Undergraduate and graduate students can now apply for scholarships from the Ohio Soybean Council Foundation for the 2019-20 academic year.

The scholarship program encourages students at Ohio colleges and universities to pursue degrees in one of the many academic fields that support the future of the soybean industry including agriculture, business, communication, economics, education, engineering, science and technology.

“From building better beans to developing new soy-based products, the students who receive our scholarships are working to improve and promote the soybean industry,” says Jeff Magyar, an Ohio soybean farmer from Ashtabula County who serves on the OSCF selection committee. “That’s why the Ohio Soybean Council Foundation is proud to support them and their effort to enhance agriculture.” The OSCF scholarship program has awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships since 2008.

2019-20 undergraduate scholarships
Six undergraduate scholarships of up to $3,000 each will be awarded. Also awarded will be one $3,000 FLM Harvest Excellence in Communications Scholarship, which was founded to provide resources to young people with a passion for agricultural and business communication.

In addition, one undergraduate student will be awarded a $3,000 Robinson W. Joslin Scholarship. This award was established in memory of Rob Joslin, a soybean farmer and longtime leader in the soybean industry, to recognize a student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership potential.

Lastly, one undergraduate student is eligible for a $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, the science and technology research and development organization. This scholarship was founded to support those pursuing a degree related to science, technology or soybean research.

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

2019-20 graduate scholarships
Three scholarships of up to $5,000 each are available to graduate students who are enrolled as full-time students at an Ohio college or university and have proof of legal residency in the United States.

Applicants must be conducting research in bioproducts, bio-based materials, biotechnology, bioengineering, biopolymers or a related field, and must be focused on advancing the soybean industry.

The deadline for undergraduate and graduate applications is Jan. 11. All OSCF scholarships will be competitively awarded, with funds paid directly to the educational institution. Scholarships are not renewable, although recipients may reapply. For more information and to download the scholarship applications, visit the Ohio Soybean Council Foundation at soyohio.org/scholarship.

Source: OSCF