Undergraduate Student Research Awards
Summer research awards provide paid employment opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in scientific research at the Faculty of Agriculture during the summer. If you would like to gain research experience in an academic setting, these awards can provide you with financial support. Eligibility requirements for students and supervisors are listed under each award.
Procedures
- Review carefully the eligibility criteria below for different awards.
- Find a potential faculty supervisor. Contact and meet with the professor to discuss a potential research project and details related to an employed summer research position. Some potential projects (this is not an exhaustive list) are listed below.
- Complete, with your prospective supervisor, the Summer Research Awards Application. Only one application is needed. You will automatically be considered for multiple awards.
- Submit the form and other documents to Sara Murphy (sara.murphy@dal.ca). Applications must be submitted as a single PDF file.
If you have questions, contact Sara Murphy (sara.murphy@dal.ca)
Deadline
17 February 2023
Selection
Award winners are selected mainly based on the student's academic record and research potential. Members of the Faculty of Agriculture Research Subcommittee complete the selection process in early March. Applicants and prospective supervisors are informed of the results by e-mail.
Awards approved for Dalhousie may not be transferred to another institution.
2023 Undergraduate Summer Research Awards - Application Form - [PDF - 200Kb]
NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA)
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) sponsors a program of Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) for outstanding undergraduate students who are interested in research. USRAs are meant to nurture and encourage undergraduate students towards graduate studies and a research career in the natural sciences and engineering. These awards provide financial support through your host university and allow you to gain research work experience that complements your studies in an academic setting. NSERC encourages qualified Aboriginal students to apply for this award.
NSERC no longer requires professors to hold an active grant when applying to supervise a USRA student. NSERC considers anyone who is authorized by their university to independently supervise students to be an eligible supervisor. The suitability of the supervision will be evaluated by the university as part of their award selection process.
Number of Awards: |
TBD |
Value, duration, matching requirements |
$6,000 from NSERC for 14-16-weeks, full-time basis. Professors are required to supplement the award, in compliance with provincial employment standards. This translates into a ‘top-up’ of $3100 over 16 weeks. |
Eligibility Requirements: |
§ Canadian citizen or permanent resident. § Registered in a bachelor’s degree program at the time of application § Must have completed all the course requirements of at least the first year of university study (or two academic terms) of your bachelor’s degree. Students graduating in May are eligible to hold an award. § Have obtained, over the previous years of study, a cumulative average of at least second class (a grade of "B" or "B-," if applicable) as defined by your university. § You may hold a maximum of three university USRAs throughout your undergraduate university career. Additional details on USRA eligibility and application process are on the NSERC website |
Sobey Agricultural Undergraduate Research Award
Sobey Agricultural Undergraduate Research Awards (SAURA) support outstanding students enrolled in a degree or diploma undergraduate program at the Faculty of Agriculture, with preference given students enrolled in the Honours stream of an undergraduate degree program. These awards provide financial support for undergraduate students to gain research work experience that complements their program. We encourage qualified Aboriginal students to apply for this award.
Number of Awards: |
TBD |
Value, duration, matching requirements |
$6,000 from SAURA for 14-16-weeks, full-time basis. Professors are required to supplement the award, in compliance with provincial employment standards. This translates into a ‘top-up’ of $3100 over 16 weeks. |
Eligibility Requirements: |
§ Enrolled in a degree or diploma undergraduate program at the Faculty of Agriculture. Preference to students enrolled in the Honours stream. § A cumulative GPA of at least 3.7 (A-). § Students in a degree program will have completed at least 30 credit hours of course work. Students in a diploma program will have completed at least 20 credit hours of course work and be enrolled in a Bachelor program for the semester following receipt of the SAURA. |
Merle Taylor Memorial Undergraduate Research Award
The Merle Taylor Memorial Undergraduate Research Award (MTMURA) supports an annual student summer research assistantship within the Faculty of Agriculture in memory of Merle Taylor. Research projects, under supervision of a faculty member, may involve field work, laboratory studies, or theoretical and computational investigations. This award provides financial support for undergraduate students to gain research work experience that complements their program. We encourage qualified Aboriginal students to apply for this award.
Number of Awards: |
One (1) per year |
Value, duration, matching requirements |
$6,000 from MTMURA for 14-16-weeks, full-time basis. Professors are required to supplement the award, in compliance with provincial employment standards. This translates into a ‘top-up’ of $3100 over 16 weeks. |
Eligibility Requirements: |
§ Enrolled in an undergraduate degree or engineering program at the Faculty of Agriculture. Preference given to a student pursuing a research project in horticulture, silviculture, or dairy science. § A cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (B). § Students in a degree program will have completed at least 30 credit hours of course work. Students in a diploma program will have completed at least 20 credit hours of course work. |
Descriptions of Available Projects for 2023
Dr. Andrew Hammermeister Plant, Food, Environmental Sciences Intercropping in spring planted Thinopyrum intermedium (Kernza®), a new perennial grain crop Thinopyrum intermedium (intermediate wheat grass, Kernza®)is a new, perennial wheat that has been introduced but is not yet in commercial production. Kernza has the advantage of only needing to be seeded once in 3 to 4 years, and thus has lower soil disturbance but optimizing its productivity and use of land base needs further study. This project will investigate how intercropping with annual cash crops affects the productivity of Kernza in its establishment year. It will involve crop seeding, harvesting, biomass collection and in-crop observations. This research will complement an on-going PhD project where the student may also provide support. |
Dr. Chijioke Emenike Department of Plant. Food, and Environmental Sciences Effects of wood preservative (pentachlorophenol) on cover crops Lumber and some other commercial wood products are commonly treated with chemicals such as pentachlorophenol for preservation. However, due to the leaching of the chemicals into the soil, plants could react differently to accommodate changes in soil composition. This project will involve the exposure of selected grass to different concentrations of pentachlorophenol under a greenhouse experiment. Various parameters to monitor include chemical adsorption, physiological changes, photosynthetic responses, and soil nutrient changes. Evaluating the effect of 4,5-dichloro-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one on soil microbes Microbes help to maintain biogeochemical balance in the soil ecosystem. Understanding how microorganisms respond to the isothiazolinone group used as wood preservatives is important to the wood industry and agricultural sector. This project will involve spiking soil with concentrations of 4,5-dichloro-2-n-octyl-4-isothaizolin-3-one and measuring changes to microbial population and diversity in the soil matrix. Extraction and characterization of microplastics contained in agricultural compost Microplastics are ubiquitous as plastics break into smaller fragments and can be found in different agricultural input materials such as biosolids, fertilizers, and compost. This project will involve detecting microplastics in compost using some extraction techniques and identifying the types of microplastics. Assessing the effect of beneficial microbes on the degradation of plastic components of used face mask The use of face masks since the COVID pandemic has generated an alarming level of plastic waste, and there is a need to develop a management option that will mitigate environmental pollution from (micro)plastics. This project will involve the isolation of “plastic-eating” microbes from used face mask piles. The student will learn how to monitor the degradation of plastic components using basic parameters in the aqueous phase. |
Dr. Vasantha Rupasinghe Plant, Food, Environmental Sciences Effect of carotenoids in blocking the UV-induced oxidative damage Working closely with a graduate student, the UG student investigates the antioxidant properties of carotenoids extracted from upcycled vegetables using cultured skin cells. Biosafety training is required. |
Dr. Vasantha Rupasinghe Plant, Food, Environmental Sciences Investigation of bioactive phytochemicals of elderberry This project involves extraction and characterization (poly)phenols present in elderberry using ‘green’ extraction technologies and assessment of their selected biological properties using in vitro assays. |
Dr. Paul Manning Plant, Food and Environmental Sciences Coprophagous insect ecology and behavior Numerous insects feed on the excrement of mammals. Interactions between excrement-feeding insect species and their surroundings help support numerous benefits in managed and natural landscapes. The student would develop an independent research question focused on a combination of: nutrient cycling, community ecology, and insect behaviour, while also gaining experience with other research projects happening in the laboratory. |
Dr. Younes Miar Animal Science and Aquaculture Modelling residual feed intake in mink using random regression Residual feed intake (RFI) is considered an accurate indicator of feed efficiency, which is greatly related to the growth performance of mink. Daily feeding records have been recorded for six different time periods in mink. Previously, RFI was calculated from data obtained at the beginning and the end of the test which cannot reflect genetic changes in different growth periods during the test. A random regression model provides a method to model such type of longitudinal data; therefore, using random regression model for modeling RFI in mink might give a more accurate measure of feed efficiency. The student will gain skills in: handling feeding data, R programming, statistical analyses of longitudinal data, ASReml, and other packages related to animal breeding. |
Dr. Younes Miar Animal Science and Aquaculture Genome-Wide Epistatic SNP Networks for body weight and length in mink Epistasis is defined as an interaction between genes or genetic variants (such as Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms or SNPs) that influences a phenotype or a disease outcome. Mapping provides a powerful tool for systematically understanding the gene networks controlling complex traits. In the context of animal breeding, the information obtained by epistatic SNPs mapping could help to establish a framework to explicitly include epistatic variance in future methods of genomic prediction. Therefore, defining genome-wide epistatic SNP networks will be helpful to increase the accuracy of prediction for body weight and length, consequently increasing the benefit for mink farmers since they can produce the mink with higher body weight and length for better pelt price. The student will gain skills in: handling genomic data, R programming, genome-wide mapping, and gene-network analyses. |
Dr. David Barrett Animal Science and Aquaculture Development of a point-of-care rapid test to determine vaccination status against Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) in Canadian beef cattle Cattle are susceptible to various production diseases- BVDV is prevalent in beef populations. Antibody testing is a valuable tool for establishing immunity status. However, laboratory-based assay testing is not often an option for producers. A point-of-care antibody test, however, would be a convenient/inexpensive tool. Additionally, these tests would allow producers to tailor more precise vaccination protocols. The student will gain skills in: animal handling; collection, processing, and storage of blood samples; develop and conduct assays. |
Dr. Deborah Adewole Animal Science and Aquaculture Prediction of the chicken gut microbiome This project will involve the processing of existing data on chicken physiological parameters. Students will use excel spreadsheets, statistical software, and, ultimately, machine learning techniques to predict the gut microbiome. The student will work with a post-doctoral fellow. |
Dr. Deborah Adewole Animal Science and Aquaculture Analysis of gene expressions in chicken tissues This project will involve RNA extraction using our in-house protocol and gene expression analysis of chicken tissues using RT-qPCR. All samples have been previously collected. The student will work with a Ph.D. student and a Post-doctoral fellow. |
Dr. Deborah Adewole Animal Science and Aquaculture Evaluation of chicken gastrointestinal tract morphology This project involves the microscopic evaluation of the GIT morphology of chickens in response to environmental challenges and treatment with phytogenic substances and multivitamins. The student will work with a Ph.D. student. |
Dr. Rebecca Meagher Animal Science & Aquaculture Mink pen design Investigating effects of environmental features on mink behaviour and welfare |
Dr. Travis Esau Department of Engineering Evaluation of machine vision technologies using deep learning convolutional neural networks The intern will help to evaluate newly developed machine vision systems (hardware and software) for spot application and to reduce the amount of human labor and resources required for select agricultural field operations. The selected candidate will immediately help contribute to addressing the needs concerning image training for the selected sensing technology. In addition, they will be helping with the evaluation of the control system linking the new machine vision system to existing agricultural equipment to allow for real-time sensing and application. The successful student will gain skills in: Computer programming, arduino coding, machine learning, deep learning, electronics, instrumentation in agricultural production systems, UAV’s, RTK-GPS, and various machine systems. |