Frank Hurt Secondary and SAIL students win gold medals and scholarships in Canada-Wide Science Fair

June 3, 2026

Grade 9 SAIL student Akshath Anand and Grade 12 Frank Hurt Secondary student Sreya Kurup each took home excellence awards and a several entrance scholarships with winning projects at this year's Canada-Wide Science Fair.

Two Surrey students impressed the judges at this year’s Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF), returning from Edmonton, Alta. with a combined 14 awards and entrance scholarships worth more than $35,000.

Sreya Kurup of Frank Hurt Secondary and Akshath Anand of SAIL each received first place excellence awards in the senior and junior categories, respectively, for their projects in the categories of Disease & Illness and Health & Wellness. The two were among hundreds of Grade 7 to 12 students from across the country who travelled to Alberta to compete in the 64^th annual fair, the nation’s largest youth STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) event.

Grade 12 student Kurup took gold for Targeted Stress Modulation in S. aureus to Combat Resident Infections via Bioactive Hybrid Therapy, sharing research on a combination treatment for staph infections that aims to work against bacterial resistance while minimizing side effects. Her project built upon research that earned her silver in last year’s CWSF, hypothesizing that combining beta acids from hop extract with antibiotics would reduce antimicrobial resistance and more effectively treat Staphylococcus aureus, compared to the individual effects of each treatment.

Grade 9 student Anand’s CWSF debut was equally impressive, winning gold for the Veino – IV Safety Monitoring System, a wearable device with smart pressure sensors to detect pressure changes in intravenous drips, notifying nurses at the first sign of IV leaks before they can cause painful swelling and bruising to patients. Additionally, this technology can be used to monitor pressures during medical procedures such as endoscopies, allowing healthcare workers to respond quicker to prevent unnecessary pains.

Kurup and Anand were invited to attend nationals after winning at the South Fraser Regional Science Fair earlier this spring. Together, their 2026 CWSF accolades include:

Sreya Kurup, Frank Hurt Secondary

Excellence Award (Senior) – Gold
Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists Award (Senior)
Youth Can Innovate Award (Senior)
$5,000 Dalhousie University Faculty of Science Entrance Scholarship (Senior)
$5,000 Mount Allison University Entrance Scholarship (Open)
$5,000 University of Alberta Entrance Scholarship (Open)
$4,000 University of British Columbia Science Entrance Award (Senior)
$4,000 University of Ottawa Entrance Scholarship (Senior)
$4,000 Western University Entrance Scholarship (Open)

Akshath Anand, SAIL

Excellence Award (Junior) – Gold
Challenge Award – Health & Wellness (Junior)
Youth Can Innovate Award (Junior)
$5,000 University of Alberta Entrance Scholarship (Open)
$4,000 Western University Entrance Scholarship (Open)

Events such as the CWSF are invaluable for fostering STEM enthusiasm among students, providing a stage to showcase innovations beyond local school and regional fairs.

Congratulations to all the Surrey Schools students for making it to the CWSF!

To learn more about the Canada-Wide Science Fair, click here.