Student Experience Enhancement Fund (SEEF)
The SEEF for the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (FAES) supports extra-curricular experiential learning initiatives. These active learning opportunities foster intentional reflection and the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and values that complement the traditional classroom experience.
About the Program
Initiatives that are eligible for funding from the SEEF include, but are not limited to:
- academic conference at which the applicant(s) have been approved or invited to present
- competition at which the applicant(s) have been approved to compete
- volunteer placement
- Hot Cities of the World Tour
- community outreach and science education
- independent research project
- non-credit internship
- field work
Research under FAES MSc and PhD programs do not qualify for funding.
The Douglas and Doreen Jose Student Experience Enhancement Award
This is a special endowed award within the SEEF program for an exceptional project beyond the classroom that focuses on experience rather than materials. This award has a maximum value of $6000.
Who can apply
- Undergraduate students
- Graduate students
Eligibility
- All applicants must be students registered full-time in FAES; university-recognized groups or clubs in FAES may also apply if all members meet the first requirement. Applicants must retain full-time student status during the term(s) in which the funds are to be used.
- Applicants must clearly describe how the proposed initiative is complimentary to their student learning experience.
- Applicants must provide a detailed budget justifying all the costs (e.g. admission fees, travel, lodging, field gear, wilderness first aid certification, ect...).
- Awards values
- up to $2,000 for an individual student
- up to $5,000 for a group
- up to $6,000$ for the Douglas and Doreen Jose Experience Enhancement Award
Ineligible
Postdocs, Faculty, and staff do not qualify for funding.
Applicants that do not provide a clear breakdown of the costs will not be considered for funding.
Costs associated with advertisement, food, promotional products, lab equipment, remunerations, and salaries do not qualify for funding.
Application
- Application deadline: January 6, 2025
Applicants for SEEF are asked to submit the following information:
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Applicant(s) |
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Initiative description |
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Budget |
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University resources |
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Review Process
Applications will be evaluated by a committee comprised of representatives from the Office of Student Academic Services (OSAS) and University Advancement. The committee will meet to review the applications in January. The recommendations of the evaluation committee will be subject to review and approval by the Dean (FAES).
Funding announcement: January 20, 2025
Successful applicants must:
- Advertise the support of the SEEF in all public or promotional material related to the funded initiative (e.g. presentation slides, poster, sign, web content, etc.);
- Provide a final report to OSAS within 30 days of the completion of the initiative, including a summary of the outcomes and reflective feedback about the knowledge, skills, and values acquired through the experience. Applicants will be eligible for future funding only if they submit a final report;
- Help promote the SEEF and inform supporting donors by making available their report, photos and video (if available), and participating in interviews, if requested by Macdonald Communications (FAES);
- Give a short presentation about their project or meet donors as requested by University Advancement.
Recipients of the Douglas and Doreen Jose Student Experience Enhancement Award will be required to fulfil additional obligations to those mentioned above. These additional obligations include but are not limited to writing a thank you letter, meeting donors and other duties as requested by University Advancement.
Support the SEEF
To make a contribution to the SEEF follow the guidelines below or contact ron.henry [at] mcgill.ca (Ron Henry), Senior Development Officer, University Advancement Office, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, 514-398-7695.
Ways to Give:
- By Cheque – Please send your cheque to McGill University, University Advancement Office, Laird Room 199B, 21,111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, H9X 3V9
- By Credit Card - Phone Ron Henry at 514-398-7695
- By Credit Card – Online - please follow this link
Always specify your intention to support the SEEF. Our fund allocation code is - 05780. Indicating this on your cheque or in “other” comments will ensure your gift supports the causes which are of importance to you.
Funded SEEF Projects
2023
Patrick Gibeau, William Hein, and Professor Murray Humphries look towards the Chugach Mountains on their way to Anchorage, Alaska for the Arctic Ungulate Conference; Cassandra Popovich and Jiachen Wei work on prototypes for their Hungry Monster snack; Jasmine Muszik assists with a trial on goats at a farm site in France.
- Research at the Juan Carlos I Antarctic Station
- Hungry Monster - Smart Snack for Kids Competition
- 98th Annual Conference of the Western Economic Association International
- Institute of Food Technologists Event
- Research Internship in France
- Mastering Nutrition Support: A Workbook by Students for Students
- 50th Annual Pacific Seabird Group Conference Student Poster Presentation
- Canadian Engineering Competition
- DeepBloom: Open-source Plug & Play Environmental Sensing Platform
- Summer fieldwork for Niminima: Ekuanitshit’s Berry Project
- Tata-Cornell Institute 10th Anniversary Conference
- Arctic Ungulate Conference and North American Caribou Workshop in Alaska
- Food Truth Project
2019
2018
2017
The Macdonald Permaculture Showcase Garden
Enhancing Food Sovereignty with Native Species in Nariño, Colombia
McGill University Quarter Scale Tractor Pulling Team (MUTRAC)
Hot Cities of the World Tour
Lotus Drop
MENU 2018
2016
Hot Cities of the World Tour
Canadian Nutrition Society Annual Conference (2017)
Mac Farm Education Program (MFEP)
Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science Boot Camp (Anna Kusmer)
2015
Mengyin Hong, PhD candidate (Human Nutrition) and Zoey Li, Dietetics (U3)
Yumitrition was created as a Diabetes Support Program for the Montreal Community is an interactive community project aims to integrate the talent and knowledge of dietetics and nutrition students at McGill to raise awareness and provide support for the growing diabetic community in Montreal.
Our objective is to form a diabetes ecosystem through two platforms:
- Social Platform: to connect the students and the local community through website, forums, social medias and community meetup social events
- Knowledge Platform: to encourage students to share the latest diabetic knowledge by posting articles on the website and to host cooking workshops/classes in the Food Labs on campus to help the local diabetic community
Since the project application in November, our project has grown far beyond just a social and knowledge platform.
Workshops: With the SEEF funding we were able to finance our initial workshops for nutrition and dietetic students to better understand blogging on social media. We invited professional food bloggers to explain the importance of the visual world online to grab peoples’ attention. Our 5 workshops in 1 semester was able to provide students with knowledge that they currently do not experience in school. We constantly focus on different topics with our workshops. Topic include, writing style development, food photography, professionalism, ethics and more.
2015
Tamao Tsutsumi,BSc(FSc)'16; Anne Frazer-McKee, BSc(FSc)'16; Sonia Perillat-Amedee, BSc(FSc)'17
Our product began as a project in Dr. Karboune’s class at the Macdonald Campus of McGill University in September 2015. Once we had developed our concept, we entered Pulse Canada’s Mission ImPULSEible. In January 2016, we were selected as the winner of the Quebec division and were given the opportunity to showcase our product at CIFST’s biannual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. Although we were not selected as winners at this final competition, we were invited to present our product at McGill’s Convergent Innovation Conference in March 2016 along with many leaders of the food industry.
At P2, Healthy Has Never Been So Tempting. Our product, Pum’ Crisps, combines the deliciousness of apples and cranberries, the vibrancy of beets, and the healthiness of pulses to bring innovation to the snack market. Wholesome lentil and chickpea flours are mixed with pomace and pea protein for a dense snack. For a touch of indulgence, the crisps are covered in a scrumptious chocolate drizzle enriched with pea protein for a total pulse content of more than 65%.
Funds for Success. The funding provided to us was vital to our success. With this money, we were able to purchase the necessary ingredients and equipment (juicer, dehydrator, and vacuum sealer) required to develop the product to its full potential. This equipment allowed us to prepare the product before our travels to Vancouver, while conserving its freshness. The remainder of the money was used to cover travel expenses (plane and hotel) in order to compete in the national competition.
2014
A life changing experience: After hearing about the Hot Cities of the World Tour offered by the Desautels Faculty of Management, Mathieu Rouleau, FMT'13, BSc (AgrEnvSc)'16 and Peter Tikasz, BSc (AgEnvSc)'13, MSc, applied to SEEF to participate in the 2015 tour.
Hot Cities of the World Tour is an undercover business field trip, under the direction of Professor Karl Moore, that aims to provide a global experience of various economic climates for both students and alumni. Annually since 2007, a group of 40 people are selected and travel across the globe to meet with various industries, government officials, banks and journalists, in a public and private sectors, in both emerging and developing countries. Within a period of 10 days, the objective of this tour is to allow students to experience the global market, to understand the various points of view of local managers and to create a picture of the economic market outside North America. By travelling in emerging and developing countries, this trip allows students to face current issues and think about the upcoming challenges that they will face in the next 5, 10 and 20 years. Each year, part of the travel focuses on the human impact on its environment.
This tour also allows students to help out in various non-for-profit organizations and to realize the importance of a small gesture on someone else’s life, especially the ones in need. It also promotes the importance of communications and teamwork, especially today where everyone is one click away.
The Douglas and Doreen Jose Student Experience Enhancement Award