U of G’s co-operative education programs give students real-world work experience that will benefit them in their future careers. And it’s not just students who benefit from our co-op programs. Employers are impressed by our students’ skills, creativity and work ethic.
Each year, U of G celebrates the best and brightest of our co-op students with an award ceremony. This year’s recipients were honoured at the Co-op Awards reception on March 7. Congratulations to this year’s winners!
Michelle Duong, Marketing Management
Co-op Student of the Year (Commerce, Applied Science and Arts)
During her time at RBC, Duong supported the Innovation team, driving awareness and branding for the team with her marketing skills. She was a key resource for the Agile symposium, designing the space, working with vendors and coordinating the team’s role at the event.
Adesh Kadambi, Biomedical Engineering
Co-op Student of the Year (Engineering)
Over his eight-month term at Massachusetts General Hospital, Kadambi conducted research on mesh electrodes where he improved the methodology for the implant surgical procedure. He also initiated and led a project with a lab in Brazil.
Keefer Rourke, Computer Science
Ian Pavlinic Memorial Award for Innovation – Co-op Student of the Year in Computing
During his time at Left Inc., 2018 recipient Keefer Rourke, enabled collaboration, encouraged best practices through security and documentation, and set up efficiency through automation.
Stephanie Wong, Food Science
Co-op Student of the Year (Biological, Physical and Environmental Science)
As a member of the R&D team at Puratos Canada, Stephanie Wong was responsible for the planning, execution and approval of 15 product reformulations.
Madeline Gabriel, Software Engineering
Collin Cureatz Memorial Award for Co-op Student Involvement
Madeline Gabriel has significantly contributed to U of G through her involvement as a peer helper in Learning Services, a note taker for Student Accessibility Services, and her participation in University recruitment events, tech community meet-ups and conferences.
Canadian Wildlife Services – Environment and Climate Change Canada
National Co-op Employer of the Year Award
Computer science co-op student Brandon Edwards nominated the Canadian Wildlife Services (CWS) division for the efforts they took in supporting Edwards’s interest in ornithology. In addition to being tasked with model testing the leadership team at CWS trusted Edwards to lead an additional project that the division will use to help with statistical analysis of breeding-bird survey data.
Linamar Corporation
Guelph Co-op Employer of the Year Award
Nominated by engineering systems and computing co-op student Mitchell Kent, Larry Walsh and his team at the Linamar Innovation Hub provided Kent with the opportunity to develop skills in machine design, automation and control systems. Kent also worked on a project to develop and launch an automated monitoring system for the factory floor. Linamar has been an outstanding supporter of U of G’s co-op program, employing close to 50 students each year.
More details on each winner’s accomplishments are available on the Co-operative Education and Career Services website.
Learn more about co-operative education at the University of Guelph at www.uoguelph.ca/coop.