Thanks to the generous support of funders, individual donors, and continued investment from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. CROSH student members can apply for a number of awards.

The 2024/2025 Graduate Student Awards have been awarded! Scroll down to learn about the award winners. Applications for the 2025/2025 Graduate Student Awards will be announced in fall 2025. To get an idea about possible awards and eligibility, you can download the application for the 2024-2025 graduate student awards.

The application period for the Leo Gerard Workplace Undergraduate Scholarship closed on February 28, 2025. Stay tuned for potential future application opportunities. To learn about eligibility, etc., you can  download the application for the 2024-2025 undergraduate student awards.

Congratulations to our 2024/2025 CROSH Graduate Student Award winners!

Sharmin Akter

Dr. Fergal Nolan Radiation Award ($3,600)

“Examining the Role of Carotenoids and Retinoids in Modulating Cellular Response to Oxidative Stress: An Evidence-Based Approach”

Sharmin is a masters student in Chemical Sciences. Her thesis, “Examining the Role of Carotenoids and Retinoids in Modulating Cellular Response to Oxidative Stress: An Evidence-Based Approach,” focuses on understanding how these bioactive compounds influence cellular mechanisms to combat oxidative stress. Oxidative stress, often caused by environmental and occupational exposures, is a critical factor in the development of chronic diseases and aging.

The aim of her research is to identify how carotenoids and retinoids can enhance cellular resilience against oxidative damage, mitigate inflammation, and improve overall cellular health. These findings could inform dietary recommendations or the development of supplements tailored to reduce the health risks associated with oxidative stress.

This research has direct implications for the health and safety of Northern Ontario workers, particularly those in industries such as mining and forestry, where exposure to oxidative stress-inducing factors like heavy metals, dust, and radiation is common. By promoting cellular protection strategies, my work aims to contribute to reducing occupational health risks, enhancing worker well-being, and fostering a healthier workforce in the region

Brianna Brohm

William Shaver Masters Scholarship ($5,000)

“Ontario Mine Rescue Personnels’ Experience with Critical Incident Exposure: Perceptions of Current Post-Incident Supports”

Brianna is doing her Masters of Social Work. The mining industry is considered a high health risk occupation that adopts a variety of safety practices to mitigate hazards and risks in the workplace. While occupational health and safety performance has a variance between economic sectors within countries, statistical data indicates mining as one of the occupations with the highest work-related deaths worldwide. In Canada, data between 2012 and 2021, the most recent year for which the data is available, shows a fatality decline of 23%.

Despite these advancements in physical safety, critical incident supports for mine rescue personnel remains an underexplored area. Brianna’s research investigates Ontario Mine Rescue (OMR) personnels’ perspectives and experiences of critical incident (CI) supports and services to gain insight into their respective effectiveness and accessibility. This research will also identify opportunities for organizational improvements to better support these emergency personnel.

Currently, the support mechanisms that are in place for OMR team members include mandatory debriefing after incidents and Critical Incident Stress Management Training for the Ontario Mine Rescue Officers. However, primary responsibility for CI support for the volunteers falls on the individual mining companies. Her research will provide insight into how mine rescue personnel experience current CI resources and will inform potential organizational supports and policies pertaining to CI exposure. Strengthening these support systems will ultimately contribute to a holistically healthier workforce in Ontario’s mine rescue sector.

Aakash Chauhan

William Shaver Masters Scholarship ($5,000)

“Seated Versus Standing Vibration Effects on the Human Foot”

Aakash is a Masters of Applied Science student. His research explores the effects of seated versus standing vibration on the human foot, focusing on understanding how posture influences vibration exposure and potential health risks. This study aims to identify safer working conditions and develop guidelines to protect workers in Northern Ontario industries, such as mining and transportation, from vibration-induced injuries.

Melanie Cloutier

William Shaver Masters Scholarship ($5,000)

Melanie is a Masters of Human Kinetics student. Her research involves evaluating seat adjustment training for heavy equipment operators based on knowledge, behaviours, and self-efficacy. Prolonged sitting in non-neutral postures increases heavy equipment operator’s risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Her research addresses the lack of standardized seat adjustment training in the mining industry by developing a program to enhance operators’ knowledge, proactive behaviours, and confidence in ergonomic adjustments. Grounded in ergonomic principles, the training focuses on reducing vibration exposure and promoting neutral postures. Ultimately, it aims to improve safety and comfort while helping prevent injuries and long-term discomfort associated with prolonged sitting.

Mani Cuza

UA Local 800 Graduate Fellowship ($5,000)

“From Playground to Workplace: Understanding Risky Play’s Role in Occupational Health and Safety”

Mani is a Masters of Human Kinetics student. Her research is looking into the connection between participation and exposure to risky play in childhood and its impact on occupational health and safety later in life. There is a significant gap in literature researching the connection between risky play and occupational health and safety. She is hoping to formulate a theory that will start to close this gap in the research and cultivate a risk mindset in the workplace to enhance occupational safety culture.

Jonah D’Angelo

Acclaim Ability Management Fellowship (Sean Bradley) ($850)

“Exploring the Impact of Early Life Outdoor Experiences on Outdoor Professionals Using Retrospective Methods”

Jonah is in the fourth year of his PhD in Human Kinetics. His research explores the lasting impacts of early outdoor experiences through retrospective research methods applied to outdoor practitioners. This study aims to address three research questions to advance this field of research: (1) What are the current methodologies and suggested best practices for conducting retrospective research in outdoor learning? (2) What are the prominent theoretical frameworks supporting retrospective research in Outdoor Learning? (3) What are the characteristics of early life outdoor experiences that lead to lasting outcomes and motivate the life trajectories of outdoor professionals? The goal of this research project is to provide the framework for future work understanding how outdoor experiences can impact holistic health and be use d a a preventative health tool.

Shaantanu Kulkarni

CROSH Scholarship ($3,000)

“Exploring Media Stories and Narratives in Elite Athlete Motherhood: Synthesis and Self-Portrayals”

Shaantanu is doing his PhD in Human Kinetics. The central aims of his dissertation are to: 1. provide a foundation for media work on motherhood and elite sport that identifies key descriptive features of the shared findings from previous research, and builds on this literature by constructing new narrative themes; 2. examine professional curler mothers’ self-representations regarding sense of community meanings on Instagram after their return to sport, how different sense of community practices are performed, and investigate their implications for the big story narrative.

In study one, he critically explored published media studies on elite athlete mothers (Kulkarni et al., 2024) to summarize the collective findings from the included 15 studies and construct new interpretive knowledge via two narrative themes. From this meta-synthesis some recommendations were made, grounded in the two new narratives of entitlement to impose and maternal activism and the new ethic of care. The relevant ones were to focus on interrogating the relational framing and meanings of motherhood (e.g. belongingness/sense of community) in (team) sport contexts linked to progressive and compatibility related media narratives.

The second study investigated the Instagram visual posts of four Canadian elite curler mothers (Rachel Homan, Kaitlyn Lawes, Jocelyn Peterman, Sarah Wilkes) to understand more about the sense of community meanings and their associations with social change in facilitating the co-existence of motherhood in elite sport cultures, specifically curling. He used a big and small story approach tied to a dialogical narrative analysis (DNA) grounded in relativist narrative inquiry to understand the processes (i.e. how) behind the self-portrayals of belongingness meanings, and their career and life related implications for the curler mothers.

Taylor Lloyd

William Shaver Masters Scholarship ($5,000)

“Heat Stress Evaluation Amongst Underground Mine Workers”

Taylor is a Masters of Human Kinetics student. Her research describes the conditions and physiological effects imposed on underground mine workers in the context of heat stress. Mining is a major industry in Northern Ontario and all underground mine workers will greatly benefit from the outcomes of this study. The goal of her study is to provide information to assist in creating a safer work environment for mine workers.

William Nesbitt

William Shaver Doctoral Scholarship ($5,000)

“From Risk to Recovery: An Evidence-Based Approach to Return-to-Work Across Illness and Injury”

William is in the third year of his PhD in Human Kinetics. His research will contribute to the development of a return-to-work case management guide. This case management guide may inform treatment strategies for injured/ill workers while also identifying those at risk of a long-term absence ensuring that they receive appropriate levels of support. This is of great relevance to workers in Northern Ontario where disability claimants are 16% less likely to make a successful return-to-work in comparison to their Southern Ontario counterparts.

Dawson O’Hara

William Shaver Masters Scholarship ($5,000)

Elmira Saffavarkiani

CROSH Scholarship ($3,000)

“Predicting Air Quality Using Machine Learning: Integrating Regional and Private Sensor Data from Ontario and Sudbury”

Elmira recently completed her Masters in Computational Sciences. Her research focuses on leveraging machine learning to predict air quality, with a particular emphasis on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and other pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide/nitrogen oxides (NO2/NOx) and ground-level ozone (O3). By analyzing historical air quality data from Ontario and Sudbury, including datasets from CROSH, she aims to uncover patterns and develop forecasting models. These insights can help improve public health and safety by providing actionable information to environmental agencies and the public, supporting proactive pollution management and activity planning for Northern Ontario communities.

Aysa Samareh

United Steelworkers Scholarship ($1,000)

“Development of New Particles’ Concentration and Sizing Measurement Techniques”

Aysa is graduate student in Applied Engineering Science. Her research aims to develop a simplified, cost-effective method for measuring airborne particles’ size, velocity, and concentration in industrial settings. This advancement can benefit the health and safety of Northern Ontario workers by improving dust monitoring in mining environments, reducing exposure risks, and enhancing overall workplace safety.

Parastou Zerang

CROSH Scholarship ($3,000)

“Using the Behavioural Change Wheel to Develop a Health Promotion Intervention at The Workplace With Consideration of the Effect of Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)”

Parastou is a PhD Candidate in Human Kinetics. Her research aims to first, review and examine how personal history, including baseline health and weight loss history, can be used to create a behavioural change health intervention in the workplace. And then to design a health promotion intervention that aims to change Physical activity and eating behaviours at a Northern University.

• United Steelworkers Undergraduate Award ($1,000): Taryn Thompson
• Steelworkers Graduate Scholarship ($1,000 United): Rebecca Bond
• CROSH Human Factors and Ergonomics Entrance Scholarship ($3,000): Adam Graham
• CROSH Human Factors and Ergonomics Fellowship ($3,000): Rebecca Bond
• CROSH Occupational Health and Wellness Fellowship ($3,000): Oghenefego Akpomi-Eferakeya
• CROSH Occupational Health and Wellness Fellowship ($3,000): Disal Wickramasinghe
• CROSH Occupational Physiology and Environment Fellowship ($3,000): Parastou Zerang
• CROSH Occupational Physiology and Environment Fellowship ($3,000): Azin Zargham

• Mega Comfort Award ($500): Oghenefego Akpomi-Eferakeya
• Sudbury Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers’
• Union Local 598/Unifor ($2,500): Oghenefego Akpomi-Eferakeya
• UA Local 800 Graduate Fellowship Award ($5000): Parastou Zerangsangarolia
• William Shaver Master’s in Mining Occupational Health and Safety ($5000): Josée Cormier
• William Shaver Doctoral in Mining Occupational Health and Safety ($5000): Emily Tetzlaff
• CROSH Occupational Health and Wellness Fellowship ($3000): Caroline Dignard
• CROSH Occupational Physiology and Environment Fellowship ($3000): Nazanin Gholami
• CROSH Occupational Physiology and Environment Entrance Scholarship ($3000): Azin Zargham
• CROSH Human Factors Ergonomics Fellowship ($3000): Disal Wickramasinghe
• Dr. Fergal Nolan Radiation Safety Institute of Canada Graduate Award ($5000): Sherry Mongeau
• United Steelworkers Graduate Scholarship ($1000): Disal Wickramasinghe
• United Steelworkers Undergraduate Scholarship ($1000): Sara Gauthier
• CROSH 4th Year Undergraduate Award ($500): Amanda Dodaro

• UA Local 800 Graduate Fellowship Award ($5000): Oghenefego Akpomi-Eferakeya
• William Shaver Masters in Mining Occupational Health and Safety ($5000): Chelsea Sherrington
• William Shaver Doctoral in Mining Occupational Health and Safety ($5000): Caroline Dignard
• Goodman School of Mines – Masters in Human Kinetics Award ($2500): Josée Bélanger
• CROSH Occupational Health and Wellness (OHW) Fellowship ($3000): Kimberly Friesen
• CROSH Occupational Health and Wellness (OHW) Entrance Scholarship ($3000): Nazanin Gholami
• CROSH Occupational Physiology and Environment (OPE) Fellowship ($3000): Curtis Hancock
• CROSH Occupational Physiology and Environment (OPE) Entrance Scholarship ($3000): Samuel Daoust
• CROSH Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) Fellowship ($3000): Margaret Kanya-Forstner
• CROSH Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) Entrance Scholarship ($3000): Josée Bélanger
• Dr. Fergal Nolan Radiation Safety Institute of Canada Graduate Award ($5000): Sherry Mongeau
• United Steelworkers Graduate Scholarship ($1000): Beau Williams-Orser
• United Steelworkers Undergraduate Scholarship ($1000): Sara Gauthier