Scholarship Information

The Council of Agricultural Science and Technology is proud to present three separate $1,000 awards to agricultural science communicators. 

Scholarship Eligibility

- Nominee must be currently enrolled in a graduate or professional program in the United States of America

- Nominee must either be an individual student member of CAST or attend a CAST member university* 

- Nominee must study some aspect of agriculture or food science (e.g., plant, animal, environment, agribusiness, communication, education, nutrition, policy, etc.)

- Nominee must be actively communicating their research and/or agricultural science and technology issues and innovations to the broader public through a variety of available media

- The recipients should be present at the ceremony in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday, November 19th (CAST will cover all travel expenses.) The nominee must be able to accept the scholarship in person. The recipients will be expected to give a presentation on their research and/or area of interest.

*Cornell University, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, Mississippi State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina State University, Penn State University, Purdue University, Texas A&M University, The Ohio State University, Tuskegee University, University of Arkansas, University of  Florida, University of Georgia, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, University of Kentucky, University of Missouri Columbia, University of Nebraska Lincoln, University of Nevada-Reno

Why Apply? 

The CAST Science Communication Scholarship encourages graduate-level student scientists, specifically focusing on careers in agriculture or food sciences, to grow their abilities to communicate with nonscientific audiences. Selected graduate, professional, and veterinary medicine students are invited to learn about the application of science communication at the 2024 CAST Annual Meeting and Student Innovation Conference held in Tampa, FL, November 18-21. Here, recipients will have the opportunity to network with the best from the agricultural industry, listen to a variety of presenters, talk about their own research, connect with other students, take tours of local industry, and learn about CAST.

After the conference is over, the recipients will be involved in CAST activities and processes for the next year. They will have the opportunity to be part of a CAST workgroup and be featured in and interviewed for CAST educational and promotional materials, including, but not limited to, podcasts, webinars, social media, and newsletters. 

CAST will provide travel, hotel, and eating arrangements for the recipients during the conference, including airfare to and from Tampa. Each of the three scholarships is worth $1,000.