IMII awards five iMpowered scholarships in support of women, Indigenous students

(From left) Larry Rosia of Saskatchewan Polytechnic, current winners Nicole Launders and Lovely Es Amuan, previous winner Michelle Low, and Al Shpyth of IMII.

International Minerals Innovation Institute (IMII) announced the winners of iMpowered Scholarship program, awarding C$75,000 for the 2021-22 academic year. The program was created to support women and Indigenous students with financial responsibilities for their family and who are interested in a career in the minerals industry. The scholarships support college, polytechnic or university studies in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or computer science.

This year’s winners are Lovely Es Amuan and Nicole Launders, both pursuing the mining engineering technology diploma program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. IMII has also awarded two previous scholarship winners, Michelle Low and Xiaoying (Sharon) Wang, with renewals.

“Congratulations to the 2021 iMpowered Scholarship recipients, all of whom are Sask Polytech students,” Dr. Larry Rosia, Sask Polytech president and CEO said in a media release. “Your aptitude and hard work have not gone unnoticed. The iMpowered Scholarship is making a huge impact in the lives of our students, allowing them to focus on their education while also becoming integral members of a diverse, inclusive and qualified workforce for Saskatchewan’s minerals industry.”

The scholarship program is a five-year initiative that has IMII committing over C$500,000 to help build a diverse, inclusive, and qualified workforce for Saskatchewan’s minerals industry. The scholarships are supported by BHP, Cameco, Mosaic and Nutrien.

The IMII has recently announced a special intake of applications for the 2022 winter academic session with submissions due by Nov. 30, 2021. More information on the scholarship program can be found at iMpowered Scholarship (IMII.ca).

(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)