Explore the student projects
See our 2022-2023 JCURA student award projects on display in the Michelle Pujol Room and Upper Lounge, Student Union Building on March 22, 2023 from 11:30 – 3:00pm
Save the event to your calendar and learn more by visiting our website at uvic.ca/jcura.
Education

Kolton Martin
Curriculum & Instruction
Indigenizing BC Education: a Collective Responsibility
Biography
My name is Kolton Martin, and I am a settler of primarily British descent living on the lands of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples. I am a recent graduate from UVic’s teacher education program and currently working as a teacher on call with the Saanich school district. In my professional practice, I strive to find ways to Indigenize my classrooms. When not teaching or learning, I am often spending time with my partner, my cat, or my hedgehog.

Emma Wilde
Curriculum & Instruction
Universal Design for Learning in the Drama Classroom
Biography
Emma Wilde (she/her) holds a BFA in Applied Theatre and English, and a B.Ed in Secondary Education, both from the University of Victoria. During her studies, she focused on the educational power of Drama and Theatre to offer students safe and accessible spaces for learning, creativity, and growth. Since graduation, Emma has been a Teacher-On-Call in Victoria, and working as a freelance educator in music, dance, and theatre for organizations such as the Canadian College of Performing Arts, Comox Youth Music Centre, and the Comox Valley School District.

Vanessa Wittstruck
Curriculum & Instruction
The English Teachers’ Guide to Design Thinking for Engagement
Biography
Vanessa is a recent UVic BEd graduate with a specialty in high school English. She also holds an MA in English and a BA in English & History from the University of Northern British Columbia. This project was inspired by Vanessa’s work with high school students during her practicum and other teaching experiences, which continue to inspire her growth as a teacher.

Aidan Wright
Curriculum & Instruction
A Novel Assessment Model for STEM Education
Biography
Aidan Wright is a physicist and public-school teacher currently between degrees and working in greater Victoria, BC. He obtained his Physics degree from SFU in 2021 with an undergraduate thesis on X-Ray scattering characterization of anion-exchange membranes. In 2018 he worked at the KATRIN neutrino experiment in Germany. He obtained an Education degree in 2023 and is looking to continue his studies in physical geography.

Kiyannah Hughes
Educational Psychology & Leadership Studies
Weight Stigma in Psychology Today
Biography
My name is Kiyannah Thievin-Hughes and I am in my last year of a degree in psychology at uvic. I hope to become a counsellor after completing a masters in counselling. This is my first formal research experience and I have been really enjoying it. I hope to continue with research in the future!

Isaac Barss
Exercise Science, Physical & Health Education
Mind Over Motor: Contribution of Posterior Systems in Motor Error Correction
Biography
Isaac is a kinesiology student with a strong interest in neuroscience, particularly in theories of learning and of motor control. He is exploring these topics as a research assistant in the Theoretical and Applied Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Victoria.

Robert King
Exercise Science, Physical & Health Education
Investigation of the Effects of Rapid Heat Acquisition and Desloratadine on Hematological Profiles of Firefighters
Biography
My name is Robert King, and I am in my final year of Kinesiology graduating in April 2023. I am originally from Germany and have also lived in Switzerland and Ontario. I started my undergraduate degree at the University of Ottawa but transferred to UVIC in 2020 and have loved it so far. This year I have applied to a Master of Occupational Therapy at UBC and hope to start Fall 2023. Until then, I plan on travelling, attending ACSM, and continuing to enjoy all that BC has to offer in the outdoors.

Katie Muirhead
Exercise Science, Physical & Health Education
The Relationship Between Working Conditions and Indices of Stress and Cognitive Function in Wildland Firefighters
Biography
My name is Katie and I am a fourth year undergraduate student earning my Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. I enjoy spending my time playing sports and exploring the outdoors. I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this study, as well as being able to work alongside such an amazing research team. My involvement in the Physiology Lab and the Centre for Occupational Research and Testing has allowed me to gain valuable experience that I will utilize in my post-graduate endeavours.

Anya Nazaroff
Exercise Science, Physical & Health Education
Frontal theta differences in a high autistic traits sample
Biography
My name is Anya Nazaroff and I am a 5th year Kinesiology student graduating in April 2023 with Honours. I feel very lucky to have been a research assistant in the Theoretical and Applied Neuroscience Lab for three years now and to be involved with exciting research. As well as volunteering in the lab, I coach varsity strength and conditioning and am employed as a support worker. After graduation, I plan to work and travel before pursuing a post-undergraduate program related to healthcare. In my spare time I enjoy skiing, playing soccer, weightlifting, and spending time with friends and family.

Jake Taylor
Exercise Science, Physical & Health Education
Moderate to intense physical activity mitigates fall risk in community dwelling seniors
Biography
My name is Jake Taylor, I am a 5th year BSc. Kinesiology Honours student here at UVic working in the Motion and Rehabilitation Laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Sandra Hundza. I moved to Victoria from St. John’s Newfoundland to pursue my degree and have loved the experience so far. After graduating I will be moving back home to work as a researcher for a company focused on support system development for people with Parkinson’s Disease. In my free time I love to ride motocross, surf, and ski. In the future I hope to pursue a career in Medicine.
Engineering and Computer Science

Benjamin Croyle
Civil Engineering
Building Airtightness: Are Results Repeatable?
Biography
Benjamin Croyle is a fourth year student in the department of civil engineering. He grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and moved to Victoria in 2018 to start his undergraduate degree. Benjamin is passionate about sustainable buildings, from structural design to building science. In his free time, Benjamin enjoys spending time with his friends and family and in the outdoors. His hobbies include mountain biking, surfing and music.

Nicole Gamm
Civil Engineering
Application of Non-Oxidizing Biocides to Mitigate Biofouling in Reverse Osmosis Membrane Systems
Biography
Nicole Gamm is from Toronto, ON. She came to the University of Victoria in September 2019 to pursue a degree in civil engineering. Within her discipline, Nicole is passionate about water treatment and water resource engineering. Outside of the classroom, Nicole is a member of the Vikes Varsity Women’s Rugby Team. She is also an avid reader, enthusiastic long-distance runner and loves spending time outdoors whenever she can.

Madeleine Thorkelsson
Civil Engineering
Use of Non-Destructive Testing to Monitor Health of Pavements in the UVic Bus Loop
Biography
Madeleine Thorkelsson is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying Civil Engineering with a minor in Business. Her interest in materials research, specifically concrete, was sparked thanks to a co-op position in the UVic Facility for Innovative Materials and Infrastructure Monitoring (FIMIM) where she was able to gain hands-on experience with the development of novel concrete mix designs. In her spare time, Madeleine enjoys playing board games with friends and baking.

Steven Bobyn
Computer Science
Learning to Simulate Flocking Behaviour with Graph Neural Networks
Biography
I’m Steven, a 4th-year student at the University of Victoria studying Computer Science and Mathematics. Currently, I’m interested in exploring the dynamics that govern crowd motion with data-driven methods; in particular, I’m interested in applying Graph Neural Networks to learn dynamics from crowd data and using these findings to better understand crowd behaviour and generate more accurate crowd models. After my JCURA, I am keen on continuing this work and exploring more animation and deep learning problems.

Callum Curtis
Computer Science/Software Engineering
Student Use of AI Assistance in Software Design Tasks
Biography
Callum is currently a fourth-year software engineering student at the University of Victoria. His research foci coincide with his career interests, which include backend development, data engineering, and machine learning. Callum continues to explore these areas in his research, school and co-op terms, and personal projects. He is thankful for the many talented and passionate peers and professors he has met through research and student clubs that help guide his curiosity and challenge him to advance his skills and understanding.

Marcus Dunn
Computer Science
Improving Cognitive Support for Security Threat Hunters
Biography
Marcus is an undergraduate student and a member of the The Chisel Group researching under Dr. Margaret-Anne Storey. He has an interest in software testing, programming languages, and security. Marcus is an avid programmer, a bad squash player, and a middling basketball player. He loves teaching others about computers and will talk your ear off about things he thinks are clever. (ask him about sub-pixel anti-aliasing)

Victor Kamel
Computer Science
Optimizing Index Structures to Support Semantic Queries in Relational Databases
Biography
Victor Kamel is a third year computer science student interested in computer science theory and interdisciplinary applications. He has lived on Vancouver Island for most of his life. Victor is an active member of UVic’s Competitive Programming Club and the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Interdisciplinary Club, and is passionate about teaching others in his capacity as a teaching assistant. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and going on long walks by the beach.

Samantha Norrie
Computer Science
Improving Typing Experiences Through the Use of a Keyboard Interface With Integrated Gesture Recognition
Biography
Hello, my name is Samantha! I am a fourth-year computer science student at the University of Victoria. During the last four years of my degree, I have had the opportunity to explore different areas of software development, teaching, and now research! The JCURA has allowed me to learn about how to conduct research, develop a prototype, and how to construct a custom machine learning model. I am excited to take these skills and further improve upon them in whatever is next in my computer science journey!

Jacob Burggraf
Mechanical Engineering
Optimization of Gusset Geometry for Welded Joints
Biography
Hi, my name is Jacob Burggraf. I am in my final year of Mechanical Engineering at UVic. I am the chief engineer of UVic Formula Racing where I get to work with friends to design and build a race car. When I’m not welding the formula car or helping out with other team projects I’m usually in the woods, either mountain biking, camping or just out for a wander.

Jivtesh Garcha
Mechanical Engineering
Study of gypsum board material properties required to maintain high indoor relative humidity in buildings in cold climates
Biography
Jivtesh is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from the University of Victoria currently working as a Mechanical Designer in Calgary, AB. This JCURA research project was co-supervised by Dr. Caterina Valeo and Dr. Phalguni Mukhopadhyaya of the Department of Civil Engineering, and was focused on determining changes in construction material properties that would result in an indoor relative humidity in the ideal range for buildings in cold climates. This research was completed as part of his final year, self-directed Technical Project elective.

Ezra Nestel
Mechanical Engineering
Carbon Suspension Surface Preparation
Biography
Fine Arts

Noah Pacina
Art History and Visual Studies
19th-Century Visions of Prague: Guiding UNESCO Historical Preservation and Urban Development in the City Today
Biography
Noah Pacina is in the fifth year of his BA Art History Honours program with a minor in Museum Studies and a Certificate in German Language and Cultural Proficiency. His research focuses include the exploration of identity, cultural heritage, and architecture, as they are experienced in the modern world. He plans to continue research on these topics through graduate studies, ultimately looking to work in the field of cultural heritage.

Hayden Reich
Art History and Visual Studies
Japonisme in Early British-American Tattooing
Biography
Hayden Reich is a 22-year-old Art History and Visual Studies student in the final semester of his degree. His motivation for pursuing this project is rooted in exploring things that have been stigmatized within the Canon of Western art history. Hayden’s interests are influenced by his studies in art history. He has taken up metalwork, using lost wax casting techniques to create sculpture and jewelry. Following his degree, Hayden plans to pursue a career in the film industry.

Kiara Hosie
Music
Was Dionysus a Music Therapist?: Therapeutic Musical Ecstasy in the Ancient Greco-Roman World
Biography
Kiara Hosie is a fourth year oboe and English horn player majoring in musicology and sound studies with a minor in psychology. Her research interests include musical magic and witchcraft, music’s role in identity creation, and historical perspectives on music therapy. Kiara’s research on how music direction, gender-casting, and audience perception interact to create character identity in productions of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest can be read in the forthcoming issue of Nota Bene: Canadian Undergraduate Journal of Musicology. After her undergrad, Kiara plans to pursue graduate studies in musicology.

Bryce Mennie
Music
Creating a Low-Cost, Reproducible Virtual Mixing Environment
Biography
I’m Bryce, a fifth-year student in the combined Music and Computer Science (MUCS) program here at UVic. I have always had a passion for music, and I grew up learning piano and began audio engineering classes in high school. I then worked on the line of a speaker factory building high-performance woofers and tweeters, then later began doing computer-assisted design (CAD) work for the same company. My passion for audio technology continued to develop, and I transferred to UVic from the University of Waterloo when I decided the MUCS program would better fit these passions and interests. Since beginning the MUCS program, I have been able to take part in a variety of co-op and extracurricular opportunities. I was the President of the Computer Music Course Union (CMCU) for almost two years. I also worked game development with a Vancouver-based startup that created audio engineering and music production education games, and have worked in software-based co-ops at vocal effects manufacturer TC-Helicon. Most recently, I am working in the Automotive Acoustics branch of Blackberry QNX in Burnaby, BC.

Marc Micu
Music
The Spectrum of Sound: the Obscure Timbres within Muted Brass
Biography
Marc is a fourth year music education student at the University of Victoria. From composing soundtracks for his High school’s TV show to performing for large sold out shows, Marc has a deep personal relationship with all things music-related. Marc has always been fascinated with how technology is changing and improving the act of music-making, Marc grew up as a percussionist, acknowledging and appreciating the plethora of sounds percussion instruments can create. Today, Marc is a freelance performer playing trumpet, melodica, and percussion, as well as an educator leading ensemble masterclasses and teaching piano privately to young students.

Laveen Gammie (Nee Skyers)
Visual Arts
CAMP
Biography
Laveen Gammie is currently living and working on lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ land. Laveen works in sculpture installation; presently, with textiles, provisional supports, video, and the photographic image. They continually incorporate new media as different strategies are called for. Laveen’s practice investigates cultural symbols, systems and signifiers of consumption, class and identity; uncovering the complexities that maintain their power through a process of reification.

Theoren Johannessen
Visual Arts
Friends are Forever
Biography
Theoren Johannessen (they/them) is a visual artist working in sculpture and lens-based media. their work explores themes of queerness and memory through object and material investigations. Their lens-based work often incorporates found objects or sculptural components, blurring the boundaries between image and object.

Tosh Sherkat
Writing
An Investigation into the Effects of Climate Change on Mountain Guides in British Columbia.
Biography
Tosh Sherkat is a Persian-Doukhobor settler-of-colour in their last year of study at the University of Victoria in creative writing. They were raised on Autonomous Sinixt territory, in Nelson, BC. Their writing appears in Existere, EVENT, Plenitude, CBC, Megaphone, Asparagus, PulpMag, Megaphone, and This Side of West magazine, and is forthcoming in Terrain.org. They serve as the poetry editor for This Side of West’s 21st issue, as a reader for Watch Your Head, and as an interviewer for the Climate Disaster Project.
Human and Social Development

Dawson Langton
Health Information Science
Using Heuristic Evaluations to Analyze Blood Pressure Monitoring Apps
Biography
Hello, I am a fourth year Health Information Science student at the University of Victoria. My interest in public health led me to seek for a co-op position with the Red Cross where, in the summer of 2021, I helped with the COVID-19 immunization effort. In the fall of 2022, I also had the privilege of working at Vancouver General Hospital as a co-op, where I assisted with the rollout of their new Electronic Health Record System (EHR), the largest EHR deployment in British Columbia to that point.

Liyao Ma
Health Information Science
Informing the Canadian public about health topics using dashboards: Examining the usability and identifying opportunities to improve dashboards for communicating health information
Biography
Liyao Ma is a fourth-year student at the School of Health Information Science who recently completed his Co-op work term at Vancouver Coastal Health. Liyao is passionate about modern information technologies, including big data analytics and cloud computing, and strives to explore their potential to digitize and transform the healthcare industry. Throughout his studies, he has also developed a keen interest in observing the adoption of emerging health technologies, such as electronic health records, in Canada and around the world. Liyao is poised to graduate in June 2023 with an unwavering enthusiasm for the field of health informatics.

Carrie (Yi) Yan
Health Information Science
A Comparison of Two Personal Health Portals: British Columbia’s Health Gateway and China’s Healthcare Cloud
Biography
Yi (Carrie) Yan is a fourth-year student majoring in Health Information Science. She is passionate about learning healthcare application design and expects to work in system design and data analysis. Outside the school, she enjoys bakery, painting and traveling.

Kelsey Booth
Nursing
Parental Patterns of Alcohol Consumption During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Biography
My name is Kelsey Booth, and I am a fourth-year nursing student. This research experience has been such an amazing learning experience and I am humbled to be a part of this project and working alongside such amazing scholars. I am currently completing my final practicum in the Emergency Department at Victoria General Hospital where I eventually hope to work alongside the amazing healthcare team there. I am passionate about advocacy and eventually hope to pursue my master’s in nursing, however, these goals will be temporarily put on hold as I prepare for the arrival of my third child this spring.

Jaymelyn Hubert
Nursing
Strategies to Diversify Canadian BSN Education: A scoping review
Biography
Jaymelyn Hubert is a white, cis-gendered, fourth-year nursing student and founding Co-Director of the Nursing Student Mentorship Program. Her first opportunity to engage with research was in Spring 2022, working as a research assistant for Dr. Dzifa Dordunoo. From there, Jaymelyn picked up her passion for research, wishing never to set it down again. Jaymelyn is excited about improving access to Canadian BSN education, and hopes to pursue a career saturated by research.
Jaymelyn and Jennifer want to express gratitude and appreciation to their families, friends, and faculty for their unwavering support. They are especially grateful for the guidance, encouragement, and support provided by their supervising faculty member, Dr. Dzifa Dordunoo.

Jennifer Jap
Nursing
Strategies to Diversify Canadian BSN Education: A scoping review
Biography

Haley Jenkins
Nursing
Developing and piloting a new model to guide NP student assessment and learning in clinical settings.
Biography
Haley Jenkins is a fourth year nursing student pursuing specialization in emergency nursing. Her interests include nursing education, trauma care, and advocacy for patients and nurses. Haley hopes to pursue further education as a forensic nurse examiner and nurse practitioner. When not pursuing career and academic interests, Haley can be found spending time in nature or with her cat Marnie.

Matsuko Friedland
Public Health & Social Policy
Barriers and enablers of access to good end-of-life care for 2SLGBTQIA+ people
Biography
Matsuko Friedland (they/she) is a 4th year student in UVic’s BA Health and Community Services program with a focus in disability studies. They will pursue a Masters in Library and Information Science (MLIS) from fall 2023 through San Jose State University. Their study interests include public health, knowledge justice, disability/accessibility, and aging.

Kyreny (Ky) Scott
Social Work
Working in circle and online
Biography
Ky is a parent, auntie, partner, sister, and daughter. Her maternal ancestry is 3rd generation Irish and Icelandic, and her paternal lineage is Métis and 2nd generation British. She lives on the unceded and occupied xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nation territory in qʷɬeýəm, settled under the name Steveston Village. Ky identifies as a person with mixed ancestry who has found purpose and healing through helping others, connecting with culture, being accountable to her community of recovery, and doing work that supports improved outcomes for children and youth. Ky graduates from UVic with her Bachelor of Social Work degree in June 2023.
Humanities

Aza Bryson-Bucci
European Studies
Newspaper Coverage of the Russia-Ukraine War in Canada and the United Kingdom: A Textual Comparative Analysis
Biography
Aza is UVic political science student, and has written an honours thesis focused on the decline of democracy in Hungary and how this affects the European Union. In recent years, she was mentored by a Vancouver city Councillor and has volunteered with a Vancouver Member of Parliament. Aza works with the Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria as Research Coordinator.

Renata Baldwin
English
My “Work-in-Progress”: Making Sense of Murray Jay Siskind Through a Gnostic Reading of Don DeLillo’s White Noise and Amazons
Biography
Renata is a third year English Major at UVic, who’s particular studies of interest include contemporary American literature, history, and religion. She is passionate about Victoria’s restaurant industry where she works at The Courtney Room as a bartender. In her free time Renata enjoys reading, writing, sunshine, and yoga.

Mahayla Galliford
English
Approaches to Encoding Early Modern Stage Directions
Biography
Mahayla Galliford is a third-year student in the English Honours program. Her research area is the early modern period, and she focuses on playbook composition and Shakespeare’s works. Mahayla is also a research assistant, remediator, and encoder for Linked Early Modern Drama Online (LEMDO), a digital humanities project. During the summers, Mahayla is a Teaching Artist at Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival in Vancouver; she has been involved with the festival since 2015.

Kalea Raposo
English
Bessie Marchant’s Turn-of-the-Century Girls’ Adventure Fiction in Special Collections and at the Edge of Empire
Biography
Kalea Furmanek Raposo is in her final year of study, pursing an English Honours degree with a minor in Anthropology. Kalea is a Lowens Fellow and an editor for the Albatross. She has worked as a research assistant to the Crafting Communities project and as an intern on the Narrative Art & Visual Storytelling in Holocaust and Human Rights Education project. Her research interests include 19th-century literature, Victorian girls’ culture, and book history.

Sage Benet
French
What’s In a Name? The Impacts of BIPOC Names on Self-Perception, and Experiences in the Workforce and Academia
Biography
Sage Benet (she/her) is in her fourth and final year of her degree in French and Francophone Studies. Over the course of her time at the University of Victoria, she has had the opportunity to provide support for students in her department as the Director of Communications (2019-2020) and President (2020-2023) of the French Undergrads Course Union. She is passionate about creating change in her community, which has inspired her in researching topics that further representation and create a space for BIPOC people to have their voices heard. Outside of her time at UVic, you can almost certainly find her telling cheesy dad jokes.

Adrian Dunkerson
Gender Studies
“Protect Our Children”: The Parallels of Transphobia and Anti-Autistic Ableism
Biography
Adrian Dunkerson (he/him) is an autistic gay trans man in his 4th and final year at the University of Victoria. He is an honours student in Sociology with a second major in Gender Studies, planning to undergo his Master’s in Sociology. His research interests lie in transmasculinity, trans joy, the intersection of transness and autism, and the mundane of trans life. Aside from his studies, he has a love of birds, Pokémon, and making art. His cockatiel, Pikachu, is an invaluable member of Adrian’s research team.

Maria Kalmykova
Germanic & Slavic Studies
A Study of the Influence of the War in Ukraine on the Russian Language
Biography
Maria Kalmykova is a 3rd year student at the University of Victoria. She is working hard towards her Bachelor of Humanities degree with a major both in Slavic Studies and Philosophy. She was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and only moved to Victoria last year! On the weekends Maria works at the local Russian school, and in her free time she enjoys hiking, reading and playing both chess and tennis.

Angelina Schwarz
Germanic & Slavic Studies
The Gendered Vulnerability of German Women During the Holocaust: A Case Study of Auschwitz and Ravensbrück Concentration Camps
Biography
Angelina is in her third year at the University of Victoria as an Honours student in the Department of History and pursuing a minor in European Studies. Her focus is twentieth century German history and the Holocaust, with a specific interest in the relationship and complexities regarding gender and the Holocaust. This summer, she is very excited to travel to Europe to engage in the EU Study Tour offered by the department of European Studies. Outside of academics, Angelina volunteers with the UVSS Peer Support Centre and enjoys reading historical fiction and spending time outdoors.

Jonathan Granirer
Greek & Roman Studies
Absolute power and the unsustainability of tyranny: Seneca’s depiction of Nero’s power in De Clementia
Biography
Jon is finishing the final year of a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Greek and Roman Studies and a major in Political Science. His research interests include Roman social and political history as well as Roman literature. Jon is also an experienced student advocate who has served at every level of governance at UVic, including serving as the UVSS Director of Outreach (2019-2020) and the Board of Governors Undergraduate Representative (2021-2022). His primary areas of advocacy include improving accessibility for students with disabilities and addressing the affordability crisis through the creation and implementation of Open Educational Resources in UVic classrooms.

Elena Menendez
Greek & Roman Studies
Scribe Mi (Write to Me): Requests in Non-Literary Latin Letters
Biography
Elena Menendez is a fourth year Greek and Roman Studies student. She is particularly interested in Latin texts, especially 1st and early 2nd century and non-literary ones such as graffiti and sub-literary texts, as well as other social and cultural aspects of Roman and other ancient cultures. She hopes to pursue graduate studies in the area in the future.

Daniel Davenport
History
Under New Management: Energy Resource Allocation in Great War Britain
Biography
I am a final-year student here at UVIC. I did not expect to work across disciplines. However, I’m currently adding an economics minor to my degree while working on this thesis that combines economic, social, political, military, and energy history. My research focus going forward will be combining history and economics to better understand the social and historical aspects of our energy systems with an ambition to contribute to decarbonisation.

Peter Kruschke
History
Remembering Loss: Effects of Internment and Dispossession on Japanese Canadian Collective Memory
Biography
My name is Peter Kruschke and I am a fourth-year History student at UVic. My favourite areas of study include 20th Century Canadian history and U.S. foreign policy. After I graduate I plan on travelling abroad and then pursuing a career in law or education. I am extremely grateful to be part of the 2023 JCURA class and am excited to see the products of my peers’ hard work.

Jacob Moreno
History
Modernist Imaginaries of Crisis: The Function of Crisis in Weimar
Biography
Jacob would like to extend his gratitude to Dr. Saunders for supervising this assignment.

Samantha Olson
History
Political Agitators to Ideological Enforcers: Representations of the Brownshirts in Germany 1921-1938
Biography
Samantha Olson is a fourth-year History Honour student at the University of Victoria. Her research interests include military history, paramilitary and political extremism, and civil-military relations. Born and raised in San Jose, California, Sam now splits her time between Victoria, BC and Bainbridge Island, WA. In September 2023, Sam will begin an MA in Security Studies at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. When not writing essays, Sam enjoys board games, forcing others to listen to country music, and reading in front of the fireplace with her particularly disagreeable cat.

Tamara Wallace
History
The Witch-Finder King: King James I and His Relationship to Witchcraft
Biography
Tamara Wallace is a fourth-year history honours student, with a particular focus on the intersection between the cultural, intellectual and political history of early modern Britain. Outside of UVic, she enjoys reading, writing, biking and enjoying the outdoors with her family.

Lauren McLean
Indigenous Studies
Beading as an Embodiment of Life: Understanding Indigenous Beadwork Through Felt Theory and an Indigenous Research Paradigm
Biography
Lauren McLean (she/they) is a queer a Métis undergraduate student at the University of Victoria. Their Métis heritage comes from the Dumas, Légaré, Laviolette, Smith, and LaFramboise families (among others) on their mother’s side. On their father’s side they have Scottish and English heritage. Lauren was born in Neepawa, Manitoba and has lived all over so-called British Columbia before she moved to lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ territories for post-secondary. In the final years of her BA in Indigenous Studies, Lauren’s research has focused heavily on Métis culture and history.

Aidan McDonough
Latin American Studies
The Role of Corruption, Economic Crisis and Drug Enforcement Policy on Violent Crime in Mexico
Biography
Aidan is a fourth-year honours student in the Department of Political Science and Indigenous Studies Program at the University of Victoria. Aidan’s research interests include cartel politics, the influences of American drug policies in Latin America, food sovereignty, and environmental and Indigenous land rights.

Mariana Montes de Oca Palau
Latin American Studies
Ethno-Graphic Storytelling and Migration
Biography
My name is Mariana Montes de Oca Palau and I am a 5th-year Anthropology and Art Education student at UVIC. In my studies, I have developed a passion to understand migration, globalization, economic Anthropology, and visual methods. I was born in Mexico and moved to Treaty 1 territories (Winnipeg, MB) when I was thirteen years old, and five years ago I moved to lək̓ʷəŋən territory (Victoria, BC), since then I have explored what it means to be Mexican and Canadian throughout my life and studies.

Quinn Anderson
Linguistics
Loan Words in Turkish Vowel Harmony: An Optimality Theoretic Approach
Biography
Quinn Anderson is a fourth-year student at the University of Victoria studying Linguistics. He has a great passion for morphological, phonological, and phonetic research. During his studies, he has focused on the Turkish language, having been drawn to it after spending time around many speakers of the language. Quinn is an uninvited settler, having been raised on the unceded territories of the scəw̓aθən and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm peoples. In his free time, Quinn enjoys artistic pursuits, reading, and the development of queer-inclusive spaces.

Alena Pulhug
Linguistics
Reconstructing pentl’ach Reduplication for Language Reclamation
Biography
My name is Alena Pulhug, and I am in my fourth and final year of my BA with Honours in Linguistics with a minor in French and a Certificate in Language and Cultural Proficiency in Japanese. In the coming fall, I will be attending graduate school to specialize in User Experience Design. I hope to continue to contribute to language work in the future!

Jay Choi
Pacific & Asian Studies
Cambodia’s Long-Lost Rock and Roll Culture and Cosmopolitanism
Biography

Alexandra Janke
Pacific & Asian Studies
K-Pop and Cultivated Global Bodies
Biography
My name is Alexandra Janke and I am a 4th year Humanities student at the University of Victoria. I am currently majoring in Pacific and Asian studies, with a minor in film studies. My research interests include Japanese and Korean popular culture, gender politics, and digital studies. Outside of education, I love connecting with people through my work as a barista in Greater Victoria. After completing my degree, I hope to study abroad in Asia and improve my Japanese language abilities.

Ella Cuskelly
Philosophy
Narrative Identity and the Bioethics of Memory Modification Technologies (MMTs)
Biography

John Fitzsimmons
Philosophy
Towards What Can’t Be Said: Exploring the Limitations of Language in Zen Philosophy
Biography
John Fitzsimmons is in his 4th year double majoring in English and philosophy. He is especially fond of continental philosophy and existentialism, with a special interest in the ways philosophy can overlap with poetry and other art forms. In his spare time, he enjoys volunteering on campus with the Philosophy Student Union and the English Students’ Association.

Christopher Sanford Beck
Philosophy
Attending to the Full Moral Landscape: The Role of Affect in Revealing Obligations to the Other-Than-Human World
Biography
Christopher Sanford Beck is wrapping up his fifth and final year of studying Creative Writing and Philosophy at UVic. He enjoys running, climbing, and hiking; soaking in the beauty of Vancouver Island (and beyond); and trying to take his affective attitudes seriously. In Philosophy, he is particularly interested in ethics, and the beneficial outputs of closely investigating concepts and experiences. Though Christopher is not sure what his post-grad future holds, he hopes that it involves plenty of coffee, good conversations, and fresh air.

Vanessa Aase
Religion, Culture and Society
How the “War on Terror” Became a War against Muslim Americans
Biography
Vanessa Aase is in her third-year Honours History Major and Political Science Minor. Her academic interests include substance use and governmental policy, cold war politics, social inequalities, and the role of mass media. In her spare time, Vanessa loves to paint pottery, attend spin classes, and ski. Upon completing her degree, she hopes to attend law school to become an immigration lawyer.

Ceren Yilmaz
Religion, Culture and Society
Democrat Pro-Choice and Republican Pro-Life Abortion Politics: The By-Product of The Supposed Existence of a Binary Between The Church and State
Biography

Maya Laquian
Social Justice Studies
Problematizing Pan-Indigenous Policies: Human Trafficking Prevention
Biography
Hello! My name is Maya. This spring I will be graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Gender Studies and a Minor in Political Science. I grew up on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations (Vancouver) and am sincerely grateful to the lək̓ʷəŋən speaking peoples on whose lands I have lived and learned for the past five years. My research interests include critically analyzing state policies, specifically examining how narratives are perpetuated within policies and the impact of this storying on marginalized communities. Outside of school, I enjoy spending time outside with friends and family!

Molly-Ann Taylor
Social Justice Studies
Biography

Sienna Wishewan
Global Development Studies
A Weapon Called Hunger: How Conflict in the Global North Exacerbates Food Insecurity in the Global South, A case study of the 2022 war in Ukraine
Biography
Sienna Wishewan is a fourth-year student studying Political Science and Global Development Studies at the University of Victoria. Sienna is Ukrainian-Canadian, and her work has primarily focused on Ukrainian politics. She enjoys specifically researching issues related to international relations, gender, and nation-building in Ukraine. Sienna is looking forward to continuing her studies at the University of Victoria this fall in the Faculty of Law.
Medical Sciences

Katie Besko
Medical Sciences
Analyzing glial and neuronal cell proportions in animal models infected with SARS-CoV-2
Biography
Katie is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in biochemistry at the University of Victoria. In the Swayne Lab, she focuses on studying the impact of COVID-19 on the brain using immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, and cell quantification software. Katie’s passion for neuroscience drives her pursuit of research and inspires her to work at the Cridge Brain Injury Program. Outside of the lab, Katie spends her free time camping, baking, and crocheting.

Rachel Li
Medical Sciences
Expressing ankyrin-B variants in undifferentiated H9c2 cells
Biography
Rachel is in her fourth year of studies at the University of Victoria studying biochemistry with a minor in applied ethics. After joining the Swayne Lab in February 2022, Rachel started to work on the pannexin project as an NSERC USRA-funded co-op student, then later transitioned to the ankyrin-B project. The Swayne Lab has provided Rachel with amazing research experience supported by wonderful lab members. Rachel is grateful for the truly formative learning opportunities she has been given and looks forward to what comes next.

Charuta Sahasrabudhe
Medical Sciences
Choline: a potential neuroprotective agent for microglia recovery from prenatal ethanol exposure
Biography
Science

John Evans
Biochemistry & Microbiology
Investigating the Regulation of PI3Kγ
Biography
John is in his fourth year of biochemistry at the University of Victoria. He has always had interests in oncology, protein biochemistry, and biophysical techniques. He is grateful for the opportunity to work on an honours thesis and JCURA project studying phosphoinositide 3-kinases under the supervision of Dr. John Burke, which encapsulates his interests. In his free time, John can often be found at the piano.

Jaden Dedora
Biochemistry & Microbiology
Discovering the biochemical properties and antigen targets of tumour-infiltrating B lymphocyte antibodies
Biography

Arden Grew
Biochemistry & Microbiology
A Game of Bait and Prey: The Effects of the Intrinsically Disordered Loops of Fpr4 on Mediating Protein Interactions
Biography
My name is Arden Grew and I’m a 4th year Biochemistry student at UVic and I’m currently completing an honours thesis under the supervision of Dr. Chris Nelson. The area of research that I’m interested in is transcriptional regulation in Eukaryotes. This coming Fall I intend to apply to various medical schools. I am also a member of the UVic sailing team and hobbies of mine include curling and long-distance running.

Vicka Pluzhnikova
Biochemistry & Microbiology
Investigating the Role of Isovalerate in Intestinal Barrier Maintenance
Biography
Vicka is in her final year of a Bachelor of Science Microbiology Honours degree. Through her work in the Reynolds lab, she has developed a strong passion for research in microbiota-immune system interactions, helminth infections, and the treatment and prevention of allergic, autoimmune, and inflammatory diseases. Outside of her studies, Vicka loves to work with children as a part-time piano teacher and a volunteer at Kids Physio Group. She hopes to develop a career in medicine while maintaining her involvement in the world of research in health!

Andrew Rodd
Biochemistry & Microbiology
Investigating the Role of Dyskerin in DNA Damage Repair
Biography
Andrew is studying biochemistry in his final year. He has a passion for research with a strong interest in the application of biochemistry and biotechnology. He was born and raised on Vancouver Island, growing up in a small town called Sooke. This gave Andrew a strong connection to the outdoors, which he wants to retain after graduation. Andrew hopes to continue his education by working on lots of exciting research projects, and eventually attending graduate school.

Paige Amos
Biology
Crab Signatures: Differentiating crab species-specific repair scars on mollusc prey for reconstructing crab abundance through time
Biography
Paige is in her final year working towards a BSc. in Biology with a minor in Statistics. Her research was conducted as part of her Honours completion, supervised by Prof. Julia Baum and Banting Postdoctoral Fellow Kristina Barclay. She previously attended the fall program at Bamfield Marine Science Centre where she completed a Directed Studies research project investigating how salinity and temperature affect tube growth rate of tube worms. She also assisted Kristina Barclay with data collection this past summer. Paige enjoys climbing, scuba diving, and hiking. She is interested in science education and actively contributes to iNaturalist.

Kaitlin Griffith
Biology
Investigating the loss of Complement Factor D on Complement Activity in the Stargardt Disease Mouse Model
Biography
Hello! My name is Kaitlin, and I am a fourth-year biology student in the honours program conducting my thesis work in Dr. Chow’s lab. With the timing of my courses and the move to online learning, I did not have the opportunity to attend in-person labs until my third year of studies. Despite my lack of experience, Dr. Chow and his graduate students patiently provided me with many amazing learning opportunities that I am very grateful for. In addition to my lab work, I have also had the privilege of volunteering on a non-profit project that sought to design of a system to refer survivors of brain injury and intimate partner violence to relevant health services despite their conditions being undiagnosed. Outside of school, I enjoy taking my dog on adventures, taking a cup of tea to the beach, and listening to Taylor Swift music.

Eleanor Hobson
Biology
Investigating small copepod trophic ecology and diet via lipid analysis.
Biography
El Hobson (she/they) is in the last year of her undergrad. They are interested in trophic ecology, specifically in marine environments and completed this research as part of a Biology directed studies. After they graduate, they are continuing their education as an MSc student at UVIC in the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, working on elucidating the trophic ecology of mesopelagic fish. Outside of school, El likes to climb, explore tidepools, go camping, and play spikeball on the beach.

Angus Townsend
Biology
Using otoliths to age a fish with alternative male reproductive strategies
Biography
Angus is completing his final year in an undergraduate honours degree in Biology and Psychology at the University of Victoria. Supervised by Dr. Francis Juanes in his Marine Ecology and Fisheries lab, Angus’s research is part of a lifelong passion- some of his earliest memories are of exploring the tide pools around Victoria. He’s grateful for the opportunity to further this passion and gather valuable research experience, and he looks forward to continuing this work throughout the summer. When he’s not in the lab you can find him volunteering, weight training, meditating, working on art projects, or exploring nature.

Odhran Cruise
Chemistry
Direct Alkenylation of Vinyl Halides: Reaction Discovery through High-Throughput Experimentation
Biography
Odhran is a 4th year undergraduate student who is obtaining a bachelor’s in chemistry from the University of Victoria. His research journey began by volunteering in the Leitch Group in September 2022 on projects relating to organic synthesis. During the summer of 2022, Odhran interned within the Baker Group at the University of Ottawa in the field of inorganic synthesis and catalysis. Following the internship, Odhran returned to the Leitch Group for his honours thesis on reaction discovery and catalysis. In the autumn, Odhran will be starting a masters in theoretical and computational chemistry at the University of Oxford.

Tiago Fisher
Chemistry
A Small Mercury Drop and a Quick Catalytic Stop: A Toxic Test for Homogeneity
Biography
I’m Tiago, a medicinal chemistry student at UVic. Chemistry has been my passion since high school, and I’ve been fortunate enough to major in it at university. My research for the past year has been focused on mechanism elucidation using mass spectrometry, specifically challenging assumptions behind a century-old test for catalyst identity. I’ve also been actively involved with the Undergraduate Chemistry Society, serving as secretary, vice president, and president. Outside of my studies, I volunteer at the Victoria Hand Project charity, which provides 3D printed prosthetics to amputees in developing countries.

Maria Hangad
Chemistry
From Droplets to Drug Delivery: Retinoic Acid Dosing into Polycaprolactone (PCL) Microparticles Using a Lab-on-a-Chip Device
Biography
Maria is currently finishing her Combined Honours in Biochemistry and Chemistry degree at the University of Victoria. Maria is interested in all things medicine, especially translational medicine and therapeutic drug delivery. Her research journey began in January 2020 within the Elvira research lab on microfluidics for healthcare/drug discovery followed by subsequent co-op terms in the Willerth lab on neural tissue engineering in January 2022. Being a JCURA recipient, Maria feels privileged to have had the opportunity to learn relevant research techniques and to be able to present research as a person of visible minority and as a woman in STEM.

Manon Latrille
Chemistry
The impact of using weekly tutorial quizzes on student performance of introductory organic chemistry
Biography
My name is Manon Latrille, and I am in my fourth and final year of an Honours degree in Chemistry for the Medical Sciences. I worked with Dr. Violeta Iosub for my JCURA project and Honours thesis in the field of Chemistry Education and course design improvement. I will be attending paramedic school in the Fall while applying to medical school. In my spare time, I enjoy weightlifting, fixing and driving my 1990’s Miata, and spending time with my dog.

Martin Trapero
Chemistry
The Synthesis of Cyclic Phosphonates: Towards Stable and Recyclable Main Group Plastics
Biography
Hi my name is Martin! I was born in Madrid, Spain, and moved to Victoria when I was 5 years old. I am finishing my undergrad in Chemistry at UVic. I worked in 2021 at Dr. Leitch’s lab and in the summer of 2022, I was awarded a fellowship in the Inorganic Chemistry Exchange program at the TMU. I am completing my honours thesis with the Manners group, on the synthesis of main group heterocycles and polymers. I play high level soccer (including a few years with the UVic Vikes), enjoy good food (especially tapas!) and spending time with friends.

Isabella Beaupre-Olsen
Earth & Ocean Sciences
The Mineralogy of Hydrothermal Plume Particles at the Endeavour Mid-Ocean Ridge
Biography

Anna Nickoloff
Earth & Ocean Sciences
Oceanic response to widespread Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
Biography
Hello! My name is Anna Nickoloff. I am a fourth year honours student in the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria. Through my degree, I have become fascinated by interactions between Earth, ocean, and atmospheric systems as well as the intersection between science and climate change solutions. Led by Prof. Michael Eby and Dr. Andrew Weaver, my research employs climate modelling to investigate the environmental impacts of large scale implementation of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, a form of marine renewable energy. I am very grateful to have received support from JCURA for this project.

Meghan Reyda-Molnar
Earth & Ocean Sciences
Investigating the timing of Saanich Inlet’s summer mini-blooms
Biography
Meghan Reyda-Molnar is a chemistry and ocean science major in her last year of study, originally from Treaty 6 territory but now residing on Lekwungen lands. This research project was conducted as a part of her honours under the supervision of Dr. Roberta Hamme. Having learnt much about Saanich Inlet through various oceanography courses she has taken, it becoming a research focus for this project has felt like a fitting conclusion to her time at UVic. After graduation, she hopes to be able to integrate her love for science with her interest in community work and climate justice. Other than science, she enjoys running, writing, creating crosswords and refusing to let winter keep her from swimming at the beach.

Savanna Yamamoto
Earth & Ocean Sciences
Mapping Groundwater with Geophysics: Locating and characterising aquifers in the Beaufort Watershed with electrical resistivity surveys
Biography
Savanna Yamamoto is completing her final year in a combined degree of Earth and Ocean Science and Physical Geography. Although hard-rock geology drew her into Earth sciences, her interests have grown to include various other topics including hydrogeology and geophysics – the topics of her honours research. During breaks from school, Savanna enjoys running, skiing, and playing soccer, as well as hiking and exploring beaches to look at rocks. Over the next several years, Savanna plans to start a master’s degree as well as begin her professional geoscientist designation through work in hydrogeology, while also fulfilling her athletic passions.

Sam Bednarski
Mathematics & Statistics
Lyapunov Exponents of Random Matrix Products
Biography
Sam Bednarski is a a fifth-year math honours student. His interests include topics in analysis and algebra. After graduating, he hopes to learn more mathematics in grad school.

Danielle Tsao
Mathematics & Statistics
scAnnotate: a cell type annotation tool for single-cell RNA-sequencing data
Biography
Danielle Tsao is a fourth year statistics honours student at the University of Victoria. She is interested in high-dimensional statistics and non-parametric statistics, as well as their applications in medical research. She is very grateful for the opportunity to explore these areas through a JCURA project with the support of her supervisor, Dr. Xuekui Zhang. Outside of school, Danielle enjoys music, baking, and hanging out with her friends and family. She hopes to pursue her graduate studies in statistics next year.
Social Sciences
Miranda Gilbert
Anthropology
Biography
My name is Miranda (she/her) and I’m in my fifth year of a BSc. Hons. In Anthropology, with a minor in Environmental Studies. When I’m not working on assignments, I can be found surfing, climbing, and hiking around Vancouver Island. I was born and raised on the west coast and have spent summers throughout my degree working in federal and provincial parks from Ucluelet all the way to Northeast BC. These experiences inspired my fascination with human-wildlife relationship dynamics. I hope to continue researching how humans and wildlife share landscapes and contribute to human-wildlife conflict solutions.
Isabella Haley
Anthropology
Biography
Isabella is a multidisciplinary artist born in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, AB). Based in Victoria, BC she is a student of anthropology at the University of Victoria. She is interested in using film, sound, collage, and writing as emergent strategies in engaged and multimodal anthropology.
Oriana Smy
Anthropology
Biography
James Ziolkoski
Anthropology
Biography
James Ziolkoski is a fourth-year History and Anthropology major. His research interests span from the Palaeolithic to the early modern period, and he is passionate about the ways in which history and archaeology can inform each other. He has completed an internship with the Maritime Museum of BC, and will be participating in this summer’s UVic-Tsawout Archaeological Field School. Outside of school, James loves to read and make fiber art.
Sean Smith
Economics
Biography
I am a 4th year BA student of Economics at the University of Victoria. My interests in economics have varied frequently over time because I have found a deep-seated joy in being able to analyze all sorts of different issues through the lens of Economics. Over the past year, however, I have begun to focus more and more on housing and the impacts housing as a market has on the overall economy. Once I have graduated, I will be attending McMaster University for their Masters of Economic Policy program.
Christine Constable
Geography
Biography
Christine is in her final year of her BSc in Geography and Environmental Studies. Working three field seasons in the Fire and Vegetation department of Banff National Park’s resource conservation unit and one season of firefighting with the BC Wildfire Service, Christine developed an interest in disturbance regimes and dynamics through a landscape ecology lens.
Samara Ironside
Geography
Biography
I am a young female researcher of mixed European ancestry, living and working in unceded Nuxalk territory. My academic interests are rooted in the relationships between peoples and places, and how these relationships work for the betterment or otherwise of all involved. On the ‘people’ side of things, I am particularly passionate about exploring the diversity of spiritual and cultural manifestations of connection to place. On the ‘places’ side of things, I am particularly interested in marine environments. These interests have sprouted from my own connections to marine environments and the fulfillment I have experienced through cultivating relationships with the underwater world.
Victoria Lawrence-Jeffery
Geography
Biography
Victoria Lawrence-Jeffery is an undergraduate student studying Geography and Environmental studies with an interest in human and environmental geography. Her passion for researching the Zincton Resort as a case study stems from growing up in the nearby town of Nelson BC and her life-long love for skiing and spending time in the mountains.
Madison Power-Stephens
Geography
Biography
Madison is a fourth-year Geography and Environmental Studies student, undertaking an honours thesis. Madison is interested in the intersection between climate, geomorphology, and people, and hopes to support resilient communities through climate-vulnerability research and education. In an effort to bridge the gap between academia and community, Madison intends to send all results of this research to the Masset and Old Massett communities to support knowledge sharing and adaptive capacity.
Adam Regier
Geography
Biography
I am in my final year studying at the University of Victoria. I am pursuing a Bachelor of arts in geography and a minor in political science. I completed my research on regional renewable energy procurement mechanisms as a part of an honours program with the geography department, supervised by Dr. Christina Hoicka. Since September 2022, I have worked as a research assistant in the Social Exergy Lab at the University of Victoria, also overseen by Dr.Hoicka.
Linnea Burke
Political Science
Biography
Linnea is a fourth year student, majoring in Political Science and Environmental Studies, minoring in Global Development Studies. She is interested in the environmental aspect of development and is passionate about building creative sustainable solutions to the problems that this field is faced. Linnea grew up in Squamish, BC, and in her spare time enjoys hiking, cooking, and spending time with her friends and dog!
Guy Rosenfeld
Political Science
Biography
Guy Rosenfeld is a political science undergraduate who is particularly interested in understanding emotion in policy and government. In his spare time, he enjoys playing guitar, mountain biking, and writing for the Martlet.
Han Shier
Political Science
Biography
I am a Geography student in my last year here at UVic. This project was an exploration of personal interest, as fashion is an important form of self expression for me. My research interests include the body as space, and the interactions of identity and space. Outside of school I enjoy running, hiking, thrifting and going out dancing.
Justin Bonnieux
Psychology
Biography
Justin Bonnieux is a fourth-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Science Honours Psychology degree. He is driven by a passion to better understand humanity and contribute to its healthy functioning. Throughout his undergraduate career, he has dedicated himself to advancing psychological research and contributing to community initiatives. Soon, he intends to continue these efforts as a clinical psychology graduate student.
Katelyn Forner
Psychology
Biography
Katelyn is currently completing her honours thesis and her final year of her BSc in Psychology. Although she has been involved in multiple labs, Katelyn has spent the past three years investigating the integration of face and body information in whole-person identification. Outside of academics, Katelyn has a passion for sports, dedicating much of her time to following professional teams as well as working on her own personal fitness journey. Motivated by these passions and her extensive research experience, Katelyn will look to pursue graduate school within the field of Exercise Psychology.
Rachel Grohovac
Psychology
Biography
Rachel is in her fourth year of undergraduate studies at the University of Victoria. She has been working in the Ames’ Lab assisting with projects on youth mental health since 2021 as a research volunteer and is completing the present project as an honour’s thesis. She will be graduating this Spring with a BSc in psychology. In the fall, she will begin studying dentistry (DMD program) at The University of British Columbia.
Rachel Mallinson
Psychology
Biography
Rachel is in her fourth and final year of her B.S.c in Psychology, with a minor in Applied Ethics at UVic. She’s currently completing a capstone honours thesis under the supervision of Dr. Erica Woodin, volunteering as a research assistant in the Healthy Relationships Lab, and helping out at WellIntel Talks, a Vancouver-based wellness education company. After graduating, Rachel hopes to attend graduate school for clinical psychology and expand on her research interests, including the interpersonal impacts of mental health disorders and gender nuances in psychopathology.
Brittany Skov
Psychology
Biography
I am a fourth-year psychology (honors) student minoring in Indigenous studies. I am Mississauga-Anishinaabe (Mississauga’s of the Credit First Nation), Danish, German, Irish (father), and Dutch (mother). My research interests focus on working with communities to develop, implement, and evaluate culturally-grounded programs and interventions to prevent the incidence and/or progression of chronic illnesses within Indigenous populations. Over the past year, I worked with Dr. Grouzet and Communities, Alliances, and Networks to investigate how helping others facilitates well-being for Indigenous peoples living with HIV/AIDS. Upon graduation, I will be continuing on to graduate studies in clinical psychology.
Adele Mark
Sociology
Biography
Adele is a fifth-year honours sociology student with a minor in global development studies and a certificate in French language and culture. Adele chose to study sociology, and to research sex education, because it unviels the different layers and meanings that structure social life. Adele is the President of The Bureau of Sociology Students (BOSS) and feels passionately about making community among Sociology students. To round her life, she enjoys swimming in any body of water, crafting, lighting the Shabbos candles, and spending quality time with those that bring her joy!
Dominica Prasad
Sociology
Biography
Dominica is completing her fourth year as a Sociology honours and Environmental Studies student. Dominica has worked for the Canadian Human Rights Commission, which sparked her interest in the relationship between surveillance and human rights. Dominica is passionate about learning her family’s complex history, as well as producing research within decolonial and anti-racist frameworks. This project has allowed her to pursue these passions in depth. Outside of her academic life, Dominica enjoys spending time in forests looking for fungi and plants.
Talia Shortt
Sociology
Biography
Hi there, my name is Talia Shortt and I am a Sociology and Environmental Studies student! I have always been immensely curious about disasters and decided to dedicate my Sociology honours thesis to studying one such accident in great detail. While the Sociology of disaster is only an emerging field, I hope to pursue a master’s in this area once my undergraduate degree is completed.
Hannah Thon
Sociology
Biography