Two students from Texas Tech's Department of Animal & Food Sciences have been awarded scholarships from a nonprofit group committed to improvements in the meat industry. The Meat Industry Suppliers Alliance (MISA) Foundation, a part of the Food Processing Suppliers Association, awarded $10,000 scholarships to doctoral student Keelyn Hanlon of Petaluma, California, and graduate student Tommy Fletcher of La Vernia.

"I'm so thankful to have been selected as a 2018-2019 MISA scholarship recipient," Hanlon said. "This recognition is humbling and provides a valuable opportunity for me to complete my research and graduate degree program."

MISA is an active industry advocate on meat industry issues and provides resources to its membership in order to conduct conferences, educational programs and member networking while providing scholarships, learning opportunities, research and development to benefit the meat industry.

"I feel incredibly blessed to have been selected as a recipient of the Meat Industry Suppliers Alliance Foundation Scholarship," Fletcher said. "Thanks to great organizations such as MISA, I am able to further my education in the areas of meat and food science and use what I have learned to improve meat quality and availability around the world."

The MISA scholarships are awarded to students at universities in the U.S. who are interested in pursuing a career within the meat industry or engineering field. The foundation raised more than $100,000 for scholarships for the 2018-19 academic year.

"These scholarships clearly demonstrate the commitment of the MISA Foundation and that of our members to our industry," said Bob Grote, chairman of the MISA Foundation and CEO of the Grote Company. "The MISA Auction earlier this year generated record-setting donations, enabling us to recognize these extremely accomplished individuals. I personally want to congratulate all the winners and wish them continued success in their academic endeavors and careers. It also should be noted that none of this would be possible without the enthusiastic support of our members and the participants in the MISA Auction who donated and purchased auction items. Their generous contributions have made this possible."

CASNR's programs prepare men and women to become leaders in the food, fiber, agriculture, renewable natural resources and environmental disciplines. Texas Tech's Department of Animal & Food Sciences is home to approximately 650 undergraduate students and 100 graduate students.

CONTACT: Michael Orth, chairman, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-5653 or michael.orth@ttu.edu

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