Five StFX graduate students have been awarded Canada Graduate Research Scholarships, the Government of Canada announced Oct. 22. Their research ranges from rural homelessness and food rescue to medieval Irish saints, drone-based emissions measurement and the navigation of sea slugs.
Doctoral student Katie Forman will receive $40,000 a year for three years, while master’s students Evan Wilson, Clara O’Callaghan, Austin Bailey and Victoria Tweedie-Pitre will each receive $27,000 for 2026-27.
The scholarships are funded through the Canada Research Training Awards Suite, administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). The program supports the next generation of researchers by providing funding and training that builds research skills and creativity.
“This scholarship has provided me with security and freedom in my research,” says Austin Bailey whose research focuses on developing and deploying a drone-mounted gas measurement system to estimate the combustion efficiency of natural gas flares by measuring methane and carbon dioxide concentrations in their plumes.
These measurements help quantify emissions from flaring and support efforts to improve emissions monitoring and mitigation across the oil and gas sector.
Mr. Bailey says the scholarship also gave him the opportunity to apply for additional travel funding, “which has allowed me to pursue an exciting fieldwork opportunity and research internship at Stanford University, working with a team conducting similar research.”
Evan Wilson says his work is about setting up systems in Canada that reduce food waste through food donation and feeding people while protecting the environment.
“I want to figure out what stops farmers from being able to donate foods and what might help to overcome these barriers. With a participatory approach, I work directly with farmers, charitable organizations, policymakers, and academics to find a solution that works for everyone and to get it implemented right away.”
He says this award has been a great help because it has allowed him more time to focus on his research and reduced financial stresses.
Victoria Tweedie-Pitre's research explores how the sea slug, Hermissenda crassicornis, use chemical cues and water movement to navigate their environment, and how they adapt their navigational strategies to changing flow conditions.
Through this work, she hopes to better understand how animals integrate sensory information to navigate dynamic marine environments.
"I’m incredibly grateful to receive the NSERC CGS-M award," she says. "Having done my undergrad at StFX, it means so much to have this support as I return for my master’s and pursue research that I’m passionate about at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre."
Katie Forman is pursuing her PhD in adult education with Dr. Jonathan Langdon through the Nova Scotia Inter-University PhD Program in Educational Studies. "My research asks what learning occurs when people with housing security encounter homelessness in their small-town and rural communities in Nova Scotia," she says.
"Receiving the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship means I can dedicate time and resources to this research while supporting my family. Having returned to graduate studies from a career in grassroots organizations, scholarship support makes this degree possible for me."
Details on each scholarship follows:
Doctoral Level
• Kathleen (Katie) Forman, Faculty of Education, CGRS-D (SSHRC), 2026-29
Supervisor: Dr. Jonathan Langdon
Thesis title: From Witness to Action: Learning about Homelessness in Rural Nova Scotia
Masters Level
• Evan Wilson, Earth and Environment Sciences, CGRS-M (SSHRC)
Supervisor: Dr. Mahasti Khakpour
Thesis Title: Promoting health equity and environmental sustainability with community-engaged food rescue in rural Nova Scotia
• Clara O’Callaghan, Celtic Studies, CGRS-M (SSHRC)
Supervisor: Dr. Michael Linkletter
Thesis Title: Seeing with the Saints: The Eyes and Healing in Medieval Irish Hagiography
• Austin Bailey, Earth and Environment Sciences, CGRS-M (NSERC)
Supervisor: Dr. Dave Risk
Thesis Title: Development and Application of a Drone-Based Flare Efficiency Measurement System
• Victoria Tweedie-Pitre, Biology, CGRS-M (NSERC)
Supervisor: Dr. Russell Wyeth
Thesis Title: Navigational behaviour of Hermissenda crassicornis in response to prey cues in varying flow conditions
