Bumpers College Honors Students at Annual Awards Event

Photo by Fred Miller

Bumpers College Dean Mike Vayda presents the John W. White Outstanding Student Award to agricultural business major Amy May West.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences recognized student achievements Thursday, April 16, at the University of Arkansas. The students were honored during a banquet at the Verizon Ballroom at the Arkansas Union.

Two students received the First Ranked Senior Scholar award, which is presented for achieving a 4.0 grade point average with completion of all coursework at the UA. The students are Ashlyn Cook of Jefferson City, Missouri, a human nutrition and hospitality innovation major, and Sarah Mayfield of San Antonio, a food science and biochemistry major. 

The Senior Scholars award went to three students. The Senior Scholar award signifies the highest grade-point average with at least half completion of all coursework at the UA. They are Bradley Isbell of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, an agribusiness major; Megan Lankford of Oxford, New York, a horticulture major, and Stephanie Philpot of Springfield, Missouri, a poultry science and accounting major.  

Lauren Presley of Bentonville received the Presidential Scholar award for the student with the highest grade point average after having earned at least 45 credit hours. She is a junior majoring in human nutrition and hospitality innovation.

Three students were named Dale Bumpers Distinguished Scholars. The awards are presented to outstanding students pursuing master's and doctoral degrees and to an outstanding undergraduate transfer student.

The Distinguished Ph.D. Scholar award went to Sara Shinn, a student from Garland, Texas, majoring in food science. Her research has focused on increasing egg nutritional and functional properties by dietary incorporation of conjugated linoleic acid soy oil to produce CLA-rich eggs.

The Distinguished Master's Scholar was presented to Christopher Meyer, a student from Creston, Iowa, majoring in weed science. His research has focused on the use of sprayer technologies, such as spray nozzle selection, to maximize the efficacy and minimize drift of herbicide applications in soybeans. 

The Distinguished Undergraduate Transfer Student Award was presented to Morgan Marley of Elkins, an undergraduate student who transferred from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College to Bumpers College to pursue a major in agricultural education, communications and technology with a concentration in communications. Marley is working as a teaching assistant for a special topics course on broadcast media in the Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology Department. 

The John W. White Outstanding Student for the year is Amy West, a senior from St. Francisville, Louisiana, majoring in agricultural business. She has served various leadership roles on campus including Associated Student Government vice president, director of awards for the Honors Student Board, Razorback Foundation Student Board director of membership and Agricultural Business Club vice president. She also participated in National Model United Nations in New York City, where she received the Outstanding Proposal award for addressing worldwide food insecurity. She also serves as a Diamond Doll for the University of Arkansas Baseball Team and is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.

The Spitze Public Policy Legislative Internship Award was presented to Bradley Isbell of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, a senior majoring in agribusiness with a concentration in marketing and management. He received an associate of science degree with honors in animal science from Connors State College in Oklahoma in 2013. He is a member of the Agricultural Business Club, and works as a student athlete tutor for the University of Arkansas Athletic Department. He has been accepted into the agricultural economics master's degree program at the UA beginning in the fall of 2015.