Students researching dairy topics can soon apply for the National Dairy Leadership Scholarship Program. Nicole Ayache, National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) Vice President, Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability, said the program supports graduate students who are actively pursuing dairy-related fields of research.
“The National Dairy Leadership Scholarship Program is an opportunity to support masters and PhD students who are actively pursuing dairy fields of research,” Ayache said. “Our program is somewhat unique in that the funds that we provide go directly to the student so that there is that flexibility for them to use it wherever it’s most needed. Our collective goal really is to support that next generation of dairy research, really hoping to find those leaders that have the qualities that we believe are real assets to the dairy community.”
The application window opens next month. Ayache said all the requirements and the application process is online.
“For students who might want to know more, our scholarship program opens or applications every January so really just coming up around the corner here, they’ll have the opportunity to submit an application through our website and nmpf.org,” Ayache said. “And then in terms of support for the program itself, our scholarship program really can only sustain itself through contributions that we fundraise for each year. And here we are year-end where if there are those looking to make donations, especially a donation that might support the dairy cause, we definitely welcome that. Again, that would also be through our website.”
Ayache said the NMPF will consider a variety of research topics.
“Honestly, one of the most exciting parts I think about our scholarship program is the diversity of students and researchers that apply,” Ayache said. “We have individuals focusing on animal science to food science and everything in between. Some of the research projects we’ve recently seen and some of the recipients range from things like machine learning applied to precision dairy software data to things more in the animal science space, so looking at genetic markers for various diseases or genetic tools for reducing things like lameness, and then we have economics and then all the food science, environmental science, really it could be anything.”
Ayache added that it’s all about supporting the future of U.S. dairy.
“We’re really trying to support those individuals and their career,” Ayache said. “We want them to stay within dairy and contribute to our community. And so, when we look at the last approximately ten years of scholarship recipients, all of them have stayed within agriculture. So, whether that’s in academia or in industry settings or back home on their farm, they’re all within our industry, and then even within that the majority stay within the dairy sector.”
For more information, visit nmpf.org.
NMPF Dairy Leadership Scholarship Program opening soon | Iowa … – Iowa Agribusiness Network
