Ohaupo Graduate Wins Fulbright Scholarship

By TACON, Terry

DAIRY FARMERS can mark down the name Ryan Higgs as a top New Zealand dairy scientist of the future.

The 22-year-old from Ohaupo, in Waikato, graduated from Massey University this year with a bachelor of applied science degree in agriculture with first-class honours. Now he has now been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to help him study at Cornell University in the United States. Cornell is in upstate New York on the East Coast and Ryan’s scholarship will be for a master of science, majoring in animal nutrition. He will be focusing on protein utilisation and efficiency in cows.

Established in 1946, and funded by the US Department of State, the Fulbright aims to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the US and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills.

The total cost of Ryan’s degree is more than $US120,000 and the Fulbright Scholarship provides a one-off payment of $US25,000, with the balance paid by the university.

Ryan, who was interviewed by a panel of eight people before being awarded the scholarship, said he was lucky. But Dexcel’s dairy sector education facilitator Bill Barwood said it was more hard work than luck.

In 2003, Ryan was one of the 16 annual recipients of a Dairy Industry Undergraduate Scholarship. These scholarships, administered by Dexcel and funded by New Zealand dairy farmers through Dairy InSight, are awarded to students with a particular interest in dairying who are undertaking an agricultural or agricultural- related degree. Worth a total of more than $200,000 per annum, the scholarships have assisted some of the best minds within the New Zealand dairy industry.

Scholarship recipients have their course fees paid in full to a maximum of $4000 a year. The scholarships continue until course completion, providing grades are at an acceptable level.

“Ryan is a young scientist to watch,” Mr Barwood said. “He was an outstanding recipient of our scholarship throughout his four years at Massey and he is poised to have an exceptional future in New Zealand dairy research.”

Information on the Dairy Industry Undergraduate Scholarship programme is available on Dexcel’s website, www.dexcel.co.nz

(c) 2007 Daily News; New Plymouth, New Zealand. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.