Press release Davis, CA

Enology and Viticulture Students Receive Over $100,000 in Scholarships at the 69th ASEV National Conference

Davis, Calif., August 31, 2018…Each year, the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) awards scholarships to students pursuing a degree in enology, viticulture or in a curriculum emphasizing a science basic to the wine and grape industry. This year, 37 students throughout North America received a total of $107,500 to help support their academic pursuits and provide an introduction into the grape and wine industry.

Two students received the ASEV Presidents’ Award for Scholarship in Enology and Viticulture, the top scholarship award. Each student will receive $12,500 for exceeding expectations of the traditional scholarship program and showing remarkable leadership potential. The enology award went to Jennifer Kelly of Brock University in Canada and the viticulture award went to Andrej Svyantek of North Dakota State University, Fargo. Get to know them better by watching their video interviews.

It’s very rare for graduate students who are often holed up in their lab to have the opportunity to meet the people who write the papers we read, cite and rely on to expand our own knowledge. ASEV is the platform that gives you the opportunity to network and be in the same room as these people,” said Jennifer Kelly, ASEV Presidents’ Award recipient for enology. “I am so thankful for the opportunity and the recognition.”

“I’m humbled and honored for this great opportunity to be in the same room with people whose names or pictures I’ve only seen, to chat with the person who created the grapes worked with during my master’s program,” said Andrej Svyantek, viticulture award recipient.  “I leave this experience recognizing that ASEV offers the ‘lineage connection’ that keeps everybody in a tree of grapes. You get to meet the folks who met the folks who first grew the grapes you’re studying.”

Additionally, ASEV awarded 35 students with scholarships totaling $82,500 through the traditional scholarship program, including the first recipient of the Dennis Martin Scholarship. These students were honored at the Student-Industry Mixer to close out the 69th National Conference in Monterey, California by Scholarship Committee Chair Kristen Barnhisel of J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines.

“We have the opportunity to impact a future wine and grape professional through the ASEV scholarship program and each year, it never ceases to amaze me of our industry’s generosity to invest in future leaders and for volunteering their time to read through applications. I want to personally thank the Scholarship Committee for their altruism and commitment,” said Barnhisel. “I also want to acknowledge the generous contributors of the Dennis Martin Scholarship Fund, which began this year.”

The following is the list of scholarship recipients:

ASEV Presidents’ Award for Scholarship in Enology and Viticulture

  • Jennifer Kelly (Enology), Brock University, Canada
  • Andrej Svyantek (Viticulture), North Dakota State University, Fargo

ASEV Traditional Scholarship

  • Mani Awale, University of Missouri, Columbia
  • Theodore Baglien, Oregon State University, Corvallis
  • Andrea Barker, Brock University, Canada
  • Anastasiya Berst, Oregon State University, Corvallis
  • Christopher Chen, University of California, Davis
  • Elaine Chen, University of British Columbia, Canada
  • Briann Dorin, Brock University, Canada
  • Katherine East, Washington State University, Pullman
  • Carlos Elizondo, Texas A&M University, College Station
  • Ioan Pavel Gitsov, Washington State University, Tri-Cities
  • Ahmed Gomaa, Alabama A&M University, Normal
  • Laura Griffin, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
  • Hannah Hanlon, University of California, Davis
  • Madison Hawkins, Texas A&M University, College Station
  • Anne Kearny, Cornell University, New York
  • Garrett Lattanzio, Washington State University, Tri-Cities
  • Xiaochi Ma,* Washington State University, Pullman
  • Paul Mawdsley, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
  • Sarah Mayfield, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
  • Garrett McCarthy, University of British Columbia, Canada
  • Margaret McCoy, Washington State University, Prosser
  • Sydney Morgan, University of British Columbia, Canada
  • Nicholas Munsel, California State University, Fresno
  • Matthew Noestheden,** University of British Columbia, Canada
  • Erin Norton, Iowa State University, Ames
  • Meghan Ruppel, Oregon State University, Corvallis
  • Marlie Shelton, Oregon State University, Corvallis
  • Tian Tian, Oregon State University, Corvallis
  • Miranda Ulmer, Oregon State University, Corvallis
  • Anna Underhill, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
  • Joshua VanderWeide, Michigan State University, East Lansing
  • Zachary Waltz, Cornell University, New York
  • Hongrai Wang, The Ohio State University, Columbus
  • Tyler Williams, Washington State University, Tri-Cities
  • Runze Yu, University of California, Davis

*Mike Vail Scholarship
** Dennis Martin Scholarship

For more information about scholarships, visit http://www.asev.org/scholarship-programs.

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