Polar Knowledge Canada is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Northern Scientific Training Program (NSTP) Special Awards, recognizing four outstanding graduate students for their excellence in Northern and Arctic research. Each year, this prestigious program awards four graduate students with $2,500 each, for a total of $10,000 in funding. The NSTP Special Awards support students conducting research that advances knowledge relevant to the North and contributes to community priorities.
The NSTP Special Awards reflect Polar Knowledge Canada's mandate to promote polar science and technology that is grounded in collaboration, respectful of Indigenous knowledge systems and responsive to the priorities of Northern communities.
The 2025 award recipients are:
· Alison Schultz, Carleton University, for the project "Combustive Realities of Reproductive Care: The Politics of Emergency and Risk in the Northwest Territories. Alison is receiving the Eric Dewailly (1957-2014) Award commemorating the professor of Environmental Health at the Faculty of Medicine of Laval University, Director of the Public Health Unit of the Laval University Medical Centre and scientific director of the World Health Organization Collaborative Centre in Environmental Health.
· Emilie Perreault, University of Saskatchewan for the project "Groundwater vulnerability to metal contamination in Whitehorse, Yukon." Emilie is receiving the George Hobson (1923-2015) Award commemorating the Director of the Polar Continental Shelf Program and geophysicist specialising in seismic exploration.
· Danielle Nowosad, University of Guelph for the project "Using DNA barcoding as a tool to assess biodiversity of freshwater invertebrates and risks associated with blackflies in the Canadian Arctic." Danielle is receiving the Malcolm Ramsay (1949-2000) Award commemorating the world-renowned polar bear expert and biology professor at the University of Saskatchewan.
· Alexis Beltrano, McMaster University for the project "Making Research Work for the People of Nunavut: Understanding Community Experiences with the Research License Review Process." Alexis is receiving the Robert McGhee Award commemorating the archaeologist whose research is focussed on the history of the Arctic peoples, and who served on the Northern Scientific Training Program Committee for 25 years.
These awards encourage early-career researchers to explore pressing Northern issues-from water security and biodiversity to health systems and Indigenous-led research governance-while fostering respectful and reciprocal partnerships with Northern communities.
