The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln has launched a new quick pitch scholarship competition for students who dare to dream big and do the extraordinary to address worldwide issues.

The CASNR Change-Maker Quick Pitch Competition asks current and prospective CASNR students to submit a two-minute video explaining an original, innovative way to address global issues such as food security, sustainability and water use. Two current CASNR students and eight incoming freshmen and transfer students will be awarded full-tuition scholarships for the 2020-21 academic year based on their submitted videos. Winning students will be matched with a mentor to help make their big idea a reality.

Additionally, eight $1,000 CASNR scholarships will be awarded to youth in the sixth through 11th grades.

“We want innovators, change-makers and future leaders to get their start right here in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources,” said Tiffany Heng-Moss, dean of agricultural sciences and natural resources. “This competition will reward our current students who strive to tackle these big issues. At the same time, we hope to attract new students who are in search of a college experience in which they will be encouraged and expected to challenge themselves and change the world in the process.”

In Nebraska, one in four jobs is tied to agriculture and natural resources. Within CASNR, students, faculty and staff are already engaged in important work to provide food, fuel, feed and fiber to a rapidly growing world, while conserving agricultural landscapes and natural resources and maintaining quality of life for farmers and ranchers, said Mike Boehm, vice chancellor and vice president of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

“Our state’s deep roots in agriculture, coupled with Nebraska’s abundant natural resources and our ingenuity and grit, make CASNR the ideal and natural epicenter for nurturing the world’s next generation of change-makers,” Boehm said. “We want to do everything we can to build on CASNR’s culture that allows students to think critically, dream big and accomplish extraordinary things.”

Current and prospective students can apply online here. Videos should be no more than two minutes long and must focus on one or more of the following issues:

• Feeding the world
• Water for the future
• New energy
• Climate and the future
• Biodiversity, sustainability and the environment
• Health
• Engaging diverse communities
• Developing tomorrow’s leaders

The competition opened on April 20 and will close at noon May 15. Winners will be announced in June, and winning videos will be shared on social media. The winner whose video receives the most likes will also receive a textbook scholarship.

Complete application guidelines and more information can be found at the webpage above.