Undergraduate Student Research Award winners share Humanities research

The Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) is a paid, 15-week opportunity that allows students to gain research experience by working with a faculty member on an independent research project.

This year, eight USRA recipients supervised by Humanities faculty carried out diverse research projects on topics like housing and health policies, understudied languages and art history. Below, recipients share their experiences and give advice to students interested in applying.

Learn more about the USRA, eligibility requirements and the application process here.

Paloma Van Vliet investigated the claim that Inuktitut, an Indigenous language spoken in the Canadian arctic, doesn’t have coordinate structures – in English, for example, a coordinate structure would be a sentence combining two elements using “and” in English like “apples and oranges.”

“My goal for the summer was to find evidence of coordination in this language,” says Van Vliet.

What was the most surprising thing you learned?

“The most surprising thing I learned was how long it can take to read an article.”

What skills did you gain that might be useful for graduate school?

“Literature review. How to approach reading articles, and to not get too daunted by a heavy theoretical article. And also how to organize my thought process, because especially with theoretical linguistics, there’s multiple different rabbit holes you can go down. So just seeing the path that you took and organizing that information in a way that makes sense to you.”

What made the experience fun?

“Learning about what I didn’t know. Our courses give you a foundation of what the topics are in the field, but it’s completely different when you’re trying to read a paper and apply what you’ve learned. I had to learn so much more beyond what we learned in class and class just helped me recognize what the paper was using. The theory goes so much deeper than what you learn in class. I was just learning so much more about what I didn’t actually know.”

Joshua Ang

Joshua Ang learned about how lyrics were being used in criminal court against artist Young Thug, and wanted to see if there was legal precedent. He was surprised to learn that the issue is widespread.

“Rap lyrics have been used in criminal cases against the defendant in over 700 cases,” Ang said. 

How did you approach your supervisor about applying for the USRA?

“It was really collaborative. I went in with a general idea, and once Dr. Baade learned about my interests outside of undergrad and what I wanted to do after, she was giving helpful suggestions and it was really a conversation that led us to the point that we’re at. Dr. Baade specializes in musicology, and I had worked with her for a course, and I thought she would be really good to work with again.”

What inspired your project idea?

“I’m interested in intersectionality within law. I think rap music is being criminalized because it’s a Black art form. I was interested in the Young Thug case already, so when she asked – ‘How often does this happen?’ I hadn’t known about it, did a little bit of research, and came back.”

What was the outcome of your USRA project?

Sara Marentette-Budgell

Sara Marentette-Budgell reviewed archives at York University to learn about the 1973 Ontario Advisory Task Force on Housing Policy, which was established to deal with housing shortages in Ontario at the time. 

“It just goes to show how the government of Ontario has for a long time been trying to figure out how to create an adequate housing supply,” says Marentette-Budgell. “And that concerns about a lack of adequate housing are not new at all.”

What inspired your interest in your project topic?

“I received a USRA to study the 1973 Ontario Advisory Task Force On Housing Policy. My interest in this topic was sparked by Dr. Ken Cruikshank’s class History 3N03 (“Poverty, Privilege, and Protest in Canadian History”), which explored the history of federal and provincial housing policy, among other topics.”

What was the most surprising thing you learned?

“One interesting fact that I learned from this project was that the final report of the Task Force led to the creation of Ontario’s Ministry of Housing. I was surprised to discover that this ministry was only created so recently.”

What skills did you gain that might be useful for graduate school?

“This project provided me with invaluable experience in conducting online research, delving into primary sources, using an archive, and learning about the history of housing policy in Ontario.”

Yiming Ma

Yiming Ma explored the origin of a painting at the McMaster Museum of Art – which turned out to be deliberately forged. 

“It is plausible that a Western collector acquired this commercially motivated forgery in China during or in the aftermath of the Opium Wars,” says Ma.

What inspired your interest in your project topic?

“My interest in this project was sparked during my Art History internship at the McMaster Museum of Art (McMA), where I worked on cataloguing. Initially, I believed this landscape scroll to be an authentic work by Ma Lin from the 13th Century, which excited me as it could have added significant value to the museum’s collection. However, after further analysis by Dr. Angela Sheng and her colleague, Dr. Alfreda Murck, the scroll was identified as a forgery. Although this discovery was disappointing, I became even more curious about the painting’s history and intent. I explored it further through the USRA and provided McMA with accurate information about the scroll.”

What was the most surprising thing you learned?

“The most surprising thing I learned through my research was the complexity of the art throughout history. What seemed like a simple reproduction revealed layers of deliberate manipulation – adapted inscriptions, imperial seals, and masterful composition – all crafted to mimic authenticity. This underscored the painstaking efforts behind forgeries during periods of decline. It’s a reminder that art is both a mirror of its time and a vessel for complex, often fabricated, narratives.”

What advice would you give to future students applying for the USRA?

“For future USRA applicants, start early by researching potential supervisors and establishing connections to discuss possible projects, as a suitable match can greatly strengthen your application. The USRA is a good opportunity to explore the field you are interested in. Focus on choosing a project you genuinely love, as it will keep you motivated. Remember, any research topic has its significance, so always nurture your curiosity for the field you are passionate about.”

Somya Khurana

Somya Khurana was interested in the connection between language learning ability and the ability to remember other patterns, like beeps. 

“We predict that stronger rhythm and pitch perception will correlate with better recall in the memory test for language learning,” Khurana explains.

What was the most challenging part of the project?

“The biggest challenge was learning to code from scratch and navigating the complexities of data analysis.”

How did you approach your supervisor about applying for the USRA?

“I had no idea what the USRA was. I’m in third year right now. In my second year, I was a volunteer in Dr. Elisabet Service’s Language, Memory and Brain Lab. I volunteered for a year, helping with graduate student projects. Dr. Service suggested that I apply for the USRA. Initially I was thinking – I’m not sure if I can do this. Running your own project is a big responsibility. But she trusted in me, she said that I can do it. I wrote my draft at least three times to make it perfect, sent it to Dr. Service, and we applied. After one month, I got the news that I was selected.”

What skills did you gain that might be useful for graduate school?

“Research skills. It really shapes you. I never imagined myself executing and running a project. It taught me leadership skills, time management skills. And most importantly I discovered my passion for research. I’m considering doing a masters in Cognitive Science. That’s something I never imagined. It’s only after the experience that I learned that this is something I would love to do.”

What advice would you give to future students applying for the USRA?

“My advice would be, give it a chance. I was so scared applying – what if I don’t get in? But give it a chance, explore as many opportunities as you can. Give your best for everything.”

Marisa Croce

Marisa Croce analyzed how government policies in North America have created health disparities in Black and Indigenous communities.

“Since the state has been complicit in creating those disparities, they have an obligation to help remedy them,” says Croce.

“The second part of my argument was looking at programs that can help remedy those disparities.”

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your USRA project?

“This was a very different process for me, because I wrote a big research paper at the end – so I feel like if I could go back I would tell myself to not overthink it, writing the actual paper itself is a huge task, and it’s so different from anything I’ve ever done, so I would tell myself to take it slow. 

Sometimes writers block is so bad – just get up from the computer and walk away and then come back to it, and pick up again.”

How did you approach your supervisor about applying for the USRA?

“I took a class last year, a history course called Justice and Reparations in a Post-Slavery World, and at the end of the class we had to write a short essay on a topic of our choice. My topic was reparations for victims of redlining. So that sparked my interest, and then when I saw the USRA, I thought I would like to pick this up but take a different angle to it and actually look like what those reparations could look like and actually enforcing a state obligation. I drafted a thesis for my project and I reached out to some of the professors I had taken courses with. I had taken 4 or 5 courses with Dr. Kerry O’Neill. I emailed her and she was very willing to help out and pick it up.”

How will the skills you learned help you in graduate school?

“Learning to set deadlines for myself.”

Rankini Kulatilake

Rankini Kulatilake studied the grammatical structure of Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Sri Lanka. Kulatilake reviewed previous research and interviewed native speakers of Sinhala.

“The study broadened my perspective on how language shapes cultural identity and human experience.”

What inspired your interest in your project topic?

“My project topic was inspired by my interest in learning more about my native language — Sinhala, and my previous readings of existing literature on Sinhala’s complex linguistic interface. By doing a research practicum under Dr. Biggs of the Grammatical Theory Group at the ARiEAL Research Centre, I was inspired to conduct full time research of my own & decided to hone in on the involitive, a structure that I learned was a crucial part of Sinhala’s verb system during my practicum.”

What was the most surprising thing you learned?

“The most surprising thing I learned is the deep influence of the involitive to how native speakers of the language convey their cultural values such as humility and politeness. Aside from its place in Sinhala’s rich morphological system, it is deeply intertwined with cultural norms, values and approaches to communication that shape everyday conversation.”

What advice would you give to future students applying for the USRA?

“Reach out to your upper class peers and professors. It’s definitely nerve wracking but very worth it. You will learn a ton from their insight and guidance especially when it comes to figuring out an impactful project topic. Applying for the USRA is a great experience in and of itself, but the process is much less scary when you have support from your peers in Humanities.”

What skills did this experience help you develop, and how might these skills help your future goals?

“Working on the USRA taught me a lot about full-time research and helped me enhance my analytical skills, project management and discipline. I believe these skills will help me guide myself towards my future goals as they’ve given me a crucial foundation for continuing onto graduate school. Additionally, I’ve been able to connect with older Linguistics students and researchers at the masters and PhD level. Learning from their experience is always insightful.”