Undergraduate Summer Research Awards

To be eligible to apply for an award, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada as of the deadline date for applications at the institution;
• be registered, as of the deadline date for applications at the institution, in a bachelor's degree program at an eligible institution;
• have obtained, over the current and previous year of study, a cumulative average of a B+ (78%).

In addition:

• If you already hold a bachelor's degree and are studying toward a second bachelor's degree, you may still apply for this award.
• You may hold only one USRA per fiscal year.
• You may hold a maximum of three USRAs throughout your undergraduate university career.

To hold an award, you 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;
• have been registered in at least one of the two terms immediately before holding the award in a bachelor's degree program at an eligible institution;
• not have started a program of graduate studies in the natural sciences or engineering at any time;
• be engaged on a full-time basis in research and development activities in the natural sciences or engineering during the tenure of the award;
• NSERC will no longer require 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.

Value: The minimum value of the award is $8,680 (NSERC Award $6,000 + Supervisor's contribution (min. $2,680). Students often receive more than the minimum award. 

Part-time hours and vacation leave will not be approved.

Description:  

• A student award provided by Western Research
• Same value as NSERC USRA (minimum $8,680)
• Program is similar to NSERC USRA, enhanced by additional professional development opportunities hosted by Student Experience and Western Libraries

Eligibility: 

• Canadian Citizens/ Permanent Residents, and International students are considered
• Registered full-time student in the term immediately before the award
• Do not hold higher degrees in natural science or engineering
• Have obtained, over the current and previous year of study, a cumulative average of a B- (70%).
• Have not begun a graduate program prior to tenure of award
• Not enrolled in an undergrad professional degree (M.D., D.D.S., B.Sc.N.

For more information on USRI programming, please visit: USRI - Research Western - Western University (uwo.ca). 

Same requirements as NSERC USRA, but

• Open to both Domestic and International Students
• Have obtained, over the current and previous year of study, a cumulative average of a B- (70%).

Value: The minimum value of the award is $7,500 (Faculty Award $3,650 + Supervisor's contribution (min. $3,650). Students often receive more than the minimum award.

Same requirements and value as NSERC USRA, but

• Open to both Domestic and International Students we-researchandgrad@uwo.ca.
• No minimum average

Value: The minimum value of the award is $7,500, which is contributed by the supervisor. Students often receive more than the minimum award.

Awarded to the top 4 undergraduate summer research applicants in ECE with a minimum average of 80% in their last academic year.

Value: $10,000

Description: This year, the focus will be on post-event tornado damage surveys and real-time hailstone collection and analysis. There may also be associated coding-focused projects. The hailstone collection work will be based out of Calgary and travel stipends will be provided. For those interested in the collection work, storm chasing experience and a good driving record will be considered assets.

Eligibility: 

• Canadian citizen, or landed immigrant
• Registered in any undergraduate university program at a Canadian university (senior high school students maybe considered)
• Be available from May 2 - August 26, 2023

For more information, visit the NTP website www.uwo.ca/ntp. 

Description:

• Students will apply the principles of frugal innovation to design, prototype, and test biomedical technologies intended for use in low-resource settings in Indigenous Canadian communities and/or East Africa. Frugal innovation is an emerging paradigm in engineering that emphasizes equity and sustainability in technology development. For biomedical applications, frugal innovation leads to devices that can be used effectively in regions with shortages of specialist personnel, maintained with limited access to replacement components, and function reliably in the absence of reliable power or other infrastructure.
• Program includes a weekly Summer Student Seminar Series hosted by Robarts Research Institute, which covers a mixture of scientific and professional development topics, and a semi-weekly Frugal Biomedical Innovations Seminar Series on Zoom that facilitates interaction with collaborators from East African universities.

Eligibility: Same award value and requirements as NSERC USRA, except:

• Open to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and international students.
• Have obtained, over the current and previous year of study, a cumulative average of B- (70%).
• Descriptions of eligible projects can be found at the link below. You may apply to multiple projects with a single application submission.