| | An agri-food processing and environmental sustainability scholarship fund is available to Alberta university and college students who are interested in this area of study. The Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture (AESA) Processing Based Program Committee is excited about this opportunity available to Alberta students.
"The main priority of our committee is to encourage the Alberta food processing industry to develop and adopt more environmentally sustainable processing practices, such as resource conservation, packaging and waste reduction, and environmental management into their operations," explains Dr. Terry Rachuk, co-chair of the AESA processing committee.
"The agri-food industry in Alberta is equally as large as the primary agriculture industry, and is a priority of the current growth strategy. This industry is also very short of qualified people, and we believe that encouraging agriculture students to consider taking courses or developing projects with an emphasis on agri-food processing and the environment is an important strategy. We want to attract new people into the industry who have a good knowledge of the environment and who want to understand the implications of various processing technologies in terms of environmental management."
For a second year, the AESA Processing Committee has approved a scholarship fund for a total of $10,000. "University or college students can apply for up to a maximum of $3000 to assist with the costs of taking a course, or be involved in an undergraduate or graduate project related to agri-food processing and the environment," explains Michelle McKinnon, AESA agro-environmental specialist with Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Airdrie.
Applicants must be in their second or subsequent year of post-secondary study, and attending a designated Alberta post-secondary institution. Applicants must also be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant and a resident of Alberta.
"Successful recipients will be selected based on the relevance of the courses or project outline to the AESA processing component goals and objectives," says McKinnon. "The deadline for applications is December 15, 2006, and all applicants will be notified of the status of their application by January 15, 2007. Successful recipients will receive their award in January after we receive confirmation of courses of study or project involvement."
Students interested in the agri-food and environmental sustainability areas are encouraged to consider applying for the scholarship. Applications are available from Alberta post-secondary institutions and from Alberta Agriculture. Application forms can be accessed on-line at either: .
For more information, contact McKinnon at (403) 948-8512 or email: michelle.mckinnon@gov.ab.ca.
Contact: Michelle McKinnon (403) 948-8512 |
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