De Beers Canada launches UN Women 2018 scholarships for STEM students
First four scholarships to be awarded at University of Waterloo
CALGARY, Feb. 26, 2018 /CNW/ - De Beers Canada is pleased to announce that the first four scholarships in support of
De Beers' UN Women partnership commitment are now available to female students applying for first-year full-time studies in eligible Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs at the University of Waterloo, also a UN Women HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10 champion. Through 2020, De Beers has committed to providing a total of USD$504,000 (approximately CDN$639,000) in STEM scholarships across Canada for female students, including 16 scholarships at the University of Waterloo.
These four inaugural one-year scholarships will be for the September 2018 student intake, with additional support available in future years for incoming students.
Unique to the program is a commitment to identify female Indigenous candidates from the Northwest Territories and northern Ontario in areas where De Beers Canada has mining operations.
De Beers Canada Chief Executive Officer Kim Truter said the launch of this scholarship program is a significant step in enhancing female participation in the mining and technical industries.
"Females are under-represented in many technical industries, including mining, so we must do more to create opportunities at all stages of education and employment to remove barriers and be more inclusive," said Truter. "With De Beers making a commitment of more than $500,000 in scholarships at various universities across Canada over the next four years, many capable female students looking to enter the STEM programs will have timely financial support at the start of their academic journey that can reduce economic or other barriers. We are especially pleased that applicants from the Northwest Territories and northern Ontario will be preferentially considered when the selection committee reviews the new applicants for funding."
Female students currently applying to Earth Sciences, Environmental Science, Chemical Engineering, Geological Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waterloo may be considered for the De Beers scholarships for the September 2018 intake.
"I am thrilled to move forward on this important collaboration with De Beers, in which our talented, passionate students that identify as women, can expand their possibilities at the University of Waterloo," said Dr. Diana Parry, Associate Vice President, Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion. "I am hopeful for the experiences created in this partnership for more of our rural, Indigenous girls to join us on campus for the IMPACT camp as this is the kind of opportunity that can inspire a new pathway and a sense of confidence in our young women."
In addition to the scholarships, De Beers will also be providing a total of USD$60,000 (approximately CDN$76,000) in funding over the next three years to sponsor ten Grade 7 & 8 girls from Indigenous communities each year to attend the University of Waterloo summer IMPACT Camps, doubling attendance to 20 participants each year. Held over three days each August, these IMPACT camps provide post-secondary awareness and build confidence in girls to consider a career in the STEM fields. Activities also include cultural teachings and practices. In addition to the ten students that will be selected each year from areas where De Beers operates in the Northwest Territories and northern Ontario, each camp attendee will be able to have a caregiver attend the camp with them for additional support. The application and selection processes are currently being finalized with De Beers' community partners and will be released shortly.
ABOUT THE DE BEERS GROUP OF COMPANIES
De Beers is a member of the Anglo American group. Established in 1888, De Beers is the world's leading diamond company with unrivalled expertise in the exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers employs more than 20,000 people (directly and as contractors) across the diamond pipeline, and is the world's largest diamond producer by value, with mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. As part of the company's operating philosophy, the people of De Beers are committed to Living up to Diamonds by making a lasting contribution to the communities in which they live and work, and transforming natural resources into shared national wealth. For further information about De Beers visit www.debeersgroup.com.
De Beers has been operating in Canada since it carried out its first exploration programme in 1961. The De Beers Victor kimberlite cluster discovery in 1987 by De Beers Exploration was the first economic diamond discovery in Canada, four years before the discoveries in the Northwest Territories. De Beers currently operates the Victor Mine in northern Ontario and the Gahcho Kué Mine in the Northwest Territories.
SOURCE De Beers Canada Corporation
De Beers Canada: Tom Ormsby, Head of External and Corporate Affairs, Tel: +1 403 930 0330, Mob: +1 403 464 5516, [email protected]; University of Waterloo: Matthew Grant, Director, Media Relations, Tel +1 519-888-4451, [email protected]
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