Apply to be UK’s Next Lee T. Todd, Jr. Innovation Scholar

Applications are now being accepted for the University of Kentucky’s University’s Lee T. Todd, Jr. Student Innovation Scholarship.  

The Lee T. Todd, Jr. Student Innovation Scholarship is a unique undergraduate research scholarship provided by the UK Center for Applied Energy Research and funded through philanthropic donations. Focused on inspiring and training the next generation Kentucky high-tech entrepreneurs, this scholarship allows scholarship recipients to design their own research project under the mentorship of a CAER researcher. In addition, the scholarship recipient will be paired with an entrepreneurial mentor to help them learn more about the commercialization process.  

“What makes this scholarship program unique is its focus on student creativity and innovation,” said Rodney Andrews, CAER Director. “In most cases, undergraduate researchers participate in research projects that are driven by their mentor. Which is fantastic – we need more Kentucky students involved in undergraduate research. But we also need students to work on their own ideas while also being trained and encouraged to commercialize those innovations.” 

Lee T. Todd, Jr. is a native of Earlington, Kentucky and received his undergraduate degree in engineering from UK. He then went on and received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, before returning to the Commonwealth to join the faculty at the UK College of Engineering. Todd would go on to start two Kentucky-based high-tech firms – Projectron and DataBeam – before becoming the 11th President of the University of Kentucky. He is known across the Commonwealth for his commitment to inspiring the next generation of high-tech entrepreneurs and encouraging them to help reshape and modernize Kentucky’s economy.  

The Lee T. Todd, Jr. Student Innovation Scholarship is $10,000. Students must be enrolled as a UK undergraduate. They can be pursuing any major at UK, though their research project must be focused on some area of energy research and development. For complete scholarship details, click here.

The scholarship deadline is September 13. Students can apply via Scholarship Universe at this link: https://gateway.campuslogic.com/?auth=clsignin&clientid=62c12a0d-76b3-45ee-9340-d96450f852bc&productid=2208cfa3-aa9b-465a-939a-8e3e921f4954&type=student&ctx=%2Fstudent%2Fscholarship%2F341933