Undergraduate Awards
Undergraduate students in the Department of Geological Sciences are eligible for a number of scholarships and bursaries (in addition to those offered through the College of Arts and Sciences). Decisions on these awards are made early in the fall term and late in the winter term.
Information on deadlines and applications will be emailed out to students majoring in the geological sciences at those times. You must declare your major to be on this email list.
Many awards do not require applications. However, for the awards that do require a written statement, please be sure to submit your statements in time for consideration.
Also, some awards require consideration of financial need. To be eligible for these awards, students must complete the USask Financial Needs Calculator (found through PAWS) before the required deadline.
Scholarships
Value: $1000
Number: Up to 5
Eligibility: Students must demonstrate financial need and submit a statement of no more than two pages outlining their intention to pursue a career in mining or mineral exploration in the Athabasca Basin area, including references to any family and/or employment ties to the area, if possible.
Donor: CanAlaska Uranium Ltd., to award and attract students majoring in the Geological Sciences (Geology or Geophysics) in the College of Arts and Science at the University of Saskatchewan to careers in the Athabasca Basin region of Northern Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Application: Written statement must be submitted when call for applications is made
Value: One year membership in the Geological Association of Canada and its Mineral Deposits Division and a publication from their bookstore of the student’s choice
Number: 1
Eligibility: Awarded to a senior undergraduate student with demonstrated excellence in the Mineral Deposits class and a demonstrated career interest in economic geology.
Donor: Established to honor Professor A.R. Byers, long time faculty member and former Head of the Department of Geological Sciences by members of the Ore Gangue, faculty, staff, and friends of the department. Established March 19, 1971, to recognize his more than 30 years of service to the department.
Application: Not required
Value: $5000
Number: 2
Eligibility: Applicants must submit a written document describing their academic goals and interest in pursuing a career in geology, geophysics or environmental earth sciences. The academic record of continuing students must indicate a progression towards completion of a BSc degree in one of these programs.
Donor: Cameco Corporation
Application: Written statement must be submitted when call for applications is made.
Value: $800
Number: 1
Eligibility: Awarded to students in recognition of high academic achievement in their second- or third-year courses.
Donor: Award in honour of E.A. Hogg
Application: Not required
Value: $1500
Number: 2
Eligibility: Applicants must have demonstrated interest in the fine or performing arts. Selection is based on academic achievement.
Donor: Established in memorial of Dr. Hugh Hendry, professor and former head of the Department of Geological Sciences from donations from family, friends, and colleagues and proceeds from the sale of the cassette recording of the Prairie Higglers.
Application: Written statement must be submitted when call for applications is made.
Value: $1700
Number: 1
Eligibility: Open to continuing undergraduate students enrolled in full-time studies who are entering their third or fourth year of a program in the Department of Geological Sciences. To be eligible, applicants must have an academic average of at least 80%, have completed a field school course and/or held a summer job working in the field, and submit a statement of no more than one page describing how they are preparing themselves for a career in geological exploration, surveying, and/or mineral exploration.
Donor: Jasper family
Application: Written statement must be submitted when call for applications is made.
Value: $800
Number: 1
Eligibility: Students will be asked to choose nominees that have shown consideration of, and extended kindness to, their fellow students. The winner will be chosen from these nominations by the undergraduate scholarship committee in the department.
Donor: Mr. and Mrs. John R. Welch and family, in honour of their son and brother Michael who, as a student, died under tragic circumstances while pursuing geological exploration in northern Saskatchewan in July 1976.
Application: Winner will be selected from nominations made by students.
Value: Varies
Number: 1
Eligibility: Graduating undergraduate students
Donor: The late Lt. Harold R. Robinson. Over the years the University of Saskatchewan Ore Gangue graduates and others have contributed to this award.
Application: Not required
Value: Varies
Number: 1
Eligibility: Selected from nominations made by members of the Ore Gangue, recognizing leadership within the student group.
Donor: The late Lt. Harold R. Robinson. Over the years, the University of Saskatchewan Ore Gangue graduates and others have contributed to this award.
Application: Winner will be selected from nominations made by students.
Value: $5000
Number: 2
Eligibility: Top two students entering the fourth year of their program
Donor: Dr. Rui Feng, PhD ’92, to recognize academic pre-eminence of students specializing in Geological Sciences
Application: Not required
Value: $2400
Number: 1
Eligibility: Applicants must submit a 250-word statement describing their leadership and their interest in a career in the energy sector.
Donor: NuVista Energy Ltd., in memory of Walker Neumann (BSc ’08). Walker passed away in November 2018 (34 years old). He was a small-town farm kid who grew up with a passion for the energy industry in which he, his father, and his grandfather all worked. The award has been established in memory of Walker, recognizing his natural approach to leadership and his exceptional geological skills.
Application: Written statement must be submitted when call for applications is made.
Value: $5000
Number: 1
Eligibility: Open to continuing undergraduate students pursuing studies in Geology, Geophysics, or Environmental Earth Science, in the Department of Geological Sciences. In order to be eligible, students must demonstrate financial need, have achieved an average of at least 70% in the previous academic year, and submit a statement of no more than 500 words demonstrating their community involvement and/or volunteering.
Donor: Mr. Yonggang Yang
Application: Written statement must be submitted when call for applications is made.
Bursaries
Value: $1500
Number: 2 or more
Eligibility: Open to continuing undergraduate students who are majoring in geological sciences.
Donor: Established by the bequest of Frederick Bernard Clare in 2011 from his estate.
Application: Not required
Value: Varies (offsets program fee for field courses).
Number: Varies
Eligibility: Automatically considered for award after enrolling in a field course
Donor: Anderson Langford Foundation
Application: Not required
Value: Varies (offsets program fee for field courses)
Number: Varies
Eligibility: Automatically considered for award after enrolling in a field course
Donor: Lorne Larson (BA ‘58, BUSCER ‘58), to provide program support for field courses.
Application: Not required
Value: $1000
Number: 2
Eligibility: Open to senior undergraduate and graduate students majoring in hard rock geology. To be eligible, students must be majoring in a geological science, have a minimum GPA of 75%, demonstrate financial need, and submit a statement of 200-250 words which demonstrates their interest in hard rock geology.
Donor: Ms. Lillian Forsythe (in memorial of Lee Forsythe, a former undergraduate and master’s student in the Department of Geological Sciences that spend much of his career mapping northern Saskatchewan).
Application: Written statement must be submitted when call for applications is made.
Value: $2000
Number: 4
Eligibility: Offered annually to students who have completed their second year of a program in the Department of Geological Sciences or in Geological Engineering. Selection will be based on academic achievement, character and financial need.
Donor: Established by the Ore Gangue in memorial to professors J.B. Mawdsley and F.H. Edmunds in 1960.
Application: Not required
Value: Varies.
Number: Two for third-year and two for fourth-year students.
Eligibility: Awardee must be a member of the Ore Gangue.
Donor: Ore Gangue Alumni, led by Gordon Beech. To provide financial support to students in need, recognize contributions to the Earth Sciences student community and reward academic performance for students, who are members of the Ore Gangue and enrolled in classes in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan, and to foster the continuing strong relationship between the faculty and the Ore Gangue student body membership.
Application: Winner will be selected from nominations made by students.