Helen Baulch, a Ph.D. student in the Environmental & Life Sciences graduate program at Trent, was recently named the 2008 recipient of the prestigious IODE War Memorial Scholarship. Valued at $15,000, the IODE scholarship is the most recent addition to Ms. Baulch’s already impressive list of awards and scholarships. She has also won three National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Awards, an Ontario Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology and the Dean’s Ph.D. Award.

“I really felt honoured to receive this scholarship. I know there are many number of deserving graduate students across the country, and I appreciated the recognition of my hard work,” Ms. Baulch said in response to winning the IODE scholarship. “Scholarships like this make a huge difference to graduate students. This scholarship has helped me free up time to work more on my research, but has also provided a bit of a boost - a vote of confidence in my abilities and the importance of my research, which is always appreciated.”

In the Environmental & Life Sciences program, Ms. Baulch’s Ph.D. research addresses the links between climate change and water quality and specifically looks at how nutrient pollution can lead to the production of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide in urban and agricultural streams. She has also has acted as a volunteer consultant contributing to university curriculum development, and climate change adaptation strategies in parts of Asia.

Ms. Baulch came to Trent after completing an M.Sc. in Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta to work with renowned biogeochemist, Dr. Peter Dillon.

“Trent is a fabulous place to do graduate research in environmental science - it has an outstanding reputation and great lab facilities,” she said. “As someone who studies water, I must say the setting is remarkable too - I commute to work alongside a river and my office is a few dozen meters from one.”

IODE initiated the War Memorial Scholarship in 1918 to commemorate Canadians who sacrificed their lives for peace and freedom. Initially, bursaries were granted to children of men and women who lost their lives or were permanently disabled while fighting for Canada. Today, applicants are judged on academic achievement and potential. They must be Canadian citizens and in at least their second year of a doctoral program at a Canadian or Commonwealth University.