Sask Wheat awards first undergraduate scholarships
The annual Bean Feed event of the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources is an opportunity for College alumni, students and faculty to socialize and celebrate the College and the enormous impact it and the people who have come from it have had on agriculture across the world.
The 2015 Bean Feed, which took place on November 20 at TCU Place in Saskatoon, included the awarding of scholarships to current Agriculture and Bioresources students. For the first time, the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission (Sask Wheat) was included in this portion of the program as the inaugural Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission Essay Award was presented. The four students who received the award were: Hannah Friesen, a second-year Crop Science major; Devan Guenter, a third-year Crop Science major; Andrew Reddekopp, a third-year Agronomy major, and Jacqueline Toews, a third-year Crop Science major.
Hannah Friesen accepting the scholarship from Sask Wheat Director Ken Rosaasen.
“The goal of these scholarships is to encourage and support new research and innovation, both in an undergraduate and graduate level, that will benefit wheat producers in Saskatchewan,” said Bill Gehl, Sask Wheat Board Chair. “In addition, we wanted to engage students and get them thinking more about wheat research and issues facing the wheat sector.”
Jacqueline Toews accepts the scholarship from Sask Wheat Director Ken Rosaasen.
The recipients of these scholarships were selected on academic merit as well as an essay based on wheat research. In their essays, the students were required to describe how an area of research has or could benefit the wheat sector while also describing a current challenge facing the wheat sector and how it may be addressed by research.
Andrew Reddekopp accepts his scholarship from Sask Wheat Director Ken Rosaasen.
“These students are the next generation of producers and researchers and we want to see them involved in issues related to wheat production early on,” said Gehl. “The essays of the undergraduate scholarship recipients clearly indicate our agriculture students have an excellent understanding of the issues facing wheat producers. This generation is well on its way to being leaders in the agriculture sector.”
Sask Wheat will contribute $10,000 towards undergraduate scholarships and $100,000 towards graduate scholarships annually, beginning in the 2015-16 academic year.