Three U of M students earn recognition with Vanier Scholarships – UM Today

September 20, 2017 —

Three University of Manitoba graduate students are recipients of 2017 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships.

These awards, considered the Canadian equivalent of the United Kingdom’s Rhodes Scholarships, help recruit and keep in Canada top doctoral students from across the country and around the world. Each recipient will receive $150,000 over three years towards his or her research.

The recipients of these prestigious awards are: Jacqueline Hay, Deirdre Khan, and Nickolas Kosmenko.

Hay’s Vanier-supported work will explore the complex interactions between genes, the ecosystems of bacteria in the gut, and personal lifestyle factors to see how they relate to risk factors for chronic diseases. Khan will focus on how we can improve canola seed yield and nutrition. And Kosmenko will investigate the factors that influence rural Indigenous athletes’ participation in varsity sport.