I am interested in applying for NSERC in the biology department. Does anyone know how to approach profs about this? Can we apply to more than one lab? and what average are they generally looking for? I got a cGPA of about 11.2, do you think I have a chance?

When I started to look into NSERC USRAs, I exchanged emails with professors about if they were willing to support my application. I attached my most up-to-date transcript since these awards are realistically based on grades. If they were at Mac, I arranged meetings with them to talk about what I could potentially be doing.

My emails were pretty short as I just expressed my interest in their research and that I was applying for an NSERC USRA (which means money, which usually catches their attention so I made sure I put NSERC USRA in the subject).

Not sure about applying to more than one lab, I think its better to just restrict it to one. Although you can apply to more than one department. 11.2 average is very good and very competitive, of course the higher the better. Definitely apply and see what happens! PM me if you have any questions!