Congratulations to our Graduates!

Dear All,

Finishing a university degree is a major accomplishment — congratulations to all of our graduates, and I hope you’ll take a minute to appreciate what you’ve done. The things you’ve learned and done through your degree will come back to you in big and small ways, and as you head out into the world for work, travel, or further study, you’ll be heading out into another part of the Earth and its interconnected systems. It’s been a privilege having you all here with us for these important years of your lives, and we hope to hear from you as you go on to do new things, great things, interesting things, or even funny things.

Best wishes on behalf of the entire Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources!

Undergraduate Medals

University of Manitoba Gold Medal for Highest Standing in the Clayton H. Riddell Faculty:

• Taylor Kauppila. Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Major) Co-op.

Program Medals – Awarded for highest standing in a Clayton H. Riddell Faculty program:

• Honours Degree – Kristo Oktaviano.  Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours)
• Major Degree – Kelsey Manchulenko. Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Major) Co-op.
• General Degree – Wayne Kim. Bachelor of Arts in Geography.

Graduate Awards  

UM Distinguished Master’s Thesis Prize – Emily Thoroski, M.Env. for her thesis titled: “Why do wildlife matter: transforming interview information into music and video to advance environmental conservation.”

Graduate Initiative Prize – for a graduate student who has demonstrated a commitment to voluntary service that has developed, built upon and/or contributed to a local, regional, national, or international initiative that serves the greater good– Alejandra Diabb Sanchez

Karen Palidwor Memorial Fellowship in Forest and Wildlife Management— for a student at the Natural Resources Institute conducting research addressing wildlife/forestry management interaction in Manitoba and working on a thesis project which will result in a practical application of sustainable forest management – Jacob Sawchyn and Meghan Mills

Narratives Legacy Scholarship – for a student who demonstrates a strong commitment to Indigenous research in their pursuit of graduate studies at the Natural Resources Institute, at the University of Manitoba – Kaitlyn Plastino

NRI Scholarship in Energy Research – for a full time student in a Master's or PhD program delivered by the Natural Resources Institute with high academic standing – Parinaz Zadeh

Undergraduate Awards  

Undergraduate Thesis Prize – for the student who has submitted the best undergraduate thesis in the Riddell Faculty – Kailey Carrière, B.Env.Sc. (Hons.) Co-op, 2023-24 and Kendi Dyck, B.Env.Sc. (Hons.) Co-op

Undergraduate Initiative Prize - For a student who has completed at least one year of full-time study in the Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources who has by their efforts and accomplishments developed, built upon, and/or contributed to a local, regional, national, or international initiative that serves the greater good –  Joyce Ji, B.Env.Sc.(Hons.) Co-op

Mark G. Smerchanski Memorial Prize - for a student who has achieved the highest aggregate mark in courses offered by the Department of Geological Sciences – Adam Nykyforak, B.Sc.

Canadian Association of Geographers Undergraduate Award – recognizes academic achievement and outstanding work in the field of geography - Sergiy Myastkivskyy, B.Sc.PhG. (Maj.)

NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards and Undergraduate Research Awards - These awards are intended to stimulate the interest of undergraduate students in research by providing them with valuable experience in a scientific research environment, and to encourage them to undertake graduate studies:

Teaching Awards

Dr. Andrew Frederiksen was selected by Ray Guerard for recognition under the 2024 Students’ Teacher Recognition Program organized by University Teaching Services.  

Award of Excellence for Undergraduate Teaching – Dr. Johny Stephen, Department of Environment & Geography

Award of Excellence for Graduate Teaching – Dr. Nicole Wilson, Department of Environment & Geography

Riddell Faculty Graduate Student Teaching Award – Dr. Brock Edwards, Department of Environment & Geography

Sally and Keith Caldwell Teaching Assistant Fund for outstanding Teaching Assistants in the Department of Earth Sciences:

• Wieland Böhme
• Bruno Costa
• Muditha Goonetilleke
• Ray Guerard
• Jack Mulcahy
• Michael Thompson