Cameco Corporation is giving a little over $80,000 worth of scholarships to help a group of University of Saskatchewan graduate students pursue their studies in northern governance and development.
The 14 students will receive roughly $6,000 each to help them conduct research internships in a number of northern Saskatchewan communities.
Student Brandon White says the money will help with a feasibility study he is conducting on building a greenhouse at Cameco’s Rabbit Lake mine.
“The idea of it would be to facilitate growing vegetables at a uranium site to feed workers or for export out to northern communities where food security is an issue,” he says.
The excess uranium byproduct would create the heat necessary for growth conditions in the greenhouse.
White adds the money will also be handy for other costs such as books and tuition.
“Tuition is, even though it is lower for grad students, it’s still a big hit on the wallet for students so I’ve been using it to pay for that, for the little amount of books and study materials that I’ve needed.”
Research internships focus on building capacity in northern Saskatchewan communities and are conducted over six months.
Scholarship recipients include Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Vice-Chief Simon Bird and former Meadow Lake Tribal Council Chief Helen Ben.