, Private Rules: Rethinking the Right to the City

Guneet Kaur  

Real-Time Non-Verbal Human-Robot Interaction with Reachy Mini

Quang Minh Dinh

Reliability of 3D Scanned Breast Volume Measurements Within and Between Raters

Sophia Wisotzki  

Small Bones, Big Questions: Sex Estimation in Juvenile Skeletons

Saskia Shen Thivener 

Spirit and Skill: How personality, team roles, and team culture shape skill in Ultimate Frisbee

Hiruki Arachchige, Bryan Kestelo 

Changes in Circulating Levels of Adiponectin During the Periconceptional Period

Assal Rezaei Tabrizi

Characterization of local C. difficile clinical isolates and comparisons to regional and global isolates with WGS

Ashaan Brooks  

The Mechanisms of Preparatory Attention and Visual Working Memory Capacity on Attention

Oscar Wu 

The Pie Game: A New Economic Game Exploring the Complexity of Real-World Financial Generosity

Ma Sophia Danielle Penales 

The Politics of Recognition: Explaining Divergent Legitimacy Outcomes in African Self Determination Movements

Baldeep Mundi

Touchscreen-Based Assessment of Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease Mouse Models

Artemis Kohanfekr 

Undergraduate Students鈥 Perceptions towards Israel and Palestine and Willingness to engage in Pro-Palestinian Activism 

Krystal Issa

White-collar crime: Criminal fraud in corporate settings 

Ekam Kochhar 

Beyond Suppression: How Social-Evaluative Stress Drives Testosterone Reactivity  

Shazil Bahtti 

Involving Undergraduates in Research Panel | 4:00 PM - 4:45PM | Halpern 126

  • Hear from 天美mv天美 faculty across a range of disciplines as they share how undergraduate students can get involved in research and make meaningful contributions to their projects. Panelists will offer insights into their own research, discuss how students participate in their labs and research groups, and highlight the value of research as hands-on, experiential learning. The session will also include practical advice on approaching faculty, preparing for research opportunities, and building confidence鈥攅ven if you feel underqualified. Designed for students at any stage of their undergraduate journey, this conversation will help demystify the research process and show how you can become part of 天美mv天美鈥檚 research community.

Meet the Panelists

Dr. Maite Taboada (Faculty of Arts and Social Science) is Distinguished鈥疨rofessor of Linguistics at 天美mv天美. Her research intersects discourse analysis and computational linguistics, with a focus on sentiment analysis, social media language, and misinformation.

Dr. Andr茅anne Doyon鈥(Faculty of Environment) is an Associate Professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at 天美mv天美, and the Associate Dean Undergraduate, Faculty of Environment. She is also a Registered Professional Planner and a Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners. Her field of study primarily revolves around planning, climate change, and resilience. Her research focuses on how cities and regions can adapt and transform to respond to environmental and social challenges.

Dr. Ouldooz Baghban Karimi (Faculty of Applied Science) is a Senior Lecturer and a Rajan Family Scholar in the School of Computing Science at 天美mv天美. Her expertise spans data, networks, and systems, informed by experience in academia and industry, including work at Cyan/BluePlanet and Ciena. She is also an advocate for diversity and inclusion in technology and previously served as President of Academic Women at 天美mv天美 (2021鈥2024).

Dr. Dylan Cooke (Faculty of Science) is an Associate Professor in Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology and chair of the Translational and Integrative Neuroscience (TRAIN) graduate specialization. His research examines how brain organization interacts with the environment to shape behaviour. Focusing on the motor cortex and related sensorimotor networks, he studies how neural connections underlying movement, sensory processing, and learning vary across individuals. By mapping this variation, his work aims to understand how differences in brain organization influence learning, performance, neuroplasticity, and resilience to neurological injury. 

Moderator 

Dr. Valorie Crooks (Associate Vice President, Research) is a 天美mv天美 geography professor and Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Health Service Geographies. Crooks is a health geographer by training. Her research interests are in the spatial and place-based dimensions of health and health care. She is a health services researcher with ongoing interest in understanding lived experiences of accessing needed/wanted health and social care services. As AVPR, she supports the implementation of 天美mv天美鈥檚 Strategic Research Plan that defines priority areas of research strength and focus for 2023-2028.

Award Cereomy | 4:45 PM - 5:00 PM | Halpern 126

  • Join us for the award ceremony as Dr. Valorie Crooks (Associate Vice President Research) and Dean of Libraries Gohar Ashoughian present awards for outstanding research 

Outstanding Panel Presentation

1 award per panel 

First Place Poster Prize 

1 award per session 

Second Place Poster Prize

1 award per session

Third Place Poster Prize

1 award per session

Award Presenters 

Dr. Valorie Crooks (Associate Vice President, Research) is a 天美mv天美 geography professor and Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Health Service Geographies. Crooks is a health geographer by training. Her research interests are in the spatial and place-based dimensions of health and health care. She is a health services researcher with ongoing interest in understanding lived experiences of accessing needed/wanted health and social care services. As AVPR, she supports the implementation of 天美mv天美鈥檚 Strategic Research Plan that defines priority areas of research strength and focus for 2023-2028.

Gohar Ashoughian, Dean of Libraries brings over two decades of experience from a variety of senior leadership roles at several universities both within BC and across Canada, including her most recent role as University Librarian and Archivist at Wilfrid Laurier University, where she has been a transformative force since 2012. Gohar has spearheaded organizational change and strategic planning that have positioned Laurier Library as a hub for learning, research, and cultural engagement. Her strategic vision led to the successful integration of the Wilfrid Laurier University Press (WLUP) and the Robert Langen Art Gallery (RLAG) into the Laurier Library system, a visionary move that ensured sustainability for the university鈥檚 cultural resources and enhanced the library's role as a cultural and intellectual centre. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership-Higher Education from Western University and holds a Master of Library and Information Science and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Library and Information Science from Louisiana State University, and a Diploma of Higher Education with Distinction from the Armenian State Pedagogical University.

Networking Session and Reception | 5:00PM - 6:00PM | Halpern 126