Investing in USask’s students and research strengths

Samit Sharma believes in the importance of post-secondary education and in making the world a better place.

Those key values led Sharma, an engineer and entrepreneur based in Kingston, Ont., to give $300,003 to the University of Saskatchewan (USask) as part of the Be What the World Needs campaign—the most ambitious campaign in the province’s history.

The generous gift, made possible through three endowments from the Samit & Reshma Sharma Foundation, will support graduate students conducting research in three key areas: water security; human and veterinary infectious diseases and vaccines; and soil health and regenerative agriculture.

Sharma, who has had a long and successful career in the energy industry, said he’s pleased to support outstanding graduate students whose research will address issues related to climate change and infectious diseases.

“It feels very gratifying; it feels very fulfilling,” he said. “We all try to find meaning in life and try to pick up something in which we can contribute in a meaningful way.”

Sharma said he believes in the importance of higher education, which is critical to generating new knowledge for the benefit of people and communities around the world.

Sharma’s gift was inspired by his own experiences as a graduate student attending Canadian universities. At the age of 23, he moved to Canada from India to pursue a master’s degree in industrial systems engineering at the University of Regina. After completing that degree, he pursued an MBA at Queen’s University, where he developed an award-winning business plan that later culminated in the formation of his company, Gaia Power, upon his graduation in 2002.

Sharma’s positive post-secondary experiences have motivated him to support universities across the country through his foundation. His goal is to eventually give to every Canadian university.

“I was a beneficiary of something, so I want to pay it forward,” he said.

In supporting Canadian universities, Sharma focuses on investing in their individual areas of strength and in their unique centres of excellence. After researching USask, he was inspired by the impactful research that is underway at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), the Global Institute for Water Security (GIWS), and the College of Agriculture and Bioresources. His gift of $300,003 will support three graduate student awards at USask through three endowments of $100,001.

The awards are:

• The Samit & Reshma Sharma Graduate Award in Vaccine & Infectious Disease Research, which aims to celebrate researchers at VIDO and to enhance societal knowledge and practices for preserving the environment and fighting infectious diseases with effective vaccines. It will be awarded annually to a graduate student who demonstrates outstanding academic achievement and research excellence with a focus on human and veterinary infectious diseases and/or vaccines.

• The Samit & Reshma Sharma Graduate Award in Water Security, which aims to celebrate researchers at GIWS and to enhance societal knowledge and practices for preserving the environment and mitigating climate change. It will be awarded annually to a graduate student who demonstrates outstanding academic achievement and research excellence in holistic approaches to environmental health sciences and/or water security.

• The Lata Sharma Graduate Award in Agriculture, which honours Sharma’s mother, Lata Sharma, who supported, educated, and inspired her family through her hard work for more than 30 years in the field of agriculture in India. The award aims to enhance societal knowledge and practices for preserving the environment and mitigating climate change. It will be awarded annually to a graduate student who demonstrates outstanding academic achievement and research excellence with a focus on holistic approaches to regenerative agriculture and/or soil health sciences.

“I lost my father when I was very young, in elementary school, and it was my mom who singlehandedly raised us,” Sharma said. “She sustained us with her work in the field of agriculture.”

Sharma said it was important to him to recognize his mother through the agriculture award, which is named in her honour. It was also meaningful to him to be able to support USask—Saskatchewan’s largest post-secondary institution—because of his connections to the province.

“Saskatchewan is, I feel, my home—because 23 years ago, that’s where I first landed,” he said.

Dr. Baljit Singh (PhD), USask’s vice-president research, said the gift from the Samit & Reshma Sharma Foundation will help support and elevate the Signature Areas of Research at USask. Three of the university’s nine signature areas are Agriculture, Water, and One Health.

“This gift also aligns with one of our campaign priorities—to lead critical research,” Singh added. “As a university, we aspire to confront humanity’s greatest challenges and opportunities through impactful research and community engagement.”

Dr. Airini (PhD), USask’s provost and vice-president academic, said she is confident the gift will make a difference in the lives of graduate students who are pursuing their academic and research goals at USask. It will also help foster Courageous Curiosity—a key commitment in the University Plan, the strategic document guiding USask to the year 2025.

“USask has extraordinary breadth and depth in teaching and learning. Boldly curious learners and researchers in water security, agriculture, and vaccines and infectious diseases are attracted to USask and to our province,” said Airini. “Research shows that graduates with a university degree enjoy better employment prospects and greater annual earnings. USask is a great choice for learning and researching about water, food production and land use, and protecting humans and animals from disease.

“As our University Plan states, USask is committed to our vital role nurturing the courageous curiosity that imagines a brighter, more sustainable future. Impactful gifts, such as the generous contribution from the Samit & Reshma Sharma Foundation, will help our students to continue to make a genuine difference and to be what the world needs.”