Intern Awards

Thank you to all who attended the 2023 Intern Awards Ceremony!

Every year, we celebrate and recognize the amazing work of student interns working in the Research Park at the annual summer Intern Awards ceremony. This summer, we recognized six of these outstanding interns and one team of interns selected by a deliberation committee on Tuesday, July 25 at the Atkins Patio. 

Winners received trophies commemorating their achievements and are featured in this news article on the Research Park website; a press release will also be sent to local media and campus units.

Award categories are: 

Best Startup Intern

A student in a startup who has developed capabilities as an idea-generator, decision-maker, and team-builder. They help others above and beyond their job description, have a positive mindset, and take ownership of tasks from inception to completion. (Please note that this award is ONLY for interns working at startups – companies with 70 employees or less globally.)

Best Technical Innovation

Any intern who has helped with, independently created or led a team in developing solutions for the betterment of projects, processes, tools, or automation. They perform tasks that are self-driven, like improving the processes, cost savings, improving efficiencies, and using out-of-the-box thinking to solve business problems demonstrated through leadership.

Best Business Innovation

Any intern who has impacted their company through non-technical innovation. Their innovation may have entailed designing and implementing effective workflow processes, building strategic partnerships across industries, discovering new opportunities for company growth, or a project of a different form. No matter the medium of their innovation, their self-motivation, creativity, and leadership push the team and company towards greater success.

Most Outstanding Graduate Student Intern

A graduate student intern who is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers. They treat people with respect and inspire the trust of others, work with a high level of integrity, and are proactive in building relationships. They keep confidence, admit mistakes, can find common ground and encourage cooperation, and work well as a member of a team – both in leadership and membership roles.

Most Outstanding Undergraduate Student Intern

An undergraduate student intern who is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers. They treat people with respect and inspire the trust of others, work with a high level of integrity, and are proactive in building relationships. They keep confidence, admit mistakes, can find common ground and encourage cooperation, and work well as a member of a team – both in leadership and membership roles.

Most Competent and Collaborative Team

This team is like a well-oiled machine and knows how to get the job done. Every team player contributes to the best of their knowledge and expertise. The team has a conducive environment and as a whole is accountable for a very successful project or a project that was difficult to deliver.