Schulich School of Engineering launches 50 new scholarships

Future engineers have the innovative ideas needed to transform the profession, and a new award program at the University of Calgary is planning on helping some first-year students become champions for diversity and inclusion on campus.

This fall, the Schulich School of Engineering is launching up to 50 entrance scholarships valued at $4,000 each. The Diversity Champions in Engineering Awards will be available to students who have overcome barriers while pursuing their education or who have worked to promote inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

According to Engineers Canada, only one per cent of undergraduate students in Canadian engineering programs identified as Indigenous Peoples, and only 20.7 per cent as female in 2016. Women account for only 12.8 per cent of the practicing profession of engineering in Canada.

“The time for action is now,” said Dr. Bill Rosehart, dean of the Schulich School of Engineering. “We have expanded our STEM outreach activities. We’re exploring new pathways to help under-represented populations join our programs, and we’re developing diversity champions within our school to help provide mentorship to all students.”

The Schulich School of Engineering has a long history of supporting student success through awards and bursaries. In 2017, UCalgary engineering students received $4.4 million in scholarships, awards and bursaries — many of which were established thanks to support from the community.

Engineering students also have the option of pursuing a year of paid work experience with the school’s internship program — another great way to reduce the financial burden on engineering graduates.

“For engineering to thrive as a profession, we need to ensure a variety of backgrounds, genders, interests and talents are welcome and included in our school. The more diverse our student body, the more new ideas and perspectives will emerge,” said Dr. Qiao Sun, senior associate dean of diversity and equity at the Schulich School of Engineering.

Applications for the new Diversity Champions in Engineering award are now open. To be eligible, students must apply for entrance into engineering and complete a brief award application describing their ideas for how they can champion increasing diversity in engineering. Application forms must be emailed to sseawards@ucalgary.ca by Jan. 21, 2019.