One hundred and sixty-four scholarships, totaling more than $254,000, went to continuing students in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at UW-River Falls.
Three scholarships were awarded for the first time:
- Bongard Creameries Scholarship – to support and encourage UWRF students interested in pursuing a career in dairy food processing and to help spread the word about the company and its career opportunities.
- Koskelin Family Scholarship – Kathy Koskelin Hotovec, ’79, wants to encourage students to pursue a degree in plant and earth science or food science and technology as preparation for successfully tackling the diverse challenges of this changing world.
- Nelson-Jameson, Inc. Scholarship – Nelson-Jameson, Inc., a leading supplier to the dairy industry, is committed to supporting future generations of students so they can focus on their academics and gain experience in the dairy plant.
CAFES also presented the 2024 Outstanding Service Award to GENEX-URUS. Becky Schley and Bill Casey from GENEX-URUS accepted the award. Their organization has been a strong supporter of CAFES for decades. It has provided students with training in artificial insemination and bovine reproductive management techniques at little to no cost.
CAFES Dean Mike Orth also presented the 2024 CAFES Outstanding Faculty Award to Youngmi Kim, associate professor of agricultural engineering. This is the highest award bestowed upon a faculty member in the college. The awardee is also honored nationally with the Teaching Award of Merit from the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture.
In their letter of nomination, Kim’s colleagues noted that her dedication to teaching, student recruitment, research, professional activity involvement, and university service is exceptional. Kim is keenly interested in getting more women and minorities into engineering and technology. She is also a talented researcher and has been the lead investigator on multiple research projects and a collaborator on others.