EUC hosts first undergraduate research fair | Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change

*Interim President and Vice-Chancellor Lisa Phillips, conversing with Gurneet Singh about her research.*

The Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (EUC) hosted its first Undergraduate Research Fair on March 18th, 2026, at York University. Initiated by the Environmental and Urban Change Students’ Association (EUCSA) led by Gurneet Singh, the fair was designed to showcase original undergraduate research. The event brought together EUC undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff as well as senior administrators at York University.

Interim President and Vice-Chancellor, Lisa Philipps, graced the event and engaged with the student-presenters about their research. Vice-President for Research and Innovation, Amir Asif, delivered the opening remarks while Associate Dean Research Carlota McAllister moderated the event. More than 60 attendees celebrated the amazing work of EUC undergraduate students.

*Vice-President for Research and Innovation, Amir Asif delivered the opening remarks.*

Every year, EUC provides several opportunities for undergraduate students to conduct research. From the Environmental and Urban Change Undergraduate Research Award (EUCURA), Honours Thesis, Directed Study Courses, Dean’s Changemaker Program, and Research at York (RAY), EUC undergraduate students have been making meaningful contributions to research at York University. The Fair provided the opportunity for students to present their work in an academic and professional setting.

The participants of EUC’s inaugural Undergraduate Research Fair — from left to right — Angiolina Catalano, Quincy Johnson, Fatima Minhas, Melina Ghasem-Asad, Mereille James, Nicolas Vargas Gonzalez, Gurneet Singh, Meetkumar Patel, Carlota McAllister, Anthony Loschiavo, Ganesa Persuad, and Dana Craig.

The entire experience and process for students was centred around skills development. Students were required to submit abstracts and personal statements to the Associate Dean Research, Carlota McAllister, who formed a peer-review committee with two undergraduate students. They reviewed submissions and provided feedback to students, resulting in the approval of ten successful proposals. Students who were selected then participated in a series of workshops leading up to their research presentations.

*EUC Dean Alice Hovorka with the first-place research poster presentation co-winners, Mereille James and Quincy Johnson*.

Students attended a workshop at the Scott Library hosted by the Director of Student Learning and Academic Success at York Libraries, Dana Craig, who taught students how to design an effective poster and deliver elevator speeches. Her guidance was critical in helping participants develop the skills to create their posters on PowerPoint. She showed several examples and demonstrated how research across various academic disciplines can be structured to present information in an accessible format for viewers. A second workshop, hosted by EUC ADR Carlota McAllister, gave an opportunity for students to receive feedback on their poster drafts and to practice presenting their speeches. She offered crucial guidance to the students, ensuring they understood the purpose of postering and how it can be a tool to highlight the implications and significance of their research.

The first Undergraduate Research Fair at EUC was a roaring success! EUC Dean Alice Hovorka presented the winners for the best poster presentations to Mereille James for her research on Annual floods control sediment mobility in Black Creek Toronto supervised by Adeyemi Olusola; and Quincy Johnson on Neglected at the intersections: Gender, 2SLGBTQIA+ identities and policy gaps in homelessness intervention supervised by Brandon Hillier. EUC is committed to continue supporting research at the undergraduate level to facilitate skills development that students can carry forward into their careers and future graduate studies. Special thanks to all who participated and helped organize this momentous event!