Biology student among Vanier scholarship winners

Adam Crane

Biology student Adam Crane is one of four University of Saskatchewan grad students each awarded a $150,000 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, which recognizes world-class PhD students who demonstrate both academic excellence and remarkable leadership skills.

The U of S students are among 166 top scholars from across Canada announced Aug. 14 by federal Minister of State for Science and Technology Ed Holder.

“Being awarded this top-tier scholarship is an honour for these exceptional graduate students who hold great promise to become the leaders of tomorrow in research or their chosen professions,” said Karen Chad, U of S vice-president research. “We are proud to be attracting these talented young people whose innovative research projects will improve our health, environment and education.”

Adam Crane, a biology student from the United States, is studying fish behaviour in Canada and off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef where the environment is at risk due to global climate change, poor fishing practices and pollution. He aims to learn whether fish in such different locations show similarities in how they respond to predators as the environment around them changes, and how this affects fish populations and the food chain. Crane’s research has promising practical applications in environmental health and conservation.

The other 2013-2014 U of S Vanier scholarship recipients:

• Jennifer McRuer (Education)
• Oluwafemi Oluwole (Community and Population Health)
• David Saunders (Toxicology)

Read more about the Vanier winners at the University of Saskatchewan News website.

The three-year scholarship funding is administered by Canada’s three federal agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). More information about the national announcement is available at http://www.vanier.gc.ca/eng/news_releases-communiques.html.