KEGS Foundation – Fifteen Undergraduate Scholarships Awarded for 2022/23

The Directors of the KEGS Foundation are very pleased to announce the awarding of record scholarships totaling more than $21,000 to fifteen undergraduate students in geophysics at eight Canadian universities for the forthcoming academic year (2022/23). Details of an additional eighteen scholarship awards to graduate students, totaling nearly $20,000, will be provided in a separate announcement.

These awards mark the twenty-third year of the KEGS Foundation’s scholarship program directed at fostering the education of future geophysicists in Canada. The large number of recipients and the level of awards reflect the number of well-qualified applicants and their evident financial need, amplified by the significant complications caused by the Covid-19 pandemic which affected many students’ studies, research, internships and jobs. The Foundation has endeavored to respond positively to the applicants’ circumstances in order to sustain students’ focus on geophysics, redeploying a portion of income from the Collett Legacy gift that was not required for other programs that had been suspended or cancelled because of the pandemic.

Remarkably, although the past year was afflicted by the now-receding pandemic, thanks to notable donations, continued support by sustaining donors and collective initiatives, the Foundation succeeded in funding second awards of three recently established scholarships, namely (see website for specific announcements):

• SKGS Scholarship, primarily directed supporting students from Saskatchewan
• Bourse des pionniers de la géophysique québécoise, principally supporting students in or from Québec
• Michael and Patricia Carson Geophysics Scholarship for Indigenous Students, for indigenous students studying geophysics or geophysical technology

The fifteen undergraduate recipients of KEGS Foundation scholarships for 2022/23 include the following four awardees who received named scholarships supported by specific endowments in recognition of their particular achievements and career focus (details on the scholarships can be found in the Foundation’s web pages):

• Eric deKemp, Queen’s University – KEGS Pioneers Scholarship
• Ray Guerard ^R, University of Manitoba – SKGS Scholarship
• Grace Faraj, Queen’s University – WAMIC Geophysics Scholarship
• Vanessa Yau ^R, University of British Columbia – BCGS Scholarship

^R denotes a repeat scholarship winner.

The eleven other undergraduates who received KEGS Foundation Scholarships are:

• Anna Malone, Memorial University
• Alexandre Leclerc, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
• Kaiyuan Wang, McGill University
• Lekima Yakuden, McGill University
• Marie-Hélène Lapointe, Queen’s University
• Jamie Chow, University of Toronto
• Ryan Wang ^R, University of Toronto
• Paige Pilote, Laurentian University
• Jagteshwar Singh, University of Manitoba
• Djelika Daouda Sogoba, University of Manitoba
• Mehek Mathur, University of British Columbia

The scholarship awards range from $750 to $2,000, determined by the recipient’s merit and need as well as available financial resources, under the Foundation’s principal objective of supporting undergraduate education, with renewals of prior awards indicated by ®. The Foundation has further allocated an additional $4,600 to help defray travel costs of the above awardees who attend the KEGS Geophysical Symposium and PDAC Convention, the BCGS Symposium, the AME Roundup or other relevant meetings.

In addition, thanks to continuing generous support by KEGS, all of the above awardees will also receive free membership in KEGS and will be eligible for fully subsidized participation at the annual KEGS Symposium in March. All recipients are also strongly encouraged to participate in meetings of KEGS, BCGS or other local professional societies, and in other relevant geophysical meetings or symposia. Additionally, to assist awardees seeking to pursue further studies, research or employment, their C.V.s will be posted or linked on the Foundation’s website, and networking opportunities will be offered where possible.

Presentation of the scholarship awards will be arranged during the fall semester, preferably at professional meetings, in conjunction with KEGS Special Lectures on relevant geophysical topics hosted by university departments, or at equivalent virtual events. The details of each event and the particular recipients will be announced in advance.

The Directors extend their best wishes to all the above recipients for further success in their studies and future careers. We also offer our gratitude for the continuing support of the Foundation and its scholarship program by the Canadian exploration and geophysical community, including renewed major support by KEGS and the BCGS, recent very generous donations by Abitibi Géophysique, Géophysique GPR International – Géosig, Patricia Carson and Lamontagne Geophysics, as well as Phoenix Geophysics, Discovery Geophysics International and Dias Geophysics for continuing support of several matching donation programs (see website for further details).