SaskBarley Announces 2023/24 Scholarship Recipients

November 30, 2023 (Saskatoon, SK) — SaskBarley is proud to announce that the University of Saskatchewan’s Jenna Salmon, Ashlyn Mooney, Catherine Seidle, Suma Ghosh and Nathan Gyan have been selected as the recipients of the 2023/24 scholarship funds. 

“On behalf of our board of directors, we would like to congratulate the well-deserved scholarship winners,” said SaskBarley chair Keith Rueve. “We received a record number of applicants this year and our winners’ outstanding portfolio of projects are sure to positively impact the future of barley.”  

Each year, SaskBarley offers scholarship awards to promising university students who are carrying out research focused on barley. This year, SaskBarley awarded an undergraduate scholarship for the first time to support student development in the exciting field of barley research and innovation.  

The recipient of the $2,000 undergraduate award is Jenna Salmon, whose undergraduate thesis project is investigating how the physical structure and nutrient composition of barley affect the process of microbial degradation in the rumen of cattle.  

The $4,000 MSc scholarship recipients are Ashlyn Mooney and Catherine Seidle. Mooney’s research is on improving barley salinity tolerance by characterizing root and shoot responses, while Seidle is investigating the utilization of barley grain as a feed for feedlot cattle.  

The $6,000 PhD scholarships winners are Suma Ghosh and Nathan Gyan. Ghosh is researching the optimization of interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and different forage plant species to inoculate barley with the same beneficial fungi as forages to attempt to increase salinity tolerance in barley. Gyan’s project is dedicated to investigating the intricate relationship affecting carabid beetles in barley agro-ecosystems and their role in weed-seed predation.  

“Research is our key focus at SaskBarley, and this investment in the future of our industry demonstrates that commitment,” said Rueve. “Over the past five years, we have awarded $76,000 in scholarships for barley specific research. We encourage those who have exciting projects or innovations in barley to consider next year’s scholarship and visit saskbarley.com to learn more.”  

Led by a producer-elected Board of Directors from across Saskatchewan, the mission of SaskBarley is to identify, develop and support research, market development, and extension initiatives that establish long-term, profitable and sustainable barley production for Saskatchewan producers.