Two local students among those receiving Ohio Soybean scholarships | News

Ryan Patton and Bethany Starlin of Logan are both juniors at The Ohio State University. Patton is studying agriscience education, and Starlin is studying agricultural communication.

Patton received a $3,000 undergraduate scholarship.

Starlin received the Robinson W. Joslin Scholarship, an annual $3,000 scholarship created to honor a long-time leader in the soybean industry both in Ohio and nationally, who passed away in May 2016.

In its 15th year of programming, the OSCF is awarding 13 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 $400,000 in scholarship funds to students studying agriculture or a related field at Ohio colleges and universities.

In addition to Patton’s, undergraduate scholarships of $3,000 each were awarded to Rachel Barrett, Alec Bollinger, Kearsten Kirby, Lauren Mellott, Lindsey Okuley and Paige Teeters. 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 Laura Wilker.

Graduate scholarships of $4,000 were awarded to Christian Vargas Garcia, Seth Kannberg, Melanie Medina and Stephen Riley.

Acting as the membership and policy voice for Ohio soybean farmers, OSA decided to create a scholarship program to support students interested in advocating for the future of soybeans. OSA’s inaugural $1,000 scholarship was awarded to OSCF scholarship recipient Lauren Mellott.

OSCF 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.

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.