Award Winners

Excellence in Administrative Support (Support Staff)
- Lori Somner, Graduate Program Advisor, Department of History
Excellence in Research (Graduate Students)
- Joel Burma, PhD student in the Department of Kinesiology
Excellence in Supervision
- Dr. Andrew Szeto, Department of Psychology and Director of the University of Calgary Campus Mental Health Strategy
Excellence in Research (Senior Research Affiliates)
- Shahina Wiehler, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
Excellence in Teaching (Graduate Students)
- Tanisha Henry, PhD student in Biological Sciences
Excellence in Teaching (Senior Instructors)
- Dr. Kim Koh, Professor at the Werklund School of Education
Leadership Award
- Keira Gunn and Ariel Kim
Emerging Leader Award
- Imran Basha Soudagar Abdul Khadar, Haskayne School of Business
GSA Champion Award
- Thao Nguyen, GSA Marketing & Communication Manager
Lifetime Achievement Award
- Alex Paquette, former GSA Vice President Academic
Graduate Representative Council Distinguished Service Award
- Brett Nelson, PhD student, Department of Linguistics
Volunteer Excellence Awards
- Pamela Farrell, Chair of the Food Housing Working Group
- Leah Mercier, Chair of the Awards Committee
- Nneka Jk-Onyeka, Vice-Chair the Governance Committee
- Colin McKenzie, Chair of the GSA Mental Health and Wellness Subcommittee
- Pavana Bollu, Chair of the Finance Standing Committee
Graduate Student Sustainability Award
- Micky (Sangwook) Ahn (Honourable Mentions: Kulsum Fatima, Milanpreet Kuar)
Graduate Representative Council Initiative Awards
- Meg Monisit and Daniel Adebesin
- Hanna Thai
- Navid Maddahi
- Miao Wang
Excellence in Administrative Support (Support Staff)
- Crystal Ellis, GSA Governance and Services Manager
Excellence in Administrative Support (Senior Administration)
- Joel May, Office of the Registrar
Excellence in Research (Graduate Students)
- Chantal Rytz, PhD Student, Department of Medical Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine
Excellence in Supervision
- Dr. Raafat El–Hacha, Department of Civil Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering
Excellence in Research (Senior Research Affiliates)
- Dr. Stefan Lenz, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science
Excellence in Teaching (Graduate Students)
- Christine Daly, PhD Student, School of Architecture, Landscape and Planning
Excellence in Teaching (Senior Instructors)
- Dr. Adam McCrimmon, Werklund School of Education
Leadership Award
- Sangwook Ahn, PhD Student, Veterinary Medical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Emerging Leader Award
- John Gabriel Cabayao, Master’s student, Department of Political Sciences, Faculty of Arts
GSA Champion Award
- Dr. Mary Grantham O’Brien, Associate Dean (Policy and Program Development), Faculty of Graduate Studies
Lifetime Achievement Award
- Suzie Lee, Master’s student, Department of Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine
Graduate Representative Council Distinguished Service Award
- Anastasiia Gushchina, PhD student, Department of Communication, Media, and Film, Faculty of Arts
Volunteer Excellence Awards
- Danica Chang, Chair of the GSA Gender and Sexuality Alliance Subcommittee or GSA^2
- Ainsley Smith, Chair of the GSA Mental Health and Wellness Subcommittee
- Ali Ebrahimi Emamieh, Vice Chair of the GSA Governance Committee
- Saaka Sulemana, Chair of the GSA Governance Committee
- Kristina Miller, Chief Returning Officer
Graduate Student Sustainability Award
- Pamela Farrell, Werklund School of Education
Graduate Representative Council Initiative Awards
- Knowledge Translation Club by Daniel Sadler, Zoya Punjwani, Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine
Excellence in Administrative Support (Support Staff)
- Monica Freeman, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Excellence in Administrative Support (Senior Administration)
- Dr. Mary Grantham O’Brien (Professor, Department of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Culture; Associate Dean, Policy of Faculty of Graduate Studies)
Excellence in Research (Graduate Students)
- Sina Rezvani, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
Excellence in Supervision
- Dr. Nancy Moules, Department of Nursing
Excellence in Research (Senior Research Affiliates)
- Dr. Elodie Labit, Department of Veterinary Medicine
Excellence in Teaching (Graduate Students)
- Dinu Attalage, Department of Civil Engineering
Excellence in Teaching (Senior Instructors)
- Dr. Jeff Pieper, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
Leadership Award
- Robyn Paul, Department of Engineering
- Honourable mentions: Julia Duan, Faculty of Kinesiology; Anthonia Anowai, Cumming School of Medicine
Emerging Leader Award
- Chelsea Klinke, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology
- Honourable mentions: Kayla Dias, Department of Biological Sciences; Keshia Holloman-Dawson, Faculty of Law
GSA Champion Award
- Dr. Leslie Reid, Vice Provost of Teaching and Learning
Lifetime Achievement Award
- Harrison Campbell, Werklund School of Education
Graduate Representative Council Distinguished Service Award
- Kayla Dias, Department of Biological Sciences
Volunteer Excellence Awards
- Andrew Kemle, Department of Political Science
- Anthonia Anowai, Cumming School of Medicine
- Breni Sharma, Cumming School of Medicine
- Robyn Paul, Schulich School of Engineering
- Feyisetan Adebayo, Schulich School of Engineering
Graduate Student Sustainability Award
- Bita Malekian, Schulich School of Engineering
Graduate Representative Council Initiative Awards
- 1st Annual Food Studies Symposium (Chelsea Klinke, Gertrude Korkor Samar, and Simon Koots)
- The PHAS Graduate Assistant Workshop (Pamela Freeman, Becky Booth, Kyle Reiter, Omid Khajehdehi, Davor Curic, Carlton-James Osakwe, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Hadi Zadeh Haghighi, Mahsa Faryadras, Kaitlyn Stenhouse, Pooja Woosaree, Omid Aligholamioskooee, and Anustup Das)
- The Foothills Financial Literacy Workshop Series (Megha Murali, Rachita Panda, and Lucia Otero Varela)
- Encouraging Black and Racialized Applicants Through Admission Reforms (Keshia Holloman-Dawson)
- Software Training (Hector Bonilla and Antonio Garcia Vila)
Excellence in Research Award (Graduate Student): Negin Saheb Javaher, Department of Sociology
- Honourable Mentions: Marwa Atwa, Department of Chemistry and Isabel Fandino, Department of Sociology
Excellence in Teaching Award (Graduate Student): Janet Aucoin, Department of Community Health Sciences
- Honourable Mentions: Chelsea Klinke, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology and Mohammad Noaeen, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Excellence in Supervision Award: Dr. Darren Derksen, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
- Honourable Mentions: Dr. Pallavi Banerjee, Department of Sociology and Dr. Barrie Nault, School of Haskayne
Leadership Award: Rachel Kratofil, Department of Immunology
- Honourable Mentions: Dion Kelly, Department of Neuroscience and Julia Teresa Daun, Department of Exercise & Health Psychology
Emerging Leader Award: Kelsey Pennanen, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology
- Honourable Mentions: Anthonia Anowai, Department of Chemistry and Dana Louise Cramer, Department of Communication, Media and Film
GSA Champion Award:
- Dr. Robin Yates, UCalgary’s Dean and Vice Provost (Graduate Studies)
Lifetime Achievement Award:
- Claudia Ladisa, Department of Biological Sciences
Volunteer Excellence Awards:
- Ali Mohammadi, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
- Dinu Attalage, Department of Civil Engineering
- Jacob Lamb, Department of Civil Engineering
- Kaylee Rich, Department of Ecosystem & Public Health
- Michelle Elizabeth Love, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
Graduate Representative Council Distinguished Service Award:
- Andrew Kemle, Department of Political Science
Graduate Representative Council Initiative Awards
- Spanish Classes Initiative by Chelsea Klinke
- Candidacy Workshops 2019 by Megha Murali, Christopher McCoy, Dustin Pearson, Jasper Greysson-Wong
- Mental Health Workshop Series by Leah Chadwick, Nisha Vashi, Alex Choy, Jessy Cooke, Lorraine Reggin, Danielle Lefebvre
- Coding Workshop for Engineers by Maithree Kurukulasuriya, Hasini Rathnayake
- PHAS Graduate Assistant Orientation by Pamela Freeman, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Ordog, Ayush Mandwal, Davor Curic, Omid Khajehdehi, Carlton Osakwe
- Sustainable Fashion: Clothing Swap Shop by Nouran Habib, Kiana Hampton, Eryl David, Alexa Alleyne
GSA Champion Awards
- Shane Royal, UCalgary’s Director of Ancillary Services
- Linda Dalgetty, UCalgary Vice President Finance and Services
Lifetime Achievement Award: Alejandra Enriquez Garcia, Department of Chemistry
Leadership Award: Haley Vecchiarelli, Department of Neuroscience
Emerging Leader Award: Sicheng Lee, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Excellence in Administrative Support Award (Support Staff): Leda Stawnychko, Department of Nursing
Excellence in Research Award (Graduate Students): Robert Mayall, Department of Chemistry
Research Excellence Award (Senior Research Affiliates): Thomas Barchyn, Department of Geography
Excellence in Teaching Award (Graduate Student)
- Jessalyn Holodinsky, Department of Community Health Sciences
- Marissa Clapson, Department of Chemistry (Honourable Mention)
Excellence in Supervision Award
- Dr. Ryan Burns, Department of Geography
- Dr. Adam Kirton, Department of Pediatrics and Clinical Neuroscience
- Dr. Jean Addington, Department of Psychiatry (Honourable Mention)
- Dr. Kunal Karan, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering (Honourable Mention)
Volunteer Excellence Award
- Jaclyn Carter, Department of English
- Hormoz Izadi, Department of Geoscience
- Suzanne Chew, Department of Geography
- Basem Halawa, Department of Civil Engineering
- Jen Sidorova, Department of Political Science
Graduate Representative Council Distinguished Service Award: Shawn Brackett, Department of History
Graduate Student Sustainability Award
- Asha Hollis, Department of Neuroscience
- Suzanne Chew, Department of Geography (Honourable Mention)
- Ehsan Hosseini, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering (Honourable Mention)
Graduate Representative Council Initiative Awards
- Rapid Initiative: Faizan Malik, Aaron Lanz, Govind Peringod, Brooke Belanger, Pauline de Jesus, Trevor Low, Douglas Kondro, Sascha Gill, Joel Glover, Sam Dorosz, and Thomas Lijnse
- Zen Den: Catherine Greene, Rachel Kratofil, and Nancy Adam
- Method’s Day: Charlene Watterston, Rasha Sabouny, and Sophie Briggs
- Workshop Fridays: Hiva Jalilzadeh, Lauretta Pearse, and Mohamadmahdi Ershad
- GSA Champion Award – Gareth McVicar, Manager – Leadership Program, Student Services
- GSA Lifetime Achievement Award – Aida Nciri, Department of Geography
- Mentorship Award – Dr. Barry Bennett
- GSA Sustainability Award – Patrick Duke, Department of Geography – Students on Sustainability and Dylan McLernon, Department of Art – Creating Sustainable Habitats for Bees
- Volunteer Excellence – Myra Chen, Department of Medical Sciences; Alejandra Enriquez Garcia, Department of Chemistry; Runze Yang, Department of Medicine, Neuroscience; Haley Vecchiarelli, Department of Graduate Sciences Education; and Leanne Dawson, Department of Electrical Engineering
- GRC Distinguished Service Award – Kyle McCallum, Faculty of Kinesiology
- Leadership Award – Tushar Sharma, Department of Electrical Engineering
- Emerging Leader Award – Sophie Hu, Department of Biomedical Sciences
- Excellence in Administrative Support (Support Staff) – Federica Gowen, School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures; Suha Abusalim, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering (honourable mention)
- Excellence in Administrative Support (Senior Administrator) – Elizabeth Paolucci, Department of Community Health Sciences
- Excellence in Supervision – Jennifer Lock, Division of Learning Sciences; and Dave Hansen, Department of Biological Sciences (honourable mention)
- Excellence in Teaching (Graduate Students) – Zahra Shakeri, Department of Computer Science; Allison Bajt, School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures; Sibapriya Chaudhuri, Department of Biological Sciences (honourable mention); and Lauretta Pearse, Department of Civil Engineering (honourable mention)
- Research Assistants Excellence Awards (Graduate Students) – Richard Slipp, School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures
- Research Assistants Excellence Awards (Senior Assistants) – Ajitha Thanabalasuriar, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology; Scott Paulson, Department of Chemistry (honourable mention); and Brandy Pilapil, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering (honourable mention)
- Graduate Representative Council Initiative Awards
- Communication Workshop – Acting Your Science – Rachel Kratofil, Ania Zuba, Somshukla Chaudhuri, Alya Heirali, Department of Medicine, Immunology, and Nicole Mancini, Department of Medicine, Gastrointestinal Sciences
- Innovation 4 Health: Danielle Whittier, Kathryn Simone, Abdullah Al-Ani, Andres Kroker, Jacob George, Riley Booth, Douglas Kondro, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program
- Health and Wellness Initiatives – Environmental Design Students’ Association: Erica Hansen, and Janessa Lasaleta, Faculty of Environmental Design
- Methods Day – Foothills Campus: Rhiannon Campden, Christina Sandall, Rujuta Deshpande, Nancy Adam, and Catherine Greene, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Innovation, Development, and Entrepreneurship Awards – First place: Nanoparticles for Wastewater Treatment; Second place: Concussion Detection; Third place: Model Medical Innovations; and People’s Choice Award: Pressed for Change.
Read about the GSA 2017 – 2018 Awards Gala on UToday here.
- Excellence in Administrative Support (Support Staff) – Nathan Tremblay, Faculty of Environmental Design; Marion Mildenberger, Cumming School of Medicine, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Program (honourable mention)
- Excellence in Administrative Support (Senior Administration) – Tara Beattie, Cumming School of Medicine, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Program
- Excellence in Teaching (Graduate Student) – Teeratorn Kadeethum, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering; Khobaib Zaamout, Department of Computer Science (honourable mention); Ramya Singh, Department of Biological Sciences (honourable mention)
- Excellence in Teaching (Senior Instructor) – Morteza Dejam, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
- Excellence in Supervision – Amanda Melin, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology; Deborah Kurrasch, Department of Medical Genetics (honourable mention); Paul Kubes, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology (honourable mention); Joshua Bourdage, Department of Psychology (honourable mention)
- Research Assistant Excellence Award (Graduate Student) – Etienne LaPierre, Department of Chemistry
- Research Excellence Award (Senior Researcher) – Gerardo Vitale, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
- Mentorship Award – Les Stehmeier, Senior Scientist at Nova Chemicals
- Sustainability Awards – Luis Welbanks, Composting in Crowsnest Hall; Taylor Woo, Seniors’ Connect; Juan Pheiffer, Analysis of Alberta Indigenous Solar Program application within Peavine Metis (honourable mention); Kristin Skelton, Online Crowdfunding Platform for Renewable Energy Sector (honourable mention)
- GSA Champion Award – Debbie Bruckner, Senior Director of the Wellness Centre
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Veronika Kiryanova, Department of Psychology
- Newcomer Award – Rod Vafaei, Cumming School of Medicine, Biomedical Technology Program
- Leadership Award – Veronika Kiryanova, Department of Psychology
- Innovation and Development Award – First place: Enable; Second place: rEHABLE; Third place: BClean; and People’s Choice Award: Nanoparticles for Wastewater Treatment.
- Excellence in Administrative Support – Lina Girgis, Student Services Administrator of the GSA; Tracy Korsgaard, Graduate Program Coordinator, Department of Physics and Astronomy (honourable mention)
- Excellence in Administrative Support (Senior Administration) – Dru Marshall, Provost and Vice-President (Academic); Lisa Hughes, Associate Dean (Policy) of the Faculty of Graduate Studies (honourable mention)
- Graduate Assistant Excellence – Victor Bedoya, Department of French, Italian and Spanish; Tiffany Dohorty, Ana Litviniuc, Miranda MacCallum, Department of Sociology
- Excellence in Graduate Mentorship – Stephanie Coward, Department of Community Health Sciences; Dennis Storoshenko, Department of Linguistics, Languages and Culture (honourable mention)
- Excellence in Supervision – Nigel Shrive, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Heather Jamnicsky, Cumming School of Medicine (honourable mention); Aritha van Herk, Department of English (honourable mention)
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Haley Vecchiarelli, Department of Neuroscience
- Leadership Award – Fartoon Siad, Department of Community Health Sciences
- Excellence in Administrative Support – Merrit Penny, Department of Economics
- Excellence in Teaching – Dr. Tom Langford, Department of Sociology
- Excellence in Supervision – Dr. Rob Huebert, Department of Political Science; Dr. Amanda Pounder, Department of Linguistics, Languages and Culture (honourable mention)
- Excellence in Mentorship – Dr. Denice Bay, Department of Biological Sciences
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Liam Cummings, Department of Environmental Design
- Leadership Award – Kristen Barton, Cumming School of Medicine
- Excellence in Administrative Support – Dr. Jean Wallace, Department of Sociology
- Excellence in Teaching – Dr. David Jones, Werklund School of Education
- Excellence in Supervision – Dr. Scott Patten, Department of Community Health Sciences
- Excellence in Support – Alix Westgard, Department of Psychology