The Ohio Soybean Council Foundation (OSCF) is pleased to announce the scholarship recipients for the 2016-2017 academic year.

This is the ninth year for the OSCF Scholarship Program, which was created to encourage undergraduate students to pursue degrees in one of the many academic fields that support the future of the soybean industry including agriculture, business, communication, economics, education, science and technology, as well as to support ongoing graduate-level research.

Undergraduate scholarships of $3,000 each were awarded to Nathan Hager, Summer McCracken Jarret O’Neill, Anna Schmenk and Ben Shaw. Due to graduating in December 2016, Kara Short will receive a partial scholarship of $1,500.  The annual Farmer, Lumpe + McClelland (FLM) Scholarship, awarded to students in the field of agriculture communications or business, was awarded to Leah Schwinn. The annual $5,000 Bhima Vijayendran Scholarship, named in honor of a Battelle research scientist who has made tremendous contributions to the soybean industry, was awarded to Rachel Krebs.

Three graduate scholarships of $4,000 were awarded to Bill Rolling, Stephanie Verhoff and Ashley Yates.

“Congratulations to the 2016-2017 OSCF scholarship recipients,” said Amy Sigg Davis, OSC board member, soybean farmer from Warren County and scholarship selection committee member. “The students are extremely bright and will no doubt make an impact on the Ohio soybean industry in the future. The OSCF is very pleased to honor these outstanding students.”

Undergraduate Winners:

Nathan Hager of Wapakoneta, Ohio is a junior at The Ohio State University (OSU) studying Chemical Engineering.

Rachel Krebs of Gahanna, Ohio is a sophomore at the University of Dayton studying Chemical Engineering.

Summer McCracken of Anna, Ohio is a junior at OSU studying Agribusiness and Applied Economics.

Jarret O’Neill of Rockford, Ohio is a junior at OSU studying Agricultural Systems Management.

Anna Schmenk of Leipsic, Ohio is a sophomore at OSU studying Food Science and Technology.

Ben Shaw of Clyde, Ohio is a sophomore at OSU studying Agronomy.

Leah Schwinn of New London, Ohio is a junior at OSU studying Agricultural Communication.

Kara Short of Conover, Ohio is a junior at Wilmington College studying Agronomy.

Graduate Winners:

Bill Rolling of Columbus, Ohio is pursuing a Ph.D. in Plant Genetics at OSU. His research revolves around understanding genetic resistance to soybean pathogens and abiotic stresses. His current project is focused on studying resistance to Phytophthora sojae and understanding how partial resistance is conferred, what types of genes are involved, and identifying sources of this type of resistance.

Stephanie Verhoff of Radnor, Ohio is pursuing a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding at OSU. She is currently characterizing a novel source of resistance to Phytophthora stem and root rot in soybeans to assess and increase its potential to be incorporated into soybean breeding programs and identify candidate genes conferring resistance.

Ashley Yates of Wooster, Ohio is pursuing a Ph.D. in Translational Plant Sciences at OSU. Her research goals are to better understand the molecular mechanisms, including genes and proteins, which enable the soybean aphid to overcome soybean resistance. By examining the differences between avirulent and virulent aphids at two molecular levels, she will better understand the mechanisms of overcoming resistance.