Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies congratulates Land and Food Systems graduate student Jovana Kovacevic on being awarded $15,000 -- the first PhD level Ivarson Agricultural Scholarship.
In Ottawa earlier this week the Agricultural Institute of Canada Foundation (AICF) announced the first recipients of the prestigious Dr. Karl C. Ivarson Agricultural Scholarship. Ms. Jovana Kovacevic from the University of British Columbia has received the $15,000 award for PhD students and Ms. Christina Straathof from the University of Alberta is the $10,000 award recipient for MSc students. Both are recognized for their outstanding academic achievements, areas of study, leadership and career interests. In leaving a bequest to AICF to establish this award, Dr. Ivarson wished to support students from his home province of Alberta in their pursuit of studies in agricultural sciences.
Jovana Kovacevic is a PhD student in the Food Science graduate program at the University of British Columbia where her research focuses on a foodborne pathogen that is of critical importance to the agriculture industry, Listeria monocytogenes (Lm). With a background in food science gained through undergraduate and Master’s degrees from the University of Alberta, Ms. Kovacevic furthered her understanding of the safety gaps linked to foodborne disease during employment in the food industry and provincial microbiology laboratories. She was inspired to continue with food safety research as a focus for her PhD degree.
Lm can contaminate foods at numerous points in the food production chain. Ms. Kovacevic’s research in her MSc and PhD program aims to better understand the ecology and control of this serious foodborne pathogen and help reduce foodborne diseases. Her extensive experience and published work on Listeria sampling and detection methods gave her the opportunity to lead a project that examined the occurrence of Listeria in British Columbia’s food chain for the BC Centre for Disease Control. Recommendations stemming from this study have had a significant impact on food safety policy and awareness in British Columbia.
Ms. Kovacevic is an active member and volunteer for the BC Food Protection Association. She also served as the graduate student representative in two search committees for faculty positions in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems (LFS) at the University of British Columbia and was recently elected by her peers to serve on the President’s Advisory Committee for the new Dean of Faculty of LFS.
The Dr. Karl C. Ivarson Agricultural Scholarship is made possible through a generous bequest to the AICF by noted Albertan soil scientist, the late Dr. Karl C. Ivarson. Corrina Dawe, President of the Agricultural Institute of Canada Foundation, congratulated the exceptional students who are the recipients of this scholarship. “Dr. Ivarson’s dedication to his profession and to his home province of Alberta was truly inspiring,” noted Ms. Dawe. “He was passionate about his commitment to supporting the future of agriculture and the advancement of students studying agricultural sciences and through his generosity students will benefit for many years to come.”
The Agricultural Institute of Canada Foundation is a national charity, established in 1987, whose mission is to inspire knowledge and understanding of the importance of sustainable agriculture to society. It is dedicated to providing Canadians with information, programs, and activities that support a thriving agricultural sector.
This article is excerpted from the press release issued by the AICF, December 4, 2013.