Dümmen Orange Announces Dr. P. Allen Hammer Scholarship Winner
December 14, 2018 
(l-r): Chad Miller, Karen Schneck, and Kim Williams
Dümmen Orange recently named Karen Schneck, an undergraduate student studying horticulture and entomology at Kansas State University (KSU), as its latest recipient of the Dr. P. Allen Hammer Scholarship. The $5,000 award is presented in recognition of exemplary academic achievement in the field of horticulture, and is intended to support the next generation of floriculture students towards the completion of their horticulture-related academic pursuits.
The scholarship was founded in 2016 by Dümmen Orange in acknowledgment of the contributions Dr. P. Allen Hammer has made to the floriculture industry.
“Karen was selected for her outstanding record of accomplishments at Kansas State University, “ Hammer says. “Her academic record and extracurricular activities show her commitment to floriculture in both learning and participation. I hope this scholarship provides Karen support and encouragement in her continuing studies as well as a recognition of her accomplishments through her hard work and passion for learning.”
Schneck, who is in her senior year at KSU, plans to attend graduate school to study ornamental horticulture upon graduation this upcoming spring.
“I eventually would like to enter the industry as a greenhouse grower and, maybe one day, become a horticulture extension educator,” Schneck says. “Receiving the Dr. P. Allen Hammer Scholarship from Dümmen Orange has made it possible for me to graduate college without any student loans or other debts. Without having to worry about my finances, I have been completely able to dedicate my time to class and research project. This scholarship has put me on a track that opens up many wonderful and exciting paths for me. It is such an honor to be named the recipient of it.”
“It’s so great to see such a dynamic, passionate future leader in horticulture recognized with this prestigious scholarship,” says Dr. Kim Williams, Professor of Greenhouse Management at KSU and Karen’s teacher and mentor.
Dr. Chad Miller, Associate Professor of Landscape Horticulture at KSU and Schneck’s Academic Advisor, shares similar sentiments.
“This scholarship is a great way to recognize and support some of the great undergraduate horticulture students that will be going into the industry,” Miller says. “Karen, and many others, are the future leaders of the industry and for them to be honored and recognized for their hard work and effort through their studies is much appreciated.”
Dr. P. Allen Hammer served the floriculture industry through Extension and research at Purdue University, from 1973-2006, and at Dümmen Orange from 2006 through today. While at Purdue, he worked with Indiana growers to solve greenhouse production problems and to provide advice on issues related to floriculture. Dr. Hammer was the lead scientist on the National Poinsettia Trial, a joint effort between Purdue University, North Carolina State University, and the University of Florida, and he serves on the Board of Directors of the Fred C. Gloeckner Foundation, which provides research grants to university floriculture researchers.
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