Student Competitions and Awards
CSABE/SCGAB Foundation Sponsored Student Activities
The CSABE/SCGAB Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship
The scholarship ($400) recognizes academic excellence among student members of the Society and is awarded each year to the student member with the highest grade point average (GPA) in the preceding semester (based on a minimum of 12 credit hours).
The Department Head or his/her designate selects one scholarship recipient per year per department and sends the name to the Society Manager (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by May 15.
The CSABE/SCGAB Student Team Competition
The program provides funding ($50 per student member, up to $500 per team, and up to $1000 per academic institution per calendar year) to eligible student teams participating in a recognized agricultural or biosystems engineering competition. The Foundation thereby encourages students to gain teamwork experience and to learn by comparing their efforts and ideas with those of others. Such projects also provide visibility for engineering and its role in improving agriculture, the food system, and the environment.
To be eligible, the team must be formed of at least two student members and participate in an agricultural or biosystems engineering competition open to more than one academic institution. Examples of eligible student competitions include the ASABE Robotics Student Design Competition, the K. K. Barnes Student Paper Award Competition, the International 1/4 Scale Tractor Student Design Competition, and the Fountain Wars Student Design Competition.
To request funding, teams must complete the form on the next page and return it to the Society Manager (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by May 15, along with proof of registration.
DOWNLOAD THE FUNDING REQUEST FORM
CSABE/SCGAB Undergraduate and Graduate Student Awards
Two undergraduate student competitions namely (1) design competition and (2) undergraduate paper competition, are organized to promote a high degree of professionalism, encourage development of professional and engineering ingenuity, provide opportunity for interaction between students and professional associates and encourage active undergraduate student participation within CSABE/SCGAB.
Two graduate student competitions (1) Masters and Doctoral thesis award competition and (2) graduate student paper competition, are organized to encourage innovation and excellence in Biosystems, Biological and Environmental Engineering and recognize our most promising graduate student members. Brief overview of these competitions is given below.
The CSABE/SCGAB Society Manager will circulate detailed and specific instructions each year for the competitions to the Education institutions across Canada who have students interested in bioengineering. Each institution will submit a recipient. Potential contestants should consult their Faculty.
CSABE/SCGAB Undergraduate Design Project Award
Eligibility
The CSABE/SCGAB Undergraduate Design Project Award is to recognize excellence in the development of engineering design skills in solving problems related to biological systems. Individual or team projects are eligible. Each eligible university will identify their recipient of the Award. These names will be sent for recognition at the annual banquet. To qualify, the recipient(s) must have completed a design project at a Canadian University during the 12-month period ending April 30th, and each member of the design team must be a student member of the Society.
Award Value: $100 per person on the design project ($500 maximum or divided equally if there are more than 5 team members).
Deadline: The name(s) of the award recipient(s), along with the title of the design project, must be submitted to the Society Manager by May 15.
How to apply: Send your name to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
CSABE/SCGAB Undergraduate Thesis Award
Eligibility
The CSABE/SCGAB Undergraduate Thesis Award is to recognize excellence in undergraduate student research in fields represented by the Society. Each eligible university will identify their recipient of the Award. These names will be sent for recognition at the annual banquet. To qualify, the recipient must have completed an undergraduate level thesis at a Canadian University during the 12-month period ending April 30th, and be a student member of the Society.
Award Value: $100
Deadline: The name of the award recipient, along with the title of the thesis, must be submitted to the Society Manager by May 15.
How to apply: Send your name to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
NEW - CSABE/SCGAB National MSc/PhD Thesis Award
The award aims to recognize outstanding candidates for their academic excellence, research capacity, communication skills, and social engagement. The evaluation criteria are based on the following items:
- Projects demonstrate strong agricultural and biosystem engineering relevance (70%);
- Exceptional leadership during the program (15%), such as evidence-based mentorship of graduate or undergraduate students;
- Excellent communication (writing and verbal) skills (10%);
- Active in CSABE/SCGAB community (5%).
The award is reserved for graduate students registered at a Canadian university who have submitted their PhD or master's thesis in the last 12 months prior to receiving the prize
Documents to submit:
- Research project overview: Summarize the completed research project, including objectives, methodology, and expected scientific and applied outcomes. Assess how the project directly addresses agricultural, agrifood, or agri-environmental challenges and delivers practical value for the entire food chain. Finally, in your opinion, explain what the greatest originality of your study is (2 pages);
- Experience in communication and public speaking skills: Explain in more detail your experience communicating and transferring knowledge to diverse audiences (1 page);
- Community engagement and activities outside academia: Describe your involvement in community, agricultural, educational, or outreach activities outside formal academic requirements. Attention should be given to sustained engagement, service to the community, and leadership or social impact (1 page).
- Two letters of recommendation: Two letters are needed: one from your supervisor stipulating your remarkable scientific and leadership contributions, and one from another person able to judge your community engagement and/or communication skills;
- Personnel context (optional);
- CV;
- A link to access the thesis.
How to apply
In each CSABE/SCGAB region (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic), supervisors must recommend to the Regional Director (https://csbe-scgab.ca/about/council-members) by May 1st the candidature of their most deserving MSc or PhD student who has submitted his/her thesis. They should send the following information with all the requested documents:
- Full name and email of the student;
- Degree level (MSc or PhD);
- Institution/University;
- Field of study.
The Regional Director will validate whether the application documents are complete. The Regional Director will then send the eligible applications to the Society Manager by May 15, who will transmit the files to the CSABE/SCGAB Award Committee.
The six most deserving applications (3 MSc and 3 PhD) will receive a $500 prize and will be invited to the AGM to give a short presentation. The “Best Thesis” winners (1 MSc and 1 PhD) will be announced at the Banquet evening and will receive an additional $500.
CSABE/SCGAB Student Competition (Oral and Poster Presentation during the AGM)
The CSABE/SCGAB Local Organizing Committee for the Annual Meeting and Conference may arrange for two student competitions: “Best Oral Presentation” and “Best Poster Presentation”. Students attending conference should declare their intent to enter to the Society Manager (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) 2 weeks prior to the AGM and Conference. Please indicate your paper ID# and whether you wish to compete in the oral or poster competition. Please check with the CSABE/SCGAB Society Manager to see if the competitions will be held.
Judges, selected from CSABE/SCGAB members attending the conference, will utilize a standardized scoring sheet to provide results to the Student Competition Leader and the CSABE/SCGAB Society Manager. Cash awards and certificates will be presented.
The areas used to evaluate presentations will be as follows:
Oral presentation
- Organization
- Delivery
- Use of visual aids
- Content and responsiveness to audience
Poster presentation
- Organization of material
- Image content and quality
- Written word
- Presentation/overall content
- Question and answer effectiveness
ASABE ¼ Scale Tractor Student Design Competition - $500
Design and construction of a four-wheel-drive tractor taking into consideration the rules specified by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE)
McGill University, MuTrac Team – Liam Parnell, Nadia Etzinger, Camille Laboisse, Martin Ma, Vincent Boa, Thomas Brunet, Olivia M. Giguère, Imad Boumenna, Alyson Meadows, Madeleine C. Hétu, Kyle R. Geddes, Étienne-Nathan Balasingam & Catherine Grammond
Université Laval, Équipe ULtrac – Simon Dallaire, Alexis Pellerin, Émérick Prince, Ethan Cadet, Antoine Néron, Élodie Tremblay, Amélie Fecteau, Jacob Drapeau, Sarah Benabbas & David Brunelle
CSBE/SCGAB FOUNDATION Undergraduate Scholarship - $300
Recognizes academic excellence among student members of the Society. The Scholarship is awarded each year to the student member of the Society with the highest GPA in the preceding semester.
University of Manitoba – Ben Martens
McGill University – Grace McDougall-Vick
Université Laval, Génie agroenvironnemental – Antoine Turcotte
Université Laval, Génie alimentaire – Livia Bolduc Painchaud
Dalhousie University – Akshit Bhalla
University of Prince Edward Island – Yuvraj S. Gill
Graduate Thesis Award (PhD) - $200
University of Saskatchewan – Cuong N. Dao for a thesis entitled “Microbial pretreatment of camelina straw and switchgrass for the production of solid biofuel pellets and bioethanol” (Advisors: L. Tabil & E. Mupondwa).
University of Manitoba – Chitra Sivakumar for a thesis entitled “Comprehensive characterization of pulse flour microstructure using advanced non-destructive techniques” (Advisor: J. Paliwal).
University of Guelph – Rahul I. Barbhuiya for a thesis “Development, optimization, and characterization of organic nanomaterials for potential agricultural applications” (Advisors: A. Singh & A. Elsayed).
University of Guelph – Hamid Mohebzadeh for a thesis “Ephemeral gully erosion mapping and modeling using topographic indices, machine learning, and hydrological/water quality modeling” (Advisors: P. Daggupati & A. Biswas).
McGill University – Haoyu Chen for a thesis entitled “Energy harvesting and energy absorbing/dissipating triboelectric mechanical metamaterials” (Advisor: A. Akbarzadeh).
McGill University – Surabhi Pandey for a thesis entitled “Production of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid from whey permeate powder and its application in fluorescent sensor” (Advisors: V. Orsat & M. J. Dumont).
Université Laval – Herman Douglas Jougbou Nkala for a thesis “Stratégies d'atténuation de l’hornification des fibres alimentaires : Une approche pour la valorisation des coproduits de l'industrie agroalimentaire (Mitigation strategies for dietary fiber hornification: An approach for the valorization of agri-food industry co-products)” (Advisor: S. Khalloufi).
Dalhousie University – Mathieu Bilodeau for a thesis entitled “Assessing equipment and technologies for use in the development of dykeland in Atlantic Canada for sustainable agricultural production” (Advisor: T. Esau).
University of Prince Edward Island – Fatima Imtiaz for a thesis entitled “Integration of machine learning and remote sensing data for evaluating climate extremes in the agricultural production system of Prince Edward Island” (Advisor: A.A. Farooque).
Memorial University of Newfoundland – Sashini Pathirana for a thesis entitled “Integrated ground penetrating radar – Electromagnetic induction techniques to support precision agriculture by assessing the effects of agricultural practices” (Advisor: L. W. Galagedara).
Graduate Thesis Award (MSc) - $200
University of Saskatchewan – Jeongmin Lee for a thesis entitled “Eco-friendly non-thermal inactivation of Escherichia coli in wheat flour using cold plasma technology” (Advisor: O. D. Baik).
University of Manitoba – Harshini Boopathy for a thesis entitled “Three-dimensional movement and distribution of Tribolium castaneum and Cryptolestes ferrugineus in stored wheat at different temperatures and at different times” (Advisors: D. Jayas & F. Jian).
University of Guelph – Erich C. Fischer for a thesis “A neural network model for the prediction of deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination in corn grain using remotely sensed weather and agronomic data” (Advisor: M. Annamalai).
University of Guelph – Makary Nasser for a thesis “Bioprocess strategies for the production of designer rhamnolipid biosurfactants” (Advisor: G. Kaur).
McGill University – Calista Brown for a thesis entitled “Development of a preliminary nitrogen index for different soil types in Quebec” (Advisor: C. Madramootoo).
Université Laval – Ines Dhib for a thesis “Implantation de stratégies de mitigation des émissions de gaz, de poussières et de bioaérosols en étable à stabulation libre (Implementation of strategies to mitigate gas, dust, and bioaerosol emissions in free-stall barns)” (Advisors: S. Fournel & A. D. Larios Martinez).
Université Laval – Mathieu Deschênes for a thesis “Modélisation énergétique de serre permettant d’évaluer l’impact des matériaux de recouvrement (Greenhouse energy modeling to assess the impact of covering materials)” (Advisors: S. Fournel & M. Bendouma).
Dalhousie University – Connor Mullins for a thesis entitled “Mechanical wild blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) harvester tote volume estimation using time-of-flight imagery for automated yield monitoring” (Advisor: T. Esau).
University of Prince Edward Island – Charanpreet Singh for a thesis entitled “Combating potato virus Y (PVY) through deep learning and robotics” (Advisors: G. S. Randhawa & A. A. Farooque).
Undergraduate Awards - $100
University of Manitoba - Undergraduate Design Project – Madan I. Frolek, Izabella L. Marquez, Katrina Purcha, Amber Schinkel & Karisma Vyas for a project “Transtibial socket production optimization” (Advisor: N. Jacobson).
McGill University - Undergraduate Design Project – Danaé Gilbert, Sara Lapointe & Jasper J. Sieniewicz for a project “Optimizing apple usage with advanced maturation monitoring” (Advisor: Y. Gariepy).
Université Laval, Génie agroenvironnemental - Undergraduate Design Project – Rébecca Beauchamp & Allyson B. Brassard for a project “Élaboration d'une approche mécanisée du bouletage du biochar (Development of a mechanized approach to biochar pelletization)” (Advisor: P. Brassard).
Université Laval, Génie alimentaire - Undergraduate Design Project – Laurent Demers, Anne-Sophie Laplante & Marylee Paré for a project “Conception d’une usine de lyophilisation de fraises enrobées de chocolat (Design of a freeze-dried chocolate-covered strawberry production plant)” (Advisor: C. Ratti).
Dalhousie University - Undergraduate Design Project – Akshit Bhalla, Robert Holmes, Rachel Hawkes & Gabriel J. Natividad for a project “Development of an innovative trailer parking and storage system” (Advisor: C. Toombs).
University of Manitoba – Undergrad Thesis – Ben Martens for a thesis entitled “Design and verification of a fed-batch model to improve production of functionalized biopolymers” (Advisor: W. Blunt).
McGill University - Undergraduate Thesis – Tristan A. Brunger, Kevin Fitzsimmons, Catherine Quinty & Chendan Zhang for a project “Digestate management for biogas-ZE” (Advisor: G. Clark).
University of Prince Edward Island - Undergraduate Thesis – Karan Goel for a thesis entitled “Enhancing soybean yield through AI-based weed and disease management” (Advisor: A.A. Farooque).
