As a student, two gifts shaped the life and career of Margot Roach.
The first was an internship program that enabled high school students to explore studying science in university. The second was the Chestnut Scholarship at UNB because it ensured she could devote her energy to studying and participating in university life without financial pressures.
Margot Roach (BSc’55, DSc’81) went on to become a leading researcher into the structure and function of blood vessels and a professor of biophysics and medicine at Western University. But she never forgot her formative experiences at UNB and vowed to create new opportunities for undergraduate science students here.
UNB awarded Dr. Roach an honorary degree in 1981. She created her first named scholarship at UNB in 2005. She continued to create new awards and grow the value of her scholarships until her death in August 2023.
In September 2024, the estate of Dr. Margot Roach and UNB announced her final act of generosity: a bequest of $2.2 million. The bequest includes support for paid high school internships in UNB’s physics department, undergraduate scholarships in physics, and scholarships for students graduating into Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick’s physician education program.
“Dr. Margot Roach exemplifies the impact that UNB can have on young scholars,” says Dr. Paul J. Mazerolle, UNB’s president and vice-chancellor. “These scholarships represent a perpetual legacy that will benefit students and society far into the future.”
The Dr. Margot R. Roach Summer Student Program will support paid internships for three high school students per year in UNB’s physics department. The Dr. Margot R. Roach Scholarship in Physics will support a minimum of four undergraduates per year with individual scholarships valued at $20,000 each. The Dr. Margot R. Roach Scholarship in Medicine will support two $10,000 scholarships per year for students graduating from UNB into Dal Med NB’s physician education program.
Dean of Science Sanjeev Seahra says “The Dr. Margot R. Roach Scholarships may be the largest awards for undergraduate physics students in Canada. Matched with her support for high school internships and post-graduate studies in medicine, this bequest affirms UNB’s place as a destination university in science.”
Ann Wildish, a long-term friend, recalls Dr. Roach's closing remarks in the speech she gave when she received her doctor of science degree from UNB in 1981. She believes it is a message Dr. Roach would have wanted students to hear today. She says, “As long as you think learning is fun, and you are willing to look at both sides of the question, and try hard enough to do it, you will never cease learning, and so you too will be truly educated.”
A $50,000 gift in your will can establish a $2,000 scholarship for students forever.
