Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Jerry Tomberlin and Associate Vice-President (Teaching and Learning) David Hornsby, along with the Faculty Deans, presented 10 undergraduate Carleton students with Provost Scholar Awards on Wednesday, May 3.
Funded by the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) and administered by Teaching and Learning Services, the Provost Scholar Award is valued at $1,000 and is given to undergraduate students who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in research, community engagement, immersive learning and/or international activities.
The Peter J. Ricketts Outstanding Provost Scholar Award was established in 2019 and is given to an outstanding recipient of the Provost Scholar Award. The award is named for Peter J. Ricketts, who served as the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) at Carleton for eight years. This year’s award, worth an additional $1,700, was presented to Maryna Nekrasova.
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2023 Provost Scholar Awards:
Maryna Nekrasova is a third-year humanities and philosophy student who exemplifies student engagement in her contributions to the community, immersive learning, and undergraduate research. In 2021, she participated in the Students as Partners Program where she researched experiential learning methods and, working with Prof. Kimberley Stratton (Humanities), applied them in a complete redesign of the Issues in Religious Studies course. Last year, Maryna won a Carleton University Research Opportunity (CUROP) grant. Supervised by Dr. Andrew Brook (Philosophy) and Dr. Josh Redstone (Philosophy), she worked on the motivation to create artificial super intelligent beings and how it is similar to the motivation behind the religious drive to have supremely intelligent beings in our world. Her current research, through I-CUREUS, again supervised by Dr. Andrew Brook and Dr. Josh Redstone, is an experimental study of similarities and differences in subjects’ biological markers of emotional response when viewing images of supreme religious beings and super intelligent AI systems. Maryna is founder and Editor-in-Chief of Ipso Facto: The Carleton Journal of Interdisciplinary Humanities, is assisting Prof. James Wright (Music) in creating a graduate journal in Music and is Chair and Organizer of the Humanities Annual Colloquium for 2023.
Shine Soki is a Health psychology student described as a rising star in the field of mental health. With an unyielding passion for social justice issues and an active curiosity for science and research, Shine seeks to one day make great strides in the field of clinical psychology. During her time in the Rogers Child Mental Health labs, Shine has assisted projects examining the relational well-being of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and has been a co-author on a knowledge mobilization paper on social issues facing girls with ADHD. Shine also works as an undergraduate research assistant in Carleton's Psychophysiological Synchrony Lab, working on several research projects. During the early COVID-19 pandemic, she collaborated on a discussion panel with medical doctors and researchers at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario to discuss the health implications of COVID-19 measures on children, which helped lay the groundwork to ensure Ottawa students' safe transition back to school. Shine continues making her mark in reseach, and her tireless work has not gone unnoticed, as she recently won the prestigious SSHRC Undergraduate Student Research Award at Carleton University and the Summer Research Opportunities Program award at the University of Toronto.
Anastasiia Kot came to Canada at the age of 16 to pursue her dream of becoming an aerospace engineer. She is described as the epitome of a student launching herself into an international learning experience in every way and is making a difference in the world around her. Anastasiia volunteered to assist Prof. Ian Beausoleil-Morrison’s (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) group research work drafting a complete operation manual for the research facility. She also supported the installation and modification of lab systems and helped analyze data to improve passive solar models in building modelling software. A testament to her academic excellence and organizational skills, since winter 2022, Anastasiia has been an undergraduate TA for six courses while being very involved in the community. She is a member of the Carleton University Rocket Engineering Design Team, the Carleton Mechanical and Aerospace Society, and is currently the President of the Carleton’s Ukrainian Students’ Club.
Anuj Mathur is described as an exceptional electrical engineering student who has built a strong foundation for a bright and noteworthy future. Anuj has a solid understanding of fundamentals and an ability to delve deep into research problems. He has sharpened his skills through several internships with leading industries. Anuj has served as the Vice Chair of the CU Chapter of IEEE and has volunteered with CUSA and various engineering societies. He is an avid and adept follower and practitioner of machine learning and has pursued it in his undergraduate and through his Capstone project. He also plans to continue his studies through a Master’s program. Anuj’s achievements and volunteering efforts have been recognized by several high-impact medals and scholarships, including the Dr. Raymond D. Findlay Scholarship by IEEE Canadian Foundation, and the Ontario Public Works Association Ottawa Branch Scholarship provided by the Dean of Engineering.
Lu Chen is a social work student who is described as a stellar student. Using her contacts within the Chinese community, Lu acted on her knowledge about Canada’s Old Age Security program and its under-utilization by immigrant seniors to do community outreach and information sharing among Mandarin-speaking older adults in Ottawa. She also conducted research on long-term home care inspection reports with community volunteers from the Ottawa Health Coalition bringing public attention to problems in the sector. As a summer research assistant with Prof. Susan Braedley (Social Work), Lu worked on a long-term care-and aging-related research project. She completed an analytic literature review for a CIHR grant application, working with staff from both the Bruyère Research Institute’s Centre for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care and Family Councils of Ontario. During this time, she also began volunteering with the Social Planning Council of Ottawa supporting their research in identifying the housing needs of ethnocultural seniors. This academic year, Lu is working as a research assistant with Prof. Dr. Dennis Kao (Social Work) on a course transformation project to revamp the Carleton’s undergraduate-level “Introduction to Statistics” course – helping to transform the course from its current traditional statistics framework to focus more on data literacy and storytelling.
Lilly Neang is a global and international studies student whose research always has a personal component. As a daughter of Cambodian refugees, Lilly aims to highlight migrant and refugee voices in her work. Lilly is currently working as a Knowledge Mobilization Officer with the Local Engagement Refugee Research Network where she has assisted with a quick impact research project that was presented to IRCC and used to help write an article featured in Refugee Survey Quarterly. As President of the World University Service of Canada Carleton Chapter she leads efforts to resettle refugees in Canada and welcome them to Carleton. She is also involved the Canadian Federation of University Women, where she works with the GEN-NEXT program connecting female post-secondary students with older alumni who act as mentors throughout their studies. Lilly is driven by a deep passion for learning and for making the world a more inclusive place for everyone.
Sebastian Navas Chaparro is a computer science student with a passion for improving equity, diversity and inclusion in the field. Sebastian participated in the I-CUREUS program where he proposed a study exploring the use of advertising networks by mobile app developers and an NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award to create novel security mechanisms accessible to a more diverse user population. Since 2019, Sebastian has volunteered as a peer mentor for the Science Student Success Centre where he offers mentoring to other undergraduates often supporting new students' transition to Carleton and to life in Canada. Sebastian is passionate about the inclusion of women, international and immigrant students within computer science. He is currently working on an EDI research project where he is collaborating on preparing a manuscript for publication.
Dmitry Ivanov is a chemistry student who has excelled in undergraduate research and immersive learning. Dmitry’s research has focused on designing a laser induced fluorescence detector for capillary electrophoresis to detect transition metal oxide nanoparticles in water samples. This instrumental method of analysis is applicable to environmental science, chemical toxicology, sustainable agriculture, public health and industrial quality control. His courses have exposed him to real-world laboratory settings and through his studies he has developed skills in electronics, mechanics and optics. He has also learned how to run software and procedures to use lab systems while acquiring important leadership skills.
Sakina Janmohamed is a commerce student with a double concentrating in Accounting and Management. She has held a variety of roles during her time at Carleton and Sprott including EDI Director at the Sprott Students’ Business Society, Course Leader, Teaching Assistant, and delegate for Sprott ACE. As a Teaching Assistant and Course Leader, Sakina has taught over 900 students in a variety of courses. Working alongside Course Leaders and Professor Troy Anderson (Sprott School of Business) she assisted with the assessment of the of ARHT’s live hologram technology to aid in remote post-secondary instruction and engagement. In addition, Sakina is Chair of the Peer Conduct Board within Residence and has aided in a variety of Sprott and Carleton recruitment events. Throughout her various roles Sakina has always made a positive impact within the Carleton Community helping students learn and grow through meaningful events including Sprott Switch.
Elisa Zheng is an international business student who exemplifies the Provost Scholar Award. As an RA and Coordinator of the IB Division of the Sprott Student Consulting Group (SSCG), Elisa is spearheading the development of best pedagogical practices for experiential learning opportunities in international business courses. Additionally, as SSCG’s former GM and Strategic Committee Team Lead, she led the organization in significant initiatives such as formulating a long-term strategic plan. Factoring in her experience as a TA and Student Partner, she has engaged students in learning and contributed to course designs at Sprott at all levels of education, from first-year undergraduate to master’s students.Through I-CUREUS and other projects, Elisa conducted research on guanxi and computer-mediated communications and the pedagogical benefits of discussion forums in international business higher-education. She has presented her research at various national and international conferences, such as the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, the Academy of International Business, and the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada.For the past 3 years, she has also created various social, professional, and academic opportunities for other students in the Sprott International Business Association, leading the Association in various capacities such as being the former VP Events and current President.