Star in the Making: How Beckman Catholic Members Are Exploring Agriscience
Ashley Schilling, a Beckman Catholic FFA member, has found success through competing at the Iowa FFA Agriscience Fair, advancing to the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis and receiving reserve champion. Schilling has been active in FFA since she was in 7th grade, making this her sixth year of involvement.
It all began when she was in 8th grade, when she teamed up with member Annabelle Zahradnik to start an agriscience project where they electrified yogurt to decrease the number of bacterial cells. The outcome of this project was successful, as they won the state agriscience competition, advanced to the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, were interviewed, and won reserve champion in their category and division.
For decades, the State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa has been held at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, giving youth the opportunity to step up and show off their discoveries to the general public. Since then, the State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa has partnered with the Iowa FFA Agriscience Fair, giving students the opportunity to shine with their discoveries in animal science, plant science, and more.
Many chapters across the state of Iowa compete in the Agriscience Fair, including the Beckman Catholic FFA Chapter in Iowa. In 2014, the students had started attending the Agriscience fair. However, until May 2018, the aforementioned chapter had shared a chapter with Maquoketa Valley in Delhi.
Dawn Mausser is the Agricultural Education Teacher and FFA Advisor at Beckman Catholic High School.
“Agriscience fair gives students the opportunity to investigate an area they are passionate about and solve real world problems through trials.” She explained. “It’s not saying every project is successful in the first attempt, but it allows students to grow and learn through the process.”
Since that first project, Schilling has continued to pair with Zahradnik for their 9th, 10th, and 11th grade projects, and have succeeded in state and national competitions. Through their research together, the project partners have received first place in their category and division three times at the state level and have won Reserve Champion Food Products and Processing Systems two times at the National FFA Convention in 2023 and 2025.
The two aim to develop unique, never-before-done projects. They start by researching what could benefit agriculture or solve a problem in the industry. From there, they determine how they will conduct the experiment and how many trials they plan to run. After completing the trials, they arrange their results into tables and graphs and create a paper with all of their research information. Additionally, they have to write a paper based on the results and research of their project.
The Beckman Catholic member shares her appreciation for both the preparation and the presentation portions of the state agriscience fair.
“I really love sharing my research with the judges and answering their questions. My favorite part about the agriscience fair is the experience I get talking to the judges,” Schilling said. “I’ve learned really good communication skills from this experience.”
Schilling is extremely thankful for the abilities and skills that she has gained through the agriscience fair and has great advice for members who may be interested in starting their own agriscience project.
“I’m so grateful for this opportunity, which has taught me so many things and given me unforgettable memories. Neither in 2023 or 2025 standing on the stage at nationals did I think we would ever be reserve champions with our projects. But it shows that the long nights and the work pays off. All you need is a unique idea that gets people thinking and you yourself have to be excited about it” Schilling expressed.
Her final advice for those with an interest is simple.
“To anyone starting out, I would tell them to find a “weird” idea that will solve something. I would tell them to always ask questions and keep researching. I will always encourage anyone to try doing an agriscience research project.”
Mausser reflects on the facilities and resources that have been provided to strengthen the learning environment for their students.
“We added a greenhouse at Beckman Catholic in 2022 and that really sparked student interest and we also have an extremely supportive community.”
The Beckman Catholic Chapter has come a long way since attending their first agriscience fair in 2014. From establishing their own chapter, to having members like Schilling proudly representing their chapters at the national level. The chapter continues to provide their students with opportunities to explore their interests and grow through agriscience.
