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Undergraduate Student Research Competition
Award-winning projects from The Pam and Rolando Del Maestro Family Undergraduate Student Research Competition Awards
The Pam and Rolando Del Maestro Family Undergraduate Student Research Competition Awards
In 2017, the Pam and Rolando Del Maestro Family Undergraduate Student Research Competition Awards were established to promote scientific innovation among Canadian undergraduate students.
Pam and Rolando Del Maestro and Steve Northey co-founded Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada in 1982. Over the years, Pam and Rolando have fostered students in brain tumour research by providing them with varied opportunities to present their ideas and engage with physicians and researchers in neuro-oncology and neuroscience.
This competition provides students with the opportunity to present their work to an audience of scientists, researchers and health-care professionals, with a focus on topics relevant to the brain tumour research community.
Participants develop a research proposal, refine their presentation skills, and receive valuable feedback from a panel of professionals. The event also offers opportunities for networking, raising awareness and engaging with the broader brain tumour community.
2025 Student Research Competition
This year, Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada received letters of intent from students at leading institutions across the country, including the University of Guelph, McGill University, Université de Montréal, McMaster University, Université de Sherbrooke, Western University and the University of Toronto.
Six projects were selected to advance and present at the 2025 Student Research Competition, held on Saturday, September 27. During the judges’ deliberation, participants heard from Dr. Lauren Westhaver, a 2025 Fellowship recipient from Dalhousie University, who shared insights into her research on distinguishing pseudoprogression from true progression in glioblastoma patients.
Watch the 2025 Presentation
Thank you to all the teams who submitted letters of intent, and to those selected to present at this year’s Student Research Competition. We look forward to seeing your names again in future research opportunities. Congratulations to our 2025 winning teams!
2025 Student Research Competition Results
First Place: McMaster University
This year’s competition winners are Veer Chowdhary and Vani Chowdhary from McMaster University.
Their presentation, “Dual-Pronged Immunotherapy: An Experimental Intervention For Pediatric H3 G34 Gliomas,” earned them first place and a $1,000 prize.
Second Place: McMaster University
McMaster University’s Frass Chaudhary and Hamza Naqvi secured second place with their presentation.
Their presentation, “Integrating Single-Nucleus RNA Sequencing to Guide Receptor-Based Combination,” which earned them second prize and a $750 award.
Third Place: University of Calgary
The team of Omar Negmeldin, Zehaan Walji, Reynash Badhwar and Meherab Ali placed third in the competition.
Their research presentation, “Explainable, Multimodal Machine Learning to Guide Personalized Therapy in Pediatric H3 G34-Mutant Diffuse Hemispheric Gliomas,” earned them third prize and $500.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Student Research Competition please contact:
Susan Ruypers
Manager of Mission Support and Resources
sruypers@braintumour.ca
1-800-265-5106 ext. 240