Bennet Chen

Arkansas Soybean Science Challenge: A new decade of students using their bean

By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — For a decade, the Arkansas Soybean Science Challenge has been planting seeds for students contemplating a future in research.

The idea behind the program was simple: Pique the interest of students from grades 6-12  to consider a science fair project involving soybeans, and by extension, agriculture.

Alyssa Butler, was a 17-year-old senior at Carlisle High School in Carlisle, Arkansas, in 2021, when she won both her regional-level competition in the Arkansas Soybean Science Challenge. She is now pursuing a degree in agriculture, inspired by the competition. (Courtesy photo)

Karen Ballard, a now-retired extension professor who conceived the program, gained the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board as a partner to help fund the outreach work of the Soybean Science Challenge.

“Many students, even those in cities near farming areas, have never thought of research in agriculture as a career,” said Julie Robinson, professor-community, professional and economic development for the Cooperative Extension Service. Robinson has administered the program for five years. “The humble soybean is more than just livestock feed. It’s the basis for biofuels. Its fibers are used in making fabrics and foam for seat cushions. Its oils replace petroleum bases in paints, candles and inks. Soybean meal can be used in making adhesives. 

“Over the decade, we’ve seen our student researchers put their own creativity and brainpower into creating plastics, computer climate models or evaluating the effects of radiation on soybean growth,” she said.

While the program offers cash prizes as an incentive, “even more importantly we’ve seen the program work. Many of the participants who have had their enthusiasm stoked by the Soybean Science Challenge have gone on to continue their research in college,” Robinson said.

Confidence and comfort zones

The challenge has been a career-builder for Alyssa Butler, who won five times at the regional and state levels. She is an undergraduate student working as an extension program associate in plant pathology.

 “The Soybean Science Challenge was the first time I ever pushed myself outside of my comfort zone and did any form of public speaking,” Butler said. I was terrified and self-critical, but after knowing I did good enough to make it to state, I had more confidence in myself than ever.

"When I competed at the state level and won first place at Soybean Science Challenge, I was so proud of myself and all my research,” she said. “For me, it wasn't just about winning or the prize that came with it, it was about the fact that weeks of hard work, stepping out of my comfort zone, and pushing myself paid off.”

Butler said when she worked on her first experiment, looking at Southern root-knot nematode resistance, she gained a deeper appreciation for plant pathology and knew she wanted to continue research in that field.

“It is one of the best opportunities that high school has to offer,” she said.

Keith Harris, extension ag education program associate who coordinates the challenge, said he finds gratification in seeing the program fulfill its mission by “students showing an interest in research, specifically agricultural research, and them seeing agriculture as an industry with career options.”

The next decade

A decade later, “we are still focused on engaging student researchers through regional and state science fairs,” Robinson said.

The program has done some growing of its own over the decade.

“We have expanded the program to include teacher in-service, Grow Your Own Protein, and a variety of classroom curriculum available for free,” Robinson said.

The Grow Your Own Protein program provides edamame seeds for schools, community groups. 4-H clubs and others to grow edible soybeans in their own gardens. There’s also a “soybean store,” where those interested in taking part in the Soybean Science Challenge as a student researcher, can request a variety of soybean seeds, including conventional soybeans, soybeans tolerant to Roundup and tofu soybeans.

2023 winners

Last year, 15 students were named 2023 Soybean Scholars after their projects won the Soybean Science Challenge at district and state science fairs.

First-place went to Bennet Chen, 14, a freshman at Little Rock Central High, for his project, “Forecasting the future; a predictive modeling approach to deciphering climate change's impact on county level soybean yields.” Chen won the 2024 Soybean Science Challenge First Place Award at the State Science and Engineering Fair held at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway on March 30, and the Senior Division SSC Award at Central Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair held at UA-Little Rock on March 1. 

How it works

The 2025 Soybean Science Challenge is now open for entries.

Students interested in participating are required to complete six online course modules before submitting their science project to their district science fair, the state science fair or the Arkansas FFA Agriscience Fair.

Each project submitted is assessed by judges from the Soybean Science Challenge. The project must focus on soybeans to qualify. Winners of the Soybean Science Challenge special award win a cash prize. The winning students’ teachers also win a cash prize if their student wins at a regional science fair.

“The Soybean Science Challenge allows us to engage young people and demonstrate the vast opportunities within the agricultural industry,” said Brad Doyle, Poinsett County soybean producer and chairman of Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board. “Their fresh perspectives, skills and innovative ideas are vital to the growth and sustainability of our industry.”

For additional information on the soybean science challenge, visit the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board website at www. themiraclebean.com.

To learn more about the program, see its 10th anniversary video.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk. 

Arkansas students win Soybean Science Challenge awards at seven regional and state science fairs

By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — Across Arkansas, hundreds of junior and high school students competed in regional science fairs this spring. Fifteen of these students won Soybean Science Challenge awards, provided by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board, which seeks to improve the sustainability and profitability of one of the state’s largest crops.

SOYBEAN SCIENCE CHALLENGE — Bennet Chen, 14, a freshman at Little Rock Central High School, is the State Soybean Science Challenge First Place Award winner at the Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair. The Soybean Science Challenge is an education program, co-sponsored by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, that aims to educate students about one of the state's largest crops. (Students' photo.) 

“The Soybean Science Challenge provides an opportunity for Arkansas junior high and high school students to participate in scientific research that can impact the state of Arkansas as well as the world,” said Julie Robinson, extension professor of leadership and director of the Soybean Science Challenge program for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “Student researchers learn about this important commodity crop and its many uses, including feeding the world, development of biofuels and sustainable products. The Soybean Science Challenge helps students develop an understanding of the challenges and complexities of modern farming.”

The Soybean Science Challenge launched to 9-12 grade students in 2014 and now includes 6-8 grade students as well. The statewide, farmer-funded education program aims to improve students’ knowledge about the value of Arkansas soybeans, the crop’s contributions to the state’s economy and labor force and its unique ability to feed and fuel the world.

“The goal of the Arkansas Soybean Science Challenge is to engage students in ‘real- world’ education to support soybean production and agricultural sustainability,” said Gary Sitzer, a former member of the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board. “The program also rewards scientific inquiry and discovery that supports the Arkansas soybean industry.”

2024 Arkansas Soybean Science Challenge state winners: Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair

  • Bennet Chen, 14, freshman at Little Rock Central High School: State Soybean Science Challenge First Place Award winner at Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair

    • $1,000 reward; teacher Tarsha Parker won $300 Soybean Science Challenge Teacher-Mentor Award

  • Jana Abuelem, 15, junior at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock: Soybean Science Challenge Second Place Award winner at Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair

    • $500 award; teacher Katie Parsons won $200 Soybean Science Challenge Teacher-Mentor Award

  • Sulli Schaffer, 16, sophomore at Gravette High School in Gravette: Soybean Science Challenge Honorable Mention Award winner at Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair

    • $250 award; teacher Alison Schaffer won $100 Soybean Science Challenge Honorable Mention Teacher-Mentor Award

2024 Arkansas Soybean Science Challenge winners: Senior Division

  • Bennet Chen, 14, freshman at Little Rock Central High School: Soybean Science Challenge Regional Award winner at Central Arkansas Science and Engineering Fair

    • $300 reward; teacher Tarsha Parker won $200 Soybean Science Challenge Teacher-Mentor Award

  • Duyen Do, 18, senior at Fayetteville Christian Academy: Soybean Science Challenge Regional Award winner at Northwest Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair

    • $300 award; teacher Patrick Briney, won $200 Soybean Science Challenge Teacher-Mentor Award

  • Alice Dong, 17, junior at Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts (ASMSA) in Hot Springs: Soybean Science Challenge Regional Award winner at West Central Arkansas Science Fair

    • $300 award; teacher Lindsey Waddell won $200 Soybean Science Challenge Teacher-Mentor Award

  • Sydney Fuller, 15, sophomore at Stuttgart High School: Soybean Science Challenge Regional Award winner at Southeast Arkansas Science Fair

    • $300 award; teacher Katherine Yancy won $200 Soybean Science Challenge Teacher-Mentor Award

  • Ka’Lee Hanson, 16, sophomore at Emerson High School: Soybean Science Challenge Senior Division Award winner at Southwest Arkansas STEM Night

    • $300 award; teacher Amanda Watson won $200 Soybean Science Challenge Teacher-Mentor Award

  • Anna Leslie, 17, and Sydney Wolf, 17, both seniors at The Academies at Jonesboro High School: Soybean Science Challenge Senior Division Award winners at Northeast Arkansas Regional Science Fair

    • $300 award split between Leslie and Wolf; Allyson Goodin won $200 Teacher-Mentor Award

  • Kacylyn Reupta, 14, freshman at Genoa Central High School in Texarkana: Soybean Science Challenge Senior Division Award winner at Ouachita Mountain Regional Science and Engineering Fair

    • $300 award; teacher Sheila Bentley won $200 Soybean Science Challenge Teacher-Mentor Award

2024 Arkansas Soybean Science Challenge winners: Junior Division

  • Suleyman Acikgoz, 13, eighth grader at Lisa Academy West Middle School in Little Rock: Soybean Science Challenge Junior Division Award winner at Central Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair

    • $200 award; teacher Sevcan Acikgoz won $100 Soybean Science Challenge Junior Division Teacher-Mentor Award

  • Me’Shelle Hinson, 12, seventh grader at Paragould Junior High School: Soybean Science Challenge Junior Division Award winner at Northeast Arkansas Regional Science Fair

    • $200 award; teacher Jennifer Langston won $100 Soybean Science Challenge Junior Division Teacher-Mentor Award

  • Zane Morris, 16, eighth grader at Genoa Central Junior High School in Texarkana: Soybean Science Challenge Junior Division Award winner at Ouachita Mountain Regional Science and Engineering Fair

    • $200 award; teacher Rita Martin won $100 Soybean Science Challenge Junior Division Teacher-Mentor Award

  • Hadley Panek, 13, eighth grader at St. Joseph Catholic School in Fayetteville: Soybean Science Challenge Junior Division Award winner at Northwest Arkansas Regional Science Fair

    • $200 award; teacher Erin Wragg won $100 Soybean Science Challenge Junior Division Teacher-Mentor Award

  • Aiden Watson, 14, eighth grader at Emerson High School: Soybean Science Challenge Senior Division Award winner at Southwest Arkansas STEM Night

    • $200 award; teacher Jessica Glass won $100 Soybean Science Challenge Junior Division Teacher-Mentor Award

For his project, Chen, the first-place winner of the 2024 Arkansas Soybean Science Challenge, studied the impact of climate change on county level soybean yields. Chen said his project gave him a new appreciation for the role of agriculture in farming, science, technology and more.

“Working on my project has absolutely given me a new perspective on agriculture and the agriculture industry,” Chen said. “It has shown me that agriculture is not just about farming, but it is about the scientists, engineers and inventors who help find new ways to plan crops, make the machinery work and come up with new irrigation methods for agriscience.

“Before this project, I had known about soybeans used in food, such as tofu or vegetable oil,” Chen said. “However, because of this project and the Soybean Science course, I learned about the variety of other uses that soybeans have in the various aspects of our daily lives.”

Tarsha Parker, Chen’s teacher, said her student benefitted from his project’s success in multiple ways.

“Bennet gained confidence and reassurance in his abilities to properly communicate his thoughts and findings about his project,” Parker said. “It also helped him to realize the importance of his research to make a difference in society. He beamed so much more after placing in the State Science Fair. He amazed himself.”

A win for teachers and students

The Soybean Science Challenge program is co-sponsored by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, and it includes curriculum and other resources for science teachers. Diedre Young, extension Soybean Science Challenge associate for the Division of Agriculture, said the program has helped show students the variety of careers available within the field of agriculture.

“I have seen the Soybean Science Challenge have a real impact for both students and teachers,” Young said. “We hear from teachers of more students choosing to pursue an agriculturally based degree in college due to our program, as they realize what a wide range of opportunities agriculture offers in a career. We have also noticed that if we can get students to do a project and move on to the State Science Fair, we have a greater chance of them going into the agricultural field.”

For teachers, the Soybean Science Challenge provides hands-on education that meets curriculum needs and keeps students engaged.

“Teachers love our resources because they are detailed, complete and free,” Young said. “Teachers often tell me how much they appreciate having this available for them to use in their classroom. Students love to dig in the dirt, and our resources allow teachers to let pupils do just that — while still learning the necessary science standards at the same time. It's a win-win situation.”

For more information about the Arkansas Soybean Science Challenge, visit the Division of Agriculture’s Soybean Science Challenge webpage or contact Diedre Young at dyoung@uada.edu or 501-671-2301 or Keith Harris at kharris@uada.edu.

 

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.