2006 Sustainability Scholarship

The Coalition recognizes that there is a shortage of personnel doing research on environmental and sustainability topics in the Gulf region. To encourage students to pursue this type of research, the Coalition has a Scholarship fund.

The Coalition offers a $5,000 scholarship annually to graduate students who undertake research in the southern Gulf of Saint Lawrence region. The scholarship winner is selected by Members of the Coalitions Awards Committee. The selection criteria includes the students academic standing, the merit of the proposal and the relevance of the research with respect to the vision of the Coalition which is a future in which the Southern Gulf of St.Lawrence is environmentally, economically and socially sustainable.
The winner must be prepared to present the results of her/his research at the Coalitions AGM on May 13, 2026 and provide regular updates for the Messenger the Coalition newsletter.

Eligibility

Candidates for the Coalition scholarship must:

1. Be a Canadian citizen;
2. Be a full-time Masters or Ph.D student enrolled with an accredited university with one or more years of research remaining;
3. Have a research project based in the Southern Gulf of Saint Lawrence region that that corresponds to the vision of the Coalition.

Application process

Candidates must submit:

1. A completed application form;
2. A summary of at least 500 words on the research topic: it should demonstrate the need and the relevance of the project to the Coalition;
3. A list of scholarships, grants and other funding support already received with the research in question;
4. A curriculum vit including past degrees and experience;
5. An official transcript (or registration) showing the acceptance of the student in a graduate program;
6. Two letters of recommendation with at least one from a University official;
7. Academic supervisors letter of support and recognition of the project.

***Scholarship Application Form -pdf format***

2005 Scholarship and Sustainability Award Winners

During the AGM 2005 awards banquet this past spring, the CoalitionSGSL president, Harry Collins was pleased to recognize the following individuals for their involvement with sustainability:

2005 Scholarships

This year the Coalition-SGSL awarded both Vronique Glinas and Andr Drapeau each with a $5,000 scholarship.

An Education Masters student at Universit de Moncton, Vronique Glinas is conducting her research on how schoolchildren identify and define an environmental problem along a specific river Cocagne River in New Brunswick. The experiment will provide the young participants with an opportunity to reflect on how they can take action to positively change their local ecosystem.

Andr Drapeau is a Masters Student at the Atlantic Veterinary Collage at UPEI conducting research on the relationship between inter-sock spacing and productivity in Prince Edward Island Mussel Farms. His initial research suggests that optimizing inter-sock spacing on a given lease leads to improved productivity, sustainability while also minimizing environmental costs.

2005 Excellence in Sustainability Award

The 2005 Excellence in Sustainability Award went to a student as well. A Masters student of the Atlantic Veterinary Collage at UPEI, Kimberly Swan is recognized for her work on determining the effects of treating clubbed tunicate. This invasive species attaches itself to mussel growing gear and competes for food with the blue mussel an economically important shellfish in PEI. Kimberly is involved with discovering how the treatment of clubbed tunicate affects the physiological fitness of the blue mussel population.

2004 Scholarship and Sustainability Award Winners

During the AGM 2004 awards dinner this past spring, the CoalitionSGSL president, ric Gigure (president) was pleased to recognize the following individuals for their involvement with sustainability:

2004 Scholarship

Karen Johnson was awarded a five thousand dollar scholarship in the student category for her masters thesis at the University of Prince Edward Island. She will be studying the impact of coyotes, an introduced species, on the ecological niche currently occupied by red fox. In the past 200 years, the coyote has steadily extended its range from the northwest corner of the United States to P.E. I. via ice flows in adaptation to changes caused by human encroachment. The unique situation of P.E.I. in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence makes it an ideal laboratory to study the impact of the introduction of new predators in established ecosystems.

Awards

Gary Schneider was awarded the individual category prize for his outstanding personal commitment and work with the Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project in Orwell, Prince Edward Island. A joint effort of the Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island and the Sir Andrew Macphail Foundation, the project combines protection of the natural area along streams with wildlife enhancement, forest stewardship, watershed protection, environmental education and ecological research. The sale of native trees and shrubs from the Macphail nursery helps fund school tours, guided walks, breeding bird surveys and planting seedlings at schools, on community land, for forest restoration, and within riparian zones. Because of his work on school properties and his relationship with watershed groups and land-owners, Gary Schneider is a much sought after and respected source of knowledge on sustainable forestry practices.

The Conseil regional de lenvironnement Gaspsie les-de-la-Madeleine was awarded the community group prize for their work in environmental education. The CREGM work to increase awareness and provide advice to stakeholders in their area to ensure that their region continues to develop while protecting its natural heritage. Their activities include raising the concerns of local residents to the forefront to ensure that environmental issues are resolved in the spirit of sustainable development. By creating this network of stakeholders, CREGM has been successful at helping people resolve issues at the local level.