At a special gathering this spring, York recipients of Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) and Ontario Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technology (OGSST) thanked the donors whose contributions swelled the provincial fund and enabled them to pursue graduate degrees.
Right: Donors Diane Woody (left) and Helen Ching-Kircher
Graduate students thanked donors particularly for making it possible for them to do fieldwork and hands-on research and apply what they had learned in the classroom.
York PhD candidate Mark Gordon has been studying the physical processes that cause drifting and blowing snow and its effects on the local environment. His studies place particular emphasis on the Canadian Arctic. “When I started my PhD I was in a job that required me to be away for weeks at a time, which affected my study time and momentum,” said Gordon. “The scholarship allowed for more funding of fieldwork and equipment, which are very expensive. Receiving the George H. Stedman Foundation Ontario Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology has really made a big difference.”
Gordon is one of approximately 5,000 graduate students in the province of Ontario to benefit from the scholarships. The province matches $10,000 for every $5,000 from private-sector donors to create $15,000 scholarships.
William Andreopoulos, a graduate student studying computer science at York, was also grateful. “Thanks to the Downtown Fine Cars Ontario Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology I received, I can now focus completely on my thesis,” said Andreopoulos. “I can concentrate fully on my fieldwork and finishing my studies.”
“Your support is of great importance to our graduate students,” Rodney Webb, associate vice-president, academic, told donors. “Your contributions are really having a lasting impact. We thank you very much for investing in York students and therefore investing in the future.”
Ron Pearlman, interim dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, also thanked donors “who have provided York students with opportunities to take advantage of graduate scholarships. We are all delighted to be able to thank you personally.”
From left: York’s Rodney Webb, associate VP academic, David Dewitt, associate VP research, and Ron Pearlman, interim dean of graduate studies