Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
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Systematics Research Graduate Supplements
This supplement is available to you only if you are awarded an Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship M (CGS M), Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS), an Industrial Postgraduate Scholarship (IPS) or a Vanier CGS.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Value | Up to $5,000/year for up to two years |
| Application Deadline | See below |
| How to Apply | See below |
| Program Contact | View Contact Information |
What is the purpose of the supplement?
The purpose of the Systematics Research Graduate Supplements (SRGS) is to:
- promote graduate research in systematics in Canada;
- encourage and support graduate students to carry out all or part of their research at centres of excellence in systematics research;
- maintain and strengthen the base of expertise for systematics research in Canada; and
- provide practical work experience with natural history collections within a professional setting.
Are you eligible to hold a supplement?
At the time you apply for a scholarship supplement, you must be studying or planning to study in a university faculty that provides the opportunity to engage in a research project directly related to an area of systematics, such as taxonomy, evolution, biogeography, phylogeny and crystal chemistry, within the disciplines of zoology, botany, paleontology, or mineralogy.
In addition, a faculty member or staff research scientist from one of the sponsoring organizations must be on your supervisory committee, and you must carry out all or part of your research in conjunction with one of the following organizations (see the Note in the section below):
- Royal Alberta Museum (Edmonton)
Mr. Chris Robinson (chris.robinson@gov.ab.ca) - Canadian Museum of Nature (Ottawa)
Dr. Mark Graham (mgraham@mus-nature.ca) - New Brunswick Museum (Saint John)
Dr. Donald McAlpine (dmcalpin@nb.aibn.com) - Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History (Halifax)
Mr. David Christianson (chrisdj@gov.ns.ca) - Royal British Columbia Museum (Victoria)
Mr. Kelly Sendall (ksendall@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca) - Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (Drumheller)
Dr. Don Brinkman (don.brinkman@gov.ab.ca)
What kind of support do these supplements provide?
These supplements provide financial support to high-calibre students working towards a master's or doctoral degree in systematics. The number of supplements available will depend on the sponsoring organizations.
Note: The list of organizations is subject to change; for example, an organization that has renewed a supplement may not have the resources to offer a new supplement the same year and will be removed from the list for that year. Therefore, if you are interested in being sponsored by a particular organization, you should contact the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN) at the address below to verify that the organization is still participating in the program.
Value of supplement
If you are a successful applicant, the sponsoring organization will supplement your NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship or a Canada Graduate Scholarship by up to $5,000 per year. The supplement is renewable annually for as long as you hold your scholarship.
How do you apply?
Successful NSERC postgraduate scholars who meet the eligibility requirements as stated above are encouraged to apply for this supplement. Candidates for the supplement should contact the sponsoring organization they wish to work with to enquire about the availability of a supplement. If a supplement is available, you must submit the following to the address below by April 30 of the year in which you receive your postgraduate scholarship:
- A copy of your Notification of Award from NSERC
- A copy of your successful scholarship application (Form 200)
- A 200-word essay on the importance of the facility's specimen collection to your work
- Complete contact information to receive the results of the supplement review
Review procedures
Applications are sent to the sponsoring organizations, and each organization is responsible for its own review. When the review is complete, you will be contacted by a representative of the organization. The final results will be known within a month of receipt of the documents.
Notification of decision
The final results will be known by the end of May. The sponsoring organizations will contact both the successful and unsuccessful candidates directly.
Payment
The sponsoring organizations are responsible for releasing the scholarship supplement. They must also ensure that recipients of the supplement continue to hold an NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship or a Canada Graduate Scholarship and meet the other requirements of the supplement.
For general information about this supplement program, contact:
Dr. Mark Graham
Director of Research Services
Canadian Museum of Nature
P.O. Box 3443, Station D
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 6P4
Tel.: 613-566-4743
Fax: 613-364-4021
E-mail: mgraham@mus-nature.ca
Systematics is the science that deals with the naming and classification of plants, animals (living and fossil species), and minerals. Systematics research tells us how these entities evolved, how they are related to others, where they are found, and, in the case of plants and animals, how they go about (or used to go about) making a living.
The knowledge gained from this research is basic to resource management decisions and in applications that use natural resources. Canada's systematics expertise is decreasing. It is vital that a country so resource-rich maintain this expertise.
