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The University of Winnipeg

Research in Focus 2025 Winners

Grand Prize Winner

A person in a mask and plastic protective suit is covered in fluorescent powder, which is glowing under an ultraviolet light

Title: Ultraviolet Glow-Up
By: Malcolm Reimer
Description: A luminous, ghostly figure emerges from the night! After a long session of brushing ultraviolet-fluorescent powder onto endangered bats, our protective gear was lit up like a glow bowling alley. As the bats fly to their summer roosts, they shed the powder, helping us track their movements.

Artistry in Research - Winner


Northern Lights illuminating the sky over a dark forest, taken during nocturnal bat research.

Title: Under Aurora's Watch: A Night with Bats
By: Anouska Agarwal
Description: This photograph was captured during my fieldwork studying the little brown bats. While I was busy capturing bats, nature decided to put on a show of its own with the Northern Lights. Moments like these remind me why I love fieldwork - sometimes you get more than just data.

Artistry in Research - Runner-Up


Bird's eye view of The Quad covered in snow. An abstract silhouette shaped like a leaf prominently visible. Black and white.

Title: The Quad
By: Joffrey Abainza
Description:
Sometimes, all we need is to slow down. Pause. Be present.
To gain a different perspective.
To see the beauty that was there all along.

Community Catalysts - Winner


Photo of a small bamboo basket with dried fish in it.

Title: Dried Fish For Life! 
By: Mohammad Anas Shoebullah Khan
Description: This photo shows dried fish in a bamboo basket in an Adivasi household in Gujarat, India. For the Adivasis, dried fish holds cultural value especially during 'Panchora' ceremony, where a newborn is named by the village midwife. A feast with dried fish follows, symbolizing its role in celebrating new life.

Community Catalysts - Runner-Up


A Canada goose swims on a calm body of water, with gentle ripples surrounding it.

Title: Migration in Motion: Geese at Fort Whyte Alive
By: Allyza Tabirara
Description: Observing geese during migration at Fort Whyte Alive, Manitoba, reveals key animal behaviors such as flight patterns, coordination, and energy conservation. These behaviors are essential for survival and long-distance migration, highlighting instincts and learned strategies critical to navigating their environment and ensuring successful migration

Faces of Discovery - Winner


A person in a mask and plastic protective suit is covered in fluorescent powder, which is glowing under an ultraviolet light.

Title: Ultraviolet Glow-Up
By: Malcolm Reimer
Description: A luminous, ghostly figure emerges from the night! After a long session of brushing ultraviolet-fluorescent powder onto endangered bats, our protective gear was lit up like a glow bowling alley. As the bats fly to their summer roosts, they shed the powder, helping us track their movements.

Faces of Discovery - Runner-Up


A man is drying fish on ropes tied to poles.

Title: Strings of Sight: Seeing Life Through Fish Drying Racks
By: Mohammad Anas Shoebullah Khan
Description of photo: This photo shows a fishworker drying fish under the sun in Nargol, Gujarat, India. During peak fishing season, they spend 8-10 hours in the fish drying yards. My research examines human rights issues in their daily struggles as they navigate life between the fish drying racks.

Framing Fieldwork - Winner

The picture shows the bubbles of air that formed on the detector each make a lens that views several of the photosensor modules inside the detector.

Title: Air lenses underwater
By: Blair Jamieson
Description of photo: This photo is from one of eight underwater cameras built at the University of Winnipeg and installed on the CERN Water Cherenkov Test Experiment.  The photo is from the first week with water in the experiment when an air leak into the detector was being fixed. The larger bubbles of air that formed on the detector each make a lens that views several of the photosensor modules inside the detector. 

Framing Fieldwork - Runner-up


Two people carrying a big bamboo basket together with boats in the background

Title: Beyond the Boat: All Hands Off Deck
By: Mohammad Anas Shoebullah Khan
Description: This photo depicts fishworkers in Nargol, India, unloading the day's catch from a boat. They are not part of the fishing crew but are solely responsible for unloading once the boat docks. My research examines the human rights challenges affecting the lives and livelihoods of post-harvest fishworkers.

Framing Fieldwork - Runner-Up


A coloured photo of a large ship with light contrast making in appear shadowed In the background a beautiful sunrise with mist hovering over the water

Title: A Fishermans Morning
By: Riley Versluis
Description: A fisheries focused research vessel. The photo showcases a sunrise of the M.V NAMAO in the north basin of Lake Winnipeg. Riley a Masters student in Dr. Caleb Hasler Fish Biology & Conservation Lab has the lead scientist onboard the ship for the past 2 summers.

Powered Perception - Winner

The microscopic image displays a stained section of a joint consisting of connective tissues and bone, which have taken on red, blue, and purple tones

Title: Valley of the Joint
By: Emily Fedora
Description: A microscopic image of a stained joint with connective tissue and bone resembles a bird's-eye view of flowing streams, mountains, and trees in a valley. Taken during my Zeiss Zen microscopy training for a research project, this image serves as a reminder that nature's beauty can be found within.

Powered Perception - Runner-Up


A microscope view of human liver cells exposed to a harmful chemical contaminant. The cells appear irregular in shape

Title: A Toxic Glimpse: The Fate of Liver Cells Under Chemical Stress
By: Chathuri Mudalige
Description: Under the microscope, a hidden battle unfolds—human liver cells exposed to a harmful chemical contaminant. As toxicity takes its toll, RNA sequencing deciphers gene expression changes. These insights help define safe chemical exposure levels, assess environmental risks, shape regulatory decisions, and reduce reliance on animal testing.

Best Description - Winner


A person in a mask and plastic protective suit is covered in fluorescent powder, which is glowing under an ultraviolet light.

Title: Ultraviolet Glow-Up
By: Malcolm Reimer
Description: A luminous, ghostly figure emerges from the night! After a long session of brushing ultraviolet-fluorescent powder onto endangered bats, our protective gear was lit up like a glow bowling alley. As the bats fly to their summer roosts, they shed the powder, helping us track their movements.

Viewer’s Choice - Winner


A microscope view of human liver cells exposed to a harmful chemical contaminant. The cells appear irregular in shape

Title: A Toxic Glimpse: The Fate of Liver Cells Under Chemical Stress
By: Chathuri Mudalige
Description: Under the microscope, a hidden battle unfolds—human liver cells exposed to a harmful chemical contaminant. As toxicity takes its toll, RNA sequencing deciphers gene expression changes. These insights help define safe chemical exposure levels, assess environmental risks, shape regulatory decisions, and reduce reliance on animal testing.