AI scholarships open doors for rural Alberta students

By Trent Wilkie, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Published on Dec 19, 2025 at 12:43

Rural Alberta students will soon have new opportunities to access advanced technology education thanks to a scholarship program launched this week by the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii).

The AI for Earth Scholarship Program, supported by Environment and Climate Change Canada, will provide 750 post‑secondary students in environmental sciences and meteorology with free access to specialized artificial intelligence training. The program is designed to build literacy and applied skills in AI, with a focus on preparing the next generation of professionals to tackle climate change and severe weather.

For students outside major centres, the program’s online delivery is intended to remove barriers of travel and relocation. “We believe geography should never limit opportunity,” said Adam Danylekyo, Product Owner of Amii’s Training team. “The AI for Earth Scholarship program is delivered entirely online specifically to remove the barriers of travel and relocation. By providing remote access to advanced AI training, we ensure that students at rural institutions have the same opportunity as those in major urban centres to lead in the fields of Earth Science and Meteorology.”

The Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, said in a release the program comes at a critical time. “As we continue to experience more frequent and intense extreme weather in Canada, we need innovation to build resilience,” Dabrusin said. “By supporting the AI for Earth Scholarship Program, we’re helping future meteorologists and environmental scientists gain the AI skills they need to predict and respond to severe weather events. This is an investment in anticipating and adapting to the environmental challenges of tomorrow, for a more resilient Canada.”

For rural Alberta communities, where weather can shift in minutes, the training could have immediate impact. “Meteorology today is a ‘Big Data’ challenge; global systems process billions of observations every single day from satellites to ground‑based sensors,” said Danylekyo. “For rural Alberta, where weather can shift in minutes, bottlenecks in data processing mean losing precious time. AI helps break through those bottlenecks, turning raw data into actionable warnings in seconds so that communities have the critical moments they need to respond.”

He added that AI’s strength lies in prediction. “By providing more accurate and hyper‑localized forecasts, AI can allow rural communities to move from a reactive stance to a proactive one,” Danylekyo said. “This ensures better preparedness and safety for the people, livestock, and lands of our rural Alberta communities.”

Cam Linke, Amii’s CEO, said in a release the partnership with Ottawa is a strategic investment in Canada’s future. “The dual challenges of a changing climate and the rapid evolution of technology demand a new kind of professional—one who is fluent in both environmental science and the power of machine intelligence,” Linke said. “By equipping 750 future professionals with fundamental AI skills, we are ensuring the experts tackling climate change and predicting environmental events are ready to leverage the most advanced tools available.”

The curriculum includes two foundational workshops along with 10 specialized learning assets tailored to earth sciences and meteorology. Training is delivered asynchronously through a learning management system, allowing students to complete modules at their own pace. Graduates will receive digital badges recognizing their competencies.

Applications for the AI for Earth Scholarship Program are now open. For rural students, the initiative offers a chance to gain cutting‑edge skills but also a way to learn how to protect their communities against growing environmental risks.