Academic Opportunities

Check back here regularly to see academic opportunities in soil science.

BCIA Scholarships for Future Agrologists

Applications for the 2021 BCIA Scholarships are being accepted until Friday, October 29, 2021, at 11:59 PM.

To support future agrologists to achieve their career in agrology, the BC Institute of Agrologists annually awards up to $1500 in scholarships in each of two categories: graduate and undergraduate respectively.  View Previous Scholarship Recipients.

2021 Scholarship Eligibility Criteria 

Scholarship applicants must meet the following qualifications:

  • Be currently enrolled in a degree program related to agrology in a recognized British Columbia post-secondary institution;
  • Undergraduate students must have completed at least two (2) years of an undergraduate degree program and be full-time students;
  • Graduate students may be full or part-time students (with no fewer than two (2) courses);
  • Be a student member or registrant of BCIA ;
  • Be Canadian or be a permanent resident of Canada;
  • Have  B+ average academic achievement in the previous two (2) years with a minimum of 15 courses, towards post-secondary degree studies.

Applicants must submit an essay of 750-900 words that answers the following question: 

“One word that defines agrology in BC is diversity. BC has a diverse geography, which influences our natural environment and fosters wide-ranging areas of practice in agrology. In addition, diverse education, training, and experiences define the body of professionals who practice agrology in BC. Focusing on one area of diversity, describe and discuss how it is an asset to the profession of agrology in BC.”

Submissions will be evaluated on idea development, essay presentation, style, staying on topic, and understanding of the profession of agrology.

All applicants must first be accepted as a registrant or student member of BCIA before submission of their application. Scholarship recipients will have their photo and essay published in the BC Institute of Agrologists’ promotional materials, social media and website.

The applications deadline is Friday, October 29, 2021.  The BCIA Communications working group will review eligible applications based on the essay submission. Scholarships will be awarded by December 15, 2021.  Questions may be sent to julia.henshall@bcia.com.

NOTE: Scholarship applications must include official unopened transcripts and be post-marked no later than Friday, October 29, 2021. If a post-secondary institution provides official transcripts in digital format, have the transcripts emailed to laurena.olsen@bcia.com by the educational institution. Digital transcripts must be received no later than Friday, October 29, 2021.

To Apply 

Scholarship Application (PDF),  Scholarships: Description & Criteria

  • Email applications to:  julia.henshall@bcia.com, with e-transcripts to be sent by the post-secondary institution directly to laurena.olsen@bcia.com before Fri, Oct 29, 2021, at 11:59 PM; OR 
  • Mail applications, post-marked no later than Friday, October 29, 2021, with sealed transcripts, completed application form, and essay to:

Scholarships

BC Institute of Agrologists

110 – 2800 Bryn Maur Rd

Victoria, BC  V9B 3T4 

 

Master of Science program on using remote sensing techniques to assess soil surface conditions

Bradon University, in partnership with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) are seeking a highly motivated and talented candidate for a Master of Science degree program starting in January, 2022 on using remote sensing techniques to assess soil surface conditions. In agricultural fields, soil surface conditions such as soil cover (canopy and crop residue cover) and soil roughness (random roughness due to the size and shape of soil clods and aggregates and oriented roughness due to the height, spacing and direction of tillage furrows) are important factors that can strongly affect many soil landscape processes such as soil erosion and surface hydrology. Traditional methods for measuring soil surface conditions are labour intensive and time consuming. A cheaper and more efficient alternative is remote sensing. Various remote sensing techniques have been used to assess soil surface conditions. However, improvements are still needed for: 1) assessing the accuracy, efficiency and cost of different remote sensing methods; 2) an integrated method that can be used to estimate multiple soil surface condition parameters under Canadian crop management and soil conditions; and 3) linking remote sensing results to soil erosion and hydrological processes. The student will join a diverse team of researchers from AAFC, BU, as well as University of Manitoba (UM) and take the lead on field experiment and data analysis as part of the thesis program.

Position description
• The position is open for application immediately until October 15, 2021 but application
will be evaluated as it comes and offer will be made to the first qualified candidate
• Field work will mainly be in Manitoba, Canada
• The candidate is expected to be enrolled in BU by January, 2022
• Stipend: ~24k CAD per year
Requirements
• Holds a Bachelor degree in soil science or a relevant area of agri-environmental science
• Fluent in English (spoken and written) and with excellent academic records
• Research experiences on agriculture or environmental sciences are considered an asset
• Willingness to work in both field and laboratory settings
• Have a valid drivers license
• Meet all other applicable Human Resource requirements in AAFC
• Canadian citizenship (unfortunately only domestic students will be able to meet the BU
application deadline, as the deadline for international students has already passed)
Application
• A letter of interest (maximum one page)
• A resume describing qualifications and experience
• Transcripts
• Contact information for three references
• Email to Dr. Alexander Koiter (KoiterA@BrandonU.CA)