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The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship (QES) is awarded to young global leaders across the Commonwealth. QE Scholars create lasting impacts at both at home and abroad through cross-cultural exchanges integrating their academic, professional and interpersonal skills. As part of the program, QE Scholars participate in leadership events, community engagement activities and join the global network of QE Scholars.

Congratulations to the 2018-2019 QE Scholarship recipients from Â鶹´«Ã½ University:

• Sarah Arab participated in the QE Scholarship program in collaboration with Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune in India. “Not only did I learn a lot with respect to laboratory work, but I also was able to learn a lot about living in a different country, and met a lot of amazing people during my stay here,” she says.
• Victor Azu interned at SocioNovus through Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa. “The QE Scholarship was an outstanding learning opportunity and I am grateful for it,” he says. “I learned more than I anticipated in the beginning, and accomplished a wide array of experiences and learning outcomes. Not only did I gain valuable work experience, but I also established important connections.”
• Emilyne Baxter-Cook interned with the SocioNovus project through Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa. “Living in a completely new and diverse country, such as South Africa, not only opened me up to the culture, but also allowed me to actively gain first-hand knowledge on how to properly conduct business in South Africa,” she says.
• Anasahmed Bhaiyat partnered with the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani in Goa, India where he spent eight hours a day in a lab researching how mammalian blood reacts to different toxins. His experience allowed him to better understand the challenges local people face every day.
• Rufeyda Cosgun completed a placement at New Zealand College of Chiropractic in Auckland. “I’ve developed communication skills which will help me to inspire others on what I am inspired about,” she says. “I would recommend everyone to go abroad.”
• Jacquelyn Egan’s research under Emily Draper, PhD, Lecturer in Chemical Robotics and Automation of Chemical Experiments, University of Glasgow, involved making bio-compatible devices using gels. “I learned a number of new skills which I will be able to use when applying for jobs,” she says.
• Martine Faurie came to Â鶹´«Ã½ from South Africa. While here, she presented four classes on leadership and the South African drought, where she discussed her research and reflected on other South African issues. “Being awarded the scholarship was such a blessing,” she says. “This was an amazing networking opportunity, both academically and professionally.”
• Kelsey Fisher interned with Stellenbosch University in the SocioNovus project in Cape Town, South Africa. “I learned a lot about working in a new environment, the people, the culture, as well as myself,” she says.
• Kaneez Fizza came to Â鶹´«Ã½ from his India to conduct research for three months in the field of real-time scheduling. He is pursuing a master’s degree in Computer Science.
• Kevin Francis completed a placement at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar in Rupnagar, India. “Because I was able to take this leadership position and use my role effectively, I believe this scholarship has definitely increased my leadership skills,” he says.
• Kandarp Gandhi worked on a smart home energy management research project at IIT Ropar in Rupnagar, India. “By getting hands-on experience working on electrical equipment, I was able to broaden my understanding on how things really work,” he says. His QE Scholar experience inspired the research he will conduct as part of his master’s studies at Â鶹´«Ã½, starting in September 2019.
• Brianna Grant took part in research related to EEG systems with the New Zealand College of Chiropractic in Auckland. “I met incredible people and formed friendships that I will cherish for years to come,” she says.
• Amanda Hendry interned with the SocioNovus project through Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa. “The experience opened my eyes to a new culture and way of living,” she says. “I value the networking and communication skills I learned while abroad.”
• Mankin Ho worked at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. His research focused on the integration and development of geofence and 3D simulation for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight-planning systems. “Researching abroad has been one of the biggest eye-openers I have ever experienced,” he says. “It has been filled with many valuable memories. The experience of trying new and amazing food, learning about the people and their cultures enabled me to strengthen my knowledge and skills.”
• Md Rashidul Islam came to Â鶹´«Ã½ from Bangladesh. For his master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering he is studying heat exchangers, an integral part of the power generation system. He hopes his work will increase the understanding of the complex flow-sound interaction mechanism in solid finned tube bundles. He aims to propose a design guideline to avoid acoustic resonance in heat exchangers and ensure safe operating conditions.
• Robin May worked with SocioNovus through Â鶹´«Ã½’s partnership with Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa. “My time spent in South Africa exceeded my expectations,” she says. “The past three months have been a fairy tale full of the most wonderful adventures and life experience. I have met some of the most wonderful people, and have travelled around the country, immersing myself into the South African culture.”
• Mariell Parris came to Â鶹´«Ã½ from Trinidad and Tobago. Under the supervision of Wesley Crichlow, PhD, Professor, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, she was able to meet her goal of sharing and comparing experiences in Canada and in the Caribbean. “As a first-generation university student, the first to enrol in a postgraduate program, and now the first scholarship winner in my family, completing this scholarship experience is in itself a success story,” she says. “Travelling to another country and successfully finding accommodations, and even navigating school and life itself was a tremendous personal win for me. In the greater scheme of things, my experience was also a success for my home institution as this has paved a way for more students to participate in exchanges to Â鶹´«Ã½ in the future.”
• Anastasiia Prysyazhnyuk participated in research with the University of Western Australia in Perth. Her work looks at the implementation of the Artemis big data analytics framework in neonatal intensive care units. “QES has been an experience of a lifetime that I will cherish for years to come,” she says.
• Motakatla Venkateswara Reddy came to Â鶹´«Ã½ from India. While here, he worked on modeling the Â鶹´«Ã½ microgrid in PSCAD (power system computer-aided design) software, and operational behaviour under different scenarios. “I was able to expand my current research at IIT Ropar with the help of the QE Scholarship opportunity at Â鶹´«Ã½,” he says. “Visiting Canada and working with Dr. Vijay Sood made my visit to Â鶹´«Ã½ outstanding.”
• Osamah Siddiqui came to Â鶹´«Ã½ from India. During his time here, he developed novel electricity generation from waste technologies, which he hopes will enhance the lives of people deprived of electricity. “The QE Scholarship is an impressive program that helped me enhance my overall skills as well as experience,” he says.
• Raquel Simpson participated in the program through Cardiff University in the United Kingdom. “Embark on every opportunity possible, because it is rare to encounter life-changing situations; it is important to take full advantage of these favourable circumstances,” she advises.
• Angela Skopyk conducted research at the University of Technology chemistry labs in Australia. Receiving the QE Scholarship for a second time enabled her to focus on a different aspect of her research: the decomposition process. “Living in a major metropolis like Sydney, Australia really opens your eyes to the issues a large population faces,” she says.
• Jennifer Yeung participated in an international collaborative research project under Â鶹´«Ã½ University’s Carolyn McGregor, PhD, Professor, Faculty of Business and Information Technology, Â鶹´«Ã½ University, and Hugh Dawkins, PhD, Adjunct Associate Professor, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Genetics, University of Western Australia. The research builds on an initial proof-of-concept deployment of the cloud platform of the existing health analytics platform, Artemis, for the neonatal intensive care unit at King Edward Memorial Hospital in Perth. Jennifer aims to extend Artemis for monitoring astronaut health in long-duration space missions. “I learned that attitude is everything, and that you need to immerse yourself professionally and personally to optimize the opportunities presented to you,” she says.

The Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships (QES) is managed through a unique partnership of Universities Canada, the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF), Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) and Canadian universities. The program is made possible with financial support from the Government of Canada, provincial governments and the private sector.