To address the expanding need for qualified swine nutritionists, the Prairie Swine Centre and Gowan's Feed Consulting have created the Gowan's Feed Consulting Student in Nutrition Award.

The award is available at the PhD or Masters level and targets graduate students who have some industry experience and wish to increase their skills through advanced nutrition training.

Dr Denise Beaulieu, a research scientist nutrition with the Prairie Swine Centre, explains the award offers up to C$20,000 per year of study in addition to the normal Graduate Research Assistantship stipend.

Dr Denise Beaulieu – Prairie Swine Centre

Their number one job is they will be a student here at the University of Saskatchewan so whether they're enrolled as either a Masters or a PhD student, they have to fulfill all the requirements to study here in either of those positions.

That means everything from keeping their grades up, attending classes, doing research, doing seminars at the university but, on top of that, they will have additional responsibilities with Gowan's Feed Consulting to learn to work with those personnel and to learn about the feed industry.

The student will be based here at the Prairie Swine Centre and they will be registered as a student at the University of Saskatchewan.

I have an adjunct position at the university so I will be their graduate supervisor.

However, we are working very closely with Gowan's and they will be supervised also by personnel within the Gowan's Feed Company to direct their research and to advise them on working within the feed industry.

It's very much a partnership with the Gowan's Feed Company personnel.

Dr Beaulieu says interest in the award has been expressed by potential candidates from all around the world.

She notes the field has been narrowed to two candidates and a final decision is expected by the end of October to ensure the recipient is able to register with the University of Saskatchewan to start classes in January.