Undergraduate Student Research and Awards

The University of Alberta Faculty of Nursing seeks to create and sustain a culture of undergraduate research through various student opportunities.


The Undergraduate Student Summer Series: Launchpad to Research, an hour seminar series held weekly over five weeks. The Faculty of Nursing opens this event to all undergraduate students across health-related disciplines who are either already engaged in or wishing to learn more about engaging in research at the undergraduate level. The event raises students' awareness of and interest in research through a rich breadth of speakers, including CRCs and tenure-track researchers who engage in a broad range of research and methods. Students are supported in developing the tools for research by ensuring ongoing opportunities for open discussion and increased awareness of essential research components and opportunities. Student engagement in research is fostered through networking, learning necessary research skills, and participation in the Faculty of Nursing Research Rounds, where they will present on their experience in the Fall.

Topics for discussion in the 2023 Undergraduate Student Summer Series may include, but are not limited to:

  • Choosing a research topic
  • Finding a supervisor
  • Researching at the undergraduate level
  • Preparing for graduate studies/research at a graduate level
  • Research ethics
  • Key research skills for a successful career

2023 LaunchPad Summer Series Schedule


The Undergraduate Summer Student Research Awards offer undergraduate nursing students the opportunity to experience the research environment first-hand. Students will be involved in an ongoing research project under the supervision of a tenure-track faculty member.  

Congratulation to this year's recipients:

Alaa Fouli, BScN (Honors), supervised by Dr. Jordana Salma
Project: Edmonton Neighbourhoods and Islamophobia: Are Our Neighbourhoods Safe for Older Muslim Women?

Aryana Donovan, BScN (Honors), supervised by Dr. Salima Meherali
Project: Positive Youth Development Interventions: A Systematic Review

Brooke Przybylski, BScN (Honors), supervised by Dr. Carmel Montgomery
Project: Impact of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation on Health-Related Quality of Life Outcomes Among Survivors

Deborah Aikins, BScN, After Degree, supervised by Dr. Colleen Norris
Project: Evaluating the Association between Sex and Gender Factors and Vascular Stiffness in Women Following a Heart Health Event

Dawn Hau, BScN (Honors), supervised by Dr. Kara Schick-Makaroff
Project: Developing an Inventory of Mental Health Supports Available to Canadians Receiving Hemodialysis: An Environmental Scan

Jaxon Lutzer, BScN (Honors) supervised by Dr. Gillian Lemermeyer
Project: A Scoping Review: The Ethics and Utility of Participatory Action Research Approaches to Understanding the Lived Experience of Transgender People in Healthcare

Jenna Semmens (Dewling), BScN (Honors), supervised by Dr. Colleen Norris
Project: Using a Sex and Gender Lens to Identify the Female Pattern of Heart Disease

Priya Vyas, BScN (Honors) - After Degree, supervised by Dr. Carole Estabrooks
Project: How Missed Care Occurs in Long Term Care Homes: a Qualitative Study of Care Aides' Perspectives

Maaya Narayanan, BScN, supervised by Dr. Carmel Montgomery
Project: Impact of the Nurse Practitioner Role in the Emergency Department

Michel Tao, BScN (Honors), supervised by Dr. Carmel Montgomery
Project: Impact of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation on Functional Outcomes Among Survivors

Roberta Le, BScN (Honors), After Degree, supervised by Dr. Hannah O'Rourke
Project: Challenges and Strategies for Facilitating Video Calls Between People Living with Moderate and Severe Dementia in a Care Home and their Family and Friends

Sarah Emo, BScN (Honors) - After Degree, supervised by Dr. Jordana Salma
Project: Information and Communication Technology and Older Immigrant Adults

Youssef Rafaello Rivera, BScN (Honors) - After Degree, supervised by
Dr. Colleen Norris
Project: Using a Sex and Gender Lens to Identify the Female Pattern of Heart Disease

Undergraduate Student Research News