Helgason Travel Award for Graduate Students in Plant Science

A fund was established at The University of Manitoba as a memorial tribute to Dr. Sig Helgason (1913-92) to provide awards for students in the Department of Plant Science. Dr. Helgason joined the Department of Plant Science in 1947 as a plant breeder, serving as Head from 1975 to 1978, when he retired. He was named Professor Emeritus in 1980 and maintained an ongoing involvement in his research programme, graduate student committees, and departmental affairs until 1984. His outstanding career accomplishments include the development of corn inbreds and hybrids and the release of several barley varieties, including the six-row malting variety, Argyle.

Morrison Travel Award for Graduate Students in Plant Science

Dr. Ian N. Morrison joined the Department of Plant Science at the University of Manitoba in 1976 as a weed scientist and later served as Head from 1989 to 1996. His research led to the development of new tools and methods for weed control and crop protection for western Canadian producers. Dr. Morrison moved to the University of Alberta in 1996 to become Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Home Economics. He touched the lives of over 20 graduate students and hundreds of undergraduate students. The endowment fund was established as a tribute to Dr. Morrison’s personal qualities and career accomplishments.

Lamari Travel Award for Graduate Studies in Plant Science

An endowment fund has been established at the University of Manitoba as a tribute to Dr. Lakhdar Lamari’s personal qualities and career accomplishments. Dr. Lamari joined the Department of Plant Science in 1988 as a Postdoctoral Fellow and subsequently served as a faculty member from 1990 until 2009. He conducted world-class and world-renown cereal pathology research with special emphasis on tan spot diseases of wheat. He was the first researcher in the world to unravel the mysterious hostpathogen interaction for this disease in wheat. He developed a computer-based plant disease measurement program called “Assess” that permits the easy and rapid quantification of the number of disease lesions on plant surfaces. This program took plant pathology research to a whole new level of precision. He touched the lives of many graduate students and numerous undergraduate students.

These Awards will be offered to graduate students who:

(1) have completed at least one year of an M.Sc. or Ph.D. program delivered by the Department of Plant Science;

(2) have achieved a minimum degree grade point average of 3.0 (or equivalent) based on the last 60 credit hours of study;

(3) will be attending a scientific meeting in a plant science related area and will be presenting the results of their research at the meeting (poster or oral presentation);

(4) have demonstrated research ability based on the abstract submitted and the proposed research results to be presented at the meeting.

Funding must be used within the 12 month period following the date that the award recipients are announced. Recipients graduating within the 12 month period following the date that the award recipient is announced must use the funding received within six months of the date of

convocation.

Selection of the recipients is based on (1) academic performance; (2) comments from letters of recommendation; (3) quality of the abstract submitted and proposed research results to be presented; and (4) the potential value of the meeting to the

student’s development.

To receive a disbursement from the award fund, the award recipient must submit receipts for travel, registration, hotel and food expenses (based on current UM per diem rates). Expenses will be reimbursed up to the current maximum value of the award.

The application form is attached.

Deadline: January 15, 2014