Winners announced for 2023 UPEI SPUR poster competition
Students participating in the 2023 UPEI Student Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) presented their posters on August 23 in the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering Building.
Winning first place was Abby Chapman, a second-year student in the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering, for her project titled “Investigation of Construction and Demolition Waste Management and Generation on PEI with the Application of Circular Solutions.” Her supervisor was Dr. Stephanie Shaw, assistant professor, Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering.
Taking second place was Haia Alzoubi, a fourth-year chemistry student, for her project, “FTIR Spectroscopy Analysis for Assessing Soil Fertility in Potato Cropping Systems.” Her supervisor was Dr. Aitazaz Farooque, interim dean, UPEI School of Climate Change and Adaptation.
Placing third was Yuvraj Gill, a second-year student in the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering, for his project, “Natures Palette: AI Transforms RGB Drone Imagery into Advanced Vegetation Maps.” His supervisor was Dr. Farooque.
Dr. Marva Sweeney-Nixon, associate vice-president of research and dean of graduate studies, commended all of the undergraduate students who participated in the SPUR program.
“The quality of the research posters and presentations to both rounds of judging were very high calibre, leaving us with a very difficult task to select the winners,” she said. “UPEI is very proud of all of you, and the work and time you have invested into your research this summer and the competition today.”
During the 11-week program, students participated in research skill-based workshops and attended presentations from UPEI researchers and others about their careers and research. They gained insights about research within UPEI, including learning about practical tools for designing, managing, conducting, and communicating results of research projects. Their research covered a range of topics, including actuarial science and statistics, anthropology, biology, chemistry, computer science, environmental studies, physics, psychology, religious studies, and sustainable design engineering.
