Western undergrads named global award-winners

Bridget Murphy's paper about climate change and conifers has won her a Global Award from The Undergraduate Awards. Murphy, BSc'17, is now working towards her Masters.

Thirty-eight Western University undergraduates— whose research ranges from mental health care to the effects of climate change — have received international recognition for excellence in scholarship.

The Undergraduate Awards is a global academic competition that spans across disciplines and celebrates the work of the world’s brightest undergraduate students. From Western, 38 students and 43 papers were recognized as among the top 10 per cent in their fields — an achievement that puts Western at the head of participating institutions in the US and Canada.

Research papers by two Western students were named among the 25 best and received Global Awards:

Amy Lewis, BScN’17, won for her submission about suicide prevention among Inuit youth; Bridget Murphy, BSc’17, working from the Biotron Experimental Climate Change Research Centre, received a top award for testing the effects of higher temperatures and higher carbon dioxide concentration on black spruce and tamarack trees.

Both Lewis and Murphy are now graduate students at Western. Said Lewis of her research about mental health supports among Inuit youth, “This is a significant issue for Canada, but inequity and discrimination in health care continues to be a problem experienced by Indigenous cultures around the world.”

For the third year in a row, Western had the second-highest number of highly commended entrants to The Undergraduate Awards, which had more than 6,000 submissions from almost 300 academic institutions in 47 countries. Fields of study included law, politics, life sciences, literature, psychology anthropology and music.

Janice Deakin, Provost and Vice-President (Academic), said the university and its researchers continue to strengthen their position as global leaders and change-makers. “We are so proud that Western scholars continue to demonstrate their exceptional talent and leadership among the world’s most creative thinkers.”

A full list of undergraduates whose papers received high commendation: Duha Abid, Al Hadi, Giancarlo Acquaviva, Sam Boer, Michelle Bunton, Andrea Burke, Emily Csiszar, Stephanie Cullen, Mark Farfan, De Los Godos, Riley Fisher, Allyson Fox, Aleksander Franiczek, Rachel Goldstein, Elspeth Graham, Jacqueline Grassi, RuiLin Guo, Andrea Holstein, Levi Hord*, Flora Jung, Corey Kamen, Hosung Kang, Kristiana Karathanassis*, Kona Keast-O’Donovan, Alessia Mastrorillo, Melanie Matthews, Janet McParland, Rebecca Meharchand*, Emaad Mohammad, Lauren Paparousis, Nikki Pasqualini, Michaela Petz, Tanya Sahni, Jasmeen Siddiqui, Holly Trower*, Luissa Vahedi, Cynthia Wang, Hunster Yang*   (* produced more than one highly commended paper)

MEDIA CONTACT: Debora Van Brenk, Media Relations Officer, Western University, 519-661-2111 x85165, or on mobile at 519-318-0657 and deb.vanbrenk@uwo.ca

ABOUT WESTERN: Western University delivers an academic experience second to none. Since 1878, The Western Experience has combined academic excellence with life-long opportunities for intellectual, social and cultural growth in order to better serve our communities. Our research excellence expands knowledge and drives discovery with real-world application. Western attracts individuals who have a broad worldview and who seek to study, influence and lead in the international community.

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Bridget Murphy's paper about climate change and conifers has won her a Global Award from The Undergraduate Awards. Murphy, BSc'17, is now working towards her Masters.
Amy Lewis, winner of a Global Award from The International Awards, for excellence in undergraduate scholarship