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Canadian Dairy Commission Scholarship Program
*Applications are now being accepted
for the May 1, 2012 deadline*
Purpose of the Scholarship
To provide scholarships to high caliber students who are registered
in a research-based graduate program at the Nova Scotia Agricultural
College (NSAC) and who are conducting a thesis research project
in agricultural economics and policy, food/dairy science or
animal science. All thesis research projects must have application
to the dairy industry.
Value of Awards
Full-time M.Sc. students: $20,000 per year for up to two years
for scholarship support payable directly to the student.
Scholarship support is not available to students wishing to
pursue part-time studies.
Scholarships are intended to provide support for a maximal
duration of 24 months for master’s students. However,
scholarship support will not extend beyond the 28th month of
a student’s master’s program. Applicants must remain
in good standing in their graduate program to receive the second
year of funding. Students must be registered in a research-based
graduate program on a full-time basis at the NSAC to be eligible
to hold the scholarship.
Students holding one of these awards may not simultaneously
hold a major scholarship such as an NSERC (PGS, CGS, IPS), SSHRC,
CIHR, NSHRF or GRTI scholarship in support of graduate studies.
In addition, students holding a CDC scholarship normally will
be ineligible for additional stipends or bursaries, with the
exception of merit-based research awards.
Additional Support for Travel
Students who receive scholarship support through the Canadian
Dairy Commission Scholarship Program may apply for a one-time
maximal additional sum of $5000 for travel costs to further
their education or research program on the advice of their thesis
supervisor. It is anticipated that most applications for travel
grants will be received following the student’s registration
in the graduate program (e.g., within the student’s second
year of study). Students must submit a proposal to apply for
a travel award to the Manager, Research & Graduate Studies.
The proposal must include:
- a full description of the travel to be undertaken that includes
the purpose, destination, need and impact of the travel;
- a detailed budget of anticipated travel expenses;
- the signatures of the student and student’s supervisor(s).
Applications must be received at least 30 days prior to the
intended date of travel.
Applications for a travel grant will be considered and awarded
by the Vice-President Academic.
Eligible Applicants
To be considered eligible for support, all applicants must:
- Be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada;
- Be admissible to pursue graduate studies at NSAC;
- have obtained a first-class average (a grade of "A-")
in each of the last two completed years of study, regardless
of the number of credits completed; and
- Intend to pursue graduate-level research in one of the
following areas:
- agricultural economics and policy
- food/dairy science
- animal science
Thesis research projects must have application to the dairy
industry.
Who Can Apply for Support at the Master’s Level?
Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria listed above
and have completed, as of December 31 of the year of application,
no more than the full-time equivalent of 12 months of studies
in the master’s program for which they are requesting
funding. Thus, eligible applicants include students who: i)
have completed a Bachelor’s degree and have not yet registered
in a graduate program at NSAC, ii) are in the final year of
their Bachelor’s program, iii) are in a qualifying year
of study, or iv) are in the first year of their master’s
program.
To hold support at the master’s level you must:
- Be registered full-time in the first or second year of
your master's program at NSAC;
- Maintain good academic standing;
- Take up the award at the beginning of the first semester
following the announcement of the results if you are registered
in the master’s program at NSAC when you apply for the
award (ensuring that you have not completed more than the
full-time equivalent of 12 months of graduate studies as of
December 31 of the year of the application). E.g., If for
the May competition deadline the results are announced in
July, you must take up the award in September. If for the
October 15th competition deadline the results are announced
in December, you must take up the award in January.
Note: Students who have not yet registered
in the master’s program at NSAC prior to receiving an
award may elect to take up their scholarship in January, May
or September in the calendar year following the application
deadline.
Application Package
A complete application will consist of:
- letter of application (maximum two pages). The letter of
application must specifically state that the application is
to the Canadian Dairy Commission Scholarship Program.
- An outline of the proposed research (maximum of two pages).
The outline of proposed research must include a detailed description
of the proposed research project. Be as specific as possible.
State the title and objectives and outline the experimental
or theoretical approach to be taken (citing literature pertinent
to the proposal), and the methods and procedures to be used.
Applicants must identify their proposed supervisor in this
section.
- A description of the benefit or impact and application of
the proposed research to the dairy industry (maximum one page).
- Two letters of reference. Referees should be specifically
asked to comment on the applicant’s research potential,
communication skills and interpersonal and leadership abilities.
- All official undergraduate and graduate transcripts.
- Contributions to research and development and applicant's
statement (maximum of five pages). In this section, group
your comments under the following headings:
- Contributions to research and development - Begin with
your most recent contributions and list each entry on
a new line. Do not include any articles that are currently
in preparation or those on which you do not appear as
an author. Use the following headings in the order indicated:
- Most significant contributions to research and development
- Choose up to three of your most significant contributions
to research and development (e.g., a publication listed in
section 1, your fourth-year undergraduate research project,
a summer research work experience, etc). Comment on the importance
of these contributions to the research area. For each contribution:
- Describe your role in the research. Clarify your contribution
to collaborative research and if applicable, to the actual
writing of joint publications;
- Discuss the reasons for publishing in certain journals
(e.g., target audiences, review procedures);
- Provide details, as appropriate, on the significance
of technical reports and original research reported in
books or technical reports;
- Indicate any collaboration with other researchers;
and
- Discuss the relevance of your work.
- Research experience - Describe the scientific or engineering
abilities that you have gained through your past research
experience, including special projects, honours thesis and
co-op reports. If you have relevant work experience, discuss
the relevance of that experience to your proposed field of
study/research and any benefits you gained from it.
- Relevant activities - Describe your professional and extracurricular
activities that most demonstrate your communication, interpersonal,
and leadership skills. Examples of these include: oral presentations,
mentoring, teaching, project management, chairing committees,
organizing conferences or meetings, supervisory experience,
and/or elected positions held and volunteer work.
- Special circumstances - In this section, describe any special
considerations that have had an effect on your performance
or productivity. Include any considerations that may have
resulted in delays in disseminating your research results,
such as health problems, family responsibilities, disabilities,
or other circumstances (e.g., the time necessary to complete
a monograph, file a patent, or commercialize an industrial
process or product). Explain any gaps in the chronology of
your experience. The selection committee will take these circumstances
into consideration when evaluating your application.
Application Procedures
Application is made directly through the NSAC Research &
Graduate Studies Office. Two competitions will be held annually
with application deadlines of May 1st and October 15th respectively.
Applications must be received by the Research & Graduate
Studies Office, P.O. Box 550, 62 Cumming Drive, Truro, NS, B2N
5E3.
Late applications will be rejected. Incomplete applications
may be rejected or serve as a disadvantage in the selection
process.
Review of Applications
The Manager, Research & Graduate Studies will review all
applications for completeness and to ensure that all applicants
meet the minimum eligibility requirements prior to forwarding
the applications to the NSAC Awards and Scholarship Committee
for review. The NSAC Awards and Scholarship Committee will review
and rank all applications they receive. The NSAC Awards and
Scholarship Committee will award scholarships to those applicants
considered to have the best qualifications, according to the
selection criteria described in the following section and within
the limit of available awards.
Selection criteria: Applicants will be evaluated
and selected according to the criteria in the following categories:
Academic excellence/ability: academic record,
scholarships and awards held; duration of previous studies;
quality of contributions to research and development; relevance
of work experience and academic training to field of proposed
research; ability to think critically; ability to apply skills
and knowledge; judgement; determination and ability to complete
projects within an appropriate period of time.
Research: significance of research; feasibility,
and merit of proposed research, originality; enthusiasm for
research; application of the research to the dairy industry.
Communication skills: the ability or potential
to communicate scientifically, clearly and logically in written
and oral formats. For example, this could include: quality of
the applicant's complete application; participation in preparing
publications; and awards for oral presentations or papers.
Interpersonal and leadership abilities: professional
and relevant extracurricular interactions and collaborations.
For example, these could include: mentoring; teaching; supervisory
experience; project management; chairing committees; organizing
conferences and meetings; and elected positions held.
Selection Criteria Weightings:
Academic excellence and ability: 40%
Research: 40%
Communication skills: 10%
Interpersonal and leadership abilities: 10%
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