Past Lottery Winners

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2020 Lottery Scholarship draws!

A huge thank you to our sponsors for the success of this new initiative!

Learn about our lucky featured Mining Lottery Scholarship winners below!

Week 16: Carly McKinnon

BSc – Geology- Acadia University (2022)

Carly is a Geology student entering her third year of study at Acadia University. She shifted her focus after discovering a passion for geology during her first year at Acadia and subsequently developed a particular interest in mineralogy. Carly was part of the Environment team at NewGold’s Rainy River Mine this summer. She was excited to break into the industry and enjoyed working outdoors and collaborating with several departments. She is looking forward to continuing her studies in the rich geological area of Nova Scotia. Congrats Carly!

Week 15: Robert McMillan

MSc – Geological Engineering – University of British Columbia (2022)

Rob is in his first year of MASc in Geological Engineering at University of British Columbia. His research project is on the practical application of remote sensing tools to carry out geotechnical evaluations of the long-term behaviour, and specifically change detection, of underground excavations in rock.

Prior to this he worked at multiple mine sites as a Geotechnical Engineer in Australia. Each of these mines represented a different geotechnical challenge, from a large open pit in an extinct volcanic crater, high stress underground mining to more recently a challenging underground mine in a remote region of Australia, with seismic, inrush and ground control hazards. Rob is very excited about having a future career in mining. Congratulations Rob!

Week 14: Erin Nicholls

PhD – Hydrology and Micrometeorology – McMaster University (2022)

Erin Nicholls is a third year PhD student at McMaster University studying hydrology and micrometeorology in the Watershed Hydrology Group. Her research explores how future climate and vegetation change will impact water cycling and storage in cold, alpine regions. Erin has a keen interest in mining and reclamation, having completed her M.Sc studying the water balance of a constructed fen in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region. She hopes to pursue a career in the mining sector, applying her understanding of hydrology and surface climate processes to reclamation. Congrats Erin!

Week 13: Kristian Shortridge

BSc – Geology- University of British Columbia (2021)

Kristian is a skilled bachelor of science student, majoring in geology and he is interested in all geological sub-disciplines. He is currently in his fourth year of study at the University of British Columbia. His expertise includes field experience with the BC Geological Survey, various lab-based operations such as rock cutting, transmitted and reflected light microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Kristian is currently working with GR Silver Mining Ltd, managing a vast portable x-ray flourescence database, producing grid and contour maps, investigating and defining anomalous signatures for further exploration and development of a geological map, and working in Geosoft Target, IoGas, ArcGIS, and MX Deposit. Congrats Kristian!

Week 12: Mike Bellemere

BSc – Geology- Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (2021)

Mike is in last year of geology at Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. He is mostly interested in hydrogeology and environmental risks. For 2 summers now, he had the chance to work for the PACES project, a Quebec provincial initiative to better understand drinking groundwater. He is also interested in pursuing his studies in a Master’s degree. Congrats Mike!

Week 11: Rose Cobbett

PhD – Geochemistry – Memorial University of Manitoba (2023)

Rose is starting her second year as a PhD student at Memorial University in the field of geochemistry. As a bedrock mapper, she feels that geochemistry will allow her to make better links between regional geology and mineral deposits through understanding fluid-rock interactions and the sources and traps of metals on a large scale. She believes that understanding the earth’s metal endowment is very important as we grapple with climate change and global energy and technology needs. Through her research, Rose hopes to contribute to a better understanding of some of the continent-scale processes that shape our earth and the mineral deposits within it. Following the completion of her degree, Rose will integrate the knowledge of geochemistry into her work as a geologist with the Yukon Geological Survey to better understand the geologic history of the Yukon and neighboring areas.

The pandemic has been challenging as a graduate student as she has had to adjust to working from home with small kids and re-locate herself and her family back to their home province, all while trying to keep her research progressing. Congratulations Rose!

Week 10: Gracie Wilson

BSc – Earth and Ocean Science – University of Victoria (2022)

Gracie is in her third year of Earth and Ocean Science at the University of Victoria and shifted her focus to Earth Science after falling in love with geology. She became interested in a career in the mining industry after attending a field school in the area of the Mount Polley Mine disaster and became passionate about safe and sustainable mining practices. In the future she is interested in working to create ethical and lasting partnerships between mining companies and the communities they work in and around. Congrats Gracie!

Week 9: Milton Chateauvert

BEng – Mining Engineering – Laurentian University (2021)

Milton is entering his fourth year of mining engineering at Laurentian University and has enjoyed his time in mining very much. He has helped to lead the Laurentian University Mine Rescue club and competed at the Canadian Mining Games this past winter in Halifax.  Milton will be co-captaining this upcoming year’s team and is very excited about that opportunity. He is also currently the CIM Sudbury Branch student rep and looks forward to helping other students network and learn more about the industry. Milton has almost two years of co-op experience at three different large scale underground mining operations in Northern Ontario in several aspects of mining engineering and operations.  Milton has nothing but great experiences in the mining industry and looks forward to more opportunities to come within his career. Congrats Milton!

Week 8: Muhammad Alam

BSc – Mining Engineering Co-op – University of Alberta (2021)

Muhammad is enrolled in his 5th and final year (starting in Fall) of a BSc in Mining Engineering Coop at the Univerity of Alberta.  He chose to go into mining due to the ranging scale of opportunities around the globe, the freedom of choice between working in an office environment as well the field, and lastly, the application of mathematical knowledge to large scale mining optimization and analysis. Moreover, since starting his degree at the U of A, he has completed two coop terms. One with an Australian mining company, Thiess Pty Ltd., as an all-round mining engineering student. Secondly, and most recently, he was employed by Suncor as a development engineering student in the Tailings sector. At Suncor, he focused his time on developing projects from the ground up. Projects included various tailings equipment procurement while also targeting the heart of tailings with new and innovative water containment technologies. Lastly, besides school and work, he focuses his time on running two successful photography businesses in the portrait and wedding industry.  Congrats Muhammad!

Week 7: Emma Murphy

BSc – Earth Sciences – Dalhousie University (2022)

Emma is from New Brunswick, Canada and entering her third year of university at Dalhousie University. She started university majoring in Marine Biology but switched to a major in Earth Science for her second year. When Emma finishes school, her dream job would be mining exploration as mineralogy is one of her favourite subjects. She would also be interested in working with various companies to develop new and more environmentally friendly and sustainable ways of extracting rare earth minerals. Congrats Emma!

Week 6: Alex Bateman

BEng – Mining – British Columbia Institute of Technology (2022)

Alex is halfway through her mining engineering degree at BCIT. She became interested in the mining industry because of the complex and dynamic work and abundant opportunities. Alex is motivated by finding ways to optimize mine operations and solve inefficiencies by clocking time in the field or underground with the operators.

Week 4: Vladislav Sheshnev

BSc – Geology – University of Saskatchewan (2022)

Vladislav is attending his 3rd year at the University of Saskatchewan where he is majoring in Geology and minoring in Geomatics. His interest in the mining industry derives from his fascination of the processes that lead to the deposition of minerals and ore bodies. Congratulations Vlad!

Week 2: Jacque Trojman

BSc – Earth Sciences – Carleton University (2022)

Jacque’s favourite subjects are geophysics and hydrogeology, specifically the relationship between the two. Like most others, his summer work plans have fallen through as a result of COVID-19. This summer, he was excited to go on his school field school trip to Sudbury, ON, where he would have gotten the opportunity to work and get experience in exploration geology. Sadly it was cancelled because of COVID-19, and as a result, it has added an extra summer semester before graduation.

This year, Jacque attended the PDAC conference in Toronto, which helped him to make good connections in the prospective Mining Industry. He is hoping to use these skills and connections in the future for potential work experience opportunities. Congratulations Jacque!