Trent University's Queen Elizabeth II Science and Technology Graduate Scholarships - (QEII-GSST)

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Trent University’s
Queen Elizabeth II Science and
Technology Graduate Scholarships
(QEII-GSST)
                                     APPLICANT GUIDELINES
Queen Elizabeth II Science and Technology Graduate Scholarship (QEII-GSST) awards are merit-based
scholarships available to students doing research in science and technology. The QEII-GSST program is jointly
funded by the Province of Ontario and Ontario universities. The Province of Ontario contributes two-thirds of
the value of the award and the university provides one-third.

Students must apply for the QEII-GSST at the institution where they are currently registered. The QEII-GSST is
not transferrable; it must be held at the institution that awarded it.

Any student holding a QEII-GSST is eligible to receive other awards during the duration of the QEII-GSST
award. QEII-GSST guidelines restrict students to a lifetime maximum of six years of government-funded
awards and prohibit students from holding a QEII-GSST and another government-funded award concurrently.
Other funding opportunities could include external scholarships, Research Fellowship Awards, internal
scholarships or any combination.

Students awarded an QEII-GSST may hold part-time employment of no more than 10 hours a week, but no
more than 150 hours per term and generally that is in the form of a Graduate Teaching Assistantship. If students
work more than 10 hours per week they are no longer eligible to hold a QEII-GSST award and will be
considered in an overpayment situation. As such, students will be required to repay all or part of the scholarship
immediately.

Awards are open to School of Graduate Studies graduate programs which have a significant research
component. A significant research component is considered to be original, autonomous research that
leads to the completion of a thesis, major research project, dissertation, and/or scholarly publication, that
is merit/expert-reviewed at the institutional level as a requirement for completion of the program.
Professional programs, defined as primarily course-based degree or stream where institutional funding is
not provided to students (i.e. no RFs or GTAs) are not eligible.

Application Procedures:
Current or incoming MSc or Science Doctoral students must apply for a QEII-GSST via a myTrent application
which is submitted directly to the School of Graduate Studies at Trent University. This scholarship is not open
to International students. Applicants can find the application under the Finance Menu -> Financial Aid ->
Scholarships & Bursaries on their myTrent portal.

Scholarship Value:
The scholarship value will be to a maximum of $15,000 annually, or $5,000 per term. The QEII-GSST awards
are unique as they are funded with $10,000 by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and
$5,000 by the University through private donations.

Awards must be for a minimum of two sequential academic terms. The award may not be held for a single
term.

Eligibility to Apply:
In order to be considered for a QEII-GSST, students must be:

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     A Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, or protected person under subsection 95(2) of the
            Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) by the time of the QEII-GSST application
            University deadline date.
           Enrolled at an eligible postsecondary institution in Ontario, in an eligible program on a full time
            basis. See Appendix A

Minimum Academic Requirements:
The applicant must, at minimum, meet the following QEII-GSST academic requirements:
           Have achieved at least A- (or equivalent) in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time
            equivalent) and have achieved a minimum GPA of A- in the last 10 full-time or equivalent credits
            of post-secondary university study.
           If the student is entering the third year of graduate studies at the time of application, the student
            must have an overall average of at least A-, or the equivalent, on all graduate courses completed.
           If masters or doctoral degree marks used for calculating an applicant’s grade point average (GPA)
            are not available (for example, courses were graded on a pass-fail basis), then the University’s
            Graduate Studies Office will use the most recently available undergraduate or graduate marks to
            calculate a student’s GPA.

Eligibility to Hold a QEII-GSST Award:
           Recipients must register and remain enrolled as a full-time student at Trent University in an eligible
            program;
           Recipients must remain enrolled as a full-time student in an eligible program. Recipients who
            withdraw, transfer to part-time status, or fail to complete the term, will be required to repay the
            award for incomplete and future terms.
           Recipients must be in good standing with the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).
            Applicants who have defaulted on a Canada or Ontario student loan, or have failed to make
            satisfactory repayment on a loan overpayment, are ineligible to receive the award. Students who
            have never applied for OSAP are considered to be in good standing. Students may apply for a
            scholarship, and if successful, must have any restriction cleared within 30 days of notification in
            order to accept the award;

Maximum Support:

Students are limited in the number of years that they may hold a QEII-GSST.

Master's students may receive the scholarship for a maximum of two years and students cannot have exceeded
24 months of graduate study during the duration of their award. Doctoral students may receive the scholarship
for a maximum of four years, and cannot exceed 48 months of full time doctoral studies during the duration of
their award.

In addition, QEII-GSST guidelines restrict students to a lifetime maximum of six (6) years of government-
funded awards and prohibit students from holding a QEII-GSST and another government-funded award
concurrently.

Awards under the following programs are included in these restrictions:

Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)
Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology(QEII-GSST)

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Ontario Trillium Scholarships (OTS)
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS)

Special Circumstances:
If you believe you have special circumstances, you may include details to describe any special considerations
such as health problems, family responsibilities, disabilities, or other circumstances that have had an effect on
your performance or productivity, including any delays in disseminating your research results or completing
your degree, up to a quarter page maximum. The weight to be given to any special circumstances will be
determined by the QEII-GSST panels evaluating your application. Students with special circumstances must
still meet the minimum A minus grade (80%).
                   The University Selection Committee may require applicants to meet more
                           rigorous academic requirements as they deem appropriate.
Selection Criteria:
MASTERS LEVEL APPLICANTS
 Criteria           Description                                                                Weighting
                                  Academic Record (first class average)
 Academic Excellence              Scholarships and awards held                                50%
                                  Duration of previous studies
                                  Type of program and courses pursued
                                  Course Load
                                  Relative standing (if available)
                                  Quality and originality of contributions to research and
 Research Potential                development                                                 30%
                                  Relevance of work experience and academic training to
                                   field of proposed research
                                  Significance, feasibility, and merit of proposed research
                                  Judgment and ability to think critically
                                  Ability to apply skills and knowledge
                                  Initiative, autonomy and independence
                                  Research experience and achievements relative to
                                   expectations of someone with the candidate’s academic
                                   excellence
                                  Work experience
 Personal Characteristics &       Leadership experience                                       20%
 Interpersonal Skills
                                  Project management including organizing conferences
                                   and meetings
                                  Ability or potential to communicate theoretical,
                                   technical and/or scientific concepts clearly and
                                   logically in written and oral formats
                                  Involvement in academic life
                                  Volunteerism/community outreach

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DOCTORAL LEVEL APPLICANTS
 Criteria           Description                                                              Weighting
                                  Academic record
 Academic Excellence              Scholarships and awards held                              30%
                                  Duration of previous studies
                                  Quality of contributions to research and development
 Research Ability or              Relevance of work experience and academic training to     50%
 Potential                         field of proposed research
                                  Significance, feasibility, and merit of proposed
                                   research, and justification for location of tenure
                                  Ability to think critically
                                  Ability to apply skills and knowledge
                                  Judgment
                                  Originality
                                  Initiative and autonomy
                                  Enthusiasm for research
                                  Determination and ability to complete projects within
                                   an appropriate period of time
                                  Ability or potential to communicate scientific concepts
 Communication,                    clearly and logically in written and oral formats. For    20%
 Interpersonal & Leadership        example, this could include:
 Abilities                           o quality of the application’s presentation;
                                     o participation in preparing publications; and
                                     o awards for oral presentations or papers
                                     o Professional and relevant extracurricular
                                          interactions and collaborations. mentoring;

How to Apply:
Application Deadlines:          April 27, 2019
Please submit your application through your myTrent portal before April 27, 2019.
Transcripts:
The School of Graduate Studies will print out Trent transcripts for the internal QEII-GSST application. Any
other institutions attended by the applicant will require unofficial transcripts to be uploaded during the
application process.
Results & Appeals:
Applicants will be notified as soon as the adjudication process has been completed. There will be no appeals
accepted for QEII-GSST decisions
Presentation Standards:
You are responsible to submit a complete application which also includes:
       Provide the required information from Part II using the specified headings and follow the order
        indicated.
       Make sure your name appears at the top right-hand corner of each page.
       Text should be single spaced, Times New Roman, minimum 12pt or any other comparable serif font.
       Condensed type is not acceptable. Set margins at a minimum of 2 cm all around.

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    For multipage attachments, number the pages sequentially.
        If you have supporting documents written in a language other than English or French, you must provide
         a translation of the document in English or French.
        Reference letters must be submitted in a sealed, signed envelope to Jane Rennie OR emailed on an
         official institutional letterhead directly from your academic referee's institutional email address to
         janerennie@trentu.ca.
Appendix A
The QEII-GSST program supports graduate students enrolled in research master’s and doctoral programs in
science and technology disciplines. Collaboration, inter-disciplinary study, and innovation are encouraged. The
following are the eligible disciplines:
        1. Applied Sciences:
             Aerospace (may include Aeronautical Engineering)
             Biomedical Engineering
             Chemical Engineering
             Civil Engineering and Architecture (may include Landscape Architecture)
             Computer Engineering
             Electrical Engineering
             Engineering Science (may include Engineering, Engineering Physics, and
               Nuclear Engineering)
             Mechanical Engineering
             Mining, Metallurgy, and Materials Science (may include Metallurgical Engineering)
             Systems and Industrial Engineering (may include Systems/Design Engineering and Operational
               Research)
        2. Biological and Life Sciences:
             Biochemistry and Biophysics (may include Medical Biophysics)
             Environmental Sciences (may include Agriculture, Ecology, Forestry, and Toxicology)
             General Biological Sciences (may include Biology, Botany, Entomology, Microbiology,
               Mycology, Plant and Animal Biology, and Zoology)
             Genetics, Cell, and Molecular Biology
             General Health Science (may include research-oriented programs in Epidemiology, Human
               Kinetics, Hygiene, Nutrition, and Rehabilitation disciplines such as Occupational Therapy,
               Physical Therapy, Audiology, and Speech Pathology)
             Human Biology (may include Anatomy, Biomedical Sciences, Food Science, Immunology,
               Neuroscience, Pathology, Pharmacology, and Physiology)
             Medical and Veterinary Sciences (may include research-oriented programs in Dentistry, Medical
               Sciences, Nursing, Optometry, and Pharmacy)
        3. Physical Sciences:
             Chemistry
             Computer Science (may include Information/Systems Science)
             Earth Sciences (may include Geology and Geophysics)
             Mathematics and Statistics
             Physics (may include Astronomy, Meteorology, and Space Science)

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