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Academic, Creative and Engaged Research Showcase (ACERS)
The Academic, Creative and Engaged Research Showcase (ACERS) at Laurier Brantford recognizes student and faculty research, showcases creative projects by our students, and provides learning experiences for the general public and for the Laurier community.
The showcase provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to present their work to their peers and community – and potentially win some prizes for it! Students can be nominated by faculty members but they are also welcome to self-nominate.
ACERS Events
ACERS features a variety of events to bring together our community in a discussion and appreciation of research.
Creativity and Engagement Expo
The Creativity and Engagement Expo features presentations of students' creative and engaged projects, including posters, visual arts, multimedia and recorded performances.
Feature Conferences
Every year there is a mini-conference on a hot topic, which provides a wonderful opportunity for students to learn about and discuss current issues and trends in contemporary society.
Undergraduate Research and Project Showcase
The Undergraduate Research Academic Display Expo showcases some of the best research produced by our undergraduate students via academic posters. Every year we award the top three research projects of the competition.
Project Competition Winners
View the full 2023 showcase online!
First Place Poster: Experiences with Transgender Youth Within Shelter Systems by Mandy O'Brecht
First Place Podcast: The Road not Taken: Canada’s Response to Harvard College v. Canada (Commissioner of Patents) by Jeremy Vyn
First Place Video: Mutli-Sensory Stylus for Accessible Digital Interactions by Clayton Harding
Second Place Overall: Introduction to Design Thinking Through Gamification by Mya Certossi
Third Place Overall: Probing for Extracellular Vesicles in Biofluids to Assist Police Probes: A Novel Forensic Approach in Criminalistics by Margaret Empke
Early Year Researcher Award: Honour Killings In Jordan: Observing the Phenomenon Through a Human Rights Lens by Domonique Shantz
Honourable Mentions:
Loomings: A Virtual Gallery by Monica Van Ittersum
The Varicella Zoster Virus by Angel Wells
Healthy Eating and Students in Residence by Melissa Handford, Sierra Mihalco, Alexis Varela
Parentification is Trauma by Olivia Condlln-Wilby
A Deeper Look Into Maple Syrup Urine Disease by Aidan Shaw
View the full 2022 showcase online!
First Place Poster: Exploratory Evaluation of a Tablet-Based Tool to Detect Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults by Wei Pang
First Place Podcast: Supporting the Bisexual Community at Wilfrid Laurier University by Kaylyn Heine and Gracie Markle
First Place Video: Mitigating Toxic Behaviours in Overwatch by Celine Taillefer
Second Place Overall: SafeSpace by Julia Brookshaw, Marissa McCready, and Kelly Tarr
Third Place Overall: Children's Interpretation of Others' Faces Covered with Medical Masks by Sevval Cinar
Early Year Researcher Award:Beast of British Columbia by Thomas Heida
Honourable Mentions:
Resources Benefiting Latinas in the Hamilton Area by Denise Fernandez
Door2Door by Samer Hak, Benjamin Hughes, Samuel Robinson, and Nafisa Tasnuva
Mind Numbing Crap: An Activity Book for Youth Experiencing Violence by Megan Barr & Lindsay Dienesch
Current Intimate Partner Violence Screening Tools Prove Ineffective at Assessing Level of Risk Among Women and Girls with Disabilities by Arlina Clements
View the full showcase of projects online.
Posters:
- First Place: Jennifer Kirshenbaum – Improving Adult Sex Offender Rehabilitation with Strength-Based Approaches
- Second Place: Elaheh Sajadi – A Defence of Endocannibalism: Papua New Guinea
- Third Place: Jordan Thielman – Ending Homelessness for Women and Children Affected by Intimate Partner Violence
Podcasts:
- First Place: Gabriela Latta Suazo – Travelling Home
- Second Place: Shona Kinzel – A Resource for Social Workers
- Third Place: Merelle Tadros – Evaluating Moral Transgressions
- Third Place: Sonja Moller – SoulSatisfied
Videos:
- First Place: James Gautrey – Psychological Horror in Video Games
- First Place: Maggie Van Der Sluis – How Joplin’s Treemonisha Challenged Societal and Operatic Norms for Black Culture
- Second Place: Tess Kibzey – ShopSafe: Making Shopping during a Pandemic Easier
- Third Place: Marina Black – A Critical Study on David Bowie’s Authenticity and Blackstar
People’s Choice:
- Yara Khalaf – Effect of Sialic Acid on Cancer Cells
The expo showcased 43 student presenters.
- First Place: Calvin Silverthorne – The Battle of Antietam: An Examination of Three Perspectives
- Second Place: Rodina Ghisyawan and Vanita Lad – “Johnny Gets a Vaccine”: A Children’s Comic Book
- Third Place: Amy Rico – Is Western Opposition to Female Genital Cutting Unjustifiably Biased?
Watch the 2020 Showcase
The expo showcased 44 student presenters.
- First place: Erin McHarge, Legally Bound: Non-Normative Gender and Identification
- Second place: Megan Blair, Indigenous Activism in Canada, 1969-1982
- Third place: Anitra Nickel, 1990 Crime Culture and 2018 Foreign Fighter Recruitment in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Watch the 2019 Showcase
The expo showcased 35 academic posters by 47 students.
- First Place: Lindsay Walsh, Michelle Bisaillon and Makela Figueiredo, "Windshield Survey: Downtown Galt Ontario"
- Second Place: Erin McHarge, "Transgenderism During the Rise of Nazi Germany"
- Third Place: Cassandra Voets, Avril De Silva, Alexa Kovacs, O'Shai Jeffers-Penny and Jonathan Knowles, "Therapeutic Recreation at Landsdowne Children's Centre"
Contact Us:
Academic, Creative and Engaged Research Showcase
E: acers@wlu.ca
Past Showcases
Check out our Showcase Archive to explore the videos, podcasts and posters created by students in previous years.