Two Queen’s University projects received funding from the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships (QES) program, an initiative that aims to develop young global leaders.

Funding from the program, which honours the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne, will allow 35 Queen’s students to pursue an internship or study-abroad opportunity and eight students from Commonwealth countries to undertake graduate studies at Queen’s.

“The QES program is a remarkable initiative that will create exceptional international experiences for participating students and expand Queen’s research connections around the world,” says Daniel Woolf, Principal and Vice-Chancellor. “Queen’s is grateful to the many benefactors who have made the program possible.”

The International Centre for the Advancement of Community-Based Rehabilitation (ICACBR) and the Queen’s Facility for Isotope Research (QFIR) received QES funding.

“The QES program supports the university’s commitment to providing international academic and experiential learning opportunities for students,” says Kathy O’Brien, Associate Vice-Principal (International). “Queen’s students participating in these two projects will gain valuable experience in an international setting, combining academic study, research and community service.”

The scholarships will create new opportunities for Queen’s occupational therapy students and master’s and PhD candidates in rehabilitation science to engage with ICACBR’s ongoing community-based rehabilitation work in Bangladesh. It will also fund four community-based rehabilitation leaders from commonwealth Asian and African countries to study at Queen’s in the PhD program in RHBS. 

“The scholarships will provide the opportunity for Canadian students in the School of Rehabilitation Therapy to expand and apply their learning, through on-the-ground engagement with international community-based rehabilitation activities,” says Dr. Heather Aldersey, an assistant professor in the School of Rehabilitation Therapy. “The scholarships will also provide important capacity development and networking opportunities for rehabilitation and community development leaders from Asia and Africa.”

The funding will also allow 16 undergraduate and graduate students within the QFIR laboratory to travel to Zambia and Australia to work co-operatively with partners on site.

“By facilitating our connections with university and industry partners in those countries as well as the United Kingdom, the QES program will help us develop a complete understanding of the mobility of elements in buried mineral deposits in climatically diverse field sites,” says Daniel Layton-Matthews, an associate professor in the Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering and a researcher in QFIR.

For more information on the scholarships, visit the website.

The Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships program is a joint initiative of the Rideau Hall Foundation, Community Foundations of Canada and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. It was created through unique contributions from the Government of Canada, provincial governments, the private sector and individuals worldwide.