Published by Communications and Public Affairs (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338
News Release
May 27, 2005
Students Earn International Research Awards, Opportunities
Three University of Guelph students are “going global” this summer, taking part in prestigious international research projects and seminars across the African continent.
Doctoral candidates Lea Berrang of the Department of Population Medicine and Sarah Wolfe of the Department of Geography received awards from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), a world-renowned Canadian agency that supports research aimed at meeting the challenges facing developing countries. Delaney Greig, a second-year international development student, will head to Burkina Faso in July for an intensive six-week study tour with World University Service of Canada (WUSC).
Berrang received an IDRC Doctoral Research Award for up to $20,000 to study environmental management and infectious disease. She will work out of a Kenyan research institute and a field study site in Uganda, focusing on sleeping sickness in southeastern Uganda.
Transmitted by the tse-tse fly, the sickness has a profound effect on human health and local economics in sub-Saharan Africa. It’s also a notable example of an infectious disease that’s interrelated with environmental change. Berrang earned a bachelor’s degree from U of G in geography and a master’s degree in environmental change and management from Oxford University.
Wolfe received an IDRC Canadian Window on International Development Award to conduct research for her thesis on water conservation. She will be based in Southern Africa and the Middle East/North Africa, examining the social networks, knowledge and water demand management in these regions. Her award is also worth up to $20,000.
Wolfe earned a BA in international development from U of G and a master’s degree in political science and environmental studies from the University of Toronto. She worked in Rome at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and co-authored summaries from expert meetings for the Walkerton Inquiry in Toronto.
Greig is one of 20 Canadian students selected to take part in the 58th annual WUSC International Seminar. The Ottawa-based agency started the tours of developing countries in 1948. Greig was chosen for her commitment to international development and leadership. She will be paired with a Burkinabe student and take part in a group research project on HIV/AIDS, agriculture and gender equality.
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt, (519) 824-4120, Ext. 53338, or Rebecca Kendall, (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982.
