Sask Wheat announces 2021-2022 scholarship and award recipients
Six undergraduate students and six graduate students from the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) College of Agriculture and Bioresources received a Sask Wheat scholarship or award in the 2021-2022 academic year. The students received a combined $165,000 in awards from Sask Wheat.
Enhancing the capacity of wheat breeding and research is a focus of the Board of Directors of Sask Wheat. From 2015 to 2019, Sask Wheat provided $10,000 annually in undergraduate awards and scholarships and $100,000 annually in graduate awards. In 2020, the Board of Directors increased those amounts to $15,000 in undergraduate awards and scholarships and $150,000 in graduate scholarships.
Undergraduate Awards
The objectives of the Sask Wheat undergraduate awards are to provide student assistance and to encourage students to learn about the production of wheat in Saskatchewan and its importance to the agriculture sector and provincial economy.
The following USask Agriculture and Bioresources students were selected to receive a Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission Essay Award:
Farren Moss, 3rd Year
Hometown: Bassano, AB
Kinga Nolan, 4th Year
Hometown: Calgary, AB
John Robertson, 3rd Year
Hometown: Shipman, SK
Julie Sharp, 2nd Year
Hometown: Lacombe, AB
As well, the following USask Agriculture and Bioresources students received Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission Scholarships:
Johanna Wiebe, 3rd Year
Hometown: Rosetown, SK
Kate Andres, 2nd Year
Hometown: Hepburn, SK
Graduate Awards
The Sask Wheat graduate scholarships have helped the USask’s Crop Development Centre (CDC) support master’s and Ph.D. graduate students, strengthening the CDC’s wheat research and development program while training the next generation of researchers and wheat breeders.
The following USask Agriculture and Bioresources students received a Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission Graduate Scholarship:
Kathryn Aldridge (M.Sc. candidate)
Hometown: Kelfield, SK
$20,000 scholarship
Thesis topic: Interaction of Trifludimoxazin + Saflufenacil and Pyroxasulfone for effective residual weed control
Supervisor: Dr. Steve Shirtliffe
Lampros-Nikolaos Maros (Ph.D. candidate)
Hometown: Sourpi, Greece
$30,000 scholarship (renewed)
Thesis topic: Valuation of productivity benefits regarding the international wheat germplasm flows into the Canadian sector and the role of international research centres
Supervisor: Dr. Richard Gray
Amanda Mitchell (M.Sc. candidate)
Hometown: Bracken, SK
$20,000 scholarship
Thesis topic: Understanding microbial contributions to soil carbon sequestration in Saskatchewan croplands
Supervisor: Dr. Bobbi Helgason
Berenice Romero (Ph.D. candidate)
Hometown: Ramos Mejía, Buenos Aires, Argentina
$30,000 scholarship
Thesis topic: The role of insect feeding and plant defense responses in aster yellows disease epidemiology
Supervisor: Dr. Sean Prager
Dylan Sjolie (M.Sc. candidate)
Hometown: Edmonton, AB
$20,000 scholarship (renewed)
Thesis topic: Investigating population dynamics of the wheat stem sawfly (Cephus Cinctus) (Hymenotera: Cephidae) in Canadian agroecosystems
Supervisor: Dr. Christian Willenborg
Blake Weiseth (Ph.D. candidate)
Hometown: Shaunavon, SK
$30,000 scholarship
Thesis topic: Impact of fertilizer and cropping management practices on phosphorus and nitrogen use efficiency and losses in run-off water in variable topographies of Saskatchewan
Supervisor: Dr. Jeff Schoenau