From overheated housing markets, to invasive goldfish — 26 TRU students will spend the summer making discoveries on a host of subjects — all part of the university’s unique Undergraduate Research Experience Award Program (UREAP).

The program, which provides students with a $4,500 scholarship (along with up to an additional $1,000 operating grant) has been available since 2003, and is supported by the Comprehensive University Endowment Fund. This latest competition directs nearly $140,000 to support Undergraduate Research.

The UREAP is unique in that it moves students beyond the role of Undergraduate Research Assistant, and gives them the opportunity to be principle investigators of their own unique projects.

“The program empowers students to be knowledge creators. By doing independent research the UREAP is the best example of what undergraduate research can be,” said Troy Fuller, Director of Research and Graduate Studies.

Programs that support self-directed research projects for undergraduate students are uncommon, and this program sets TRU apart nationally, he said, adding that at the completion of their projects, many students will become Undergraduate Research Ambassadors, providing mentorship to other students.

The UREAP has been a valuable opportunity for students, enhancing their resumes, and increasing their academic and professional success upon graduation.

To qualify for a UREAP scholarship, students must have completed at least 60 credits, and have a minimum GPA of 3.2. Each student is mentored throughout the project by a faculty supervisor.

1. Aneka Battel, “The birds, the bees, and the butterflies; predicting the effects of urbanization on native ecological communities.”
2. Anna Skurikhina, “Western rattlesnake use of rookery sites for reproduction in British Columbia.”
3. Brady Zappone, “Hydrocarbon biodegradation project.”
4. Brandon Turner, “Conducting hydrologic research with hobbyist electronics; gaining new insights into stemflow processes with low-cost custom sensor platforms.”
5. Breanne McAmmond, “Transcriptomic profiling of the bacterium Gordonia sp. NB4-1Y during growth on fluorinated organic compounds.”
6. Brennan Harder, “Drivers of the Metro Vancouver housing market.”
7. Chloe Johnson, “Secret-Telling and children: How they spill the beans.”
8. Colleen Black, “The impact of the terrestrial basking event of Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles on visitors at Ho’okipa, Maui: creating more responsible tourists?”
9. Colton Stephens, “Assessing the Interior BC grasslands using the BIODESERT survey.”
10. Drayden Kopp, “The antimutagenic effects of Arceuthobium americanum.”
11. Dustin Melan, “Windy Lake diet comparison of yellow perch and rainbow trout.”
12. Gabe Carpendale, “Human development in alternative leisure contexts.”
13. Gabrielle Kam, “Culture independent phylogenetic analysis of microbial communities of Rock n’2 Veg Cave and the Rodent Heaven Rodent Hell Cave soil samples.”
14. Julie McNutt, “Determination of the binding constants between Indolicidin and its derivatives and Phosphatidylcholine.”
15. Katrina Boisclair, “Answering the call: The impact of Indigenous knowledge in Canadian BScN students.”
16. Kwynn Bodman, “Statistical analysis of stomach contents from rainbow trout and invasive goldfish to determine interspecific competition in Dragon Lake, near Quesnel, BC.”
17. Lavinia Floarea, “International human rights law and norms that apply to Canada’s actions abroad.”
18. Lisa Bajkov, “Buffering effect of social interest on psychological well-being and stress in undergraduate students.”
19. Lukas Kozak, “The impact of home restrictions and government regulations on adolescent smoking behaviour in Canada.”
20. Marisa McGillivray, “The predictability relationship between the TSX composite index compared to the price of oil, the price of gold and other macroeconomic indicators.”
21. Pablo Ulloa, “Indoor air quality in a learning environment: A computer framework for data collection and analysis for measuring the indoor environmental quality in computer labs using a network of low-cost sensors.”
22. Paige Gallant, “Does bird feed design influence bacterial communities and pathogen prevalence?”
23. Pate Neumann, “Managing conflict among recreational trail users: A sustainability study of cross country skiers and fat bike riders.”
24. Richenda McFarlane, “Screening of cave microorganisms for enzyme activity.”
25. Russell Walton, “Using virtual reality to establish an investigator decision making paradigm.”
26. Tyson Bodor, “Analytical method development for the identification and quantification of Xanthate compounds in mining water by capillary electrophoresis.”