Meat Foundation Awards $110,000 in Scholarships to Students in Animal, Food and Meat Sciences
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Meat Foundation today announced the recipients of its 2024-2025 scholarship awards. Twenty-one high-performing undergraduate and graduate students received a total of $110,000 to pursue degrees in animal, meat and food sciences at their respective universities.
"We are incredibly proud of this year’s scholarship recipients," said KatieRose McCullough, Chief Scientist of the Foundation. “We are thrilled to support their efforts to learn about our industry and cultivate future leaders, in the meat industry.”
The 11 undergraduate and 10 graduate scholarships recipients, selected from a competitive field of applicants, are as follows:
Undergraduate
Barry Carpenter Scholarship
- Ryan Heitschmidt, West Texas A&M University, Animal Science.
Rosemary Mucklow Scholarship
- Blake Robbins, Oklahoma State University, Food Science.
Al Piccetti Scholarship
- Hayden Lott, Kansas State University, Animal Science.
Merit Scholarships
- Helene Keiser, West Texas A&M University, Animal Science.
- Lauren Thompson, Kansas State University, Animal Science and Industry, Global Foods Systems Leadership.
- Ashley Rivera, University of Arkansas, Animal Science.
- Nathan Kerth, Texas A&M University, Animal Science.
- Reagan Rippey, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Animal Science.
- Clara Bates, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Animal Science.
- Lane Golla, West Texas A&M University, Animal Science.
- Stevie Thate, Colorado State University, Animal Science.
Graduate
Ron Gustafson Scholarship
- Megan Eckhardt, West Texas A&M University, Agriculture and Meat Science.
John Duyn Scholarship
- Michael Starnes, Texas Tech University, Food Science.
Florence Smith Powers Scholarship
- Amrit Pal, University of Georgia, Food Science and Technology.
Frank DeBenedetti Scholarship
- Arshdeep Singh, University of Missouri, Food Science.
Merit Scholarships
- Clint Lee, University of Georgia, Animal Science with Meat Science Focus.
- Colton Smith, Colorado State University, Animal Sciences.
- Conor McCabe, University of California, Davis, Animal Biology.
- Nicholas Gallina, Purdue University, Microbiology/Immunology.
- Stephanie Witberler, Kansas State University, Animal Sciences and Industry.
- Yureni Carvajal, Iowa State University, Meat Science.
For information on each of the scholarships please visit http://meatscholars.org.
Meat Foundation scholarships are supported by Meat Institute members and industry allies. Donations, which are tax deductible, should be sent to Meat Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd. Suite 0604. Arlington, VA, 22203. Questions regarding the Meat Foundation scholarships can be directed to scholarship@meatfoundation.org.
About the Meat Foundation
The Meat Foundation is a 501 C3 non-profit organization dedicated to research, education, and scholarship. Our mission is to advance scientific understanding, cultivate future leaders, and support continuous improvement in the meat industry. In 2024, the Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education (FMPRE) and the NAMI Scholarship Foundation merged under the new name, Meat Foundation. The joining of these two foundations marks a significant step towards our goal of continuous improvement across research, education, and scholarships. In addition to applied research and professional development programming, the Foundation awards merit-based scholarships annually to accomplished students pursuing education that will lead to a career in the meat industry.