$900,000 in NSERC Scholarships and Fellowships Awarded to 22 U of S Researchers

Posted March 09, 2001


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ? 1:45 p.m. Thursday, March 8, 2001 2001-03-04-OTHER

$900,000 in NSERC Scholarships and Fellowships Awarded
to 22 U of S Researchers

Twenty-two young U of S researchers have won scholarships and fellowships
totalling almost $900,000 over two years from NSERC (the Natural Sciences
and Engineering Research Council of Canada), federal Industry Minister Brian
Tobin announced on campus today.

"You are part of an outstanding group of people from across the country
which has been recognized as the future of the Research and Development
field," the Minister told the 19 U of S post-graduate scholarship and three
post-doctoral fellowship award winners. "Your energy and creativity will
help make Canada one of the most innovative countries in the world."

Nationally, a total of 1,924 young university researchers ? 1,689 at the
postgraduate level and 235 at the postdoctoral level ? will receive $62
million to pursue their studies in the natural sciences and engineering
fields. Winners are distributed among more than 50 Canadian universities.

U of S President Peter MacKinnon congratulated the U of S award winners.
"These awards represent a $15,000 increase over last year?s total and are a
testament to the exceptional quality and hard work of our graduate students
in diverse fields ranging from astronomy to terrestrial ecology," MacKinnon
said.

He added it is appropriate that this national announcement be held at the
Canadian Light Source (CLS) since this first-in-Canada synchrotron will be a
boon to graduate research across the country.

Construction of the $173.5-million U of S-owned national facility is on time
and on budget. When the facility opens in January of 2004, it will provide a
new research tool for Canadian scientists in academe, government and
industry in a wide range of fields and will help keep talented young
researchers in Canada.

The Minister praised the U of S for its role in successfully launching the
CLS, Canada?s newest and most ambitious science project in years.

NSERC President Tom Brzustowski presented the U of S scholarship and
fellowship winners with their award certificates.

"Science and engineering are among the most rewarding careers available to
young people," he said. "Studies show that graduates who receive NSERC
scholarships will enjoy above-average employability and income, and will
contribute to R&D for many years after completing their studies."

In reminding his audience that today is International Women's Day,
Brzustowski said that the number of successful women applicants for NSERC
Scholarships has risen steadily from 31 per cent to 43 per cent since 1992.

"This is a very satisfying national trend indeed and reflects a significant
improvement in women's participation in the fields of science and
engineering," Brzustowski said.

NSERC is the primary federal research-funding agency. It supports both basic
university research through research grants and project research through
partnerships among universities, governments and the private sector. The
full list of award winners is available online at http://www.nserc.ca.

A synchrotron is a huge device that accelerates electrons and manipulates
them to create a beam of light billions of times brighter than the sun. This
light can then be used by industrial and university researchers as a new
tool to observe structures and chemical reactions at the molecular and
atomic levels.

CLS construction is mainly funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation,
the Canadian government, the Saskatchewan government, the Alberta
government, Ontario Innovation Trust, Alberta Heritage Foundation for
Medical Research, University of Saskatchewan, the City of Saskatoon, and
SaskPower. Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world?s leading pharmaceutical
firms, recently became the first industrial company to invest in a CLS
beamline.

Information on the CLS is available at http://www.cls.usask.ca.

Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-2506
Fax: (306) 966-2411
kathryn.warden@usask.ca

Arnet Sheppard
NSERC Newsbureau
Tel: (613) 995-5997
axs@nserc.ca