2016 Award Recipients
As this academic year comes to an end, it is our pleasure to announce the recipients of The President’s Award for Excellence in Student Leadership for 2016. This award was established in 2008 to recognize exceptional students who have a record of academic achievement, consistently demonstrate leadership, and make significant contributions to our community.
Douglas Kondro, Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
As part of a summer research project, Douglas developed prostheses for an abandoned rooster who lost his toes due to frostbite. This story appeared on the local news, and was featured on the Discovery Channel. Douglas also played a lead role in a human surgical simulator project to train incoming intern students on lab equipment. His research experience resulted in a business opportunity and further research possibilities. In his short academic career, Douglas has been part of three academic studies related to biomedical discoveries. He also organized and taught several labs including an additive manufacturing lab and a microfluidics lab.
In 2015, Douglas had the opportunity to volunteer with Homes for Hope in Tijuana, Mexico, where he and a group of 30 University of Calgary students built a house for a local family. He also spent a year as an engineering intern working in Switzerland in a multi-lingual environment. For the past five years, Douglas was a member of the Dinos cross-country and track and field teams and he received the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Academic All-Canadian award three times.