Business
Ms. Bianca Curutan
Ms. Bianca Curutan has been selected as the Gold Business Winner of the RBC Royal Bank Scholarship for Undergraduates. She is currently working towards an Honours Bachelor of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. Her fields of study are Mathematics and Business Administration, with a Systems Management option.
Ms. Curutan is currently planning a career in international business that affords her the opportunity to travel and learn about different cultures and their ways of doing business. As a Business Administration student, she is driven by the desire to identify and respond to needs in the marketplace. To that end, she has developed a business plan for a Website that would allow students to purchase online versions of textbooks for the length of an academic term. Working with textbook publishers, this Website would enforce strict limits on access to ensure that books would only be available to the purchaser. This innovation would lower costs for students, provide convenient access to textbooks, and save paper. Winning the RBC Award was “a great feeling” for Ms. Curutan, and she is very pleased to have been selected from the many other candidates vying for the award.
Mr. Mark Cicero
Mr. Mark Cicero has been selected as the Silver Business Winner of the RBC Royal Bank Scholarship for Undergraduates. He is currently working towards a Bachelor of Engineering Science at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. His Field of study is Integrated Engineering, a multidisciplinary type of engineering with a focus on design and the use of emerging technologies.
Mr. Cicero plans to follow up his Engineering degree with a degree in Medicine. He plans to specialize in cardiac surgery or neurosurgery, and will use his technical knowledge to design the new tools and equipment he will need as a surgeon. He is currently developing a method of reducing safety hazards in the workplace called Safety Management Audit Training (SMAT), which will empower workers to come up with their own solutions to safety issues and create an open dialogue about them. Mr. Cicero is very grateful for the award for recognizing innovation and for giving him “the encouragement to pursue change in the world around [him].”
Ms. Nadine Zabder
Ms. Nadine Zabder has been selected as the Bronze Business Winner of the RBC Royal Bank Scholarship for Undergraduates. She is currently working towards a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Biology at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario.
After completing her Bachelor’s degree, Ms. Zabder plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Animal Nutrition or Meat Science. She is planning a career working with an agricultural nutrition company. Ms. Zabder is currently studying ways to use infrared cameras in poultry abattoirs to assess the girth, length and proportions of each bird so that the equipment along the processing line can be adjusted to each chicken. This innovation would result in greater efficiencies in meat processing and more humane slaughtering techniques. Ms. Zabder is “absolutely honoured to win this award, and pleased to see that the Royal Bank continues to support innovation in Canada’s agricultural industry.”
Science
Mr. Dustin Hughes
Mr. Dustin Hughes has been selected as the Gold Science Winner of the RBC Royal Bank Scholarship for Undergraduates. He is currently working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Science, with a specialty in Biochemical Engineering, and an Honours degree in Business Administration at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario.
Mr. Hughes is currently planning a career in engineering supply distribution. He loves the constantly expanding and developing field of engineering, and the potential for new advancements in the field to lead to further meaningful discoveries. His instinct to question all that is around him has led him to develop an idea for improving the efficiency of our century-old sewage abatement technology. He suggests integrating new science – like biological fuel cells, thermoacoustic heat pumps, simple bacteria and fluid turbines – to refine current waste abatement technologies, decrease carbon emissions, and increase the number of useful by-products. Mr. Hughes is ecstatic to have received this scholarship. He believes that awards like these “help to encourage young Canadians to think big and demonstrate that there are individuals who appreciate and recognize their dream for a better future.”
Mr. Taylor Moffat
Mr. Taylor Moffat has been selected as the Silver Science Winner of the RBC Royal Bank Scholarship for Undergraduates. He is currently pursuing an Honours Bachelor of Science Degree in Life Science and a Diploma in X-ray Technology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
Mr. Moffat is planning a career as an oncologist and hopes to help develop new radiation therapies and treatments. He is currently developing plans to create a software program that tracks the status and progress of heart disease patients in hopes to prevent further attacks or death. The software would provide an at-home monitoring tool to help patients assess their condition and determine if they require medical help. This innovation would reduce strain on the current health care system by decreasing the number of doctor visits for heart disease patients. It would also help researchers collect data on which therapies and pharmacologic treatments are most effective. Mr. Moffat is grateful for the award and “thankful for this opportunity to further expand [his] education, interests, and self-development.”
Mr. Matthew Lytwyn
Mr. Matthew Lytwyn has been selected as the Bronze Science Winner of the RBC Royal Bank Scholarship for Undergraduates. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Mr. Lytwyn plans to attend medical school and then begin a career as a neurologist with a specialty in neurological imaging. He is currently studying ways to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to predict organ failure by detecting increases in the blood flow to certain areas of the brain that occur when cells are damaged. By predicting organ failure, ailments can be treated sooner and the need for organ transplants and donations may be reduced. Mr. Lytwyn cited Robert Frost to sum up his experiences as a student and RBC Award winner: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I chose the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”
Visual Arts
Ms. Paisley Smith
Ms. Paisley Smith has been selected as the Gold Arts Winner of the RBC Royal Bank Scholarship for Undergraduates. She is currently working towards a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in Film Studies, with a minor in Art History at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
Ms. Smith is planning a career as a documentary filmmaker. To that end, she intends to pursue a Master’s degree in Documentary Production from Stanford University after completing her Bachelor’s degree. Ms. Smith is currently developing a method to use existing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to present visitors to a city with information about significant public art and architecture. Her proposal involves embedding RFID transponder technology in clearly accessible points. Cell phone users would point at the transponder and receive a text message detailing artist/architect, date, title, art movement, style and medium. This innovation would create a limitless city “gallery”. This scholarship win has been “amazing” for Ms. Smith, and proves to her that her “sometimes crazy thinking can be welcomed and supported.”
Mr. Francisco Fernando Granados
Mr. Francisco Fernando Granados has been selected as the Silver Arts Winner of the RBC Royal Bank Scholarship for Undergraduates. He is currently working towards a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Emily Carr University in Vancouver, British Columbia. His multidisciplinary education includes performance, video, installation, drawing, printmaking, cultural theory and contemporary philosophy.
Mr. Granados loves the arts field because of the potential it offers to generate understanding across different perspectives and cultures. He is driven by a strong desire to contribute to the development and capacity building of immigrant and refugee youth communities through artistic expression. His career goals include working as a community developer in a position where he can incorporate his artistic practice. As part of his larger goals, he has developed an idea to create community spaces where young newcomers to Canada can come together to create artistic works that will open up dialogue with others and help them integrate into their local communities. He believes that such a space will help new Canadians build confidence and feel that they are making a contribution to their communities. Mr. Granados is “incredibly grateful” for this award.
Mr. Corbin Smith
Mr. Corbin Smith has been selected as the Bronze Arts Winner of the RBC Royal Bank Scholarship for Undergraduates. He is currently working towards an Honours Bachelor of Applied Arts and an Advanced Diploma in Creative Photography at the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto, Ontario. He is enrolled in the Image Arts stream of the Media Studies Program.
Mr. Smith loves the visual arts field because it allows him to express himself creatively through different media. He is seeking a career that enables him to use both his creative and technical talents. His next goal is to create a book about what “Canadian” means. To answer this question, he will traverse the country over the course of five months, producing a combination photo-journal and academic research paper that will help define the collective Canadian identity of today. Mr. Smith is “ecstatic” to have won this award, and is grateful that the “corporate world is willing to aid our youngest and most creative minds” as they pursue their post-secondary education.
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