USask PhD student awarded Queen Elizabeth II Centennial Aboriginal Scholarship
Michael Palmer, a PhD student at the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) College of Medicine, has been awarded a prestigious $20,000 Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship.
By University CommunicationsThe Government of Saskatchewan has announced the 2023/24 recipients of the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship and the Queen Elizabeth II Centennial Aboriginal Scholarship.
This year’s recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Centennial Aboriginal Scholarship is Michael Palmer, who is working toward a PhD in Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology at USask.
“Congratulations to this year’s outstanding recipients of the Queen Elizabeth II scholarships,” said Advanced Education Minister Gordon Wyant. “These scholarships support and recognize some of Saskatchewan’s top graduate and post-graduate students and I look forward to seeing how their research benefits our universities and our province.”
With his research, Palmer aims to gain knowledge of the regulatory roles of viral ribonucleic acid structures. This could lead to the development of better therapeutics for pathogens such as Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV), Dengue, and Zika virus.
“Receiving the Queen Elizabeth II Centennial Aboriginal Scholarship is a great honour and privilege,” Palmer said. “To know I am considered one of the most distinguished students amongst my Indigenous family makes me proud and pushes me to be better than I ever thought possible. This award provides me with the financial stability necessary to push my limits and strive to be the best in my field. Further, this scholarship provides me with the opportunity to demonstrate that with academic support, Indigenous people can succeed and make the world we live in a better place.”
The $20,000 Queen Elizabeth II Centennial Aboriginal Scholarship is awarded annually to a First Nations or Métis student who is in excellent academic standing and is pursuing graduate or post-graduate studies in Saskatchewan.
To learn more about the scholarships, visit https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/education-and-learning/scholarships-bursaries-grants/scholarships.
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