Ohio Soybean Council Foundation offers scholarship opportunities

WORTHINGTON, Ohio — The Ohio Soybean Council Foundation has announced scholarship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students for the 2014-2015 academic year.

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

Undergraduate scholarships

There are a total of eight undergraduate scholarships available, including six general scholarships of up to $3,000 each that will be awarded to students pursuing an eligible major.

The $3,000 Farmer, Lumpe and McClelland Excellence in Communications Scholarship is available to one undergraduate student pursuing agricultural business or communications. This scholarship was founded to provide resources to young people with a passion for agricultural and business communication.

Also available to one undergraduate student is a $5,000 Bhima Vijayendran Scholarship, named to honor Vijayendran’s contributions to the soybean industry through his scientific research of new uses for soybeans and commercialization activities at Battelle.

Criteria

Undergraduate scholarship applicants must be Ohio residents and enrolled as full-time students at an Ohio college or university. The applicant must have attained at least sophomore status by fall 2014, with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher in his or her major field.

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

Graduate scholarships

Two scholarships of up to $5,000 each are available to graduate students who are enrolled as a full-time student at an Ohio college or university and have proof of legal residency in the U.S.

Graduate applicants must be conducting research in bioproducts, biobased materials, biotechnology, bioengineering, biopolymers or a related field and focused on advancing the soybean industry.

The deadline for undergraduate and graduate applications is Jan. 10. 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 www.soyohio.org/scholarship.