1. School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP)
  2. SURP Funding & Awards
  3. International Experience Travel Awards

International Experience Travel Awards

International Experience Award Guidelines will be reposted once the COVID-19-related travel restrictions have been lifted.
Panel Member's Evaluation Criteria Scoring Sheet (Excel, 13kB)

After wide consultation with the student body, the School instituted an International Experience Award program in 1999-2000.  Funding for the awards has been generously provided by the China Projects Office, the Eastern Ontario District of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute, the SURP Trust and anonymous donors.

The award is intended to provide first-year Master of Urban and Regional Planning students with a unique and new international experience during the summer term of their first year of graduate studies and support international research.  Proposals on planning-related topics are submitted for adjudication by a selection panel comprised of first- and second-year students. The proposals are judged on their feasibility, practicality and innovation. The award recipients give a presentation to the student body and faculty before and after returning from their trips.

Number and Amount of Awards

At the discretion of the SURP Director, a maximum of three awards may be provided per school year to full-time first-year students (at the time of application) in the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Queen’s.  Each award is worth a maximum of $1,500; this value is based on the availability of funding and is at the discretion of the SURP Director. 

Award Recipients

The International Experience Awards is just one of the School's extensive international outreach activities. The most prominent program is our exchange with China's Ministry of Natural Resources.  Normally, each year 20-40 senior officials from China come to Canada for a two-week, intensive training program in land use planning at the School of Urban and Regional Planning.  In addition, the School hosts 6-8 interns from China annually for five months in government agencies, private firms and non-governmental organizations to observe and study Canadian practices as well as participate in, and contribute to Canadian projects. The purpose is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of land and mineral resources administration and management in China by sharing relevant Canadian experiences with Chinese professionals/officials. 

Student Summer Internships in Beijing

The School also participates in Student Summer Internships in Beijing at the China Academy of Land and Resources Economics and at the China Land and Surveying and Planning Institute.  Participants have included:

  • 2019 - Christina Culley ('20)
  • 2017 - Phillip Prell ('18)
  • 2016 - Aidan Kennedy ('17) and Ian Pinchin ('17)
  • 2015 - Michael Shmulevitch ('16) and Dominik Matusik ('16)
  • 2013 - Angus Beaty ('14) and Isaac Shirokoff ('14)
  • 2012 - Morgan Alger ('13) and Marika Atfield ('13)
  • 2010 - Laura Moebs ('11) and Andrew Nakazawa ('11)
  • 2008 - Suman (Jenny) Chook ('09) and Trevor Illingworth ('09)
  • 2007 - Andrea Gummo ('08)
  • 2006 - Karen Thompson ('07) and Jennifer Maximattis ('07)
  • 2005 - John Adams ('06) and Maureen McLeod ('06)
  • 2004 - Cho Wa (Ivy) Wong ('04) and Hieu Nguyen ('05)
  • 2003 - Lija Bickis ('03)

Fudan University, Shanghai on student and faculty exchanges

Through the offices of China's Ambassador, ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ signed a general Memorandum of Understanding with Fudan University, Shanghai on student and faculty exchanges. This agreement includes the establishment of a co-laboratory on Urbanization and the Environment. The first project being conducted under this agreement examines the impact of Shanghai's urbanization on its surrounding water quality.  The following SURP students went to Fudan University:

  • 2010 - Drew MacMartin ('11) and Natasha Reaney ('11)
  • 2009 - Bryan Crosby ('10) and Sarah Smith ('10)
  • 2005 - Guillaume Neault ('06) and David Sajecki ('06)
  • 2004 - Andrew Sacret ('05) and Jane Clarke ('05)

Academic Exchange

Students are also able to participate in an Academic Exchange with partner institutions the University of Western Australia (Australia), the University of Otago (New Zealand) and Pune (India).

The following students went to the University of Western Australia:

  • 2018 - Stefanie Ekeli ('18) and Kevin Keresztes ('18)
  • 2017 - Aileen Keng ('17) and Ian Pinchin ('17)
  • 2016 - Eric Joyal ('16) and Eli Khawaja ('16)
  • 2013 - Shwaan Hutton ('14), John (Jack) Huffman ('13) and Jeremy Johnston ('13)
  • 2012 - Sarah Bingham ('12)

The following students went to the University of Otago:

  • 2020 - Fiona Titley ('20)
  • 2018 - Meg Morris ('18) and Jillian Simpson ('18)
  • 2017 - Benjamin Morin ('17) and Geoffrey Sugar ('17)
  • 2016 - Brad Holmes ('16) and Megan Rueckwald ('16)

We also run International Project Courses and to date, they have been in Shanghai, China (2011), Auroville, India (2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2018) and Pune, India (2014).

For more information pertaining to the China Projects, please visit our Community Connections page.