Scholarships

2021-2022 Scholarship Process

The application for the CWRA graduate scholarships to be awarded in 2022 is now closed.  The Scholarships Committee is in the process of reviewing the applications. We had a record number of applicants this year, and the Scholarship Committee appreciates the time and care that applicants took to prepare their applications and describe their work for us. We will notify all applicants of their status prior to March 31, 2022. Applicants who submitted a complete application will receive information about their new memberships by March 1, 2022.

Request for Volunteers

The CWRA Scholarship Committee is comprised of academics, consultants, public servants, and retired professionals from all streams of water resources management. The mandate of the committee is to manage the administration of the CWRA Scholarship Program, which will be awarding 6 graduate level research scholarships in 2022 to a total value of $14,500. Members of the Scholarship Committee independently participate in the review and scoring of scholarship applications. Each application is reviewed by at least 2 members of the committee in order to facilitate averaging of the applications scores. In the past, applications have first been vetted through the applicants University or College; however, in 2022 applications are being received directly from the applicants themselves. As expected, this has led to a large increase in applications received, and therefore an increase in the work load for existing Scholarship Committee members. We are putting out this call for volunteers to join the CWRA Scholarship Committee and to help contribute to the review process of the 2022 Scholarship Program. We would like to hear from interested volunteers by March 4, 2022.

The CWRA Scholarship Committee Chair will issue packages to all committee members for review, along with established review criteria. It is requested that committee members provide their review results by March 23rd. The level of commitment is relatively light compared to other committees. It is expected that no committee member will need to spend more than 4-8 hours completing their reviews, and this is the only request on committee members.

If you are interested in joining the CWRA Scholarship Committee as a volunteer reviewer, please contact the Committee Chair at scholarships@cwra.org.

2021-2022 Scholarship Applications

The application for the CWRA graduate scholarships to be awarded in 2022 is now open.  The Scholarships Committee has updated the process of application for 2021-2022 to an applicant-led submission process that will not be limited to one student per department. Eligible applicants will not need to go through any departmental competition before they apply, and are responsible for completing the application as described below. Applicants will submit one application to be considered for all the scholarships for which they are eligible. CWRA will also be awarding a sixth scholarship for 2022 to an Indigenous graduate student. For more information on the scholarships that will be offered, please see the descriptions below.

Important Dates

The application deadline for submission is February 14, 2022.

Notification will be provided to all applicants prior to March 31, 2022.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents attending a Canadian university or college, enrolled in full-time graduate studies in any department in both fall and winter terms of the 2021-2022 academic year.
• Applicants must be graduate students whose research-based program of study focuses on applied, natural, or social science aspects of water resources.
• To be considered for the Golder Scholarship for Indigenous Students in Water, the applicant must self-identify as an Indigenous student on the application form. Prior to the awarding of this scholarship, the successful applicant will be contacted by the CWRA to provide documentation of, or a description of, their Indigenous heritage. CWRA understands that Indigenous ancestry can be difficult to document, and if necessary, various forms of confirmation will be considered.
• To be considered for the Harker/Cameron Women in Water Scholarship, applicants must self-identify as a woman on the application form.
• Prior to the awarding of each of the six scholarships, successful applicants will be contacted by the CWRA and asked to provide documentation of their Canadian citizenship or permanent residency.

Application Process

• Access to the CWRA online application portal will open November 26, 2021.
• The application deadline for submission is February 14, 2022.
• Applications will be completed by the student.
  • One portion of the application will be submitted by the student applicant via the online application portal linked on this page.
  • Several supporting documents need to be mailed or emailed directly to the CWRA Scholarship Committee by institutions or referees, as described below.
• The CWRA Scholarship Chair will confirm with the applicant once all required documents have been received. Applicants will be contacted seven (7) days prior to the submission deadline if the application remains incomplete.
• Applicants must prepare or obtain the following documents for a complete submission:
  1. Proof of the applicant’s full-time enrollment at their academic institution. This is to be provided in the form of a confirmation letter on the applicant’s department letterhead.
  2. Official undergraduate education transcript (mailed or emailed directly to CWRA Scholarship Committee by the undergraduate institution).
  3. Official graduate education transcript (mailed or emailed directly to CWRA Scholarship Committee by the graduate institution).
  4. Two letters of reference from persons with a knowledge of the applicant’s research or professional experience (mailed or emailed directly to CWRA Scholarship Committee by the referee).
  5. An outline of the applicant’s research project and its relevance to sustainable water resources (500 words). The outline should include project research methods, type of data and analysis, as well as the expected outcomes. The project description should be reader-friendly to non-specialists and contain as little jargon as possible.
• Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts and letters of reference can either be emailed directly to the CWRA Scholarship Chair at scholarships@cwra.org or mailed directly to the following physical address. Information received via mail must be postmarked prior to the application deadline.

Mailing address:
CWRA Scholarship Chair
c/o Nicholas Kehler
99 Commerce Drive
Winnipeg, MB R3P 0Y7

• Applications can be submitted in French or English.
• It is the student applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all application documents are uploaded to the application portal by the application deadline, and that the documentation or references from the appropriate person or institution are emailed directly to the CWRA Scholarship Chair by the application deadline or mailed to the CWRA Scholarship Chair postmarked prior to the application deadline.
• All applicants will receive a student membership to CWRA that will be valid from March 2022 to March 2023.
• Notification will be provided to all applicants prior to March 31, 2022.
• All successful applicants will be required to provide banking details for payment and their Social Insurance Number for tax form purposes.
• All applicants are encouraged to also submit an abstract to the 2022 CWRA National Conference. Information on the Call for Abstracts, and abstract submission deadlines, will be available here: conference.cwra.org

Application Review and Award Notification

The CWRA scholarships are awarded primarily based on academic excellence as well as project relevance to water resources management and development. When applicants are equal based on these criteria, selection will be based on encouraging diverse geographic reach and a diverse technical focus. Equity and diversity will also be valued.

A formal awards presentation will be held during the CWRA 75^th Annual Conference in Canmore, Alberta (June 5-8, 2022). Scholarship applicants are encouraged to consider submitting an abstract for the conference. Details can be found at: www.conference.cwra.org.

Questions

Questions about the application process should be sent to the CWRA Scholarship Chair via email: scholarships@cwra.org