U of A MANRRS Students Claim First, Second in Contests, Earn Scholarships at National Conference

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The MANRRS RSO (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences) is open to all students on campus.

Fifteen Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences students from the U of A participated in the 38th National MANRRS Conference in Chicago earlier this month, where two students placed in graduate student presentation competition, four were selected to receive scholarships and seven presented research.

Oluwatoyin "Elizabeth" Abat, a master's degree student in agricultural education, communications and technology from Nigeria, won first place in the Graduate Oral Research Presentation national contest. Her presentation was "The Struggle is Real: Identifying Prejudice and Discrimination Perception" with mentors Casandra Cox, Jill Rucker and Hannah Estes.

Richard Nyarko, a master's degree student in agricultural economics & agribusiness from Ghana, placed second in the Graduate Research Poster Presentation national category. His poster was "A Grain of Hope: Unlocking the Potential of the ASEAN Rice Market Through a Regional Futures Market," with mentor Andrew McKenzie.

Jenika Hazelbaker, an M.S. student in agricultural economics and agribusiness from Wentzville, Missouri, received both the Gold MANRRS Scholarship and the John Deere Scholarship. Her adviser is Alvaro Durand-Morat. The Gold Scholarship provides $500 and conference support, and helps students gain skills and knowledge for careers, networking with MANRRS members and chapters from across the country, and learning from leaders about emerging challenges and solutions in agriculture, natural resources and related sciences. The John Deere Scholarship awards one $2,500 graduate student scholarship per region to those who excel in academics, extracurricular activities, MANRRS and community involvement.

Cris Caballero Moreno, a senior animal science major from Panama, also received the Gold MANRRS Scholarship.

Paul Dahunsi, an M.S. student in animal science from Nigeria, was awarded a Cargill Thrive national scholarship. The scholarship is a one-time, one-year award for up to $1,500. Scholars receive access to various development courses and opportunities designed to provide essential coaching in support of personal and professional growth. Thrive helps students develop skills needed to thrive in their future careers. Dahunsi's mentor is Derico Setyabrata.

Hellen Vejerano Molina, an animal science major from Panama, received the National Farm Credit Scholarship, which provides special programming for outstanding MANRRS students with an interest in Farm Credit. Recipients receive a $1,000 scholarship, the opportunity to participate in the Farm Credit VIP track of the National MANRRS Conference and $1,500 in travel compensation to attend the conference. The VIP track provides meaningful interactions with Farm Credit leadership and exposes students to information about Farm Credit careers in fields including finance, credit, capital markets, informational technology, marketing, etc.

"I am so proud of how hard students worked to seek out scholarships and to apply to present at the national conference, most of them for the very first time," said Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences Assistant Dean and MANRRS adviser Jacquelyn Mosley. "MANRRS is one of the best organizations for resources and networking opportunities for our students seeking degrees in agricultural related sciences. They had the opportunity to talk with USDA officials about their research and meet with partners from every industry sector of agriculture."

The U of A contingent was among 120 universities and schools represented. The national contest is limited to just 10 presenters in each category. Other U of A presenters included:

• Chetanjot Kaur Romana, Ph.D. in food science from India; competed in Graduate Research Poster Presentation and 3-Minute Thesis competitions: "Pixels to Palate: Transforming Nutritional Landscapes With Personalized 3D Printing and Protein Supplementation;" mentor is Jamie Baum;
• Kobina Danful Fanyinkah, Ph.D. in agricultural education, communications and technology from Ghana; competed in Research Discussion and Graduate Research Poster Presentation contests: "Assessing Visual Design Elements in Agricultural Extension Outreach Communication Graphics;" mentor is Jefferson Miller;
• Enoch Ametepey, Ph.D. in agricultural education, communications and technology from Ghana; presented in Graduate Research Poster Presentation: "Promoting Agribusiness Brands Using Social Media Among Final-Year College Students;" mentors Miller, George Wardlow and Cox;
• Agnes Amfo-Adu, M.S. in human development and family sciences from Ghana; Graduate Research Poster Presentation: "The Pro-Environmental Behavior of College Students: A Descriptive Study;" mentor Betsy Garrison;
• Felix Boahmah, M.S. in agricultural economics and agribusiness from Ghana; Graduate Research Poster Presentation: "Spatial Price Equilibrium Analysis for the Indonesia Export Ban on Palm Oil 2022;" mentor Durand-Morat;
• Jimena Rodriguez, animal science from Fort Worth, Texas; Undergraduate Research Poster Presentation: "Impact of Product Size and Subsequent Consumer Freezing on Color Stability of Different Beef Muscles;" mentor Setyabrata; and  
• Molina; animal science from Panama; Undergraduate Research Poster Presentation: "CommUniversity Partnerships and a JR MANRRS Summer Camp;" mentors Mosley and Wendell Scales (Arkansas JR MANRRS adviser).

"For the first time, Bumpers College had a booth to recruit future undergraduate and graduate students," Mosley said. "We are truly thankful to our industry partners Tyson Foods and Farm Credit Mid-America, and for their financial support of our students' professional development. Attending the national conference is an amazing opportunity, and we look forward to next year's conference in Memphis."

Other students attending the conference included Melanie Espinosa, crop, soil and environmental sciences from Panama; Bernard Sam, Ph.D. student in animal science from Ghana; and Rachel Will, M.S. online student in human development and family sciences from Rison, Arkansas. Will works with the University of Pine Bluff Extension Family and Consumer Sciences as an Extension Associate.

The MANRRS RSO provides underrepresented students with academic support, networking and career development, and is open to anyone with an interest in promoting diversity in agriculture, natural resources and related sciences. The club is housed in U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, but is open to all students on campus.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.