7 June 2007 New agricultural scholarships at Lincoln will help boost research ranks

Establishment of four new postgraduate agricultural scholarships for study at Lincoln University highlights the on-going demand for highly qualified personnel at the research end of primary production, says campus Scholarships Manager Jane Edwards.

The scholarships are –

• The Don Hulston Scholarship for PhD study doing research and development in agriculture, horticulture, forestry or aquaculture which will benefit the New Zealand economy. The scholarship is valued at $21,000 plus fees.

• The Sinclair Cummings Charitable Trust Scholarship, valued at $10,000 for a postgraduate student doing research relevant to furthering high country sheep farming.

• The John W and Carrie McLean Trust Scholarship for postgraduate research relating to advanced sheep research, one for a masters degree and one for a PhD, valued between $10-21,000.

• The LVL Scholarship for a PhD relating to the microbiology of thermophilic anaerobic digestion and waste water treatment plants. Applicants will need a background in microbiology and molecular biology. The value is $24,000 p.a. for three years.

"These scholarships are well worth consideration by anyone from a rural background or with strong rural interests who has completed a good science degree and wants to go on to a higher level of study and greater specialisation," says Jane.

"The fact that two of them relate specifically to sheep farming indicates the confidence that still exists in this sector of primary production in New Zealand."

For full information on these and other scholarships available for study at Lincoln University see the website www.lincoln.ac.nz or contact the Scholarships Office at the University.

Ian Collins, Communications Group, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand