NSAC is pleased to announce that several researchers and students were recipients of various awards from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) Grants and Scholarships competition. Overall, seven researchers and students were successful in the competition.

NSERC Discovery Grants support ongoing programs of research that recognize creativity and innovation. Two NSAC researchers received NSERC Discovery Grants for their programs. Dr. Balakrishnan Prithiviraj, Plant Stress Physiology Research Chair with the Department of Plant and Animal Sciences received a Discovery Grant for his project “Physiological and molecular analysis of plant–microbe interactions in the rhizosphere.” Dr. Gefu Wang-Pruski, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics with the Department of Plant and Animal Sciences, received a Discovery Grant to continue her research on potato functional genomics for improvement of tuber production.

Several NSAC research programs will benefit from the awarding of Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) Grants. RTI Grants foster and enhance the discovery, innovation and training capability of university researchers in the natural sciences and engineering by providing funding to buy or develop research equipment. Three NSAC researchers received RTI Grants.

Dr. Leslie MacLaren, Vice President Academic and Professor with Department of Plant and Animal Sciences at NSAC, received an RTI Grant to purchase a real-time polymerase chain reaction system, used to determine differences in gene expression patterns expressed during growth and differentiation. Dr. Prithiviraj received funding to purchase a high performance liquid chromatography system for bio-active compounds research, which will benefit several research programs. Dr. Rob Gordon, Director of Research and Canada Research Chair in Agricultural Resource Management received at RTI Grant for purchase an additional trace gas analyzer; used to measure N20 emissions agricultural systems, a piece of equipment which supports several components of his rural water and air quality research program.”

NSAC students also fared well in the scholarship competition, with Mason MacDonald of Truro, NS and Andy VanderZaag of Alliston, Ontario receiving NSERC Post Graduate Scholarships (PGS) awards to support their doctoral programs. These scholarships provide support to high caliber students who are engaged in doctoral programs in the natural sciences or engineering. Mason, based at NSAC, graduated with his M.Sc. in May 2007 and plans to begin his Ph.D. studies in September 2007. Andy is currently enrolled in the Biological Engineering Ph.D. program at Dalhousie University and is conducting his thesis research under the supervision of Dr. Rob Gordon (NSAC) and Dr. Rob Jamieson.

A prestigious NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS) was also awarded to Harrison Wright, of Canning, NS to pursue a doctoral studies program. The CGS award is offered to top-ranked applicants at the masters and doctoral level.
Harrison is currently finishing his M.Sc. program at Dalhousie/NSAC and is conducting his project under the supervision of Dr. Raj Lada.

“The NSERC PGS and CGS gives students more flexibility to pursue individual research interests,” says Jill Rogers, Manager of Research and Graduate Studies. “We are pleased to continue our success in NSERC competitions.”

NSERC has a complete listing of award winners and official press release on their website: http://www.nserc.gc.ca/news/2007/p070528.htm