Heckaman Leads Winning Team in Purdue Contest
Published: Friday, April 3, 2026
A 95% soybean-sourced adhesive tape, called SoySeal, earned the $20,000 grand prize in the 32nd annual Student Soybean Innovation Competition during the awards ceremony last Wednesday night at the Purdue Memorial Union in West Lafayette, Ind. In the food track competition, a soy-based bread product titled MiSoy Pan, took top honors.
The Student Soybean Innovation Competition is a partnership between the Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA), the state's soybean checkoff program, and Purdue University. ISA awarded more than $35,000 to four teams that created new products in the industry track. In the soy-based food track, five teams earned a total of $11,000. To win these competitions, Purdue students must develop innovative applications for soybeans. This year, 59 students and 20 teams completed the competition through the two tracks.
"ISA looks forward to working with Purdue students each year and seeing what unique products they create," said ISA Board Chair Denise Scarborough, a farmer from La Crosse. "The goal of this competition is to highlight the versatility of soybeans while seeking to solve a need in agriculture or the general public. The products developed by these students showcase new possibilities for how soybeans can be used and the value they can bring. We are excited about SoySeal and MiSoy Pan."
Twelve teams of 36 students competed in this year's industrial soy products competition.
SoySeal is a reliable, soy-based alternative to traditional petroleum-based packing adhesive tape. Designed with an adhesive layer on one side and a soy-plastic on the other, SoySeal provides strength, durability and versatility while remaining environmentally responsible. SoySeal was created by Purdue University students Jocelyn Erickson, Elizabeth Heckaman and Kasey Wright.
Erickson is a sophomore from Mechanicsville, Va., pursuing a degree in industrial engineering. Also a sophomore, Heckaman, from Claypool. studies biological engineering with a concentration in food and biological processes. Wright is a sophomore from Montgomery, Ohio, studying biological engineering with a cellular and molecular concentration.
In 2024, industry sources said the biodegradable tape market was valued at $1.2 billion, and it is projected to reach $2.8 billion by 2033. The adhesive tape market, at large, is an $80.2 billion industry that is expected to exceed $127.5 billion in 2032.
"By entering a high-growth, multi-billion-dollar space with a 95% soy-derived alternative, our product unlocks a scalable opportunity in a high-value market while promoting Indiana's soybean industry," Erickson said. "At the same time, it addresses one of today's most pressing environmental challenges, reducing the accumulation of microplastics in both our ecosystems and the human body."
The SoySeal team said many biodegradable tape options struggle to maintain strong adhesion under wet or humid conditions. SoySeal remains sticky even after exposure to water and repeated hand washing. The team said SoySeal combines the environmental benefits of plant-based materials with the practical reliability expected from industrial-grade tape.
Each student said they were pleased with the experience of participating in the Student Soybean Innovation Competition.
"Participating in this competition has been an incredibly rewarding experience," Heckaman said. "Co-creating SoySeal has helped me gain a deeper understanding of the business and marketing aspects of a project rather than solely focusing on technical skills. Being able to see our vision come to life in the lab and then working with my teammates to continually improve our prototype was such a gratifying process."
This was the second year for the soy-based food innovation track of the competition. This year's competition required students to show how versatile soy can be as a baking ingredient. In total, eight teams of College of Agriculture students worked with the Purdue Food Science Department to create products made in the food-grade facilities on campus and to compete for the top prize.
MiSoy Pan is a variation of a Japanese salt bread similar to shio pan, and it won the $5,000 top prize in the soy food track. Shio pan is a combination of buttery richness, a crispy exterior and an airy interior has helped it gain popularity as a hybrid between a croissant and soft milk bread. The MiSoy Pan team suggested that a soy-forward, vegan variation of shio pan could appeal to domestic and international customers. The MiSoy Pan team consists of Brooke Erwin, Jeff Chow, Bethany Champley and Emma Wu.
"MiSoy Pan is a vegan, soy-based, Asian-inspired, baked good that is best served within 3-6 hours after being baked to ensure peak texture and flavor," Erwin said. "Our market strategy for selling our rolled dough as a frozen product for contract baking is to ensure the product is consumed within or near this time range. Because of this, key buyers of our product will be retailers, chains and specialty markets that look for contract baking manufacturers that provide high convenience, niche and on-trend products, and a brand that aligns with values in sustainability."
In addition to the other prizes, the 400-plus attendees of the Student Soybean Innovation Competition Awards Ceremony each voted for their favorite product for the $500 People's Choice award. This prize was officially renamed in honor Rodolfo Pinal, associate professor of industrial and molecular Pharmaceutics who passed away in December 2024. Pinal was a frequent faculty advisor for students in this competition, many of whom were prize winners, including the past two winning teams.
This year's award went to Soyé, creators of a soy-based menstrual pad. Soyé features three soy-derived layers: A top layer for moisture-wicking comfortability, an absorbent core engineered from a tofu byproduct, and an impermeable layer to prevent leakage. A commercial-grade adhesive to ensure the same functionality as conventional menstrual pads is also added. The makers of Soyé include Purdue students Marcia Kusumah of Jakarta, Indonesia; Eleanor Malinowski of Downers Grove, Ill.; and Chanyoung "Ivy" Moon of Seoul, Korea.
"The Student Soybean Innovation Competition allows ISA to connect with bright and creative students—some who may not be familiar with agriculture," said ISA board director Mark Wenning, a farmer from Henry County, Ind., and vice chair of ISA's sustainability and value creation committee. "One of ISA's key strategic initiatives is funding research to create new uses for soybeans, helping develop higher value applications that support our farms."
The students involved in the competition represented a variety of majors including agronomy, biological engineering, animal science, pharmacy and environmental and natural resource engineering. Each team works with two faculty advisors who provide technical and market research support. Many advisors worked with more than one team of students.
This year's industrial track judges included four ISA board members: Dylan Christopher of Brookston, Ind.; Derika Lynam-Spaetti of Richland, Ind.; Andrew McDaniel of Waldron, Ind., and Roger Wenning of Greensburg, Ind. Also, four industry experts served as judges including Dr. Clayton Westerman of BioBond Adhesives; Brit Walker with ADM; Amie Osborn of First Farmers Bank and Trust, and Chad Strohl of Crafco.
The food track judges from ISA were Lynam-Spaetti and Jenna Scott of Muncie, Ind.; Three industry experts served as judges, as well, including Carlana Rodriguez with Grain Processing, Shuangyi Zhang with Egglife Foods and Patrick Nycz with Purdue Ag Economics.
Earning second place this year, and a $10,000 prize, were the creators of SoySlipSafe, a soy-based anti-icer that can be used on roads prior to snowfall or freezing precipitation. Traditional anti-icing products rely heavily on chloride salts as the primary freezing point depressant. While effective, chlorides are a major contributor to infrastructure corrosion, vehicle deterioration and environmental degradation. SoySlipSafe uses soybean-derived components to achieve the two primary functions of an effective anti-icer—freezing point depression and ice-bond reduction.
The SoySlipSafe team members include Taylor Helman, Marley Kakalia and Lucy Shepard. Helman is a mechanical engineering student with a minor in sustainable engineering. Kakalia is a biological engineering student hoping to pursue a career in food processing. And Shepard is a biological engineering student on a pre-physician assistant track.
Finishing third, and earning a $5,000 prize, were the creators of SoyLam, a soy-based plastic laminate designed to replace current plastic lamination materials. Lamination is key to improving the mechanical strength and water resistance of paper—making it suitable for storage. SoyLam is fully biodegradable and made entirely from food-safe ingredients that could have uses in the food industry for storage of rice and other dry goods. The SoyLam team members are Elizabeth Rozzi and Erica Conley. Both are biological engineering majors. Rozzi is a sophomore, and Conley is a junior.
Garden Galette earned the $3,000 second prize. Galette, a French term, refers to high-end patisserie that is also popular in modern artisan baking. The team that produced these vegan galettes used soy properties to create all four elements of their product: A puff pastry dough, ricotta cheese, beef crumble and a pesto sauce. The Garden Galette team members include Claudia Guillen, Nicolas Rosy and Natcha Ngaosuphanvongs.
Taking the $2,000 third prize was a plant-based macaron called Boba Macs. These treats are a creative fusion of an appraised macaron and popular boba tea. The macaron shell is 60% almond flour and 40% soy flour to effectively lower the fat content and to be more cost effective. The shells provide a subtle nutty taste to go with the sweet filling. Boba Macs creators are Sarah Richter, Rory Adrilk, Kara Macler and Sofia Hwang.
Indiana soybean farmers' investment in finding new soybean innovations is not limited to the competition. The state soybean checkoff also funds the Soybean Utilization Endowed Chair at Purdue's College of Agriculture, Dr. Nathan Mosier, to lead research into new uses for soybeans.
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