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The Ohio Soybean Council Foundation (OSCF) is pleased to announce the scholarship recipients for the 2019-2020 academic year.

This is the 12th 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. Since 2008, the OSCF scholarship program has awarded over $350,000 in scholarship funds to students studying agriculture or a related field at Ohio colleges or universities.

Undergraduate scholarships of $3,000 each were awarded to Lea Kimley, Bernard Kuether, Elizabeth Landis, Kayle Mast, Tanner Matthews, and Rex Tietje. The annual $3,000 FLM Harvest Scholarship, awarded to students in the field of agriculture communications or business, was awarded to Courtney Heiser. 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 Kevin Fruth. The Robinson W. Joslin Scholarship was awarded to Mary Buehler. The 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 Jenna Miller, Keeley Overmyer, and Fides Zaulda.

“I want to congratulate our 2019-2020 scholarship recipients,” said Bill Bayliss, OSC board member, soybean farmer from Logan County and scholarship selection committee member. “We had many outstanding applicants that not only made our decision very difficult but also reminded us that the soybean industry has a bright future ahead.”

Undergraduate Winners

Mary Buehler of Anna, Ohio, is a junior at The Ohio State University studying Agribusiness and Applied Economics.

Kevin Fruth of Fostoria, Ohio, is a sophomore at the University of Toledo studying Chemical Engineering.

Courtney Heiser of Attica, Ohio, is a freshman at The Ohio State University studying Agricultural Communication.

Lea Kimley of South Charleston, Ohio, is a junior at The Ohio State University studying Agricultural Communication.

Ben Kuether of Covington, Ohio, is a junior at The Ohio State University studying Sustainable Plant Systems.

Elizabeth Landis of Anna, Ohio, is a junior at The Ohio State University studying Agriscience Education.

Kayle Mast of London, Ohio, is a junior at Wilmington College studying Agronomy.

Tanner Matthews of Ohio City, Ohio, is a junior at The Ohio State University studying Agricultural Systems Management.

Rex Tietje of Deshler, Ohio, is a junior at The Ohio State University studying Agricultural Systems Management.

Graduate Winners

Jenna Miller of West Chester, Ohio is pursuing her Master of Science in Food Science at The Ohio State University. Her research consists of investigating changes in inflammation markers in humans after consumption of a high-lycopene tomato juice with soy isoflavones added. She is also examining soy’s ability to reduce the risk for diseases related to chronic inflammation, like cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, therefore promoting the benefits of a soy-rich diet.

Keeley Overmyer of Burgoon, Ohio is pursuing her Master of Science in Agronomy at The Ohio State University. Keeley is studying the effect that cover crops have on disease and insect pressure. Her research also examines the impact that continuous soybean systems have on yield.

Fides Zaulda of the Philippines is pursuing her Doctorate in Plant Pathology at The Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster, Ohio. Fides’ research focuses on bean pod mottle virus to find genetic resistance in soybeans to phytophthora root rot, allowing better breeding. She also works with CRISPR/Cas technology to engineer new herbicide-resistant traits in soybeans.