About the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference
The Multipdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conferencce (MURC) is a conference for UBC undergraduate students to showcase their research in front of their fellow UBC students, family, and friends. Researchers may choose one of two formats to showcase their research: presentation or poster.
Any UBC undergraduate student who is participating in, or has completed, their own UBC Faculty-supervised research project can apply to present at Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference (MURC). All Faculties and Schools are welcome. Find more details on presenting at MURC.
Conference Schedule
Saturday, March 20, 2021
Time (PDT)
Session
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Opening Keynote
10:30 AM - 11:45 M
Wave 1 - Oral and Poster Presentations
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Health & Wellness Panel Session
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM
Wave 2 - Oral and Poster Presentations
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Ask Me Anything Session:
Breaking into Research
4:30 PM - 5:45 PM
Wave 3 - Oral and Poster Presentations
6:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Ask Me Anything Session:
Research & Post-Grad Opportunities
7:00 PM - 8:15 PM
Wave 4 - Oral and Poster Presentations
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Start Time (PDT)
Session
7:00 AM - 8:15 AM
Wave 5 - Oral and Poster Presentations
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Ask Me Anything Session:
Research & Real-World Impact
9:30 PM - 10:30 AM
Education & Technology Panel
11:00 PM - 12:15 PM
Wave 6 - Oral and Poster Presentations
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Research Trivia
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM
Wave 7 - Oral and Poster Presentations
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Ask Me Anything Session:
Research & into the Future
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM
Applying to Graduate School Workshop
5:30 PM - 6:45 PM
Wave 8 - Oral and Poster Presentations
Conference Programming
Opening Keynote - Dr. Kai Chan
Saturday, March 20 | 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM (PDT)
Kai Chan is a professor at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia. Kai is an interdisciplinary, problem-oriented sustainability scientist, trained in ecology, policy, and ethics from Princeton and Stanford Universities. He strives to understand how social-ecological systems can be transformed to be both better and wilder.
Health & Wellness Panel Session Saturday, March 20, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM (PDT)
The aim of this panel is to spark a dialogue on improving general health and well-being across a broad range of communities. Under this lens, panelists will highlight the factors that contribute to and hinder the well-being of various populations, and how research could contribute to bettering life.
Courtney van Ballegooie is a fourth year PhD student in the Department of Medicine at the BC Cancer Research Institute. Her research focuses on how external energy sources in the clinic, such as X-rays, can be used to trigger localized drug release in nanoparticle based cancer treatments. Outside of the lab, Courtney is involved in student advocacy and well-being in her roles as the Faculty of Medicine and Interdisciplinary Oncology Program Graduate Representative, and Graduate Student and Post Doctoral Society Wellness Coordinator.
Dr. Theresa Pauly
Dr. Theresa Pauly is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Zurich. Her research focuses on social health science across the adult life span. She is particularly interested in finding answers to the question how social relationships get under the skin. To do so, she uses an interdisciplinary approach focusing on health behaviors and health biomarkers (e.g., cortisol). She combines intensive longitudinal methods with the analysis of longer-term trajectories to better understand social determinants of health and well-being in adulthood and old age.
Education & Technology Panel Session Sunday, March 21 | 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM (PDT)
The aim of this panel is to spark a discussion on how technology has transformed different fields and made an impact on society, as well as the implications of these effects. Panelists will share how they envision their work to impact students, the community they study, and future experts in their fields of work.
Panelists:
Dr. Cinda Heeren
Cinda Heeren is an Associate Professor of Teaching and Associate Head for Undergrad in the UBC Department of Computer Science. She usually teaches CPSC221 — data structures, and has recently created CPSC203, a new algorithms course for non-CS majors. In her teaching, she recognizes, unequivocally, that diverse voices are the seed of innovation, and she works hard to create learning environments where everyone is heard.
Dr. Farshid Agharebparast
Farshid Agharebparast is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Agharebparast’s teaching interests include computer networking and Internet, computing systems and programming. His current research interests are in the areas of learning technologies, machine learning and engineering education.
Haley Seven Deers
Haley is a first year History MA student at UBC. Her research concentrates on modern histories of medicine, science and gender. She previously worked on a project that digitally mapped global negative heritage sites and investigated digital technologies as a conservation strategy for cultural heritage.
Jordan Joseph Wadden
Jordan is a Ph.D candidate in the Department of Philosophy at UBC and is a clinical ethics fellow for the Provincial Health Service Authority. His research interests are in biomedical ethics, clinical ethics, and technology ethics. His SSHRC funded research focuses on determining ethically permissible applications of artificial intelligence in healthcare settings, particularly regarding the potential benefits and harms of autonomous AI decision-makers.
Ask Me Anything (AMA) Sessions
The Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions provide delegates and presenters a chance to connect with graduate student representatives (GSR) and to ask any burning questions they may have about breaking into research, post-graduate opportunities, and more.
Dentiza Dramkin
AMA: Breaking into Research
Saturday, March 20 | 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM (PDT)
Graduate Student Representative: Dentiza Dramkin
Denitza (Denny) is a third year PhD student in Developmental Psychology at UBC. Her work primarily focuses on understanding how we link language to our rich perceptual representations, including how children attach number words to their intuitive perception of quantity. Her work integrates perspectives from developmental and cognitive psychology, vision sciences, and computational methods to explore the puzzle how language shapes and enriches our abilities to reason about the information within our complex world.
Nathan Seef
AMA: Research & Post-Grad Opportunities
Saturday, March 20 | 6:00 PM - 6:30 PM (PDT)
Graduate Student Representative: Nathan Seef
Nathan graduated from UBC in 2018 with a Masters in Public Policy and Global Affairs. Following graduation, he worked with Natural Resources Canada as a policy analyst specialising in trade and investment in Canada’s clean energy sector. Nathan is now a Policy Advisor with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat supporting the Federal government’s implementation of policies and programs related to Canada’s new Climate Plan.
Lauren Stankiewicz
AMA: Research & Real-World Impact
Sunday, March 21 | 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM (PDT)
Laura graduated from Chemical Engineering at Queen's University in 2019 and is currently working on her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at UBC. Her research focuses on learning how immune cells are trained during their development, and how we can use this information to make immune cells in the lab that can be engineered to kill cancer cells. In her spare time you can find Laura outdoors chasing sunlight on mountain hikes and morning rows.
Maunish Barvalia
AMA: Research & into the Future
Sunday, March 21 | 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM (PDT)
Graduate Student Representative: Maunish Barvalia
Maunish Barvalia obtained a B.Tech (Hons.) in Biotechnology from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in 2015 and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia, under the supervision of Dr. Kenneth Harder. For his PhD thesis, Maunish is using systems immunology approaches such as mass cytometry (CyTOF), single cell RNA-sequencing and CITE-seq to comprehensively profile the myeloid compartment under homeostasis and in various disease contexts. Using this approach, he has found marked heterogeneity in myeloid cells and identified novel perturbation states in Lyn deficiency and colorectal cancer. Building up on his training in single cell biology, Maunish plans to use cutting edge technologies and develop a career in the realm of precision medicine. Outside of research, Maunish greatly enjoys running and playing basketball.
Workshop
Applying to Graduate School Workshop
Sunday, March 21 | 4:15 PM - 5:15 PM (PDT)
Interested in applying to graduate or professional programs? This workshop will cover some of the major aspects of the graduate school application process, including identifying a program and finding a supervisor, asking for reference letters, and putting together a statement of intent. The workshop will be facilitated by Danielle Barkley, who is the Graduate Career Educator at the Centre for Student Involvement and Careers.
Facilitator: Danielle Barkley, PhD
Danielle Barkley, PhD, is a Career Educator who works with the Centre for Student Involvement and Careers to support graduate students at UBC. She completed her PhD in English literature at McGill University and has previous experience as a university instructor and writing consultant.
Research Trivia
Sunday, March 21 | 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM (PDT)
Take a break from presentations and programming, and join us for our MURC 2021 Research Trivia session! Test your knowledge on categories ranging from research methods and prominent researchers, to social issues and big discoveries in different fields of research. The winner will receive a $25 e-gift card! This event is open to all delegates or presenters.
