2024 ARIA recipients

Rachel Barker: Archival Research in Canadian Photographic History

Rachel is in her second year at McGill in Honours Art History with a minor in English Literature. She will be working with Dr. Reilley Bishop-Stall to research Canadian photographic history of Indigenous and Settler representations, specifically examining the year 1885 as a pivotal moment in Canadian history. Rachel believes in the power of art to mobilize social change and eagerly welcomes the opportunity to research both historical and ongoing examples of activism in art.

Prof. Reilley Bishop-Stall, Art History

Brooklyn Carr: Legacies Forgotten: Black Art and Artists in 1980s Britain

Brooklyn Carr is an honors art history student from Atlanta, Georgia. Brooklyn is the daughter of McGill alumni Roger Carr and granddaughter of alumni Leithland Carr. She is passionate about the advancement of the Black community and aspires to advocate for the Black community by uplifting Black artists and their artistry. She currently works as the event coordinator for the Black Healing Centre and is an executive member of the Multi-Ethnic Student Alliance.

Prof. Matthew Hunter, Art History

Eliza Lee: Approaching Churchill: Conducting Responsible Research in Canada’s North

Eliza Lee is a third-year English and cultural studies student minoring in communications. This summer, she will work with Professor Darin Barney to develop a framework for responsible research involving Indigenous and First Nations communities by reviewing scholarly work and research guidelines on this topic. This framework will support a research proposal about an infrastructural project in Churchill, Manitoba. She looks forward to learning more about the ethical considerations for academic research surrounding Indigenous communities in Canada.

Prof. Darin Barney, Communication Studies

Abrar Fuad: Assessing Power Consumption of Machine Learning Algorithms

Abrar is a rising third-year student with a major in Computer Science and and a minor in Statistics. Being deeply fascinated by how far Artificial Intelligence has progressed in recent years, Abrar is passionate about building full-stack projects and incorporating AI aspects into them. In the upcoming summer, he will be exploring the levels of power consumption of machine learning algorithms at Professor Bettina Kemme’s Distributed Information Systems Lab.

Prof. Bettina Kemme, Computer Science

Jiayi (Flora) Situ: The Cultural Cold War in South Asia2

Jiayi (Flora) Situ (they/she) is a third-year undergraduate Honours English Literature student who is also minoring in Art History. Their specifications in their English program are constituted of post-war French antihumanism—more precisely, Derridean deconstructionism—as well as cultural hybridity in East and South Asian literature. Their Honours thesis synthesizes these subjects as they examine the literary construction of home in two travelogues: Vikram Seth’s From Heaven Lake and W.G. Sebald’s Rings of Saturn.

Prof. Sandeep Banerjee, English 

Xujia Guan : The Pedagogical Evolution of Asian American Literature in American Secondary School Curricula

Xujia (Nicole) Guan is a U1 student studying English Literature and Philosophy. Her experiences studying in various school systems around the globe, working in online literary magazines aimed towards high school artists, and editing for the McGill Undergraduate Law Review have developed her passion for the intersection of education and literature. This summer, she is grateful to work with Professor Alexander Manshel on a project exploring the “Pedagogical Evolution of Asian American Literature in American Secondary School Curricula” using both quantitative and close reading research methods.

Prof. Erin Hurley, English

Huy Trinh: Building a Database on Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in Vietnam since 2000

Huy Nhat Trinh is a third-year student in Economics and Computer Science. Born in the Vietnamese capital city of Hà Nội, he has always wanted to conduct research on his country. His ARIA research this summer focuses on building a database of industrial zones in Vietnam. This dataset would be essential for research on these zones’ impact on, for example, the labor market, environment, and education. Outside of work, he enjoys playing soccer and cooking.

Prof. Fabian Lange, Economics

Nadia Fekih: The Depiction of Energy Poverty in Canadian Media

Nadia Fekih is a rising fourth-year student in the Ecological Determinants of Health in Society at McGill University. She will be researching how energy poverty is being discussed in mainstream Canadian media. As someone who is passionate about health equity, she is excited to delve into this project. This work aims to bridge the gap between academic researchers, media, and policymakers to identify effective intervention strategies to combat energy poverty, which is an increasingly pressing concern in Canada.

Prof. Mylène Riva, Geography 

Aidan Maddock: Exploring the Geography and Distributional Effects of the Federal Fuel Charges (FFC) and Climate Action Incentive Payments (CAIP) in Canada’s Backstop Provinces

Aidan is a third-year joint-honours geography and economics student. Growing up in China, Ethiopia, and Indonesia, he has always been interested in the distinctions across different geographies, and at McGill, has become passionate on the intersection between socioeconomic welfare and environmental policy. This summer, he is looking forward to researching the regional spatial inequalities from federal carbon taxes in Canada. In his free time, he enjoys playing piano, backpacking, rock climbing, and cooking.

Prof. Sebastien Breau, Geography

Anzhu Wei: Density, partisanship, and polarization

Anzhu Wei is a third-year student in the Faculty of Arts. He is double-majoring in Urban Studies and Political Science, with a minor in Statistics. This summer, Anzhu is excited to be conducting research with Professor Benjamin Forest! Specifically, Anzhu will be studying the relationship between population density and political affiliation in Canada. Anzhu looks forward to the research and statistical experience he will gain this summer.

Prof. Benjamin Forest, Geography

Elijah Aedo-Castillo is a third-year student pursuing an Honours degree in History and a minor in Philosophy. This summer, he will collaborate with Professor Catherine Desbarats to research cross-cultural monetary exchange between Indigenous and French settlers in Nouvelle-France (ca. 1534–1763). He is eager to leverage his modest knowledge of First Nations epistemologies and governance systems in tandem with his interest in early-modern Western European imperial jurisprudential, military, economic and religious history to contribute to this fascinating project.

Prof. Catherine Desbarats, History & Classical Studies

Ryan is a fourth year student from Toronto, Canada studying history and English literature. This summer he and Professor Anastassiadis will be investigating the geospatial impact of the First World War and the ‘Allied Armies of the Orient’ on northern Greece. Ryan is looking forward to working with primary source documents in Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal and conducting novel research on this under-studied element of WWI. In his free time, Ryan enjoys reading, playing squash, and kayaking in the summer.

Prof. Anastassios Anastassiadis, History & Classical Studies

Adam Zanin is a third-year Honours Classics student at McGill. His academic interests include Ancient Greek and Latin literature, particularly drama, and its reception. This summer, Adam will assist Professor Lynn Kozak in researching the connections between ancient Greek tragedy and contemporary horror media by contributing to the translation and production of two classical tragedies. He looks forward to building up his academic and professional skills in a research-creation context, preparing him for graduate studies in classics.

Prof. Lynn Kozak, History & Classical Studies

Fion Zhen: Back to the Conjuncture: A History of 'History from Below'

Fion Zhen is a U3 Honours History and Philosophy student. Her research confronts the “end of history” and evinces encounters between histories of development, decolonization, global and national liberation movements, and the New Left. Of especial interest is the way “history from below” splinters off from orthodox tendencies in Marxist historiography. Under the supervision of Professor William Clare Roberts this summer, Fion will reconstruct the genealogy of “history from below” after Marx.

Prof. William Roberts, Political Science

Natalia Feu : Analysis of Lushootseed Sound System

Natalia is a second-year undergraduate student pursuing an Honours degree in Linguistics with minors in Anthropology and Environment. Her academic interests include phonology, language change and variation, bilingualism, and language revitalization. During her time at McGill, she has developed a fascination with the phonological analysis of syllable structure, and she is excited to further delve into this area this summer through research overseen by Heather Goad. Her focus will be exploring the sound system of Lushootseed, a Central Salish language spoken in and around her hometown of Seattle, Washington.

Prof. Heather Goad, Linguistics

Sophia Flaim: Examining word order variation in Kanien'kéha

Sophia is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing an Honours degree in Linguistics with a Hispanic Studies minor. She has always loved learning new languages, and since discovering a passion for linguistics at McGill, she has found herself especially interested in the syntax of understudied languages. This summer, she will be exploring word order variation and information structure in Kanien’kéha, an Indigenous language spoken throughout eastern Canada and upstate New York.

Prof. Jessica Coon, Linguistics

Natan Sakajiri:  Translation as Renewal

Natan Sakajiri is a U2 Mathematics and Philosophy (BA&Sc) student from Ottawa, Ontario. His interests include phenomenology, the philosophy of mathematics and science, and pedagogy. He is interested in bringing together some of his favourite topics in philosophy, mathematics, and languages through diverse projects. With Professor Philip Buckley, he looks forward to engaging with an international philosophical context. There, he hopes to discover some of the rich, generative possibilities latent in translating philosophical texts.

Prof. Philip Buckley, Philosophy 

HanYu Zhu: Gabrielle Suchon

HanYu is a third-year Honours Philosophy student with a minor in Psychology, with a particular interest in political and feminist philosophy. In her spare time, she loves painting and skiing. This summer, she will assist Prof. Shapiro in her research on the philosophy of Gabrielle Suchon, a 17th-century philosopher concerned with the status of women, providing analysis and critiques of the subjugation of women and forms of gender oppression, then developing a set of her feminist arguments.

Prof. Lisa Shapiro, Philosophy

Minna Fisher: European Solidarity in Comparative Perspective

Minna Fisher is entering her fourth year at McGill, as a double major in Political Science and Computer Science. Minna is from Vancouver, and she enjoys spending her time hiking and playing guitar. Last summer, Minna developed an app for the BC Cancer Research Institute, and she recently finished a term away at UCL in London. Eager to expand her skills and gain experience in political research, she is looking forward to studying patterns of solidarity with Ukraine with Professor Stolle this summer.

Prof Dietlind Stolle, Political Science 

Hannah Hagos: Racism, Complaints, and Democratic Accountability: Mapping Barriers and Burdens in Policing and Human Rights Institutions

Hannah is U1 student, majoring in Political Science and History. She is interested in the role of identity politics within North American institutions. Under Professor Thompson, she is looking at the barriers to inclusion of Black Canadians in democratic life when seeking accountability from federal institutions. As a research assistant, Hannah is developing skills in archival research and data management while being able to pursue her academic interest.

Prof. Debra Thompson, Political Science 

Auriane Journet: Global policymakers for hire: The changing work structure of global governance

Auriane is a U3 student pursuing a double major in Political Science and Psychology, along with a minor in Social Entrepreneurship. This interdisciplinary degree reflects her keen interest in understanding the broader dynamics driving decision-making processes and shaping power structures. Having been actively involved in community organizations during her time in Montreal, Auriane is now looking forward to expanding her experiences in academia and developing her qualitative analysis skills by participating in research about global governance.

Prof. Vincent Pouliot, African Studies

Lawrence Plastina: The Ukraine Public Security in Transition Project

Lawrence Plastina is a second-year undergraduate pursuing an honours degree in Political Science and an additional major in Statistics. He is interested in using quantitative techniques - and, in particular, big data analytics - to answer social science questions. He has studied eastern European politics as well as western right-wing and populist movements. He also likes to draw and is an avid reader of mystery novels.

Prof. Aaron Erlich, Political Science

Julia Durcan: A Systematic Review of Ecological Momentary Assessment Research Examining Maintenance Factors for Eating Disorder Symptoms

Julia is a second-year Psychology student, minoring in Sociology. She is currently volunteering in the Biopsychosocial Examination of Eating Patterns (BEEP) Lab, where she is completing her Honour’s thesis under the guidance of graduate student Laura Lapadat and Dr. Sarah Racine. Julia is particularly interested in binge-type eating disorder research, and hopes to play an integral part in the development of a personalized feedback intervention for those struggling with their relationship to food.

Prof. Sarah Racine , Psychology

Laurence Jette : Affective Social Competence (ASC)

Laurence is a second-year student studying Psychology with minors in Sociology. Broadly, she has a strong interest in studying interpersonal relationships between adolescents and young adults. She is currently working on her Honour’s thesis, which explores the association between nonverbal behaviors and accurate expressions of emotions during supportive interactions, under supervision of Dr. Melanie Dirks. She is excited to further explore friendship dynamics and contribute to a project that examines how adolescent friends navigate supportive interactions.

Prof. Melanie Dirks, Psychology 

Selma Toubal-Seghir: The Role of Devaluation in Relationship Initiation

Selma Toubal-Seghir is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Honours Psychology and minoring in Linguistics. Selma has a profound interest in social psychology and is eager to continue working with the Lydon Lab over the summer, after completing her first honours thesis. She is fascinated by the study of interpersonal relationships and what leads to their initiation, maintenance, and dissolution. Through this experience, Selma hopes to further develop her research skills while cultivating her knowledge in the field.

Prof. John Lydon, Psychology

Olivier Joncas: Assessing the Prevalence and Needs of Survivors of Economic Abuse in Canada

Olivier is a second-year student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in social work. His research interest lies in the prevalence and intersectionality of mental health and trauma, as well as in child welfare. He hopes that his current experience in mental health and child welfare will positively contribute to Professor Tarshis’s research on Economic Abuse in Canada. Following the completion of his bachelor’s degree, Olivier’s goal is to pursue the Master of Social Work, after which he aims to practice clinical social work and continue his research endeavors.

Prof. Sarah Tarshis, Social Work

Malaika Raymond-Rouamba: Developing a trauma informed care virtual simulation learning experience: Countering implicit cultural bias in service provision

Malaïka is a second-year student in the Bachelor of Social Work. Human rights and working with marginalized communities are her main areas of interest. Issues surrounding immigrants and the Black and Brown communities are of great interest to her. As applications for graduate programs are opening next fall, she is hoping to be accepted in the Joint Master of Law and Social Work which she believes could allow her to bring advocacy work to another level.

Prof. Katherine Maurer, Social Work

Chloe Roberts: Research Guidelines for Projects Using Simulation Learning for Training Social Work Students

Chloe is a fourth-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work with a minor in Psychology. Her interests include psychotherapy, education and learning, trauma-informed practice, and disability studies. This summer, she will be conducting research with Dr. Pam Orzeck and the McGill SIM Centre on simulation-based learning and its relevance to helping professionals in combatting ableist bias in their practice. Chloe is excited to contribute to emerging knowledge in this field.

Prof. Pam Orzeck, Social Work