De Beers STEM Scholarships Expanded to University of Calgary

Six new HeForShe Engineering and Science entrance scholarships to be awarded   

CALGARY, May 25 2018 /CNW/ - De Beers Canada is pleased to announce that, as a HeForShe Thematic Champion, six new STEM-related scholarships for female students are now available at the University of Calgary. HeForShe is the United Nations solidarity movement engaging male leaders as champions for gender equality.

These new scholarships are part of the De Beers' commitment to providing a total of USD$504,000 in STEM scholarships across Canada by 2020 that are dedicated to female students with an interest in full-time studies in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Four scholarships will be awarded to undergraduate students entering the Schulich School of Engineering, while two scholarships will be awarded to undergraduate students entering the Faculty of Science.

A unique component to the program is a commitment to identify potential female indigenous applicants from the Northwest Territories and northern Ontario.

De Beers Canada Chief Executive Officer Kim Truter said a Calgary-based opportunity for female applicants was important to the company.

"Our goal at De Beers Canada is to make a meaningful difference where we operate or have a business presence, so growing our partnership with HeForShe and the University of Calgary made sense on so many levels as our Canadian Operational Support Centre was established in Calgary in 2016," said Truter. "Calgary is also a destination for many of the students from the areas where we operate our mines in the Northwest Territories and northern Ontario."

The first recipients will be drawn from the current round of female applicants hoping to enter first-year studies this September at the University of Calgary, with additional support available in future years for other incoming students.

"The Faculty of Science is grateful to De Beers for these scholarships. Young women have the power to make a real difference in their communities through science, big ideas, and important discussions. We all have a role to play in advancing women in STEM because these disciplines need diversity and they need women," said Lesley Rigg, dean, Faculty of Science.

"Thank you De Beers for supporting the success of future engineering leaders by providing these new scholarships. It is vital to encourage more young women to pursue STEM careers. Engineering is all about problem-solving. The more diverse backgrounds, interests and talents of our engineers ? the more creative and innovative solutions are made possible," said Bill Rosehart, dean of the Schulich School of Engineering.

Students selected for the De Beers scholarships in Canada will be eligible for continuing support based on academic performance.

The STEM scholarships are just one component of the De Beers- UN Women partnership that will see a total of USD $600,000 invested by De Beers in Canada through 2020, as additional activities and investments are planned across Canada over the next three years.

ABOUT DE?BEERS GROUP

De Beers Group is a member of the Anglo American plc group. Established in 1888, De Beers Group is the world's leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers Group employs more than 20,000 people across the diamond pipeline and is the world's largest diamond producer by value, with mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. As part of the company's operating philosophy, the people of De Beers Group are committed to 'Building Forever' by making a lasting contribution to the communities in which they live and work, and transforming natural resources into shared national wealth. For further information about De Beers Group, visit www.debeersgroup.com.

De Beers has been operating in Canada since it carried out its first exploration programme in 1961. The De Beers Victor kimberlite cluster discovery in 1987 by De Beers Exploration was the first economic diamond discovery in Canada, four years before the discoveries in the Northwest Territories. De Beers currently operates the Victor Mine in northern Ontario and the Gahcho Kué Mine in the Northwest Territories.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY

The University of Calgary is a global intellectual hub located in Canada's most enterprising city. In our spirited, high-quality learning environment, students thrive in programs made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. Our strategy drives us to be recognized as one of Canada's top five research universities, engaging the communities we both serve and lead. This strategy is called Eyes High, inspired by the university's Gaelic motto, which translates as 'I will lift up my eyes.' For more information, visit ucalgary.ca/eyeshigh.

SOURCE De Beers Canada Corporation