The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship is the Canada’s answer to the United Kingdom’s Rhodes Scholarship and the Unites States’ Fulbright Scholarship – it’s awarded to only 166 of the world’s most promising students, and four U of M students received one.

On April 30, Gary Goodyear, minister of state (science and technology), announced the selection of the inaugural recipients who will each receive $50,000 a year for up to three years.

“The Government of Canada recognizes the important role that research excellence plays in furthering innovation and competitiveness in addition to stimulating our economy,” said Goodyear. “The recipients of these scholarships are the world’s leading doctoral students and the next generation of researchers, professors and industry leaders who will make considerable economic and social contributions in Canada and abroad. As evidenced through this program, Canada is a magnet for top intellectual talent and a global centre of excellence in university education and research.”

The program was launched in 2008 with an initial $25-million investment, and is administered by Canada’s three federal research granting agencies—the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). This announcement marks the end of the first competition. When fully operational, the program will support 500 graduate students per year.

The University of Manitoba recipients are:

•    Meika Richmond, medical microbiology and infectious diseases, who will continue studying aspects of the immune system’s response to acute and chronic HIV infection.

•    Jennifer Juno, medical microbiology and infectious diseases, who will continue studying the role of a specific gene, GNB3, in HIV-1.

•    Kyle Elliott, biological sciences, whose research project is titled, How Do Wild Birds Work Hard and Live Long?

•    Brent Else, environment and geography, who will continue his investigations into air-sea exchange of carbon dioxide in arctic marginal sea ice zones and areas of open water amidst sea ice.

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships nominees were evaluated by multi-disciplinary peer-review committees and selected by a blue ribbon selection board composed of world-renowned Canadian and international experts.

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships program aims to attract and retain world-class doctoral students by supporting students who demonstrate a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health, as well as leadership skills. Both Canadian and international students are eligible to be nominated for a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship.

For more information contact Sean Moore, Research Communications and Marketing, the University of Manitoba, (204) 474-7184