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The full interview is available on CJOB.

Established in 2021 to mark the 50th anniversary of the first Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering at the University of Manitoba, the Alumni of Influence Awards celebrate graduates who have made significant impacts in their fields.

“Our alumni have been influencers and change-makers in the various spheres within which they work and live,” says Dr. Danny Mann, Head of the Department of Biosystems Engineering. “These awards give us the opportunity to honour their achievements and inspire future generations of engineers.”

Recipients are selected by the Department’s Alumni Awards Committee, with separate categories for graduates prior to 1995 from the former Department of Agricultural Engineering and those after 1995 from the current Department of Biosystems Engineering.

Recipients for 2025

Undergraduate (pre-1995): Dennis Hodgkinson

Dennis graduated from the Agricultural Engineering program in 1976. Following a 12-year career in Manitoba’s public service as a waste management specialist and livestock building design specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Dennis successfully combined his engineering and entrepreneurial skills to found and operate DGH Engineering in 1989. The business grew from a one-man practice to an engineering firm with more than 70 employees. DGH Engineering provides engineering, design, and construction management to agricultural, industrial, institutional and commercial building projects. Specific to the agricultural engineering sector, DGH Engineering specializes in livestock barns, animal research facilities, meat harvesting & processing facilities, grain & feed milling, and crop handling, processing & storage facilities. Overall, Dennis worked for over 45 years in the agricultural and industrial building design sector until his retirement in January 2024.

Apart from his responsibilities with DGH Engineering, Dennis was active in the Canadian Society for Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (CSABE). He served various roles on Council including President (2009) and Vice-President (Industry). He was a recipient of the Young Engineer of the Year Award in 1984, the John Turnbull Award in 1997 in recognition of outstanding contributions to the structural field of agricultural engineering and the Fellow Award in 2018. Dennis was awarded the title of “Fellow of Engineers Canada” in recognition of outstanding support to the Engineering Profession in 2011.

Undergraduate (1995-present): Michael Gregoire

Michael graduated from the Biosystems Co-op Program in 2002, having previously completed an undergraduate degree in the Faculty of Architecture. After graduating from Biosystems Engineering, he worked in consulting engineering for FWS Construction and then with Crosier Kilgour and Partners. His area of practice during his consulting years was in structural and building envelope remediation for existing buildings.

In 2008, Michael moved into regulatory work at Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba. By 2014, he moved into a leadership role as the Director of Professional Standards. In that role, Michael was responsible for managing: legislation changes; standards (guidelines and practice notes); reporting of professional development activities by engineers; investigations of complaints made against engineers; and enforcement actions against persons illegally practicing engineering. In his time at Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba, Michael has overseen the following initiatives: i) Implementation of the ProDev Program, ii) Changes to The Engineering and Geoscientific Professions Act (2015 & 2022), iii) A project to re-write the entirety of the Association’s By-laws (2017-2019), iv) Re-structuring of the policies and resources for the disciplinary process; and v) Implementation of e-learning modules to proactively address standards issues.

In 2023, Michael was chosen by the Council of Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba to take on the role of Interim CEO, Registrar and Secretary of the Association, eventually moving from the interim to a permanent position after a national search. Michael values his education in Biosystems Engineering and talks about his very positive experiences in the Department at public platforms. He is a great ambassador for Biosystems.

Graduate (1995-present): Jitendra Paliwal

Jitendra graduated from the MSc program in Biosystems Engineering in 1997 and again from the PhD program in Biosystems Engineering in 2002. He joined the Department of Biosystems Engineering as an Assistant Professor in 2002 where he founded the Imaging and Spectroscopy Laboratory to focus on non-invasive grain quality monitoring, leading the development of cutting-edge technologies for post-harvest processing of grains, pulses, and oilseeds. His work has led to the creation of cost-effective near-infrared (NIR) analyzers, advanced bin monitoring systems, and imaging techniques that detect spoilage precursors, significantly improving food safety and storage efficiency. His innovative adaptation of a cancer imaging modality to grain storage monitoring has achieved notable commercial success, underscoring his impact on industry and technology transfer in Manitoba.

Dr. Paliwal’s prolific research record includes over 175 peer-reviewed publications, three patents, six book chapters, and more than $12 million in competitive and contract research funding. He has mentored an impressive cadre of students and research staff, guiding 105 student theses and supervising 21 post-doctoral fellows and 7 research associates. Internationally, Dr. Paliwal holds honorary professorships at top institutions such as South China University of Technology and Amity University, and leads collaborations spanning North America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. As a founding member of the International Society for Biological Shape Analysis, he bridges engineering with medicine and biological sciences.

Dr. Paliwal’s professional service includes extensive involvement with Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba (EGM), where he served as President during its centennial year, and Engineers Canada, where he currently represents Manitoba. He is a Fellow of Engineers Canada and has received multiple accolades for technical excellence, service, and mentorship, including the CSBE John Clark Award and the University of Manitoba’s Merit Award for teaching, research, and service, and the Faculty of Graduate Studies’ Outstanding Administrator Award.

Dr. Jitendra Paliwal is a globally recognized leader in engineering research and academic administration. With over two decades of distinguished service at the University of Manitoba and now at the University of Winnipeg, Dr. Paliwal has demonstrated exceptional dedication to advancing research and innovation in the fields of agricultural and biosystems engineering.

To read the full article, please visit CTV News.

This year’s program focused on innovative and sustainable transportation solutions to meet the needs of Canadians. Each group of students received training in entrepreneurial and creative problem-solving, as well as pitching their ideas. They collaborated on projects to examine the realities of public transportation in Manitoba and design game-changing solutions to address the challenges they identified.

Daniel Heschuk and Shad students at a coaching session.

“Coaching the Shad participants has been an incredibly fulfilling experience. In just one month, I’ve had the opportunity to see an exceptional amount of growth in these students as they work in teams to solve a complex problem,” said Daniel Heschuk, program development specialist at the Science Innovation Hub, Faculty of Science.

The highlight of this program, hosted by several faculties at UM, is the unique opportunity for students to travel to Churchill. This year, the journey took on a new dimension through the lens of transportation, where the very act of reaching Churchill turned into an educational experience: a nine-hour bus ride to Thompson, followed by 16 hours on the train through the boreal forest and tundra.

Shad students at Churchill.

“The Shad students’ journey to Churchill offered a profound lesson in what it means to truly understand and appreciate life in a remote northern community. The distance alone underscores both the remoteness and the resilience that define life in these communities,” said Associate Dean (Administrative) Krystyna Koczanski.

Immersed in this journey, students experienced firsthand both the stark beauty and the daily challenges of life in the region.

Shad students at Churchill with Danielle Pahud.

“Once there, we toured the Churchill Marine Observatory and discussed how the proposed shipping port—and climate change in general—might affect the quality of the waters and ice, as well as the living beings that depend on them,” said Dr. Danielle Pahud, program director of Shad Manitoba and instructor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. “For example, we visited Polar Bears International to learn about how polar bears live and depend on Arctic sea ice. We also spent time on the water learning about and interacting with the beluga whales. It was a memorable, wonder-filled experience that I am grateful we were able to provide to the Shads. I hope they have returned to their homes and are sharing how special Churchill is with their friends and family all across the country.”

Krystyna Koczanski and Janine Carmichael at Shad students’ presentations, 2024.

Koczanski also emphasizes that these experiences serve as a reminder of why young people need adventure and courage to embrace uncertainty and risk: “This experience nurtures deeper empathy, respect, and awareness of what it means to live where geography and climate shape resources and opportunities.”

To see the students in action, please visit the Faculty of Science’s YouTube channel.

The program is made possible through strong collaboration across the university, working closely with Laurie Schnarr, Vice-Provost (Students), and supported by the office of Dr. Diane Hiebert-Murphy, Provost and Vice-President (Academic).

The event awards cash prizes totaling $6,400 across five categories in two streams of competition, oral presentations and research poster displays. Ninety subject-matter experts joined the event as judges, representing 10 UM faculties.

As part of the day, students had the opportunity to explore their “entrepreneurial tooth” at the IDEA START booth to learn how to move ideas and innovation toward impact, using the many resources available at UM.

“This event rewards achievements in experiential learning throughout the many areas of student research and scholarly work at UM and highlights the innovation and creative power at the heart of our university,” said Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden, associate vice-president (partnerships, knowledge mobilization and innovation).

“Such hand-on experiences at the undergraduate level expand our horizons, build networks and can open doors to new career opportunities. I congratulate all student participants in the showcase.”

Undergraduate Research Showcase 2025 winners

Applied Sciences

Poster format

1st– Loic Lambert, Quantifying skin subtraction performance in microwave breast imaging
Research Supervisor: Stephen Pistorius, Faculty of Science

2nd– Shirley Morris, Syncytia from scratch: generating placental organoids from human stem cells
Research Supervisor: Lei Xing, Faculty of Science

3rd– Khoi Nguyen, Electronics-Printed MEMS Lorentz Actuator Released by RIE with Integrated Electrostatic Hold-Down
Research Supervisor: Cyrus Shafai, Price Faculty of Engineering

Oral format

1st– Juliann Chan, Decoding the Behavioural Cues of Dairy Cattle: Automating Ear Position Identification Using a Convolutional Neural Network Model
Research Supervisor: Gabriel Dallago, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences

Creative Works

Poster format

1st– Cecilia Thompson, We Are The Canvas: A/R/Tography and the Power of Collective Art Education
Research Supervisor: Bruno De Oliveira Jayme, Faculty of Education

Health Sciences

Poster format

1st– Quinn Derksen, Exploiting RBX1 deficiency to identify novel therapeutic targets in tubo-ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma

Research Supervisor: Dr. Kirk McManus, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

2nd– David Ben, Reduced SKP2 Expression Induces Centrosome Overduplication in Tubo-Ovarian Cells

Research Supervisor: Dr. Kirk McManus, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

3rd– Hans Sanchez, Extracellular vesicle release with acute electrical pulse stimulation in skeletal muscle is AMPK-dependent
Research Supervisor: Dr. Ayesha Saleem, Centre on Aging

Oral format

1st– Khushleen Chaddha, Investigating the Effects of a Potential Chemotherapeutic

Research Supervisor: Dr. Mark Nachtigal, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

2nd– Lauren Castagna, The role of Empagliflozin in the prevention of chemotherapy mediated cardiotoxicity
Research Supervisor: Dr. Davinder Jassal, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

3rd– Jewel Paskaruk, SIRT3 Deficiency in the Liver Results in Hepatic Steatosis and Elevated Circulating Lipids in Gestational Diabetes
Research Supervisor: Dr. Vernon Dolinsky, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

Natural Sciences

Poster format

1st– Sion Yi, CRISPR-Associated Transposase Reveals a Key Gene for Bioplastic Degradation in Burkholderia vietnamiensis LMG16232
Research Supervisor: Silvia T. Cardona, Faculty of Science

2^nd (tied)– Hargun Uppal, The influence of membrane phospholipid interactions with MgCl2 on antimicrobial susceptibility in E. coli
Research Supervisor: Denice Bay, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

2^nd (tied)– Danika Harland, The long-term effects of wetland salinization on emergent insect communities
Research Supervisor: Mark Hanson, Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources

Oral format

1st– Erica Wong, Dach1 promotes basal radial glia proliferation in the developing mouse neocortex
Research Supervisor: Lei Xing, Faculty of Science

Social Sciences and Humanities

Poster format

1st– Kyla Sarmiento, Drawing Privacy: How Children Conceptualize Regulation and Content Across
Research Supervisor: Shaylene Nancekivell, Faculty of Arts

2nd– Charlotte Gill, Exploring geoscience methods for archaeological stone-tool fingerprinting, Oldupai Gorge, Tanzania
Research Supervisor: Paul Durkin, Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources

3rd– Stella Kraft, Gender Differences in Alcohol Research
Research Supervisor: Natalie Riediger, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences

Oral format

1st– Justine Ramos, Countering Reductionism: Racial/Ethnic Minority Experiences and Preferences of End of Life Care at Home
Research Supervisor: Laura Funk, Faculty of Arts

2nd– Ainsley Brennan, In the Garden of the Beguines: Reinventing a Medieval Religious Movement in the 21st Century

Research Supervisor: Danielle Dubois, Faculty of Arts

The Undergraduate Research Showcase is hosted annually by the office of the vice-president (research and international). Check the Undergraduate Research Showcase website for entry and prize details.

FOE’s work is guided by three core pillars: enhancing communication and networking within Manitoba’s engineering community to retain local talent; aligning academic learning with industry expectations to ensure students are job-ready; and enriching the student experience by assisting student-led design teams. This structure guides FOE’s ongoing efforts to bridge the gap between what students learn at school and what they’ll need to succeed in the real world.

At the forefront of these initiatives is the Board of Directors, a group of professionals from across Manitoba’s engineering and construction sectors. Together, they bring a wide range of perspectives, backgrounds and areas of expertise — reflecting the diversity of the engineering community they support. Leading the board in 2025 is Katie Moist, a Project Manager and Estimator at Bockstael Construction. Katie brings years of experience and a strong commitment to student engagement, having first founded Young Friends of Engineering (YFOE) in 2019. She emphasizes, “we need to ensure that we retain exceptional engineering talent in Manitoba so that we can continue to be leaders and develop our community to the best of our ability.” Under her leadership, the organization continues to increase its presence throughout Manitoba.

Working alongside Katie is Adam Kriegl, an EIT at Crosier Kilgour and the current Chair of YFOE. He leads Young Friends with a focus on enhancing student engagement and expanding opportunities for mentorship and connection. While FOE is made up of established professionals from across engineering fields, YFOE is a supporting branch made up of early-career engineers and recent graduates who are closer in experience to today’s students. This structure allows YFOE to offer relatable guidance and act as a bridge between students and the broader FOE network. As Adam puts it, “YFOE provides a stepping stone from student life to many titans of industry.” Adam, who once benefited from FOE-funded initiatives himself, was inspired to give back. Now in 2025, he continues to mentor aspiring engineers as they build confidence, form meaningful connections and prepare to launch their careers

With a shared vision, Katie, Adam, and the Board of Directors continue to guide FOE forward. The 2025 Board also includes Graham Fediuk from Price Industries Ltd. as Vice Chair, John Pacak from InnovoXL as Secretary/Treasurer, and Kiera Young from MacDon Industries Ltd. as Past Chair. A full list of Directors at Large can be found on the FOE website.

Having a group like FOE makes a real difference. By helping today’s students gain practical experience and a clearer understanding of the field before graduation, FOE helps ensure that the future of engineering in Manitoba is in capable hands. Being involved in FOE or YFOE is also just as rewarding for its members. Whether you are a seasoned professional or just starting out, it is a meaningful way to grow your network, strengthen your leadership skills and connect with emerging talent. Most of all, it is a chance to give back to the same community that helped shape your own journey.

“The URA provided me with the amazing opportunity to actually do engineering work and learn alongside the best,” says Hartry. “I was on the fence about whether I wanted to study electrical or mechanical engineering and this gave me the direction I needed… I now know I want to focus on mechanical engineering.”  

Hartry spent the summer working with researcher Dr. Phil Ferguson and the team at UM’s Space Technology and Advanced Researcher (STAR) Lab in the Price Faculty of Engineering on some very special projects that will have big impact for northern communities.  

Designing airships to provide connectivity in the North 

One of Hartry’s tasks was helping to design a unmanned helium airship capable of carrying communication equipment to help connect remote communities. This technology will replace the patchwork of telecommunications systems that currently underserve communities in the North.  

Creating the reaction wheel in the lab

Using computer-aided design, Hartry learned how to account for all the factors that would affect the loft, speed and the ability of the blimp to work in arctic conditions. Through trial and error, and many iterations of the design, Hartry learned how to improve and alter the blimp to make it fit design constraints.  

His mantra for the summer was ‘Learn New Things’, because every day was filled with so many new questions and challenges.  

“It was a steep learning curve, but everyone in the lab collaborates to solve the smallest design issues,” says Hartry. “I was able to learn through an iterative process of trial and error where failure meant I just had something to build on to make it work.”  

As part of another project, Hartry worked to design a new kind of reaction wheel for satellites. With this reaction wheel, magnetic liquid could be used to spin the satellite instead of using a larger, heavier motor to spin a solid disk. This mechanism could be used for small satellite projects, such as those run by universities.   

Black magnetic liquid rotating inside the reaction wheel designed by Aidan Hartry

The cage specifications included having enough copper wiring to run a strong electrical current and enough space for the reaction wheel. With one design leading to another, the cage design continues to get smaller with a stronger magnetic field. He plans to continue this work as a volunteer in Ferguson’s lab throughout the academic year.  

Whale blubber and the tracker tag

A particularly fun and intriguing challenge for Hartry was working on the Aerial Tagging System for Beluga Whales project. Learning alongside Ferguson and the team, his challenge was to determine what velocity a dart would need to tag a whale with a tracker.  

While researchers currently tag belugas from boats in the water, this is stressful for both the researchers and whales, who are spooked by the chaos of boat noise and human interaction.   

The team is designing a system where aerial drones can be used to locate whale pods and shoot a tracker dart with enough velocity to penetrate the whale’s thick skin without causing harm or simply bouncing off.  

“I never pictured myself learning about the ballistic properties of whale blubber, but we needed to determine the surface resistance in order to create a strong enough delivery mechanism from a drone to the whale,” says Hartry. “It was a really fun and unique problem and opened my eyes to how engineering is key to pretty much every human activity” 

About Undergraduate Research Awards (URA) 

The URAs are funded through the Office of Vice-President (Research & International) and the University of Manitoba Students’ Union (UMSU), along with support from faculties. These awards provide undergraduate students with access to exciting research opportunities. 

The application period for Summer 2026 starts in mid-January.  Find more information here. 

Congratulations to all the recipients of the 2024 Merit Awards.

Category: Social Sciences, Humanities and Fine Arts

Combination:

• Sean Carleton, Department of History and Department of Indigenous Studies, Faculty of Arts
• Lucy Delgado, Department of Educational Administration, Foundations, and Psychology, Faculty of Education
• Karin James, Department of German and Slavic Studies, Faculty of Arts
• Katherine Starzyk, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts

Research, Scholarly Work and Creative Activities:

• Andrew Hatala, College of Community and Global Health, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Corey Mackenzie, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts
• Dominique Rey, School of Art
• Ee-Seul Yoon, Department of Educational Administration, Foundations, and Psychology, Faculty of Education

Service:

• Mark Hudson, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts
• Jamie Paris, Department of English, Theatre, Film, and Media, Faculty of Arts
• Michelle Porter, Faculty of Kinesiology & Recreation Management

Teaching:

• Cameron Hauseman, Department of Educational Administration, Foundations, and Psychology, Faculty of Education
• Alexandra Heberger, Department of German and Slavic Studies, Faculty of Arts
• Shannon Moore, Department of Curriculum, Teaching & Learning, Faculty of Education
• Wei Wang, Department of Business Administration, I.H. Asper School of Business

Category: Life Sciences, Natural Sciences and Engineering

Combination:

• Inoka Amarakoon, Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural & Food Science
• Philip Ferguson, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Price Faculty of Engineering
• David Herbert, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science
• Ricardo Silva, Department of Earth Sciences, Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources

Research, Scholarly Work and Creative Activities:

• Meghan Azad, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Xihui Liang, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Price Faculty of Engineering
• Peter Pelka, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science
• Jill Stobart, College of Pharmacy, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

Service:

• Jessica Hartley, Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Shakerah Jones Hall, College of Nursing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Sachin Katyal, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

Teaching:

• Chyngyz Erkinbaev, Department of Biosystems Engineering, Price Faculty of Engineering
• Sabine Kuss, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science
• Vladan Protudjer, College of Nursing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Trisha Scribbans, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management

Category: Promoting Indigenous Achievement

• Réal Carrière, Department of Political Studies, Faculty of Arts

Kushman Buttar

Buttar is bringing a broad range of experience with her into the Price Faculty of Engineering this fall. Throughout high school at Maples MET School, she dedicated her time outside classes to join and lead community initiatives, research projects, and extracurricular computer science programs. Now, as a Schulich Leader, she is taking her passions to the next level at UM.

As dedicated learner and leader, Buttar jumps into new projects and creates new opportunities for those in her community when she sees a need. She fostered her computer science skills by participating in several different programs and contests, including the High School Big Data Challenge, Technovation Girls Challenge, Shad Canada, and Girls Who Code. Additionally, she has ventured into the world of sustainability and environmental innovation, working with engineers at Manitoba Hydro on energy solutions and studying ecosystems at the University of Manitoba. She even spearheaded a prairie landscape renewal initiative in her community. Over the course of three years, she led a team of peers planting over 400 native plants across her school grounds, and she involved the broader community by leading workshops with local elementary school students.

Buttar credits her achievements to her mindset, which is geared towards change, growth, and persevering through setbacks. Her leadership style is entrepreneurial, and her goal is to be an engineer who develops new technologies that serve people, communities, and the environment, which she can introduce as cost-effective solutions in the Canadian market. As Schulich Leader and engineering student at the University of Manitoba, she is well on her way to that goal.

Ayla Thomas

Thomas, a 2025 graduate of Balmoral Hall School, is joining the physics department at the university this fall. Her innate curiosity and enthusiasm for learning have led her to explore a wide variety of scientific pursuits. Throughout high school, she sought out extra learning opportunities, attending university lectures, teaching herself coding, volunteering at the Manitoba Museum’s Science Gallery, and more.

Thomas’ involvement in her school’s robotics team highlights not only her expertise in robotics, but also her leadership skills. She served as the team’s Programming Lead, using creativity and critical thinking to debug code and come up with tournament strategies. She also served a community-building role on her team, encouraging collaboration and drawing from her teammate’s strengths. As evidence of her exceptional leadership abilities, Thomas’ team was recognised for spirit, professionalism, teamwork, and engagement in their 2024 robotics competition. Then, in 2025, they were recognized for connecting with the local STEM community.

As a self-identifying community citizen, Thomas’ ability to turn her passions into community initiatives is one of her greatest strengths. For instance, at Balmoral Hall she produced several videos to express her appreciation for high school robotics, including an entire documentary on the subject. She also employed her skillset as a member of the stage crew for her school musical, helping to design props and sets. In the wider community, she put her technical expertise to use by working on the Tech Crew at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Thomas consistently finds ways to transfer her creativity and problem-solving skills from STEM to communities in the arts.

At the University of Manitoba, Thomas intends to build her knowledge in physics, robotics, and computer science, with a special interest in their applications for aerospace engineering. In particular, she is pursuing more energy-efficient and renewable methods of space exploration. As Thomas continues to advance her learning and grow as a leader, UM is proud to support her.

Congratulations, Schulich Leaders! We wish you success in your studies.