Winners announced in Syngenta Agricultural Scholarship essay contest

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Syngenta accounced on Feb. 16 the winners of its second annual Syngenta Agricultural Scholarship essay contest: graduate winner Mitch Roth and undergraduate winner Logan Crumbaugh, both of Michigan State University. In recognition of their winning essays, Syngenta has awarded each $7,000 in scholarship funds.

“We are excited to recognize Mitch and Logan, two accomplished scholars and future ag leaders, as the contest’s national winners,” said Mary Streett DeMers, senior communications lead with Syngenta. “Their passion for improving crop productivity sustainably is apparent in their essays, and we look forward to following their academic and professional successes.”

Michigan State University graduate student Mitch Roth (second from left) and undergraduate student Logan Crumbaugh (second from right) with Erin Koglin (left) and Brian Devine (right) of Syngenta after being named the national winners of the 2015 Syngenta Agricultural Scholarship.

Last spring, Syngenta called for essays from students pursuing degrees in crop-related disciplines at U.S. land grant universities with accredited agriculture programs. Applicants were asked to describe their proposed approaches to implementing one of the six commitments comprising The Good Growth Plan, a measurable, global effort by Syngenta to improve crop productivity while also preserving natural resources.

Implementing an educational program to help encourage productive conversations about agricultural research was among the priorities graduate winner Roth focused on in his essay. Crumbaugh’s essay emphasized the importance of stakeholder engagement in delivering on the commitments of The Good Growth Plan by 2020.

Six additional students were each awarded a $1,000 regional scholarship prize. Recipients were Alonzo Harris, Jr. (Southern University and A&M College), Sarbottam Piya (University of Tennessee), Liam M. Farrell (The Pennsylvania State University), Christopher F. Strock (The Pennsylvania State University), Wendy J. Coons (Oregon State University) and Stephanie Smolenski Zullo (University of California-Davis).

The application period, essay topic and other details relating to the 2016 Syngenta Agricultural Scholarship contest will be announced in March.