Ohio Soybean Awards $65,500 in Scholarships

WORTHINGTON, Ohio — The Ohio Soybean Council Foundation (OSCF) and the Ohio Soybean Association are pleased to announce the scholarship recipients for the 2023-2024 academic year.

In its 16th year of programming, the OSCF is awarding 15 scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students in Ohio. The OSCF Scholarship Program was created to encourage undergraduate students to pursue degrees in one of the many academic fields that support the future of the soybean industry, as well as to support ongoing graduate-level research. Since 2008, the OSCF scholarship program has awarded over $550,000 in scholarship funds to students studying agriculture or a related field at Ohio colleges or universities.

For the first time, two $10,000 Richard Cocks Scholarships were awarded to Grant Heuing and Lauren Thornhill. Named after a former Procter & Gamble executive and lifetime supporter of agriculture, these scholarships will be split over the next three years.
Undergraduate scholarships of $3,000 each were awarded to Justin Beckner, Haven Hileman, Kiley Holbrook, Alicia Knapke, Lauren Mellott, Paige Teeters and Amber Zimpfer.
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 Barrett.
The Robinson W. Joslin Scholarship was awarded to Ryanna Tietje. This annual $3,000 scholarship was created to honor a long-time leader in the soybean industry both in Ohio and nationally, who passed away in May 2016.
Graduate scholarships of $5,000 were awarded to Sayan Basak and Annika Pratt, and graduate scholarships of $2,500 were awarded to Fabiano Colet and Alison Peart.

“Congratulations to all of the 2023-2024 scholarship winners,” said Cindy Layman, Hardin County soybean farmer and OSCF scholarship committee member. “I was beyond impressed by the caliber of the students we met and their passion for agriculture. These students make me excited for the future of the soybean industry.”

Acting as the membership and policy voice for Ohio soybean farmers, OSA decided to create a scholarship program in 2022 to support students interested in advocating for the future of soybeans. After giving one $1,000 scholarship last year, OSA awarded a $1,000 scholarship to Lauren Mellott and a $500 scholarship to Haven Hileman, both of whom were also OSCF scholarship recipients.

“Lauren and Haven are great examples of why we are excited to give this scholarship,” said Bennett Musselman, Pickaway County soybean farmer and OSA scholarship committee member. “Both of this year’s recipients have a genuine interest in the soybean industry and are excellent choices for this scholarship.”

Undergraduate Winners

Rachel Barrett of Rockford, Ohio, is a junior at The Ohio State University studying food science and technology.
Justin Beckner of Somerville, Ohio, is a junior at Wilmington College studying agriculture education.
Grant Heuing of Celina, Ohio, is a freshman at the University of Findlay studying pre-veterinary animal science.
Haven Hileman of Stout, Ohio, is a sophomore at The Ohio State University studying animal sciences.
Kiley Holbrook of Amanda, Ohio, is a junior at The Ohio State University studying agricultural communication and public policy.
Alicia Knapke of Celina, Ohio, is a junior at Wright State University – Lake Campus studying agriculture.
Lauren Mellott of Butler, Ohio, is a junior at The Ohio State University studying agriscience education.
Paige Teeters of Hillsboro, Ohio, is a junior at Wilmington College studying agriculture education.
Lauren Thornhill of Anna, Ohio, is a freshman at The Ohio State University studying agricultural education.
Ryanna Tietje of Deshler, Ohio, is a junior at The Ohio State University studying agribusiness and applied economics.
Amber Zimpfer of Anna, Ohio, is a junior at The Ohio State University studying agribusiness and applied economics and accounting.

Graduate Winners

Sayan Basak is pursuing his doctorate in polymer engineering at the University of Akron. His research area focuses on utilizing soybean oil and turning it into a smart and form-fitting plastic.
Fabiano Colet is pursuing a doctorate in horticulture and crop science at The Ohio State University. His research analyzes situations where biological seed treatments improve soybean grain yield and profitability and measures the influence of biological seed treatments on soybean nutrient status.
Alison Peart is pursuing her masters in plant pathology at The Ohio State University. Her research looks at diseases and pests that threaten soybean production and yield, specifically soybean cyst nematode and fungal pathogens which cause brown spot, charcoal rot, and frogeye leaf spot.
Annika Pratt is pursuing her doctorate in plant pathology at The Ohio State University. Her research focuses on discovering which genes are essential in causing charcoal rot as well as identifying which soybean genes combat the fungus.

About OSCF
Established by the Ohio Soybean Council in 2007, the Ohio Soybean Council Foundation is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the improvement of the soybean industry through the support of scientific research and education. www.soyohio.org/scholarship

— Ohio Soybean Council Foundation