Details

The Ohio Soybean Council Foundation is pleased to offer $64,000 in scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students for the 2023-2024 academic year. Scholarships are available to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing studies related to the soybean industry and the field of agriculture.

Applications for the 2023-2024 academic year open on Monday, October 24th, 2022 and close on Friday, January 13th, 2023.

Please contact Madi Layman at mlayman@soyohio.org with any questions.

The Ohio Soybean Council Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that supports scientific research and educational opportunities to the benefit of the soybean industry.

Undergraduate Scholarships

  • Seven undergraduate scholarships of up to $3,000 each
  • One $3,000 Robinson W. Joslin Scholarship, which was established to recognize a student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership potential
  • One $5,000 Bhima Vijayendran Scholarship, named to honor Dr. Vijayendran’s contributions to the soybean industry through his scientific research and commercialization activities at Battelle. This scholarship was founded to support those pursuing a degree related to science, technology or soybean research.
  • NEW THIS YEAR! Two $10,000 Richard Cocks Scholarships, to be distributed across three years ($3,333/year), for students who are current freshman and entering their sophomore year of college in Fall of 2023. This scholarship was founded to recognize individuals from rural areas pursuing degrees in the agriculture field.
    • This is a renewable scholarship, those who receive the Richard Cocks Scholarship are not eligible for other OSCF scholarships during its funding.

Applicants must be Ohio residents enrolled as full-time students at an Ohio college or university, having attained at least sophomore status by the fall of 2023, with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

Eligible majors include: Agricultural business, agricultural communications, agricultural education, biochemistry, bioenergy, bioengineering, biofuels, biology, biotechnology, chemistry, crop science, engineering, environmental science, food science, molecular biology, or any of the agricultural disciplines or related fields.

Graduate Scholarships

Three scholarships of up to $5,000 each are available to students who are enrolled as full-time graduate students at an Ohio college or university.

Applicants must be conducting research in:

  • biotechnology
  • biobased materials
  • bioengineering
  • crop production
  • plant pathology
  • crop science
  • agronomy
  • soybean breeding
  • another related field

The research must be focused on advancing the soybean industry. Applicants must have proof of legal residency in the U.S.

2022-2023 Scholarship Recipients

Undergraduate Winners

Rachel Barrett of Rockford, Ohio, is a sophomore at The Ohio State University studying food science and technology.

Alec Bollinger of Sycamore, Ohio, is a junior at Marietta College studying environmental and petroleum engineering.

Kearsten Kirby of Piqua, Ohio, is a junior at Wilmington College studying agricultural communication.

Lauren Mellott of Butler, Ohio, is a sophomore at The Ohio State University studying agriscience education.

Lindsey Okuley of Wapakoneta, Ohio, is a junior at The Ohio State University studying agricultural communication.

Ryan Patton of Logan, Ohio, is a junior at The Ohio State University studying agriscience education.

 Bethany Starlin of Logan, Ohio, is a junior at The Ohio State University studying agricultural communication.

Paige Teeters of Hillsboro, Ohio, is a sophomore at Wilmington College studying agricultural education.

Laura Wilker of St. Marys, Ohio, is a junior at University of Dayton studying chemical engineering.

 

Graduate Winners

Christian Vargas Garcia is pursuing his doctorate in horticulture and crop sciences at The Ohio State University. His research area focuses on plant breeding to identify Phytophthora Root Rot resistant genes in soybean plants.

 Seth Kannberg is pursuing a master’s in crop science at The Ohio State University. His research analyzes the effect of planting dates on seedling survivability and soybean yields.

Melanie Medina is pursuing her doctorate in plant pathology at The Ohio State University. Her research looks at the association between communities of fungi in soils and their potential to suppress the effects of soybean cyst nematode in soybean fields.

 Stephen Riley is pursuing his doctorate in polymer engineering at the University of Akron. His research concerns the mechanical and electrical effects of charred soybean hulls and their use as an alternative for carbon black in industrial products.