Food Science PhD Student Tad Beekman Receives $ 10,000 MISA Foundation Scholarship

Tad Beekman, a doctoral student in food science at State University, is one of seven students selected nationwide to receive a $ 10,000 scholarship from the Meat Industry Suppliers Alliance Foundation.

Beekman, who earned an Emeritus Doctoral Fellowship at the U of A’s Graduate School and International Education, was also appointed to serve on the Student Advisory Committee of the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Beekman is advised by Han-Seok Seo, associate professor of food science, and researcher and scientist at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the U of A System Division of Agriculture.

“This is great news, which means Tad’s motivation and endless activities in meat related research and in the meat industry network have paid off,” Seo said. “He is very deserving, and I am very proud of him.”

In the spring, he was one of three U of A students, all enrolled in the Food Sciences program at Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, selected to receive scholarships through Feeding Tomorrow: The Foundation of the Institute of Food Technologists. It won the Evergreen Award for Outstanding Presentation that Develops or Expands a Method at the National Conference for Sensory Professionals in 2020 and the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology Science Communication Podcast Award in 2019, and placed second in the Gamma Sigma Delta Arkansas Chapter Ph. 2019. .D. Poster competition.

In 2021, Phi Tau Sigma, the Honor Society of Food Science and Technology, also presented their research publication showing how different types of straws or lids can affect consumer acceptability and the perceived monetary value of the drink at iced coffee. Beekman is also president of the Food Science Club.

“The MISA Foundation is proud to announce its list of outstanding scholarship recipients for the 2021-22 school year,” said Brian Perkins, President of the MISA Foundation and President, Processing Group, Diversified Food & Health of JBT Corporation. “The Foundation Board congratulates the winners and wishes them the best for the coming school year and for all future projects. This year’s pool of applicants was particularly strong, which made our selection process very difficult. C It’s nice to see that even during the tough times we have all experienced over the past 18 months, we have dedicated students working hard to expand their knowledge and lay the foundation for what we know are successful careers in this area. industry. “

The Meat Industry Suppliers Alliance is the non-profit meat industry council of the Food Processing Suppliers Association that actively engages in continuous improvement on behalf of its members as well as the meat industry.

The MISA Foundation is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization established to nurture, promote and develop cutting-edge technology and technical information by continuing to educate students in meat and food science.

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 businesses associated with food, family, environment, agriculture, sustainability, and human quality of life. ; and who will be the prime candidates for employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named after Dale Bumpers, a former governor of Arkansas and a longtime U.S. senator who made the state a major player in national and international agriculture. For more information on Bumpers College, visit our website and follow us on Twitter at @ Bumpers College and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas’ flagship institution, the U of A offers internationally competitive education in over 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $ 2.2 billion to the Arkansas economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while providing training in professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation ranks the U of A among the top 3% of colleges and universities in the United States with the highest level of research activity. American News and World Report ranks the U of A among the best public universities in the country. Find out how the U of A is working to build a better world on Arkansas Research News.