2012 Co-op students of the year

2012 Co-op Students of the Year group shot

Nemica Thavarajah

Health Studies, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences

Employer: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

  • Nemica researched radiation therapist’s knowledge of cancer patient’s pain management at Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Center.
  • Research on treatments provided in the RRRP assessing levels of patient care (analyzing over 5,400 patient cases).
  • Publication of manuscript determining radiation therapist’s knowledge of cancer patient’s pain management, the first study of its kind.
  • Involvement in 13 manuscripts (3 of which are first-authored), 12 poster presentations, 5 oral presentations.
Head shot of award winner Nemica Thavarjah

Nemica is a dedicated and conscientious individual who shows integrity in all her work. […] Her research will assist in the development of an educational intervention for radiation therapists which will ultimately improve the efficiency and effectiveness of pain management in cancer patients.

Nemica Thavarajah


Head shot of award winner Akash Kapoor

Akash Kapoor

Accounting and Financial Management, Faculty of Arts

Employer: PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

  • Akash created an Excel workbook to be used all over Canada for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
  • Management of new client’s tax return from conception to end.
  • Creation of Excel workbook for Scientific Research and Experimental Development group that gathers & organizes financial data.
  • This workbook has become a standardized template, to be used by company offices all over Canada.

Akash did a great job with each task he was assigned. He adapted quickly to change, communicated clearly, and was able to explain his rationale and offer insights to improve processes and increase efficiencies. He was open to feedback and able to manage his workload and complete this complex task in a timely manner, even earlier than the timeframe specified.

Monica Sharma


Dominic Toselli

Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering

Employer: Shell Albian Sands

  • Dominic researched faulty heat exchangers, saving Shell Canada $1 million a year.
  • Root Cause Analysis on a costly heat exchanger problem addressing the human error that accounted for 80% of failings.
  • Direct savings of $1 million a year as a result of research.
  • Publication of report in Shell Calgary Research Centre’s global technical library.
Head shot of award winner Dominic Toselli

Dominic took initiative to find answers for the problems he was handed, where not sure he consulted his colleagues, and he handled challenge with appreciation although it sometimes meant longer work hours.

Pieter Lorekkar


Dominique Souris

Head shot of award winner Dominque Souris

Dominique Souris

Environment and Resource Studies, Faculty of Environment

Employer: Ontario Energy Board

  • Dominique trained permanent staff members at the Ontario Energy Board on new presentation software.
  • Introduction of new presentation software to company.
  • Training permanent staff members and designing presentations for senior managers.
  • Expansion of Board’s outreach contacts with cross-province promotional materials and communications with student unions and campus organizations.

Dominique was a pleasure to have on the team. Her enthusiasm, creative energy and initiative will have a lasting impact on the team. [She] not only responded readily to any challenge given, she took on new projects that will improve our work going forward.

Alan Findlay


Henry Shi

Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematics

Employer: Bloomberg

  • Henry developed software for statistical information and analysis at Bloomberg.
  • Creation of uniform interface for baseball scouts to access scouting data for players around the world.
  • Development of suite of tools and reports for a Major League Baseball team that provide statistical information and analysis for pre-game preparation.
  • Research on new implementation of data visualization tools using HTML5 technologies.
Head shot of award winner Henry Shi

Throughout his entire work term, [Henry] showed a level of skill and effort that put him on par with any full-time engineer. Henry continuously exceeded expectations and worked tirelessly dedicating as many hours as were necessary to build the best product possible.

Jordan Sheldon


Head shot of award winner Diljot Chhina

Diljot Chhina

Biotechnology & Economics, Faculty of Science

Employer: Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care

  • Diljot developed an award-nominated Project Management portal for the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.
  • Development and integration of Project Management & Process Improvement Portal used by over 4,000 staff members.
  • Presented to Ugandan Delegation about this portal and the value of online tools within a government setting.
  • This portal was nominated for an Innovation Award with the Ontario Public Service.

[Diljot’s] personal drive to go above and beyond expectations was evident in her willingness to roll up her sleeves, self-educate, and take on tasks outside her skills set. This can-do attitude and drive for excellence was not only a source of motivation for her team, it also earned her the respect of her colleagues.

Marla Krakower