Isra Jaffar and Tyson Bodor were awarded Best Poster Presentation and Runner-Up, respectively, in the Analytical Chemistry division of the Western Canadian Undergraduate Chemistry Conference held at the University of Alberta earlier this month.

Dr. Kingsley Donkor, who sponsored four students to attend, was thrilled with their success.

“This conference is an excellent opportunity for our chemistry undergraduate students to develop future connections,” he said. “These students serve as TRU ambassadors as they showcase the excellent research that takes place at TRU.”

Having an opportunity to network with and receive feedback from leaders in her field was invaluable, said Jaffar, who graduates in June and completed a directed studies project with Donkor.

“It was such a great experience. I’ve never been to a conference outside of TRU, so it was awesome to present to a broader audience, and I received some great feedback,” she said of her project, “Separation of bisphenol analogues by capillary electrophoresis.”

Jaffar, who graduates next month, intends to pursue a graduate degree.

Bodor will spend his summer completing an Undergraduate Research Experience Award Program project that builds off his earlier research. His project, “Method development for determination of xanthate compounds in mining process waters by capillary electrophoresis,” has him working with New Gold’s New Afton Mine to separate and measure the purity of xanthates used during flotation — the process used to separate the mineral (gold) from the ore. Currently, chemical purity varies from supplier to supplier, which opens the operation up to inefficiencies.

“Presenting to peers, networking, and getting a tour of the chemistry buildings was really interesting,” he said. Bodor expects to attend medical school after he completes a final semester at TRU.

The pair travels to Toronto next month where they’ll be among very few undergraduates presenting at the 100th annual Canadian Society of Chemistry Conference.