Duane and Shirley Acker International Fellowship $2,000 (award amount may vary with need)
- The recipient shall use this award to participate in an international experience that may include, but is not limited to: study abroad programs; internship or work at an international agricultural research center, institute, or university; foreign work experience with USDA's Foreign Agriculture Service or the Agency for International Development; internship or work with a foreign or domestic private sector business
- The recipient shall be majoring in Animal Science or a related curriculum administered by the Department of Animal Science
- First preference shall be given to students who are graduates of a high school in Iowa
- Second preference shall be given to students who are graduates of a high school in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, or Wisconsin
- The amount of the award shall be based on the available funding, but shall not be less than half of the recipient's cost to participate in their respective international experience.
- Include statement of plans and budget for your international experience
- The award is made AFTER the travel and made as a reimbursement for expenses incurred for the scholarly portion of the travel.
Preference will be given to experience/travel plans that take place by the end of April, 2026.
Name your file Name_Acker.pdf (for example Smith_Acker.pdf) and submit by email to:
The John Airy Endowed Graduate Scholarship $3,000
- Open to graduate students in the Department of Animal Science
- Preference given to those students majoring in beef cattle breeding and management
- Financial need
Name your file Name_Airy.pdf (for example Smith_Airy.pdf) and submit by email to:
Arthur and Muriel Anderson Scholarship $1,000
- Recipients shall be selected on the basis of academic excellence
- The scholarship is open to a graduate student studying some aspect of swine science. Please include a summary of scholarly work in swine science
Name your file Name_Anderson.pdf (for example Smith_Anderson.pdf) and submit by email to:
Charles H. and Inez M. Callahan Memorial Graduate Awards $2,250
Students who receive these awards shall meet or exceed the following qualifications:
- Shall be students who are pursuing a graduate degree in poultry science or agriculture
- Preference shall be given to students who are residents of Story County; however, if no student from Story County applies or qualifies for the award, a student who is a graduate of a high school in the State of Iowa may qualify
- Preference shall be given to students majoring in poultry science; however, if no such student applies or qualifies, a student from another curriculum in agriculture may qualify
- The student recipients must qualify for financial aid as determined by the Financial Aid Office of the University
Name your file Name_Callahan.pdf (for example Smith_Callahan.pdf) and submit by email to:
Lauren L. Christian Graduate Fellowship $3,000
This annual fellowship shall be open to graduate students in the Department of Animal Science, pursuing an advanced degree in swine genetics. Additional academic enhancement support for the selected graduate student may also be awarded to support research activities, provide funds to publish research results and travel to professional meetings. Preference shall be given to candidates who have completed degrees and coursework at Iowa State University, and who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the area of extracurricular activities involving swine. All qualified candidates shall be eligible on an annual basis and the award may be renewable if the recipient attains and maintains a 3.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 point system). All qualified candidates must be citizens of the United States to be eligible for this award.
A special committee will review applications and make selection.
Name your file Name_Christian.pdf (for example Smith_Christian.pdf) and submit by email to:
Dr. and Mrs. M. E. Ensminger Scholarship $2,500
Recipients shall be selected on the basis of:
- Scholarship
- Character
- Financial need
- Leadership
Applicants should document their experience or desire to contribute to advancement of animal agriculture around the world. Priority shall be given to Animal Science and/or international students for the continuation of their studies only.
PLEASE SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING TO APPLY:
- Ensminger Scholarship special APPLICATION FORM
- Transcript
- Endorsement/Nomination letter from your major professor that speaks to the applicants' character, leadership and scholarly achievements.
No other materials are necessary.
Name your file Name_Ensminger.pdf (for example Smith_Ensminger.pdf) and submit by email to:
Dr. Gene Freeman Graduate Student Travel Fund in Animal Breeding and Genetics $2,000
This award is funded by the Dr. Gene Freeman Graduate Student Travel Fund in Animal Breeding and Genetics. Dr. Freeman took a personal interest in the graduate students he mentored, often going above and beyond to help them attend professional meetings and conferences. It is the Donors' hope that this fund in Dr. Freeman's honor can continue to support graduate students in that way, emphasizing the important role those experiences play on career development. Therefore, the funds should be used to support graduate student travel to professional conferences, seminars and workshops.
- Recipient shall have a member of the Animal Breeding and Genetics Section of the Department of Animal Science as a major professor.
- Recipient shall be in good academic standing as determined by the administering authority.
- Preference shall be given to students working with dairy or beef cattle, as determined by the administering authority.
- Recipient shall use funds to support graduate student travel to professional conferences, seminars, workshops, etc.
- Application shall include a statement of plans and a budget for your travel experience.
Name your file Name_Freeman.pdf (for example Smith_Freeman.pdf) and submit by email to:
William Riley Gillette Graduate Scholarship in Animal Science $2,500
Recipients shall be enrolled in an Animal Science graduate program and be a resident of Iowa.
Name your file Name_Gillette.pdf (for example Smith_Gillette.pdf) and submit by email to:
Iowa Poultry Association Scholarship, in Honor of Tom J. Zanios $1,500
This award shall be open to students interested in the development of the egg or broiler industry who meet the following criteria:
- Are pursuing a graduate degree
- Are intending to be involved in the poultry industry in Iowa
Name your file Name_Zanios.pdf (for example Smith_Zanios) and submit by email to:
Dr. Rohan Fernando Graduate Student Scholarship in Statistical and Quantitative Genetics $2,000
- This scholarship is for graduate students who focus on statistical and quantitative genetics, are (co-)advised by a faculty member from the ABG group, and demonstrate excellence in academic and research scholarship.
- The selections will be made by a committee of two faculty from ABG and two faculty from plant breeding and genetics.
Name your file Name_Fernando.pdf (for example Smith_Fernando) and submit by email to:
Robert E. and Dorothy B. Rust Graduate Scholarship in Meat Science $1,000
- Recipient shall be majoring in Animal Science or Food Science
- Recipient shall demonstrate a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale
- Recipient shall have a demonstrated interest in exploring a career path toward the meat processing and/or closely allied industry (suppliers, etc.), and at least 25% of the applicant's qualifications for this award shall be based on a 500 or more word essay outlining the applicant's projected career path in applied meat processing or closely allied industry
- Preference shall be given to a student who has demonstrated an active interest in applied meat processing or allied industry as evidenced by such things as, but not limited to: Industry internship, working at the ISU Meat Laboratory or judging team experience.
A special committee will review applications and make a selection. Provide 500 word essay in addition to required application materials listed in overall instructions.
Name your file Name_Rust.pdf (for example Smith_Rust.pdf) and submit by email to:
Vaughn and Meg Speer Graduate Award $2,250
To provide monogastric nutrition graduate students with unique training and education experiences.
Eligible Activities:
- Attendance at conferences that would not normally be attended by a graduate student, including but not limited to Digestive Physiology in Pigs, World Poultry Congress, International Pig Veterinary Society Congress and the EAAP International Symposium on Energy and Protein Metabolism and Nutrition. (Submission of an abstract to the meeting will be encouraged, but will not be a requirement for a successful application.)
- Travel to another institution with the objective of learning new techniques or acquiring new skills that are not available at Iowa State University.
Ineligible Activities:
- Attendance at conferences that would normally be attended by a graduate student, including but not limited to Midwest ASAS, ASAS annual meeting, Poultry Science and FASEB.
- Trade shows and other non-technical events
- Travel to another institution to simply observe or discuss research without active involvement.
The student will be expected to match funds received from the Speer Education Fund, matching funds may come from the student's graduate supervisor or from other travel funds available in the Department and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Preference will be given to travel/experience plans that take place by the end of April, 2026.
To apply for this award: The interested student should complete an application explaining the particular experience of interest. The application will include a 1 page document defining the location of travel, the travel dates, the travel budget and the benefit the student will acquire from attendance or participation.
A special committee is assigned to select the recipient.
Name your file Name_Speer.pdf (for example Smith_Speer.pdf) and submit by email to:
Thomas Sutherland Graduate Award for Excellence $1,500
Nominations for this award are to be submitted by the major professor.
This award is established to recognize excellence in academic and research performance during the graduate program in one of the fields of graduate study in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University. The award shall be a "premium for excellence" award over and above the graduate assistant stipend.
Selection of the recipients will be made by a graduate scholarship awards committee made up of a minimum of five members of the graduate faculty in the Department of Animal Science. The committee will be appointed annually by the Head of the Department of Animal Science. Any faculty member who is serving as major professor for a nominee will not be eligible to serve on the committee.
Qualifications for receiving the award will include excellence in academic performance, significant accomplishment in research relative to tenure in the graduate program compared to contemporary students.
In the interest of international collaboration and exchange, recipients may be international students. Research will be evaluated on the basis of published documents which may include scientific papers resulting from the student's program at Iowa State University or in their home country as part of a program supervised by Iowa State University.
Students receiving the award may be nominated in subsequent years but must be enrolled in the Graduate College at the time they are selected.
Name your file Name_Sutherland.pdf (for example Smith_Sutherland.pdf) and submit by email to:
David and Jacqueline Topel Scholarship in Meat Science $2,500
- Student must be pursuing a graduate degree in the Meat Science program of the Department of Animal Science
- Student must have promise of a career related to the meat industry
- Student must exhibit excellence in scholarship including a grade point average of 3.0 or greater from the preceding college year
- Student must have demonstrated leadership and involvement in campus activities
Name your file Name_Topel.pdf (for example Smith_Topel.pdf) and submit by email to:
Harold L. and Esther G. Wilcke Scholarship $1,000
The students who receive the awards shall meet the following qualifications:
- Shall have demonstrated genuine interest in and be studying or doing research in the nutritional requirements of domestic animals or poultry
- Shall be enrolled in a curriculum of animal science or poultry science
- Shall be undergraduate or graduate students
Name your file Name_Wilcke.pdf (for example Smith_Wilcke.pdf) and submit by email to:
Esther and Richard Willham Graduate Scholarship in Animal Science $1,000
This scholarship is to enhance graduate education by supporting out-of-the-ordinary opportunities that will encourage student creativity. The criteria are:
- The recipient shall be a Master's or Ph.D. student in the Department of Animal Science.
- The recipient shall have earned a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- Application should include, but not limited to, current vita, objectives, justification, work outline, proposed budget and an essay regarding your plan for using the funds in a creative manner. Creative activities could include, but are not limited to, attending a meeting of special interest, taking an interesting course outside the student's field of major, working in a different laboratory, creating unusual technology transfers with emphasis on resulting social change, developing new technology, and many other such opportunities.
Name your file Name_Willham.pdf (for example Smith_Willham.pdf) and submit by email to: