Maria Llaguno Real, who crossed the stage at the June 12 Faculty of Science convocation with an honours bachelor of science in physics and astronomy, is the recipient of 91ɫ’s Murray G. Ross Award.
The Murray G. Ross Award, established in honour of the University’s first president, is awarded annually to a graduating student in recognition of academic excellence and outstanding contributions to undergraduate student life.
“I feel honoured to have received such a prestigious award. It represents years of hard work and dedication,” says Llaguno.
Her path to this recognition began four years ago, when she moved to Canada from Ecuador with the aim of becoming a physicist and gaining experience in the field.
When she was accepted to 91ɫ, Llaguno received the 91ɫ Science Scholars Award (YSSA) for her scholarly achievements in high school. The award included a guaranteed summer research position, providing an early opportunity to conduct paid, hands-on work following her first year.
Through that opportunity, she joined the experimental atomic, molecular and optical physics group led by Professor Anantharaman Kumarakrishnan from the Department of Physics and Astronomy. It proved to be formative, she says, noting “It was there that I discovered my passion for experimental physics."
Over the next four years, Llaguno continued to build on that interest through applied work experiences – supported in part by the Earle Nestmann Undergraduate Research Award (ENURA) in her second year and a Research at 91ɫ (RAY) position in her third – focused on designing and refining laser-based systems used to study the behaviour of atoms.
With guidance from Kumarakrishnan’s group, she presented her work at several physics conferences and co-authored published papers, reflecting the level of achievement she reached during her undergraduate studies.
During her time at 91ɫ, Llaguno also sought out opportunities to be involved in her academic community and engage in outreach. In her second year, she became a Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) leader, a role she held for two years, supporting first-year physics students.
The experience helped her discover a growing interest in teaching, and her students later nominated her for the Bethune College Academic Leadership and Community Building Scholarship.
She took on other roles across the University, serving on a Tenure and Promotion Committee and working as a science student ambassador, campus tour guide and laboratory tour guide. She also contributed to efforts to strengthen teaching and learning in the classroom, helping revise the PHYS 2020 (Electricity and Magnetism) curriculum for engineering students after the course had shown lower performance compared to its physics-major counterpart.
“These experiences were motivated by my desire to give back to my community and share my enthusiasm for physics with prospective students,” says Llaguno.
That combination of academic work and community contribution has now been recognized through the Murray G. Ross Award.
“This award is also a reminder that my passion has not gone unnoticed,” says Llaguno.
Reflecting on the award, Llaguno credits the significant role her parents played in her journey. “I am deeply grateful to my parents, who have always supported me, prioritized my education and taught me the value of learning,” she says. She also expresses gratitude to her professors, her department and her research group, as well as the scholarships, bursaries and awards she received from 91ɫ that enabled her to continue her studies as an international student.
Llaguno has already begun the next stage of her studies, joining Kumarakrishnan’s group as a master’s student immediately after completing her bachelor degree. She plans to build on the projects she began as an undergraduate while also mentoring incoming students. But, her ambitions extend beyond her master’s studies. “My long-term goal is to remain in academia and ultimately pursue a career as a faculty member, combining research with teaching and mentorship,” she says.